Chapter 4

She hesitatedon the step and looked back. "You like dogs, right?"

"Of course. Always wanted one. Is he friendly?"

"Yes, that's not what I'm worried about." She dragged in a deep breath and opened the door, already switching to her stern teacher voice. "Dug—Mommy's home—sit!"

This time, he'd decided to listen. It was always a crapshoot, but she was used to it now and knew the gentle giant's heart was so pure, she'd handle any of his naughty habits.

"Good boy! Good boy—Mommy has company okay? Be good. Stay."

The massive bloodhound was sitting in front of the door, his entire body shaking and wriggling with pure excitement. His huge jaw was full of slobber and drool. His droopy skin folds around his face gave him the look of a sad Eeyore waiting for his tail to drop off. His ears hung long and low. Front paws shaped more like a horse's hoof pawed impatiently at the floor, waiting for her command so he could envelop her in a hug.

She'd lost more prospective boyfriends by introducing them to Dug. She might as well get the test over it before she spent time making Hunter coffee and pretending they'd ever see each other again.

One glance back showed his astonished face as he took in the beast currently shaking with the need to spring.

"Hunter, this is Dug. He's very sweet but overly enthusiastic. We're still working on some training." Not able to take the trembling any longer, she walked forward and put the poor thing out of his misery. "Okay, baby, give me a hug."

He jumped from his sitting position and leapt forward. Skye braced herself, but he stopped inches before he was ready to topple her, and stuck his giant head between her arm and waist, smooshing himself tight to her left hip. She staggered a few steps, then righted herself. His wet mouth offered endless kisses in a doggy affectionate greeting. And right on cue, her heart melted.

She was such a sucker for love.

Hunter moved forward with a wide grin. "That's some dog," he said, shaking his head. "Can I just pet him?"

"Yes, it's the initial walk-in that's always tricky."

"Bloodhounds are known to be extremely stubborn and like to rebel against rules," he said, offering his hand, palm up, while Dug sniffed madly, then stabbed his nose into Hunter's hand with a snort.

She looked up, surprised. "Yes, that's right. Did you have a bloodhound?"

Dug switched to sloppy licks but Hunter allowed him. "No, but I'm a huge reader and once made my way through the Dog Breed Bible."

She caught the hint of red on his cheekbones and realized he was embarrassed at his confession. Immediately, she fell a bit harder for him. "I love curious minds," she said with a smile. "It's very sexy."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I have to let him out the back—I'll be a minute."

Dug bounded around like a puppy after hearing the word out, making her laugh. She opened the sliding glass door and watched him tear around the fenced yard, always on the hunt for a good smell.

"Have you had him for long?" Hunter called from the living room.

"Only a year. I found him abandoned on one of the back roads, wandering around in the snow. He was filthy, limping badly, and looked half starved. Didn't know if he was going to make it." Just thinking of what the poor animal had gone through shook her with rage. How could some people be so good, and others so evil? "Got him to the vet where it was touch and go for a while, but he pulled through. After everything he suffered, whenever he saw me, his tail would wag and his sweet, droopy face was so full of love it hurt my heart. I couldn't put him in a shelter. I had to keep him."

There was a short silence. His voice vibrated with warmth. "You saved him."

"Of course. I called him Dug because Up is my favorite movie and the first words he uttered to his people were "I can smell you." It seemed appropriate."

His laughter was rich and caused a rush of pleasure to course through her. "I like your taste in movies already," he said.

Dug finished up and tore back inside, so excited about company he barely held still while she wiped his wet paws. "Make yourself comfortable. How do you take your coffee?" she asked.

"Black, please."

"Got it." She left Dug and him to get better acquainted and plucked a dark roast brew out of the display rack and into the Keurig. Tapping her foot, she stood in the sunny yellow kitchen and pondered the events of the night.

Maybe she was crazy.

She'd just met him a few days ago. They'd had one previous conversation, which ended in her certainty she didn't like him. Now he was in her house, had held her hand, and called her the perfect woman.

Why did it feel so right?

Skye pushed away her uneasy thoughts and decided to trust her gut. She'd seen the movie Serendipity a million times. She certainly didn't want to end up constantly wondering why she'd let her soul mate go and spend the rest of her life trying to meet him again. Fate had stepped in and given her one chance. She wasn't stupid enough to waste it.

She brought in two steaming mugs and noticed Dug was already relaxed enough to sprawl out on the floor beside him, looking content. Skye took a moment to study the man who currently had his back turned.

Feet propped apart in a wide legged stance; he symbolized a mass of hard, lean muscle towering over six feet. He stared at her tiny Christmas tree, strung with delicate colored lights, pieces of silver tinsel, and a tiny star on top. The branches were pruned, and the trunk was wrapped tight in a flannel holiday blanket. The tree looked tired, but happier, as if it could now rest in its forever home.

"What do you think?" she asked, setting the mugs down on the table.

"You saved it. Just like Dug." He turned to look at her. Those amber eyes glowed with a fierce intent as his gaze roved carefully over her face. "I knew you would."

She tilted her chin up in a slight challenge. "If you wanted me to save the tree, why did you give me such a hard time about the price?"

Hunter took a step forward. "I needed to know how badly you wanted it."

The sexual current between them lit and fused. "A test?" she asked.

"Sort of."

"I don't like tests."

"You're a teacher. You must have a knack for them because you keep passing."

Temper and a hot, sensual awareness simmered through her. "Well, you failed yours. I thought you were a chauvinistic, bad tempered Scrooge."

"Maybe I'll pass the second test."

"What second test?"

He stopped before her. Reached out to wrap a wayward curl tightly around his finger. His breath rushed over her lips as he leaned in and spoke. "To see if my kiss lives up to your expectations. I already know you'll pass."

A beat went by. She didn't move. Then he slowly lowered his mouth.

His lips moved sweetly over hers, gentle and firm as he learned her texture and taste with a leisurely motion that relaxed her immediately. His hands cupped her cheeks to hold her still, sipping, nibbling, tempting her lips to open for him. Skye swallowed a moan of pure lust. Hunter dove in.

His tongue thrust against hers in hot male hunger, and she clung to his shoulders as she hung on for the ride. The raw tension between them pulled and burned. Her head spun as she let go and gave it all back to him, everything she had, everything she was, and everything she'd been holding back.

He pulled away, whispered her name, then re-slanted his mouth over hers. He drank deeply until she shook with the need for more.

Hunter stepped back, looking equally shaken. The knowledge he felt the same made a strangled laugh rise to her lips. "Wow," she said. Her tongue snaked out to lick her swollen bottom lip. Tiger eyes darkened with need and hunger as he watched the movement.

"I'm glad you came up with something because that left me speechless."

"Yeah, I'm a real Shakespeare."

He laughed and took his mug of coffee. "I'm going to hang on to this cup for a while so I can keep my hands off of you. Wouldn't want to piss off Liz. I'm afraid of her."

She laughed back and settled with him on the overstuffed crème couch. "You should see the kids. And she teaches kindergarten."

He winced in mock horror. "Now I am scared." He took a sip of the brew and murmured his approval. "Did you always know you wanted to teach?" he asked.

Skye considered the question. "I tried a couple of other careers on for size before I settled. I lived in Manhattan for a short time. I liked the idea of being in the fast lane. But after a while, I burnt out. I lived in a studio with a bunch of roommates, partied at the clubs, and worked low end jobs." The memory of her betrayal flashed before her vision, but the accompanying cut of pain barely registered now. "Something happened that made me reconsider my options. I realized I wanted more, so I went back to school. Teaching was a good fit. I missed the mountains and small-town life."

His gaze sharpened as he snagged on her brief hesitation. "What made you reconsider?"

A smile tugged at her lips. "You don't miss a thing, do you?" she murmured. "Do you really want to hear my back story on our first night?"

"Yes."

His simple admission and the gleam in his eyes urged her forward. Skye drank her coffee and let herself go back. "Remember your questions in the car regarding my interest in men with money?" He nodded. "Well, let's just say I got a firsthand experience of that lifestyle, and I'll never go back. I met someone at a bar while I was waitressing one night. Seemed like a nice guy, well dressed, polite. We had a connection so when he asked me out, I agreed."

Hunter remained quiet, but his fingers reached out to snag hers. The comforting warmth settled the memories and she pushed on. "We began to seriously date. His name was Mike, and I began to fall pretty hard for him. I was fine with taking it slow for the first few months, but then I realized he still hadn't introduced me to his family. Kept me away from most of his friends. He'd whisk me away for romantic weekends, or late evening dinners, but we never did the ordinary things that couples usually do when they're building a relationship. So, I began getting suspicious. Thought maybe he was cheating on me. Even asked if he had a wife."

Skye shook her head. "He denied it all. One evening, he made excuses why he couldn't go out and said he was sick. Said he didn't want me to come over, just wanted to sleep. I decided to drive over to his house. Imagine my surprise when he came out dressed in a tuxedo."

Hunter winced. "This doesn't sound very good."

"Gets better. I followed him to an extremely lush country club. Hell, I couldn't even get through the gates. I ended up spying through the bushes like a cheap tramp while I watched him mingle with his family and close friends. When I left, I realized there was a huge part of him I hadn't even knew existed."

He set his mug down on the table. "What happened?"

Skye sighed. "I confronted him the next day with the truth. He looked devastated, and finally confessed. He was an up and coming executive in his father's business, and his family owned half of Wall Street. Seems there were only certain women good enough to be his wife. Women of breeding, power, elegance, money." She fought the dark spot on her heart that still ached at not being good enough for someone she loved. "But not me. My family was poor and I didn't even have a real job." She shrugged. "I just wasn't worth the fight to him. My heart was broken, and in a way, I understood. So, I came home."

The comforting warmth of his hand on hers suddenly turned. Fire simmered along her nerve endings as his grip tightened. She caught her breath as her belly dipped, then he his hands slid into the heavy length of her hair to gently tug her head back. Her neck arched. The delicious scents of coffee and male hunger rose to her nostrils, and Skye realized she wanted him.

"He was an asshole," he growled against his lips. "I'd fight for you."

Then his lips took hers.

This time, he claimed her mouth like a marauding warrior bent on capture. His tongue swept in and took over, stroking every dark, wet crevice. The hard length of him pressed against her thigh, and his obvious arousal caused a fierce satisfaction to course through her, urging her on. She met him stroke for stroke as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and hung on. Her nipples rose and tightened against her sweater, and with a low groan, he slipped one hand out of her hair and under the soft fabric.

The breath hissed through her lips as his fingers tugged down her bra to cup her bare breast, his thumb urging her nipple to tighten further. Skye fought the drowning waves of heat and dug her nails into his shoulders. Mindless pleasure drove her on, and she offered herself up to him, moaning as he stroked her breast with knowledgeable fingers.

His teeth nipped at her swollen lower lip as his thumb teased the turgid nub. Round and round he circled her nipple, then carefully grasped the peak between his fingers.

Then tugged.

Fire speared straight down to and burned between her thighs. "Hunter?"

His name was a question and demand. He shuddered in her arms. Then with slow, deliberate movements, he removed his hand and gently pulled down her sweater. Amber eyes burned with lust and determination as he stared into her face. "I want you, Skye," he stated. "But it's too soon. I want you to trust me."

She realized in that moment she would have regret sleeping with him this first night. Who was this incredible man who knew more about her in a few hours than most men she dated? He could have swept her into the bedroom and she wouldn't have denied him. Instead, he delayed his own pleasure for her trust.

Skye reached up and traced the strong line of his jaw. The words ripped from her throat. "Thank you."

A smile touched carved lips. "Welcome. But I don't think I could do it again."

She laughed and tried to change the subject."You heard my sob story. What about you? Where did you grow up?"

His face drained of emotion. She blinked at the sudden change and he shifted in discomfort. "I grew up in the city," he said carefully. "I never had a choice, though. I finished college and went straight into the family business."

"What does your family do?"

Another uncomfortable pause. "They own a restaurant."

Skye wondered why he seemed to be a bit nervous. "There's much more pressure on kids when their parents already have their life set up for them." Her gaze probed his, searching for answers. "Did you leave the business? Is that why you're now doing odd jobs, trying to find what you really want?"

He opened his mouth and Skye felt like he was going to say something important. Instead, a flash of grief shone in his eyes, then was quickly gone. "I can never leave the business. I'm only taking a break for a while."

She let his words settle, then reached out and took his hand again. His warm skin closed around hers and chased away the cold. For some reason, he battled some demons and needed time. Skye went with her gut that told her he'd tell her the truth when he was ready. "Then you'll just find your way."

He pulled her close. Tucking her body against his, he put his arm around her and they watched the lights on Charlie Brown twinkle as the snow fell outside.

Skye knew something had happened tonight. Something wonderful.

She hugged the thought tight and gave herself up to his embrace.