Seaside Embrace(22)

“Do you want to try? Or would you rather not share it yet?”

Her forehead wrinkled, and her face grew serious. He hated the idea of being locked out of something so important to her, but he wouldn’t push if she wasn’t ready.

“It’s okay, pretty girl. Tell me about your current job. Why do you want to quit? Is that something you’re comfortable talking about?”

She explained about her boss leaving town on what was supposed to be a short-term basis but had turned into months, and how she was forced into taking over the job of a full-time manager. Irritation tightened his chest at the thought of Jana being taken advantage of.

The line moved quickly as she explained. After getting their cones, Hunter pulled her in close again as they walked back toward Main Street eating their ice cream.

“Have you talked to your boss about hiring someone new to handle some of the work you’re doing?”

She ran her tongue around her ice cream and peered up at him from behind a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Holy hell. Did she want to take him to his knees right there and then? There was absolutely nothing sexier than Jana eating ice cream.

She licked her lips and nodded.

He was wrong. Jana licking ice cream from her lips was neck and neck with her tongue sliding over the mound of ice cream. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“You’re killing me.” He tightened his jaw and forced himself to look away before his arousal became any more noticeable. “Warn me next time not to get you ice cream unless we’re alone.”

“Why?” she asked with feigned innocence.

He leaned down and spoke directly into her ear. “Because if you’re going to use your tongue like that, I can’t be held responsible for what I do with mine.”

She mouthed a silent, Oh.

They finished their cones as they continued down Main Street and turned by the library, heading toward the harbor.

“Let me get this straight. Your douche bag boss won’t give you a raise or hire someone else.” He wanted to have a little talk with Marco.

“Nope.” They turned the corner and the pier came into view. “So when I told Bella and the girls about it the other day, they asked what I really wanted, and ‘open my own studio’ just sort of came out. And you know the girls. They’re so confident and so eager to help everyone.” She shrugged. “Before I knew it, we were strategizing about renting the recreation center at Seaside for my classes. We met with Theresa yesterday, and I guess she’s checking into things and the ball is rolling. Everything is happening so fast.”

He tipped up her chin so he could see her eyes. He saw a hint of fear there, like a baby bird standing on the edge of a nest for the first time. Certain she can fly, but what if…Seeing that doubt in her eyes startled him. Jana put on such a strong front that Hunter felt like he’d peeled back another layer of her, revealing a little more of the real Jana.

“Do you want that? Your own studio, that space?” he finally asked.

It took her a long time to answer, and in the quiet, he studied her for hints as to what she was thinking and felt himself getting lost in her instead. She looked younger, softer tonight, with the flowers in her hair and a dress that on anyone else would look too fancy, but on Jana looked, well, perfectly Jana.


***

JANA FELT HUNTER studying her, but not in the way she was used to, when he was thinking about all the dirty things he wanted to do with her. He was looking at her like he truly wanted to hear what she had to say. Like he really cared.

“I think I do,” she answered quietly. “The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. But really? What do I know about running a business?”

“You’re running a business now.” Hunter took her hand and they walked around the bend, passing the Pearl, the Bookstore Restaurant, and the playground.

“I guess.”

“You said you’re not only teaching, but handling the billing, the marketing, and the administration. You’re already there, Jana.” Hunter led her to the middle of the grassy field between the tennis courts and a row of cottages and looked out over the harbor.

“When I was eleven or twelve, my family used to come here every so often. We’d get ice cream, walk along the beach. I never knew why my parents took us here, of all places, when we lived in Brewster, but I eventually found out that this was one of my mom’s favorite spots. It was where my parents met.” Hunter’s gaze turned serious, and her heart ached for his loss.

“You must miss her very much.”

“I do.” He nodded, and his voice softened. “But I know she’s still in here.” He covered his heart with his hand. He blinked several times, and when he changed the subject, she knew he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. “My father had a knack for teaching each of us what we wanted to learn. He bought Matt every book under the sun, about all sorts of topics that I’d never find fun, but for whatever reason, Matt loved them.”

“He must still.”

Hunter smiled. “Yeah. He loves teaching at Princeton. And you know my dad taught Pete to refinish boats, and he taught Grayson and me how to forge metal. My mom was never really happy about him teaching us something that was so dangerous, but after a few years, that changed. She saw how much we loved it, we proved we were responsible, and she saw how close Grayson, Dad, and I were from working together. And, eventually, she was okay with it.”

“You’re lucky he was so interested in spending time with you guys. My parents are living proof of generational gaps. They supported Brock’s fighting, but other than that, they think we should all have nine-to-five jobs, and Harper and I should be married with two point five children. I have no idea how none of their four children ended up in conventional jobs.”

Hunter tucked her hair behind her ear and lightly stroked her cheek. Coupled with the tender look in his eyes, it was such an intimate gesture that it made her shiver.

“My father taught us that some people aren’t meant to follow other people’s dreams. That’s what I’m getting at. One evening when we came here, my brothers and sister and I were running around, and I saw my mom and dad standing right here in this spot. They were standing close, like this.” He stepped in so close their thighs brushed.

“I remember thinking about how I never wanted to forget seeing them like that. The next day I started my first real metal sculpture. It was the first time I felt inspired by something. Instead of just welding and forging to create something cool, I felt driven by an image. It was a sculpture of them, standing right here. It took me months to complete it. I could only use the forge when my father was around, and he worked a lot, because he owns the hardware store, as you know.”

She had a hard time imagining Hunter waiting for anything. He took; he didn’t wait.

“Anyway, after I made that sculpture, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I also knew, because my mother was quite practical and believed in telling things as they were, that my chances of making a career as an artist were slim, but I wanted it more than I wanted anything else in the world.”

“That’s how I feel about dance. I love everything about it. I get lost in it, Hunter. I’ve never really felt that way about anything else except boxing and…” She stopped before saying you. Quickly turning away, she brought her fist to her mouth. Holy crap. I do lose myself in you. She wasn’t ready for this. She trusted Hunter, but she didn’t trust this quick turnaround he was making. Her life was a crazy mess right now, and she didn’t trust herself enough to see things clearly and make smart decisions.

“And?” He stepped around so he was in her line of sight.

He was so handsome, and the intense look in his eyes, the tell me everything look, combined with the tenderness of his request, made her stomach dip.

“And…” She couldn’t let the emotions swelling inside her change anything between them. She was vulnerable, because of everything going on at work. That had to be what was causing her rampant emotions. “Having my own studio would be like a dream come true.”

“Then nothing should stand in your way. Not Marco, not self-doubt. Nothing.”

The way he said it, like he believed in her, like she deserved to make her dreams come true, comforted her and made her feel stronger. When he slid his hand to the nape of her neck and smiled, she felt herself welcoming this new thing blossoming between them, despite her resolve not to let it sway her emotions.

Jana went up on her toes, holding tightly to his waist as his eyes darkened and her heart turned over in her chest. “I like this side of you.”

Their mouths came together in a series of slow, shivery kisses.

“I like this side of you, too,” he said with a knee-weakening smile.

She was sure she was walking on air the whole way back to the truck. The distance they covered felt shorter, the travel time to her house quicker than ever before. She couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around this new Hunter and explore whatever was happening between them.

They laughed on the way up the walk to her front door. When she stepped up on the porch, he spun her around so they were almost eye to eye. Her arms wound around his neck, and he gathered her hair in one hand and gave a gentle tug, sending shocks of lust through her.