I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to the bedroom. Or hell, I’d be happy to make a meal of her right on the island. I’d spread those silky thighs and dive in headfirst.
But no. I needed to play a long game here. I wanted her. I had to prove to her that I wasn’t after just one thing.
Even if I really, really wanted that one thing. Her. In my bed. Right fucking now. But that wasn’t all I wanted. I wanted to soak her in. Hear her thoughts. Learn all about her. Have her close at hand as much as humanly fucking possible.
I wanted my life to be all Claire, all the time.
I took another bite and chewed slowly, doing my best not to ogle her. No need to act like a cartoon character with eyes on springs. It was time to show her my sensitive side. That I noticed things about her other than her absurdly delectable body.
“How is the studying going?”
She sighed and her hand went to her neck. She was stressed. I wished she would let me help her with that.
Soon, Hunter. You’ll both get some stress relief real fucking soon.
“It’s going okay, I guess. I’ve never been that good at rote memorization.”
“You learn better on your feet,” I said. She nodded, looking surprised. “I’m like that, too.”
“Surely, you are done with school?”
I let out a sharp laugh. She wasn’t being cheeky. Well, maybe a little. I was a damn sight older than her.
“I was never much for school,” I admitted. “But I learned the basics of woodworking and mechanics there and kept it going. I mostly learned from older guys in the club when I first joined up. I’m damned good at it, too. But I don’t think you ever stop learning.”
She nodded slowly.
“I agree with that. Especially in medicine. There are classes and certifications you can take after you’re licensed and lots of stuff you can read online.”
She gave me a look that clearly said that she doubted I had ever picked up a book.
“I read,” I said mildly. “Books. Mostly non-fiction. I’m not one for scrolling the internet for hours, though.”
“No, I guess you’re not,” she said with a newfound appreciation in her eyes. Score another point for Hunter, I thought smugly. I was inching toward my goal.
It was frustrating as hell but also . . . hot. Really, really hot. Hell, maybe waiting wasn’t the worst thing in the world after all.
As long as I got what I was after.
“I’d better let you get back to it.”
She looked at me in surprise. She’d been expecting me to pounce on her again. I wasn’t going to do that. Not yet.
Not until she was primed and ready.
I guided her to the front door, my hand loosely pressed against her lower back. I let it slide slightly as we got to the threshold and she stepped over it. A gentle caress. The kind that should leave her tingling for hours.
Her eyes were wide when she glanced back at me.
“Thanks for the coffee,” she said, sounding a little out of breath.
“Thank you for the visit. And the pie,” I added. “Stop by anytime.”
She shook her head, looking a little dazed. I leaned in the doorframe watching that glorious behind walk away from me.
Once again, I was reminded of the old saying. I hated for her to leave, but I sure loved watching her go.
Chapter Twelve
Kelly
I walked into the kitchen and froze, watching my husband tenderly caring for our kids. He patiently cut up food for our toddler and then slowly spoon fed a few bites of mushy baby food to our daughter in the highchair.
A smile lit up my face. It was such a beautiful sight. My man and my babes, all looking happy and healthy. I felt so blessed. And then I looked closer, seeing the tension in Cain’s handsome face. His jaw was clenched, and I could see the tightness in his massive broad shoulders.
I stepped behind him and squeezed his shoulders the way I knew he liked it. He sighed and reached back to rest his hand over mine. I stood on my tip toes and kissed the top of his head. Even with him sitting, it was a reach. My man was just that big and tall.
And I was just that tiny.
“You let me sleep.”
“You need the rest,” he said gruffly. But he squeezed my hand. He was never mean. Matter of fact, clinical and authoritarian, yes, but mean? Never. Not to me. Not to anyone.
I was pretty sure he was polite even when he was stomping someone in the dirt for breaking club rules.
“You need sleep, too.”
“No, I don’t,” he said in that voice that brooked no argument. He was more than a bit bossy sometimes, but I didn’t mind. The truth was, I liked it. Especially in the bedroom where he was over-the-top dominant. I felt a shiver go down my spine when I thought about what we’d done last night. And this morning . . .