There’s a long, heavy silence, as if neither of us is able to find something clever to say. Hunter brings a fist to his mouth before clearing his throat and the next thing I know he’s on his feet.
“All right, I’m off to bed. I have a long day tomorrow, but it was a pleasure spending time with you tonight, Allison. I’m looking forward to your stay here.”
I try to get up from my seat to wish him goodnight, but I freeze when he leans down towards me. He drops a kiss on each of my cheeks and shockingly, the contact of his lips instantly hardens my nipples. Oh, boy.
“I’m sure you’re going to sleep like a queen tonight, Allison. If you don’t, let me know tomorrow and I’ll see what I can do.”
Is he coming on to me?
Either I’ve had one too many drinks or Hunter’s comment is laced with double entendres. I take a breath in to slow down my racing heart before answering him.
“I’ll keep your offer in mind, but I suspect I’ll crash like a log.” I try to remain as cool as I possibly can and I turn my head to avoid Hunter’s burning gaze. When I swerve to the left, I meet Jake’s stare and I read the same intensity I saw in Hunter’s gaze a second ago. God.
“One last thing before I go.”
“Uh…”
“Your hair,” Hunter says, bringing his hand to my mane. “It’s so magnificent. Why in the world would you ever put it up? You nearly gave me a heart attack when you walked in for dinner with your hair flowing all the way down to your waist. Promise me you’ll wear it down more often,” he says before dropping a soft kiss on my forehead.
“Hunter, stop it, you’re going to scare her off. Go to bed. I’ll take Allison back to her place in a few minutes.” Jake’s tone is stern, but the playful glee in his eyes suggests he’s finding this quite amusing.
“All right. I’ll be off to bed, but Allison has to promise first.”
I smile, uncertain if Hunter is really flirting with me or if I’m making this all up in my head, but I feel so utterly sexy right now, I don’t care. “I promise to wear my hair down more often. Cross my heart,” I answer, giggling.
“Good. Now I can go sleep soundly. Good night.”
“Good night, Hunter.”
“Bright and early tomorrow, buddy,” he says, turning to Jake.
“As always.”
I’m purposefully focusing on Hunter leaving the room and I pretend to be fascinated by the front door, because I’m afraid if I turn around, Jake will see how turned on I am from this playful evening with these two hunks. I know I’m kidding myself because I feel his gaze on the back of my head and when I pivot to meet his eyes, I nearly melt. Damn.
* * *
I thought Jake was going to get to his feet right after Hunter retreated to bed, but instead he’s been keeping me laughing with hilarious stories of his sister and her kids. I’ve not been this light-hearted in so long, I forgot how it felt. I could spend the rest of the night here with him, but I have a meeting at nine tomorrow with Riley so she can brief me on my new responsibilities as her assistant and I want to be fresh for my first day of work.
“I don’t know how late it is, but maybe it’s time for me to get some sleep. I’m sure you must be exhausted,” I say, stretching out of my comfy position.
“It’s not too late, but I’m sure the trip must be catching up with you. Let me put on my boots and I’ll walk you to your house.” He gets up and walks towards me where I’ve been struggling to get up. “This couch is so comfortable, when you sink into it, it’s practically impossible to extract your body from it. Let me give you a hand.” He reaches out for me. I extend my hand and he pulls me so hard off the couch I land on my feet before stumbling forward. Jake is quick and catches me before I embarrass myself any further. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I whisper. I’m suddenly aware he’s cradling me against him. The heat emanating from his muscular body is making me woozy and his closeness causes my pussy to throb. To hide my nervousness and arousal, I lower my eyes, but I think he sees right through me. Jake places his index finger under my chin and forces me to meet his gaze. He pulls me closer to him and I find myself pressed against an impressive erection.
“Hunter is right.”
“Umm, about what?” I ask with a shaky voice.
“Your magnificent hair. I did a double-take when I saw you walk in before dinner. Don’t get me wrong, you look beautiful with your hair off your face, but when you let it flow like this…” He bites his lower lip as he strokes my mane.