Page 10 of Lovestruck
Almost immediately, I see those three dancing dots that mean he’s replying.
HUNTER: Hey Kitty Kat! Yah I’m home. Come on up. Buzzer 35, apartment 2B
Well, okay then. Here goes nothing. I climb out of my car, carrying the box of cookies, and trudge along the shoveled path to the front door of his building.
When Hunter opens the door to his apartment and I see his huge grin, that dimple popping and his eyes twinkling, my nerves somehow disappear.
“Hi,” I say softly, holding out the box of cookies. “Thank you again for helping me the other day.” He goes to open his mouth and I hold my other hand up. “I know you’re going to say it was your job, but I’m still saying thank you. So just take the cookies, okay?”
“Only if you come in and eat some with me.”
My heart jumps. “Oh — okay.”
He stands back and I walk past him into his apartment. As I pass, our bodies brush against each other and I get a hint of that unmistakable Hunter scent. Fresh and woodsy, all at the same time, and enough to stir up all kinds of pheromones in my body.
“Here, ah, make yourself comfortable. I’ll just…” Hunter bustles past me, straightening pillows and picking up a coffee cup that was on the table. His apartment is quite clean, so I’m not exactly sure why he thinks he needs to tidy up.
“Can I get you a drink? I’ve got water, coffee, beer, or milk,” he says with a smile.
“Milk?” I ask, surprised by that offer.
Hunter just shrugs. “What else would I put out for Santa on Christmas Eve?”
A couple of minutes later he walks over and sets down two glasses of cold milk on the coffee table before sitting down on the couch beside me.
“I decided Christmas cookies need milk. Hope that’s alright with you.”
I nod, smiling. Hunter opens the box of cookies I brought and his eyes widen. “Holy crap, Kat. These look incredible!”
He pulls out an iced Santa hat sugar cookie and looks at me with wonder. “You did this?”
“Yup. My Mom and I do a ton of iced cookies every year. The chocolate crinkles I made fresh this morning.”
“Chocolate crinkles are myfavourite,” he says reverently, putting the Santa hat away and digging for the chocolate cookie. His eyes fall shut as he takes a bite and moans. “Ohhh. So good.” Crumbs fall from his mouth and he looks at me sheepishly as he wipes them away. “Sorry, I’m not such a pig normally, but I haven’t had these in years.”
“It’s okay.” I laugh. “I’m glad you’re enjoying them.” I pick up a raspberry jam thumbprint cookie and nibble at it. Hunter demolishes his first cookie and grabs a second, making quick work of that one as well.
“I was really happy you asked me to go with you to the animal shelter fundraiser.”
I look over at Hunter in surprise. He sounds hesitant, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why.
“Oh! Well, thank you for saying yes,” I reply, feeling my own version of awkward. This feels like we’re teenagers, with zero social skills, dancing around our feelings for each other. The image of me in braces and glasses, frizzy hair and zero fashion sense makes me laugh under my breath. Because the reality is, Hunter probably wouldn’t have given me the time of day, much less agreed to go to a party with me. Thank goodness, grown-up me has a few things figured out, like hair products.
“What’s funny? Do I have crumbs on my face?” Hunter wipes at his chin, looking embarrassed, and I put my hand on his wrist to stop him. The instant we make contact, we both freeze, staring at each other.
“No. No, you’re fine,” I reassure him. My lip gets tugged between my teeth and I feel a blush creep over my cheeks. “I was just thinking about what it might have been like if we knew each other when we were younger.”
His eyebrows lift. “And it was that funny?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I was a hardcore nerd. Big glasses, fuzzy hair, braces — it was not a good look. You probably wouldn’t have even noticed me.”
“I would have noticed you.”
The words come out so quietly I almost miss them, but I don’t miss the intense heat in his gaze. Woah. This is new.
“Kat, I want to take you out. On a date. A real date.”
This time, it’s my eyebrows that lift up so high they might as well fly off my face. “A date?”
