He moved my feet away from his lap, standing up. I followed his every movement to the kitchen, drinking in that sexy sway of his ass. He worked out a lot. Aside from his evening runs on the treadmill he’d put in one of the guest rooms, he also went to the building’s gym four times a week, where he rigorously trained each group of muscles.
Since I did my yoga routine in the morning, I had no use for the gym, but I did go to the sauna. As a plus, I could spy on this sexy man.
He handed me a cup and resumed the foot rub. Hot damn, how was this man even real? He made me feel like a queen.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Long and stressful. We’re in the home stretch with a case we’ve been working on for three years, but I swear it’s cutthroat now. How was yours?”
“Busy, but in a good way. We need new staff for our Miami branch, and I’m involved in managerial hires. I see about five new candidates a week.”
“Live interviews or video conference?”
“I want live interviews. I can read people better in person. First impression is important. For those who make the second round, I’ll just do video calls.”
He pressed his thumbs on my sole, then expertly massaged my calves. I seriously was in heaven. What could be more perfect than this?
“Anyone giving you trouble at work?” he asked.
“Not more than usual. They do give me the side eye, though, when I brag about a certain someone.”
“Who might that be?”
“My husband. I happen to be very proud of him.”
He gave me an intense look I couldn’t quite decipher. Even as I said it, my heart squeezed. We were growing close in ways I hadn’t imagined before. I loved how he always joined me in the nook, bringing me a cup of hot chocolate or tea, or sometimes just worked on his laptop in silence.
I was already getting attached to our life, to the house, and it had only been a month. How could I say goodbye to all this in three years?
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shrugged, unsure how to put it in words. Did he like this intimacy as much as I did? Or was he sharing because it had become a routine, because we lived together?
“Do you want to look over the to-do list for the school?” I asked, not just to change the subject, but because I genuinely loved the project.
Hunter leaned in, cupping my cheek. “Josie, this is your free time. You’ve already done a lot.”
I hadn’t done that much, just secured some permits. The great thing about having attended law school in New York was that 90 percent of my fellow classmates were working in the city—some for public institutions.
Knowing that Hunter had gone into real estate partly to keep the connection to his dad, to make him proud, endeared him to me. I was seeing a part of Hunter he hadn’t shown me before.
“If I’m thinking about work in my free time, you’re doing something wrong, husband.” I wiggled my toes, indicating that I was ready for another round of foot rubs.
Hunter pressed three fingers into my arch before skimming his hands up my calves. My skin broke out in goose bumps.
“I’m going to miss this tomorrow evening,” I said.
“Why?”
“I have the girls’ night out, remember?”
He grimaced. “Wouldn’t want to be in your skin.”
I poked his waist. “Stop making fun of me. This is all your fault. You could have prevented this.”
“If you really believe that, you have too much faith in me and not nearly enough in Tess and Skye.”
The next evening, Tess and Skye stopped by the house. We were going to a bar two blocks away. Tess had clasped one of my wide belts around her waist. Skye was trying on some chandelier-style clip-on earrings that looked gorgeous on her. They reminded me of my sister. We’d routinely swapped clothes growing up. I sighed, more aware than ever of the dull ache in my chest. I missed her terribly. But being with Tess and Skye was like having two new sisters.