Sex, Not Love(42)

Small cell bronchial carcinoma shouldn’t roll off a fifteen-year-old’s tongue so smoothly.

“My mom was sick for a lot of years. But she didn’t go to the doctor. She didn’t take care of herself.”

Izzy held up her hand to show off her charm bracelet. She wore it every day. “This was my mom’s. My dad bought her most of these.” She fingered through the collection of dangling charms until she found the pearl-colored ribbon. “Nat bought me this one last year on my mom’s birthday. It’s the ribbon that represents lung cancer. Is there a ribbon for what your mom had?”

Hunter looked down at his own wrist. “Not that I know of. But my mom made this bracelet.” He wore a beautiful, braided leather band with a thin silver rope entwined through it. I’d noticed it before. “She used to do a lot of craft projects when she couldn’t get out of bed.”

God, this was the strangest date ever. We were sitting in a fancy, romantic restaurant with a fifteen year old, discussing death. And…it wasn’t even supposed to be a date.

Izzy frowned. “Yakshit’s mom died early, too. She wouldn’t go to doctors either.”

Hunter and I exchanged glances. “Sounds like you two are close,” he said.

“We were. Until he decided to go to the dance with Brittany.”

Izzy so rarely allowed me access to her emotions. I jumped on the opportunity to understand what was going on in her teenage head.

“Why didn’t you ask Yakshit to the dance if you wanted to go with him?”

She shrugged and pushed pasta around on her plate with the fork. Her voice was a vulnerable tone I so rarely heard. “I was afraid.”

“Afraid he would say no?”

She shook her head. “But now he likes Brittany.”

“Maybe not. Sometimes people say yes just to go out on a date.”

Izzy looked up with a glimmer of hope in her sad eyes. “Like you and Marcus?”

My eyes flashed to the smirk on Hunter’s face. I sighed. “Yes. Sort of. He was nice, so I went out with him and gave it a chance.” I squeezed Izzy’s hand. “You’re young. I’m not saying you should go ask out every cute boy at school. But if it was the Sadie Hawkins dance, and you really liked him, you should have asked him. Don’t be afraid of getting hurt.”

When I looked back up at Hunter, he was staring at me. He spoke to Izzy without breaking our eye contact. “Sounds like good advice, if you ask me.”

After dinner, Hunter went back to our apartment with us to make sure we got home safe. Izzy thanked him for dinner and took off to her room the minute we walked in.

I kicked off my heels. “Thank you so much for tonight. I know it wasn’t exactly the date you had planned, but I appreciate what you did. You have a sweet side, Mr. Delucia.”

He looked over my shoulder and down the hall to Izzy’s bedroom. Finding it all clear, he wrapped his hands around my waist and locked them behind my back. “At least you admit now that we were supposed to go out on a date.”

I hadn’t thought about my words. But the least I could do was be honest. He deserved it. “I wore this dress for you and put on the perfume you told me you liked when we first met.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “I know. But it’s nice to hear you admit the truth for a change.”

“God, you’re so arrogant. You couldn’t just accept the compliment.”

He cupped my face in his hands. “Friday night. Just the two of us.”

I nodded. Somewhere between him opening up to Izzy during dinner and the ride home, I’d given in.

Hunter’s eyes dropped to my lips. “Now kiss me. I missed this mouth.”

For the first time, I didn’t think about it. I kissed him—well, at least it started that way. Hunter took it over after about three seconds. It was tamer than the kisses we’d shared before, probably because we were both aware that Izzy was just down the hall and could walk out at any moment. But it was no less passionate. Before it broke, he did that thing that drove me wild—catching my bottom lip between his teeth and tugging. Lord, the man can kiss.

“Seven o’clock?” he asked.

I nodded. “It’s a date.”

He smirked and leaned down for one last peck on my lips. “Yes, it is. It was always a date.”





Chapter 19


Natalia




I’d never been so nervous for a date in my life. It made no sense. I’d spent time with Hunter, knew he was a decent guy, so why was I unable to sit down and relax? In the last half hour, I’d unloaded the dishwasher, reorganized two kitchen cabinets, and now I was checking the date on each spice in the spice rack. I shouldn’t have gotten ready so early. When the buzzer rang, I literally jumped at the sound.

Wine. I need wine.

“Come on up,” I feigned calm and casual as I pressed the button to unlock the interior door downstairs. I then proceeded to run to the refrigerator, pour a glass of Shiraz and down it like it was medicine. I made it back to the door just as Hunter stepped off the elevator.

He was dressed more casually than I’d expected—in a pair of jeans and a navy polo. Don’t get me wrong, he looked delicious, but when I’d asked him how to dress for where we were going, he’d said a sexy dress and heels. As he strode toward my door, his eyes did a sweep over me, and I felt warmth travel through my body that had nothing to do with the alcohol coursing through my veins.