Page 20 of Shades of You (Calypso Key #4)

Chapter Twenty

Brenna

My shop was its usual refuge of much-loved books and fresh coffee, but I barely registered the scents drifting around me. My actions were mechanical as I shelved a group of new non-fiction titles. Hunter Markham had infiltrated my thoughts with the stealth of a shadow.

I could almost feel the press of his lips, the rugged terrain of his scars beneath my fingertips. And the way he’d groan my name in a private confession between entwined bodies. The overwhelming feeling of him inside my body, inside my mouth. Our moments weren’t solely forged in passion. I also loved our quiet interludes—two silent figures pressed together on the couch, each lost in a separate world of printed words yet somehow together at the same time.

I forcibly shook my head, hoping to tether my wandering mind. I began gathering the books for this afternoon’s book club meeting, arranging them in a neat stack beside the cash register.

The bell above the door chimed its familiar tune. Ben strode into the bookstore with purpose. His expression tightened and his brows lowered as he scanned the room, like he was searching for someone other than me.

“Everything okay?” I asked, watching him closely. His light-brown hair was ruffled as if he’d run his hands through it.

Ben’s gaze landed on me briefly before he continued his search. “Just wanted to stop by.”

A frown drew my lips down. He was too busy to stop by without reason. “Need help finding a book?” I asked with an arched brow.

He didn’t smile at my pointed joke. “Hardly. Brenna, I’ve heard a rumor. I came by to see if it was true.”

“And what would that be?” I had a suspicion of what he was about to say, and my heart began a steady drumbeat of nerves.

“That you’re involved with Hunter Markham. They even said you’ve moved in with him.” His big-brother concern etched lines into his forehead. Ben had always been protective, and it looked like he was preparing himself to step into that role again.

I stalled as I gathered my thoughts. Now that the inevitable moment was here, I found myself wanting to deflect the confrontation. “The thing with Knox got a bit messy, and Hunter offered his place as a safe haven. Only for a few days. It’s all settled now, and I’m back home.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “Just like that?”

I sighed, bracing for impact. “We aren’t living together, Ben. But we are… romantically involved.”

“Dammit,” he said heavily, lacing his fingers on top of his head. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Anger lanced through me. “Why, exactly? Because he’s a Markham? ”

Dropping his arms, he crossed the floor toward me and leaned against a bookcase. “That’s part of it, sure. I remember that you two were friends a long time ago. But, Brenna, a lot of stories are floating around about that guy. I’ve heard people say he used to be a hired mercenary, even worked as a contract man in Miami.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” He arched an eyebrow, his eyes not leaving mine. “How much do you know about him? Hunter’s got a lot of history that no one knows the details of. History that might come back to haunt him. I’m more concerned about it affecting anyone close to him.”

“I know plenty, Ben,” I said quietly. “And I’m old enough to choose who I’m involved with.” Images flashed through my mind of that tortured confession of Ayesha and her two children. Were those the actions of some soulless killer? Next, my brain tried to remind me about how Hunter had all but admitted he’d gone berserk in the aftermath. I tried to push that line of thought aside, but my inner voice got in one final shot.

Are you pushing it away because you’re afraid of what he’s capable of? Or that he’d had such a deep connection to that Afghani woman?

I firmly took hold of my thoughts and told them to shut the hell up. Then I spread my arms wide. “Look, we just got together, okay? Please don’t spread this around the family. If Hunter and I work out, they’ll find out soon enough.”

“I’m sure they will,” he said. “I’m not the only one with friends, you know. But I’ll keep your little affair to myself for now.”

“Thank you.”

I tried to put some steel in my spine and was determined to deny the fluttering in my stomach. I was the one hell-bent on ending the century-plus feud. Except that now the reality of my family’s reaction to Hunter was more unsettling than when it had been a purely theoretical concept. I’d just gotten out of a lousy relationship, but was I only making the same mistake again? Hunter was certainly a complicated man, but I knew the heart that beat inside him.

Didn’t I?

Ben stepped closer to hug me. “I need to get going. Call me if that guy needs an ass kicking. I’d have been happy to step in and pummel your last boyfriend, you know. Speak up if you need help, Brenna.”

A smile broke across my face as I enjoyed being in the familiar and slightly sweaty embrace of my big brother. And at how Ben was always willing to stand up for me. “I know. And I know I have a tendency to be a little too independent.”

After he stepped out into the warm afternoon, I shook off my unease and turned back to prepping for the book club meeting. I needed to leave soon, and the distraction would be welcome.

The monthly meetings of our Sips and Pages club were held in the residential district of Dove Key. A quaint bungalow with a white picket fence was the venue of our undeclared leader and usual host, though I toyed with the idea of starting my own club at the shop. Liv and April, with their infectious smiles, greeted me warmly as I joined them and set my box of next month’s novels next to the couch. The air was filled with anticipation as Liv and I poured ourselves a glass of crisp white wine and April grabbed a bottle of water.

April’s radiant smile reached her eyes, making them twinkle as she settled comfortably on the couch between Liv and me. A broad smile rose on my face at the shirt stretching across her broad abdomen. “You look beautiful, April. Seems like the pregnancy is progressing well.”

A rosy hue spread across her cheeks. “Thank you. I’m hanging in there, and I’m actually looking forward to the birth just so I won’t be pregnant anymore! We’re so excited for this little one to arrive.”

Liv’s eyes danced as she leaned forward from April’s other side and studied her friend. “You’re positively glowing! Motherhood suits you.”

And in that moment, all thoughts of Hunter and his possible past life faded away. We were just three friends, sharing in each other’s joys.

“Have you and Evan set a date yet?” I asked Liv, glancing at the diamond ring on her finger.

Liv laughed and shook her head. “Not yet. I’m getting Sweet Dreams Mini off the ground at the resort, so it’s been a challenge finding a date. And Evan is really serious about playing for the Stingrays—I don’t want to distract him. Him playing baseball again is a huge step.” She shrugged both shoulders. “We’re not in any rush.”

As Liv talked about her and Evan’s plans, I contemplated telling them about Hunter and me. It was tempting to share the secret.

I was saved from having to make a decision when the meeting got underway about this month’s book, a best friend’s brother romance. As we discussed the novel, a spirited debate on the protagonist’s choices animated the room. I tried to immerse myself in their dialogue, offering insights while sipping my wine. But beneath the surface, I felt like a swimmer caught in a rip current.

Liv flipped her long, curly hair over one shoulder and pointed to a highlighted section of text. “This part, where she realizes it’s always been him. Didn’t that just melt your heart?”

A collective sigh floated around the circle, but inside, my stomach knotted. It hit too close to home. Hunter and I had been such good friends once, and now we were so much more. But did I really know the man I was involved with?

“Uh, yeah,” I muttered, fumbling with the edge of my bookmark. “It was really something.”

“Come on, Brenna, you’re usually gushing over these scenes,” April teased.

“Guess this one wasn’t quite swoony enough for me.” I deflected with humor, hoping they’d miss the tightness in my voice.

As conversation swirled, I sank deeper into the couch, and the weight of my secret, forbidden love felt like a stone in my pocket. With each passing comment about fictional romances, my thoughts focused on Hunter. How he growled my name, like it was torn from something deep inside him, and the dangerous past Ben had hinted at.

“Can you imagine keeping a love like that hidden?” April pondered aloud, unknowingly skewering me with her words.

“Impossible,” Pam, the leader of our little group, agreed emphatically. “Love like that can’t be contained. That’s one of the things I didn’t like about the book.” Then she held up her glass and laughed. “Then again, that was the whole point, wasn’t it? That she tried to deny that this A-list movie star could actually love her. But he did.”

As the meeting wrapped up, I handed out next month’s book. The club members dispersed, and I said goodbye to my two friends as I headed toward my car. The drive back to my building was short, and Dove Key’s residential streets were bathed in a soft late-afternoon light that cast shadows across my windshield. I always closed up the shop early on book club afternoons, so my shop was dark as I parked in the alley.

As I stepped inside, I gasped, my hand flying up to clutch my neck.

Hunter leaned against the wall with his arms casually folded, completely motionless. His tall, broad silhouette was outlined by the light shining through the picture window like a scene straight out of one of our steamy novels.

“God, Hunter! You scared me.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to,” he said, though the half-grin tugging at his lips told a different story.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, feeling silly for letting him catch me off guard. As my heart got over the shock, my body came alive with a different emotion. “I guess I should’ve changed that entry code you gave me.”

“Guess you should have,” he agreed, pushing himself away from the wall and closing the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps. “But maybe I’d just figure out the new one.” His voice was like crushed velvet, and I was helpless to resist it. Him.

Heat radiated off him in his all-black ensemble. He looked like pure temptation crafted from shadows, and I found myself helplessly drifting toward him as if some magnetic force beyond my control pulled me.

“Miss me?” His voice reverberated through the empty space between us.

“Maybe I never thought about you,” I murmured, but my tone betrayed my breathlessness .

Our lips met, and the world melted away into a deep kiss that swept me away. A kiss that was reckless, consuming, and everything I shouldn’t want—but did. With Hunter, every touch was an adventure, each caress a discovery I never knew I needed.

Was this man my savior or my inevitable downfall? The thought teased at the edge of my consciousness as we broke apart, gasping for air. I remembered daring him to burn me to cinders, and the truth was, I still wanted that. I wanted the all-consuming blaze, the intensity, the passion that threatened to ruin me.

“Come upstairs,” I murmured, my hand finding his as I led him toward the staircase.

Halfway up, our restraint crumbled again, and our bodies collided in another desperate kiss. His hands were in my hair, on my waist, everywhere at once, sending waves of desire through me as he pinned me against the wall.

“God, Brenna,” he breathed against my lips, the urgency in his voice matching the pounding of my heart. “I couldn’t stay away. I had to come over and wait for you.”

And then I was being lifted, Hunter’s arms strong and unyielding as he carried me effortlessly the rest of the way. We reached my apartment, and he swung open the door. As it clicked shut behind us, I was acutely aware of the precipice we stood upon—of how easily this man could shatter me. Yet, with every breath-stealing kiss, every searing touch, I was more than ready to dance among the shards if it meant feeling alive like this.