And I Love You Read Online Free PDF Page A

teary blue eyes and the way she’d felt in his arms. “I’m sure.” He was sure of nothing more than he wanted a chance with her, and that could never happen as long as he was still seeing Lauren on occasion.
    “I’m really sorry to hear that. I thought we had a fun thing going.”
    “It was fun.”
    “So that’s it? We’re done?”
    “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He eyed the leftover pizza still sitting on his counter, his stomach turning at the sight of it. Then he realized she was crying, and he felt like total shit. “Lauren, come on. We were never about anything more than a good time. I thought you knew that.”
    “I did know that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings for you.”
    “I wish I knew what to say, but I don’t.”
    “Were you going to tell me that we were done?”
    “I guess I’m a little confused here. I wasn’t aware that we were in any kind of relationship, per se. We dated here and there, but that was the extent of it.”
    “That’s not all we did.”
    “We had
fun
. Didn’t we?”
    “Yes, but—”
    “No buts. That’s all it was. Fun. Please don’t make it into something more serious than that because we both know it wasn’t.”
    “I’m going to go now.”
    “Lauren—”
    “Bye, Hunter.” When the line went dead he pressed the Off button and returned the cordless phone to the cradle. With his hands flat against the granite countertop, he tried to figure out how this night had gotten so far out of control in the course of two hours.
    “At least I’m not stuck in my usual rut,” he said with a laugh that turned to a grimace when he recalled the hurt in Lauren’s voice. His conscience was clear where she was concerned. They’d had an uncommitted, once-in-a-while arrangement that usually revolved around the one weekend a month when her young kids were with their father.
    He liked Lauren and had enjoyed the time they’d spent together, but he didn’t think of her between visits. He didn’t count the days or the weeks until he could see her again. Hell, he hardly even talked to her except for on the weeks they saw each other. He had nothing at all to feel guilty about, and she knew it. He’d intentionally kept his friendship with Lauren uncommitted and casual because he had feelings for someone else. So why did he feel like the world’s biggest asshole after the conversation with her?
    He wished he could call Hannah and air it out with her, but it was too late to call her. She’d know just what to say to make him feel better and to help him figure out what his next move with Megan ought to be. He stashed the leftover pizza in the fridge and wiped down the countertop before trudging upstairs, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.
    Hunter stripped down to boxers, brushed his teeth and got into bed, his mind still whirling from the eventful evening. His thoughts kept coming back to that all-too-brief moment when he’d held Megan close to him and felt the click of two halves coming together in a perfect fit. He could still recall the scent of jasmine that had surrounded her, making him want to get even closer to her.
    God, he had it bad for her, and the thought of her leaving town made him crazy. Mindful of her huge crush on Will, he hadn’t acted on his feelings for her, but he’d always known she was right across the street, working every day at the diner, close by even if she had no idea how he felt about her.
    He thought about the possibility of buying the diner from Nina and Brett. If only they hadn’t just agreed to acquire additional acreage to expand the family’s sugaring facility to accommodate expected demands from the new website. Between that and the cost of the website, the family business couldn’t afford to take on something else. Not right now anyway. He needed time to pull the financing together, but time was the one thing he didn’t have where Megan was concerned.
    Hunter had money of his own put away, but it probably