Page 100 of Hunter

He bites his lip, trying and failing to hide a grin. “Maybe I am. You gonna do something about it?”

The cheeky tone goes straight through me. I shift a little closer, still giving him space but letting my fingers graze his shoulder.

“Depends,” I say, meeting his eyes. “You want me to?”

Charlie’s gaze drops to my mouth for a second before flicking back up. “I’m still deciding. You’re very distracting when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to kiss me but you’re trying to be good.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “Guilty.”

Sofia chooses that moment to abandon Charlie’s lap and climb into mine instead, circling once before flopping down with a satisfied trill. Charlie shakes his head, amused.

“Traitor,” he tells her, but he’s smiling. He reaches over and scratches her head. “She’s not the only one who missed you, you know.”

The casual closeness and the quiet admission make my pulse kick up. I rest my hand on Sofia’s back, letting my fingers brush Charlie’s in the process.

“Good,” I say. “Because I missed both of you. A lot.”

He clears his throat and straightens a little, still petting Sofia, his eyes sparkling. “So… saving the kissing for after the date, what do you want to do today?”

“Date?” I tease, raising an eyebrow.

Charlie leans in just enough that I catch the faint scent of his shampoo. “If this isn’t a date, I’m going to have to ask you to leave because I will be pretty disappointed.”

The playful challenge in his voice does dangerous things to me. I stroke Sofia’s back slowly, letting my fingers graze his wrist again, on purpose this time.

“Well, I can’t have that,” I murmur, holding his gaze. “Guess it’s a date then.”

His smile turns brighter, a little shy but mostly pleased. “Good answer.”

I lean back against the couch, still running my hand along Sofia’s spine while she purrs like a jet engine in my lap. An idea hits me, and I grin.

“How do you feel about a field trip?” I ask. “The zoo. Specifically the snow leopards. I know how much you love them.”

Charlie’s eyes light up instantly, then he lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “The zoo again? You really are trying to recreate our first date, huh?”

I shrug, caught but not sorry. “What can I say? It worked pretty well the first time.”

He bites his lip, clearly fighting a bigger smile. “You’re such a sap.”

“Only for you,” I say easily, then catch myself and add, “and the snow leopards. Mostly the snow leopards.”

Charlie snorts. “Give me ten minutes to change into something zoo-appropriate. If I’m going to be emotionally compromised by big cats, I at least want to look cute doing it.”

“You look pretty good right now,” I tell him.

He glances down at himself, tugging on the hem of his oversized sweater. “This old thing? I could wear it as a dress.” Then he turns slightly, looking over his shoulder at me with a wicked little grin. “I want you to see my ass.”

My brain short-circuits for a second. I let my eyes drag down his body.

“Careful,” I murmur, voice dropping. “You keep saying things like that and I’m going to forget we’re supposed to be taking this slow.”

His grin turns positively evil. “Nothing wrong with foreplay for the foreplay.”

He disappears into the bathroom before I can come up with a reply that doesn’t sound desperate. I sit there petting Sofia, trying to get my pulse under control, while she gives me a very judgmental look like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.