“My mother,” he began.
***
Hunter felt Roman’s arm brush against his as they were forced to walk closer together as the trail narrowed. He supposed it would be just as easy for him to move in front of Roman or behind him but he really wanted to see the man as he spoke.
“Your mother?” Hunter prodded when Roman fell silent.
“She was always flipping through magazines and tearing out the ads for resorts. The really fancy ones, you know? White sand beaches, perfect pools with waterfalls and empty lounge chairs lining the edge. Every month she’d buy a couple travel magazines and she’d show them to me at night instead of reading a bedtime story.”
“How old were you?” Hunter asked with a small laugh.
“Seven. But I didn’t mind because she’d turn the whole thing into an adventure and make up stories about the things we’d see and do. I knew more about world destinations than I did about Curious George or Marmaduke.”
“Who?” Hunter asked.
Roman sent him a ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ look and then gave him a gentle shove when Hunter couldn’t prevent the knowing chuckle from escaping his mouth.
“Did you ever get to go on any of your grand adventures?”
Roman shook his head. “My mom was a waitress so there wasn’t a lot of extra money lying around.”
“How about after you started building them?”
The tension in Roman’s frame had Hunter wishing he could take back the question. There was only one thing that put that look of loss in a man’s eye.
“How old were you when you lost her?”
“Ten,” Roman said quietly.
“Sorry,” Hunter whispered and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to run his hand down Roman’s upper arm. The move was supposed to be about comfort but all it did was spike up the dull ache of desire that had been lurking in Hunter’s belly since the moment he’d laid eyes on Roman in his father’s office this morning. And from the way Roman glanced at his hand and then his mouth, he knew Roman was feeling it too.
Hunter drew his hand back and put as much distance between their bodies that the trail would allow. “Where did you build your first resort?”
“California. I’d already bought a couple of old warehouses and turned them into condos when I saw this old hotel for sale in Big Sur. The two investors I’d brought into the project wanted to tear it down and build something from scratch but there was something about it…it was like it was more than just a building. Like it had a soul.”
“Did you tear it down?”
Roman shook his head. “I bought out the investors and fixed it up instead. Rooms sold out before the doors even opened and there’s a two year waiting list to stay there.”
“Wow, I’ll bet it’s beautiful.”
“It is. Everything’s top of the line. Top chefs, state of the art rooms, every amenity you could think of…” Roman said proudly.
“Just think, there’s probably some kid and his mom tearing out pictures of your resorts and making up stories about them.”
Roman stiffened and all the pride that had been in his gaze disappeared instantly. He stopped in the middle of the trail and just stood there looking…God, he looked devastated.
“Roman, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“It’s okay,” Roman said woodenly. “You know what, maybe we should head back. I’ve got some calls I need to return.”
“Roman-” Hunter said as he grabbed Roman’s hand before he could turn and head back down the trail.
“And you should probably be taking it easy anyway. You’re bound to still be sore after last night.”
The reminder was like a slap in the face and Hunter felt any lingering warmth inside of him disappear and he dropped Roman’s hand.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Hunter managed to get out as he reached into his pocket to run his fingers over the items there. His anxiety eased enough that he was able to keep it together as he stepped back from Roman and then led the way back towards the car.
Chapter Four
Hunter’s relief at escaping the uncomfortable silence in Roman’s car was short-lived because his father was on him the second he walked through the door to his parents’ office.
“Where is he?” his father snapped as he craned his neck to try and see the front door. “Is he coming in?”
“Um, no, he said he had some calls to make,” Hunter murmured as he hurried past the reach of his father’s crutches and went to drop a kiss on his mother’s cheek.
“Hi,” he murmured.