an apology, Hunter.” Her eyes were kinder than he deserved—and maybe a little mischievous. “I’m just saying that you were full of confidence with me, and now you’re hiding in the basement.”
“I’m not hiding.” But her comment was a little too close to what Michael had said last night, about running away.
“You know why I think you’re down here?” said Becca. “Because you like this girl. I think you stand to lose something you might care about, and that scares the crap out of you.”
Hunter refused to look away, but he didn’t have much of a retort.
He had to clear his throat to speak. “How do you know that?”
“Please. I saw the look on your face when I said Kate was hitting on everyone. Don’t worry, I think Quinn is about to yank her fingernails out by the roots.”
Another rattle and creak, and more footfalls were coming down the wooden steps.
Honestly, was everyone going to check on him?
Kate.
And Nick, followed by Quinn.
But seriously, it was a miracle he was able to look past Kate. She was wearing this tight sky-blue top with inch-thin straps and a ruffle at the bottom—and the bottom ended right at the base of her rib cage. Tight black jeans sat just below her belly button, exposing a solid few inches of very toned midsection.
He couldn’t have said what Nick and Quinn were wearing if someone held a gun to his head.
Kate snapped her fingers in his face. “My eyes aren’t that far south, slugger.”
He refused to let her make him blush. “Then you shouldn’t have worn that outfit.”
“I heard you were giving ass-kicking lessons down here.”
Her voice was challenging, and that was a lot easier to take than anything else. He still had no idea what she was doing here. Had she texted Nick last night just to screw with him?
“Sure am,” he said evenly. “Interested in an ass-kicking?”
Quinn had moved close to Nick, and just now she was murmuring something that made him laugh.
“What was that?” said Hunter.
“I said you should just go find a bedroom and get it over with.”
Kate smiled and stepped closer to Hunter. “I’ve got time if you know what to do with it.”
He wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a come-on. His eyes were right on level with the button on her jeans, and it was suddenly hard to think. “Told you, I’m busy with ass-kicking.”
She stepped forward until she was straddling his knees, then sat.
He tried to force his brain to think about other things, but his brain was more than content to think about the curvaceous female in his lap.
She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Come on, baby, teach me something I don’t know.”
Her voice was full of suggestion and his body wasn’t complaining.
And that’s exactly why he needed to shut her down.
“Sure,” he said, loading his voice with just as much suggestion—but adding a touch of mockery. “Want to learn how to drive a stick?”
Quinn snorted.
Kate was just staring at him, as if trying to sort through the innuendo. Some of her easy confidence stumbled a bit.
Good. It was nice to know she could falter.
While she was off balance, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her, setting her to the side and shoving a hand into his pocket for his keys. “Come on,” he said. “Try not to tear up my clutch.”
He was already on the steps, but she was just staring after him. “Your clutch—? What are—”
But he was already through the door, heading for his jeep, not bothering to wait to see whether she’d follow.
Kate had half a mind to let him just leave. It would serve him right, and she sure wasn’t the type to go scampering after a boy just because he snapped his fingers.
But the whole reason she’d come here was to talk to Hunter privately, and here he was giving her the perfect way to do just that.
She caught up to him beside his jeep. His dog was already in the back, flopped out on the backseat.
“Get in,” Hunter said.
He barely gave her time to obey, because he was throwing the car into gear before she even had the door closed.
Her heart was skipping to some rhythm she couldn’t figure out, but she pulled a stick of gum out of her bag like she was bored, then rolled it into her mouth. “Are we running from something?”