Warrior at Willow Lake Read Online Free Page A

on his lips. “Is that OK?”
    Her nod was barely decipherable, but it was enough to make Hunter lean in and claim her lips once, twice.
    “Hunter…” Maci’s sigh brought him back. “I don’t think we should…”
    “I know.” It took every ounce of restraint to release her. Hunter wondered at the tsunami that rushed over him, leaving him disoriented and confused. The blend of pleasure and caution was so unfamiliar he didn’t know how to wrap his brain around it. So he handed her the violin and took a giant step back.
    “I’m sorry.” He adjusted the collar of his shirt. Despite the generous rush of cool night air, the courtyard was suddenly stifling. “That was uncalled for. I don’t know what came over me.”
    “Don’t apologize.” Maci pressed an index finger to her lips. “It was…nice.”
    “Nice?” He tried not to feel offended. But the kiss, to him, had been much more than nice . He crossed to a wrought iron bench flanked by knockout roses and settled into it, working to steady the tremor of his pulse and keep his voice even. “How did you know your music would calm so much?”
    “It’s my job to know.”
    “Well,” He shrugged. Her answer was cryptic, but he let it go. “I’d say your work here is done.”
    “For now.”
    “Right.” He averted his gaze from her as she placed the violin back into its case. “You can come back tomorrow—I mean, later today—to visit with Ali.” He tossed his crumpled coffee cup into a nearby trashcan. “But, for now, we can both use a little shut eye. I’ll take you home.”
    This was dangerous ground, letting himself feel something for her. There was no point in starting something that could never possibly even leave the gate. Better to leave well enough alone.
     
    ****
     
    “I’ll need my car.” Maci grabbed her violin case and followed Hunter from the courtyard and into the parking lot. A full moon cast a pearly glow over the pavement while a smattering of vehicles, like a sparse case of chicken pox, filled yellow-lined spaces. The air, still on the sultry side, carried the scent of hamburgers from a fast-food restaurant across the street that mingled with exhaust fumes. Maci wasn’t sure if the tangle in her belly was from the odd mix of scents or from Hunter, walking so close beside her. Security lights washed over him as they crossed to his pickup, making the sharp clench of his jaw evident. It wasn’t that he was angry. Suddenly he just seemed out of sorts. “We’ll have to go back to the landing for it.”
    “Right. Your car.” Keys jangled as Hunter pulled a ring from his pocket. He shuffled through the mix and slipped a key into the passenger door. “We can do that.”
    “Thank you.”
    The lock disengaged and he opened the door for her. Taking her violin case, he nestled it carefully behind the passenger seat and then waited while she slipped into the cab.
    “I appreciate it, Hunter.”
    “No problem.” But the somber tone of his voice gave the impression that it was a problem.
    Maci’s nerves bristled. Her lips still tingled from his kiss, reminding her that she wasn’t the one who had initiated the intimacy. She should be the one who was on edge. Yet, she wasn’t. Instead, she felt as if she’d just come through a long-standing storm and the power was finally back on. Every nerve-ending hummed.
    Usually she was an expert at reading people. She had to be—as a music therapist it was her job. But, hard as she tried, reading Hunter was like deciphering Morse code—without the key. She pressed a hand to the door as he began to close it and spoke quickly, her tone clipped. “I can call a cab, if you’d rather.”
    “What? No.” He shook his head and slammed the door, strode around to the driver’s side to slip into the seat before continuing. “I told you, it’s no problem. Besides, do you really think I’d let you wander the streets alone in the dark?”
    “The sun will be up in another hour. Besides, I’m