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“Do you want to dance?” Vanessa asked. Seeing him quiet and sad had made her bold. She felt more comfortable with him than she had with anyone in a long time and she wanted to keep it going, wanted to see how close they could be.
She got up and went to the little wireless speaker sitting on the TV. She opened the app on her new, pre-paid phone, and started playing music. The sound quality wasn’t good. Nothing like the full sound system she’d had in the house with Jeremy, but it was better than nothing. She stood there, a little awkward, waiting for him.
He seemed to be considering for a moment, then got up and took her hand. He pulled her close and held her as they swayed. It wasn’t so much dancing as it was the stiff sway of the high school couple at their first dance, but it was the nicest thing she’d felt in a long time.
For once, she didn’t feel like a mother. She wore no functional-but-not-flattering clothing. She wasn’t wearing the uniform of a school nurse. And she didn’t have on one single bruise that proved she was a survivor. She should feel good about surviving, but sometimes she wished desperately that rather than having made it through, she hadn’t had to make it at all. Being with Hunter made her feel like a woman, not just someone who got away from a horrible situation.
She was free, and for the first time in so many years she’d lost track, she felt safe. It was a strange feeling. It almost made her wary of it. Too much security could make a person get lazy. She couldn’t afford that. Not when strange vans showed up. But for right now, for this little sliver of time, she could allow herself to just exist in the space of Hunter’s arms, and to be taken care of.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered in her ear.
She wiped a stray tear and smiled. “Absolutely nothing. I was thinking how I couldn’t remember the last time I felt safe.”
“I’m glad. I want to protect you both.”
She held his gaze and couldn’t get over the look of desire in his eyes. Her own expression must mirror his, because she was warm with wanting him.
He leaned closer to her, slowly. Her heart raced. He was going to kiss her. It was really going to happen. She closed her eyes and waited. His lips, warm and smooth, pressed against hers. He slipped his mouth over hers, his tongue gently playing at the edge of her lips.
It felt amazing kissing him. She hadn’t been really kissed in so long. Kissing Jeremy had been a chore, and never pleasurable. He used it as a tool of force, like everything else in their lives. But kissing Hunter was how kisses were meant to be. Soft and pleasant, building the desire in her with every pass of their tongues.
She opened her eyes to look into his when he finally pulled back from her. Behind him, she caught sight of the clock.
Vanessa gasped. “Oh no. I have to go.”
“What? Why?”
“I had no idea it was so late. I was supposed to pick Opal up an hour ago.” She scrambled to find her purse and her keys.
Hunter stood where they had been embracing just a moment ago, watching her.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have been watching more carefully. I don’t mean to just kiss you and run out, I—”
“Vanessa.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers again. “It’s okay. I understand. You haven’t scared me off. It would take a lot more than that to keep from coming back.”
“Thank you. And thank you for a lovely night.”
“We will do it again sometime.” It wasn’t a question. He wasn’t taking the chance that she might say no.
“Soon,” she said.
He followed her out of the apartment and walked her to her car. When she got in, he gave her another brief kiss before closing her car door. She gave him one final smile before pulling away.
In her rearview mirror, she glanced back as often as she could before she turned and he was out of sight. He had his eyes on her the whole time. Knowing he was looking out for them, especially now that he knew the truth, and knowing he would come back, all made her feel even more safe. If Hunter were around, Jeremy couldn’t harm her, couldn’t take Opal. So maybe she’d just have to make sure Hunter was around an awful lot.
