“Maybe it’s not what you’re running from, but what you’re running toward.”
Alicia travels to an exotic land, with hopes to reinvent herself. She moves to Auckland, New Zealand, to heal and escape her unhappy past in America.
Hunter works in a bar to distract himself from the memory of a tragic past. Playing in a local band and resorting to one night stands are his only means for an escape from his reality.
Brought together by circumstance, an unexpected romance blossoms between these two tortured souls.
Can being by each other’s side bring them the happiness they are desperate to discover? Or will being together break their fragile trust and lead to more heartache?
It was a quiet ride home to Parnell. Both of us seemed to be lost in thought. When we pulled into the drive, Hunter turned off the ignition. I opened the passenger door and got out of the car. Hunter grabbed my bag from the back seat and walked me to my flat. I took the bag from him and fished inside to find my key.
Placing it in the lock, I turned the key and opened the kitchen door. I wasn’t expecting it, but Hunter followed behind me. I turned around to face him, before I could turn on the kitchen light. “I had a great day. Thanks for taking me out on the boat.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
Flirty Hunter was back! The light from the outside lamppost played across his face, making those gorgeous eyes look sexy and dangerous. His hair fell forward over one eye and instinctively, I pushed the hair back behind his ear. I didn’t want to lose the connection I felt gazing into those eyes.
Reaching up and taking hold of my wrist, he turned my hand over and gently kissed my palm. My body hummed with excitement. Next thing I knew, his other arm snaked around my waist and pulled me to him. The heat of his body warded off the chill of the night air. “Where did you come from, Alicia?” he asked in a low sexy voice.
I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway. “America.”
With that, his lips were on mine, his body pushing me against the door frame between the kitchen and living room. The kiss was filled with passion and longing. I’m glad he held me in his arms, because my knees would have given out otherwise. My mind went blank and all I could do was enjoy the sensation of his strong, firm lips crushing against mine. A small whimper escaped my mouth and that only seemed to fuel the fire. His tongue begged for access to my mouth and my lips parted giving him what he wanted. Soon his tongue was dancing with my tongue at a heated frenzied pace. I dropped my handbag and it hit with a thud, its contents spilling on the floor.
The magic spell was broken as Hunter backed away. My hand flew up to cover my mouth, my finger tips touching my swollen lips. “That’s not how just friends kiss,” I murmured, breathless.
His breathing was ragged. Hunter felt it, too. “No, it’s not,” he agreed as he slowly backed toward the kitchen door, his eyes not leaving mine. “Goodnight, Alicia.” Then he was gone.
My knees finally gave out and I slid to the floor, looking at the contents of my spilt purse. What the hell did I get myself into? When I finally got the feeling in my legs back, I stood up and walked over to the kitchen door to lock up for the night.
Outside, Hunter was lying on a lounge chair, pensively staring up at the stars. What did that woman, the one he was going to marry, do to him? With a heavy sigh, I locked the kitchen door and climbed the stairs to go to bed. Stripping off my clothes, I dressed in my plaid lounge pants and pink tank top. Pulling the elastic band from my pony tail, my hair fell free, cascading over my shoulders. One more glance out the window confirmed that Hunter had gone inside the house.
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Theresa Troutman lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their crazy dog, Niko. She loves reading, theatre and traveling. Her books include: My Secret Summer, A Special Connection and the Love's Great Adventure Series: Life's What You Make It and Love This Life and London Loves. 
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