Page 19 of P.S. It’s Always Been You
I shield my eyes from the sun. “Fire away.”
Cammi asks about the first day, how much emphasis to place on the search for treasure, and the possibility of any artifacts and how to handle them. I answer as she runs through her list, then she tells me she’ll send the details for my approval.
When I hang up, my ex-girlfriend is studying me.
Wait.
That’s more than studying.
Holy shit.
Her eyes are taking a tour of my body. I do believe she’s checking me out while she thinks I’m looking the other direction.
Well, that’s an interesting twist. And it gives me a whole new way to play this night. I’m going to tease the hell out of her, because I need to know what that might reveal.
When she looks up, I smile without showing my teeth. “Enjoying the view?”
7
Hunter
She searches the grounds for a desperate moment, then gestures to the stone lions guarding the library and blurts, “Yes. Of the lions. The view of the lions.”
I smirk, enjoying having caught her ogling. “The lions.” I chew on the word, like I’m tasting it, sampling its flavors.
“The lions, Hunter. The lions.”
I hum, considering this, then nod. “Makes sense. Lions are handsome creatures.”
She shoots me a laser beam glare. “The lion statues,” she says, the correction crisp and emphatic. “I’ve often admired them.”
Oh, I can’t resist. “You have. You definitely have enjoyed handsome creatures.”
Those laser beams? They’ve been upgraded to death rays now. “You’re the worst.”
Laughing, I hold up my hands like I’m exonerating her. “If you say so.”
“I do say so.” But there’s a hint of laughter there, so as she marches up the steps, I take time to enjoy the view. Her ass is spectacular. Was her butt that firm when I knew her? Because, holy hell, she has buns of steel, my favorite kind.
“The view is good for me too,” I quip as I walk behind her, enjoying the heck out of the shift from let’s be cordial to let’s have some goddamn fun.
She stops midstep, a quirk in her lips as she turns her gaze to me. “The view is good for you? You’re already going there?”
Even though this is wildly dangerous when we’ll be working together, even though I have a ton of other reasons to tread carefully, I’m happily falling back in time, unable to resist flirting with her.
This woman—she used to give good flirt, and I gave it back in return.
I’m behind her in a heartbeat, inches from her neck so I can whisper against her skin, “I am going there. Because you look great. In fact, you look fantastic. Have I mentioned that?”
The tiniest of shivers runs down her spine, barely noticeable enough for me to catch it.
She draws a deep breath like she’s fueling up. She spins around, facing me, lifting her sexy chin so damn defiantly. “Thanks, Hunter.” She slides into a high-pitched tone. “I’m so unbelievably grateful, since all I was hoping for today when Daniel told me we’d be working together was that you’d admire my ass.” She sets her hand on her chest, hamming it up. “It’s like a dream come true.”
Oooh, touché.
She wheels around to continue up the stairs.
“That’s cool. I don’t mind the blast of snark.” I wipe the cloud of sarcasm off my shirt. “I probably deserved it.”
She huffs in response, marching into the mammoth building.
I turn into the vast library, following Presley up the stairs, down a hall, and past a doorway. I try a new tactic for this round of flirting. “Do libraries still excite you? You’ve remained a voracious reader, I trust?”
She sighs like I’m no more than a gnat disturbing her. “Yes, I still like books. What about you? Or do you no longer have any time to read because you’re so caught up in writing about your own fantastic adventures?”
I grab hold of my favorite part of her comment. “Ah, so you’ve read my books?”
She shakes her head, scoffing. “What part of my question sounded like I’d read your books?”
“Wishful thinking. What can I say? I hoped you had. The image of you lounging in the sun, lost in a good book is so enticing.”
She slows her pace, and I wince at the taste of my foot in my mouth. I flash back to our trip, to what she’d said as we played make-believe on the beach our last night. We’ll need to devote some time to lounging in the sun, and I require many hours a day to get lost in books. Please don’t forget that.
It was just pretend, a fantasy.
But her eyes flash with hurt, and I should apologize for that remark that’s too close to what we said on the last day we were happy together. Only, I’m not entirely sure how to start with that kind of apology without dredging up the past. But also because I can’t quite read the terrain of her. I backpedal, covering my tracks like an animal pawing at dirt to hide his trail. “Just because you love to read. I said that because you love books. And reading. Doesn’t have to be in the sun. I bet you like reading at coffee shops too. Probably in libraries. Or on the train.”
