Sweetest Salvation (10 page)

“Like I have
a friend who will always be here for me.”

“Most
definitely.”

“Sexy,” she whispered.

“You are most definitely
sexy.
Stunning, really.”

“You’re biased,” she
chuckled.

“No, just honest.”

“Thank you.”

“When will I get to see you?”
he demanded.

She frowned. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just would rather
have this conversation in person. To tell you how gorgeous you are
face-to-face. Maybe show you.”

Andy shifted on the bed,
goosebumps
spread along her skin. To take things with him
to the next level…was she ready? She needed just a bit more time.

“I’ll be home in a few days.”

“Home?
Where the hell are you?”

“Wolfe
Island.
I needed some space.”

He sighed. She pictured him
running his hand through his hair in frustration, like she’d seen him do many
times.

“How much longer will you be
gone?”

She picked at the small piece
of lint on the quilt. “I don’t know for sure, but maybe three or four more
days.”

“Will you come see me the
minute you’re home? I need to hold you, Andy,” he whispered.

“Hunter,” she breathed, body
shaking with need and yearning.

“
Dammit
,
don’t sound like that and expect me to just sit here and wait. Promise me
you’ll be no more than three or four days. I can’t do this on the phone and not
come for you.”

That he would sweep in here, find
her and take her in his arms…

Her body ignited and juices
gathered between her thighs.

“Four days at the most, I
promise. I’ll see you soon.”

“I miss you, Andy,” he
murmured.

She was helpless to deny him.
“I miss you, too.”

She heard the click in her ear
and hung up. Enough had been said. She laid her cell on the bed beside her and
curled up on her side.

A smile played on her lips,
knowing he was thinking about her in this moment too.

Though she wanted to rush
back home and find him, she still needed a few days to remember the past and
make certain she was ready for the future.
Whatever it might
be.

There would be no turning
back once she was in Hunter’s arms again.

She suspected he would never
let her go.

And she wasn’t sure she’d be
able to walk away either.

****

Andy set the last of the
folded laundry on her bed.

She’d never been so exhausted
in her life. The emotions over the last few days had taken a toll on her.
Taking the trip to Wolfe Island had been a great idea but the drive tiring.

She wanted to hurry to
Hunter’s door, but needed to acclimate herself to being home again.

But she wanted to be certain
that she wasn’t just reacting to being lonely. She needed to prove that even
while in the house she’d shared with Patrick, she could have the overwhelming
urgency to see Hunter…

The fact was proven. She’d
missed him more than she ever thought she would. Hell, even while tending to
menial tasks, he was continually on her mind.

Andy turned away from the
laundry, her heart still aching for all she’d lost, and for the time she’d
wasted closing herself off from those that cared about her.

Walking the short distance to
the end bedroom, she stood in front of the closed cherry wood door.

Andy traced the letters of
Peter’s name that he’d proudly helped her hang on the door. He’d been so
excited to see his name in different colors and call it his.

With a deep breath, she grabbed
the doorknob, and opened the door.

Her eyes filled with tears as
she crossed the threshold into her son’s dinosaur domain.

Dinosaur wallpaper covered
the walls, curtains her mother-in-law had made with fabric she’d searched far
and wide for—just so he could have his favorite prehistoric animal on them—hung
on the window. To match the curtains, Jeanine also used the same fabric to make
the comforter and bedding. Peter had been ecstatic to see the
Allosaurus
, T-Rex and Stegosaurus everywhere.
 
She and Patrick had shopped endlessly for
every dinosaur stuffed animal and toy they could find.

Andy swallowed hard and sat
in the rocking chair in front of the window. She laid her head back and set the
rocker in motion. With a deep breath, the blueberry scent her son loved to use
in his baths carried into this room, and lingered still. The distinct fragrance
washed over her. She smiled.

Tears slid down her cheeks as
she laughed aloud, thinking about her son.

Peter filled her heart with
his laughter and pleasure in life.

She sobered. She’d done so
wrong by him.

Instead of pushing through
the pain that losing him caused, she’d wallowed in grief and became someone
even she didn’t know. She should have honored his and his father’s memories by
dealing with the pain and finding the strength to move forward.

She should have done
something to make sure neither of their deaths was for nothing. She could have
joined MADD, sought out other parents who suffered the loss of a child, other
woman aching without their husbands.

But she’d done none of that.
She was angry with herself for the waste she’d allowed her own life to become.
To turn her back on the charities that had counted on her, the love she’d had
in her life.

But she needed the time to
heal.
To be alone and work through the grief in her own way.
She just never intended to shut herself off so completely from those who cared for
her and counted on her.

Andy looked around the room.

She needed to get her life
back. To find the pleasures in life again that she’d always enjoyed. The family
she still had in the
Sheavers
, her parents who were
hundreds of miles away but still with her all the time.

And Hunter.

The love he had for her
little boy. An uncle and godfather who’d loved him as if he was his own. Andy
loved that about him.

Yes, she loved Hunter.
Deeply.

He was everything she admired
in a man—strong, supportive, kind and thoughtful, goal-oriented and sexy to
boot. He’d be a wonderful father as well.

While different from what
she’d felt for Patrick, her love for Hunter was just as strong.

Patrick had been everything
to her, and would always love him.

To find a second love in her
life was more than she could ever have hoped for. It was more than most people experienced.

It was time to move on and
make something great out of the life she still had. Patrick would have wanted
it for her. She would have wanted the same for him if roles were reversed. She would
never want him to be alone or fall into a dark pit of despair that did more
harm than good.

Down deep, there would always
be some of the guilt over losing the two people she’d loved most. But she
needed to honor them by being the strong, resilient woman they could be proud
of.

And she’d hold on tight to
new love. It was time to start over.

Andy stood and moved across
the room. She ran her fingers over the comforter on Peter’s bed as she walked
by. At the doorway, she turned and gazed around the room once again.

“I love you, buddy. Know that
Mommy will always love you with all her heart.”

She closed the door behind
her and leaned her head back against it. Tears fell down her cheeks even as she
smiled and the heaviness in her heart alleviated.

New plans formed in Andy’s
mind. Giddy over what the future held and the decisions she’d made, she headed
to the kitchen in search of a pad and pen.

She had to get her plans on
paper for the future.

Chapter Six

Andy rang the doorbell, heart
pounding hard in her chest and waited. She hoped Hunter was home. He’d
mentioned working from home for a few days and she hadn’t considered calling
ahead.

The door swung open and he
stood before her. Jeans and t-shirt, no socks…he looked spectacular.

“Hello, Hunter,” she greeted,
her body on fire.

Damn he was sexy as hell.

“Can I come in?”

Wordlessly, his grey eyes
turned smoky as they swept over her, and he stepped back.

She crossed the threshold and
closed the door behind her.

Leaning against it, she
stared at him. “I’m so glad to see you,” she whispered.

He moved quickly, as if he
had been waiting for some sign of encouragement. His body bracketed hers
against the door and his head swooped low. His soft lips moved over hers
gently, brushed against hers in the sweetest way.

Their first
kiss.

Her heart pitched, realizing
it was true. She could kick herself for withholding such an experience from
herself. He tasted minty and delicious.

She hadn’t been kissed or
held like this in forever. To have a man hold her gently, as if he cherished
her dearly…she was blessed.

Her mouth opened against his,
her tongue brushing his bottom lip. Hunter pulled back with a groan. Andy
shivered as she looked into his eyes. Yearning and fire blazed from within. He
wanted her, and she relished it.

“Umm, maybe we should talk,”
he suggested, but then leaned in and gave her another quick kiss on the lips.
“Really, there’s so much to say.”

“Hunter,” Andy began and laid
a hand on his chest.

“Andy, look. I can’t stay
here with you like this. I want you.” He groaned when her fist clenched and
grazed his nipple beneath his shirt. “
Dammit
.”

“It’s okay, just relax,” she
implored.

“No, it isn’t.” He grabbed
her hand and put it down over the front of his pants.
 
His cock was hard and jerked at her touch.

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Yes, oh.”
Hunter chuckled, though she heard the strain in it. “It’s just what happens
when you’re near me. One night was not enough.”

Andy’s hand stilled over his
cock. It twitched against her palm. She really needed to give him some space.
But she really just wanted him to kiss her again.

“No, one night was not
enough. And neither was just one kiss,” she whispered, cupping the back of his
neck and pulled his head down to hers. Her mouth claimed his this time, tongue
plundering. They both groaned.

Hunter’s arms tightened
around her. He held her tight as their tongues tangled and they breathed one
another in.

His mouth eased away, and
reined kisses everywhere along her neck he could reach. “I’m having a hard time
resisting you,” he whispered in her ear.

Andy trembled, her fingers
clenched around his biceps. “Hunter…” she gushed out, certain if he let go of
her right now, she’d fall in a heap on the floor. His teeth grazed her neck,
and she gasped.

 
“One step at a time,
sweetheart.”
Hunter groaned and shifted back a bit.

Their gazes locked and her
hold on him tightened. Suddenly, taking things slow didn’t seem all that
realistic. Their chemistry was too strong. She needed to be with him, like
this, and was helpless to resist.

“How about a new deal?” she
whispered.

Hunter’s gaze narrowed.

“Don’t look at me like that.”
She chuckled. “I didn’t think about this one step at a time business very
clearly. I want you.
Now.”

His eyes darkened. “Deal,” he
accepted, then slid an arm under her knees and one at her back and scooped her
up.

She tilted her head back and
giggled. “You don’t need to think about it?”

Hunter growled, “Hell no, I
don’t need to think about it. But we’re not doing this here.”

Andy held on tight as he
walked through the living room, down the hall and through the door on the
right. He carried her over to the king-sized bed and set her on the edge of
it.
 
He left her there, moved to the side
table and clicked on a small lamp that cast the room in a light orange glow.

Her gaze never left him as he
lifted his blue t-shirt and pulled it over his head. He came back to her and
stood before her. Her head tilted. He smiled.

“I’ve dreamt about you many
times in this bed,” he admitted softly.

Her nipples tightened. She grinned,
then
lifted her hands to his belt buckle. “Was I doing
this?”
 
She made quick work of unbuckling
the belt, undoing the button of his jeans and easing the zipper down.