Page 27 of Hot Winter Nights (Bear Mountain Rescue 1)

Slipping his hand out of her pants, he refastened her slacks, taking his time without letting his gaze leave hers.

A few moments later, when the oven timer went off, Allie still hadn’t moved or loosened her grip around his neck. Reaching up, he pulled her hands down and set them across her stomach with a pat. “I’ll go get that.”

After Allie scrambled off of him, he got up, silently cursing himself. How could he have let this happen? The moment he’d touched her, he knew he was doing something wrong. He should’ve left, gone home, taken a cold shower, and forgotten all about Allie—but he hadn’t been able to stop. He’d waited for her to say no, to grab his hand, to do something…

But she hadn’t. She’d melted into him, kissing him back so sweetly, and his mind had moved onto one track. Touching her, tasting her. Branding her as his.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t real. Whatever this attraction, this passion was between them, he wasn’t the guy for her. He wasn’t the long-haul, “get married and tuck the kids into bed every night” kind of man.

Hunter was, though. Hunter could give Allie what she wanted.

Dex went to the sink and washed his hands, gritting his teeth while the hard-on pressed painfully against the front of his jeans. Ignoring it as best he could, he slipped on Allie’s oven mitts and pulled the pizza out. Once he’d set it on the counter, he cleared his throat.

“Look, I’m sorry. I let things get out of hand.” With a dry chuckle, he tried to go for nonchalant. “We can just forget this. Chalk it up to temporary insanity.”

Allie stared blankly at him over the couch, her blond hair messy and her lips red and raw from his kisses. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and yet, he was going to walk away. They needed some distance.

“Look, um…I’m gonna skip out on the pizza. But thanks for the invite. I’ll just…I’ll see you later.”

Like a coward, he walked out the door without looking back. Because when he’d see the look of relief on her face, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Chapter 16

Hunter knew something was going on with Allie. Over the last week she had been avoiding him and he couldn’t figure out why. He’d invited her to dinner, left her flowers, and still, she kept coming up with excuses.

Suspicion clouded his mind, and armed with two coffees and a smile, he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

He tapped on her office door and poked his head in. “Hey, you got a second for coffee?”

And there it was, that guarded look. “Well, um…I have a lot of paperwork to finish.”

Hunter’s patience snapped and he closed the door behind him. “Allie, I feel like you’re dodging me and I’ve got to know. Did I come on too strong or do something?”

“No, I mean…” Allie groaned, putting her face in her hands. When she finally looked up at him,

her face was filled with regret. “I am so sorry I’ve made you feel like that…I’ve just…I’ve been confused and needed a little time.”

“Confused about what?”

He waited for her to answer, holding his breath.

“Well…last week, Dex…” She took a deep breath, as if she were preparing herself for what she was about to say. “He kissed me.…”

Blood pounded in Hunter’s ears. “He kissed you.”

“Yes, and I feel terrible about it—”

“Did you kiss him back?” Why was he even asking this? Of course she kissed him back; she wouldn’t have avoided telling him about it if she hadn’t.

“I…yes.”

“I see.” Taking a deep, shaky breath, he smiled. “It’s okay. We weren’t exclusive or anything. Are you interested in seeing him, or was this a onetime thing?”

“No, no, it just…happened. And he is definitely not interested in me. He told me that outright.”

Hunter’s fists clenched. Asshole.

It wasn’t even the fact that Dex had kissed her—well, it was partly that he’d kissed her—but mostly, it was the lies that got to Hunter. Dex had told him he wasn’t interested in Allie. Then he’d made a play for her and didn’t say a word to Hunter about it? They’d had drinks several times over the past week and he’d had plenty of opportunity to bring it up.

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