Sizzling Desire

Where the heck was Mary?

Sitting up, he dragged a hand over his face. Then he chuckled, but the sound held no mirth. He’d been ditched.

How long had it been since that had happened? Not since his first year of college, and he certainly hadn’t connected with that girl the way he’d connected with Mary.

Hunter scratched his head. His time with Mary had been spectacular. As welcomes to town went, it had been off the charts. So why had she taken off? It wasn’t as if Hunter wanted a serious relationship with her—something he knew that she, as a newly divorced woman, also didn’t want. But a friends-with-benefits arrangement with a woman he connected with on such a carnal level? That would suit Hunter just fine. He’d liked Mary’s spunk, her personality and the way that hot body of hers writhed beneath his.

Heat pooled in Hunter’s groin. Just thinking about her was getting him aroused again. He closed his eyes, remembered the look of pleasure on her face as he’d made love to her, the way she’d dug her fingernails into his back. She’d likely left a mark or two.

A tingle of pleasure shot down his spine as he recalled those spectacular moments together. She’d wanted him—desperately. She wouldn’t have ditched him.

Hunter stood. Maybe Mary had needed to leave, and he’d been sleeping like the dead after their intense lovemaking. His shoulders relaxed with that thought. Yes, that made sense. She was in a rush, didn’t want to wake him, but she no doubt left him a note somewhere. Certainly Hunter couldn’t be so delusional as to have imagined their amazing connection. Their chemistry had been sizzling, so why wouldn’t she want more of that?

He didn’t bother to slip into his briefs. He wanted to find the note she’d left. Naked, he wandered into his kitchen and then the living room looking for it. When he didn’t find one, he returned to the bedroom and checked the night tables. Frowning, he scratched his head.

And then it hit him. The bathroom was likely the best place to leave a note. He had two of them. His en suite, and the main one.

Hunter went into the main bathroom first, and saw no note on the counter. Nothing on the edge of the bathtub. So he went back into his bathroom, but also found nothing there. He glanced into the mirror, saw the confusion etched on his face.

There had to be a note somewhere.

And then he started to laugh. Mary was making a game of this. Hadn’t she displayed a playful side in the bar and in his bed? Of course she wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

Hunter wandered back out to the condo at large and checked the hall table. Then he went into the kitchen, his eyes sweeping over the counters. He moved from there to the small dining room table, but again he found nothing.

The living room. Something had to be there.

Hunter crossed into the living room, but a quick glance told him that there was no note on the coffee table. He walked over to the wall entertainment unit and perused the shelves there. Again, nothing.

Hunter turned, his eyes landing on the sofa. There was nothing there, but he strode over to it. He slipped his hands between the cushions.

“This is stupid,” he said when he found nothing other than some cookie crumbs. “What am I doing?”

His ego was getting to him, clouding his judgment. But as reality dawned, the amusement inside him fizzled, much like a campfire flickering out. Mary hadn’t left a slip of paper anywhere, not even a tissue with a smiley face and her phone number.

How stupid he had been to think that she’d been playing some kind of game with him. Instead, she’d simply played him.

Hunter’s jaw clenched. There was no doubt about it. He’d been ditched.

Chapter 5 (#u41495bee-e4b4-5da7-9e82-257b00c646ab)

When Lorraine saw Rosa’s number flashing on her phone’s screen at 1:23 in the afternoon, she knew exactly why her friend was calling. She wanted the lowdown about what had happened last night.

Lorraine swiped the talk icon to answer the call. “Hello.”

“How was it!” Rosa asked without preamble.

“How was what?” Lorraine replied, feigning innocence.

“You know very well what I’m asking about! You left the bar with one of the sexiest guys in Ocean City. Enquiring minds want to know what happened next. In minute-by-minute detail.”

“Girl, are you actually calling to find out the dirty details of my night?”

“What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? By the way, I’m detecting a really happy tone in your voice. No, wait. Make that a satisfied tone.”

Lorraine chuckled. “I did have a great night.”

“Yes!” Rosa said. Then, “Wait, how great? A few kisses and a movie great? Or—”

“Let’s just say it was fantastic. Well beyond a few kisses. Honestly, a fabulous night.” Sighing, Lorraine plopped herself backward on the pile of pillows on her bed. Yes, her reply had been exuberant, but who could blame her? It had been a long time since she’d had good sex—even as a married woman—and last night she’d scratched an itch that she’d been desperate to scratch.

On the other end of the line, Rosa squealed. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Girl, you deserve it. Just one look at him and I knew he’d be a great lover. That body... Wow.”

“I can’t even begin to tell you how good it was,” Lorraine gushed. “Our connection was unreal. We were so into each other... Or maybe it’s just because it had been so long for me. But he seemed to enjoy our night as much as I did.” Lorraine blushed, remembering just how ravenous she had been. Yes, I like that. Ooh, touch me there. A shiver of delight raced down her spine, and she sucked in a deep breath. “I probably gave him quite the workout! But, hey, he wasn’t complaining.”

“He sounds like just what you need,” Rosa said. “When are you going to see him again?”

“See him again? Um, no,” Lorraine said succinctly, shooting down that idea.

“What do you mean?” Rosa asked. “If you had such a great night, and had so much chemistry... Why wouldn’t you want more of that? I say you need a lot of that to firmly put your ex in the rearview mirror. A guy to have on speed dial for those nights that you feel lonely.”

“I’m barely out of my marriage. Free at last, as they say. The last thing I want to do is get tied down with some new guy.”

“But...”

“Last night was fun, just what I needed. And who knows, if I run into Hunter again we might have another great night. But I’m not trying to get into anything regular with someone. I just needed... You know what they call it, a palate cleanser. I have no regrets.”

Rosa made a sound of derision. “I don’t understand that logic.”

“All I really needed was to feel wanted, beautiful, and Hunter gave me that. Now I can move forward. Surely that makes sense.”

“Not to me, but hey, it’s your life.”

“Come on,” Lorraine said. “You know my life is in total flux right now. I’ve been so stressed with work that I had to take some time off. I’m finally ready to concentrate on pursuing my real dream.”

Lorraine loved her job as a palliative care nurse, but seven years of that kind of work had started to wear on her. All of the patients admitted to the hospice where she worked were at death’s door. She saw people at their worst in terms of suffering and prognosis. She saw them when there was no more hope. It was her job to help keep them comfortable until they passed. Lorraine always prayed that the patients she got close to would make a miraculous recovery, be able to survive against the odds. But it never happened. There were no happy endings, unless you counted a person going as peacefully as they could.

And unfortunately, Lorraine was never able to detach her emotions from her work. She always got close to the men, women and children in her care, and losing them hurt her every single time.

“I know,” Rosa said. “And I’m proud that you’ve taken a leave. You were stressed in your marriage, at work. You definitely needed a break. That’s why I think you should keep someone like Hunter around to...perk your spirits...when the need arises.”

“Sex can’t solve everything,” Lorraine said. “I had a great night, but today I’m a little down. You remember that older gentleman I told you about I was caring for?”

“The one who had no family visiting him?”

“That’s the one. He passed away earlier this week, on Monday.”

“Oh, Lorraine. I’m so sorry.”