His Love Lesson. Nicki Night

announcement caused a stir of cheer. Excitement rose in the atmosphere.

      Blake gave Cadence a quick peck, which brought a sweet smile to her face, and then jumped up. “Let’s get some more bottles from the cellar.”

      “Turn on the TV!” Alana, Cadence’s best friend, shouted. “We have to watch the ball drop!”

      Hunter and Drew accompanied Blake to his basement to retrieve more chilled bottles of champagne. When they returned, the crowd made a show of cheering them on as they carefully balanced several bottles in their arms on their way to the table reserved for beverages. Blake danced to the music as he opened a few of the bottles.

      The party flowed on, getting louder as it drew closer to midnight. Hunter caught Tricia watching him from across the room. Nodding, he acknowledged her but kept his distance—surprising himself. Any other time, he would have had a pretty girl like that eating from his skillful hands, enjoying flirtatious chatter as he competently weakened her resolve—if in fact there was any resolve to weaken. Hunter simply smiled and raised his glass to her.

      Despite the frenzy surrounding him, Hunter retreated into his own thoughts. He’d caught Tricia’s continued glances. Her seductive smile was stamped on his mind’s eye. Being a man who was keen on women’s behavior, he summed her up in seconds. Though she was beautiful, she seemed a little too eager. Like many men, Hunter loved the chase. He didn’t mind putting in a little work to earn a woman’s affection. The challenge was intoxicating.

      “Thirty seconds!” With her champagne glass held high, Cadence yelled, “It’s almost time!”

      Hunter became aware of his surroundings once again, taking in the excited voices and the clamor of the guests gathering in front of Blake’s TV. On the large flat-screen, the camera panned across the thick crowd of people in Times Square before cutting to the crystal-encrusted ball. The ticker on the TV indicated that there were only twenty seconds left in the year. Blake made his way to Cadence’s side. The sight of Drew being so close to Alana wasn’t lost on Hunter. He felt Tricia’s eyes on him from across the room. Everyone joined the countdown for the last ten seconds. As they drew closer to the final moments left in the year, excitement crackled in the air like fireworks.

      “Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!” they all shouted in unison.

      Glasses lifted in the air before sips and swallows drained them dry. Blake had taken Cadence in his arms. They kissed as if no one else were in the room. When Drew hugged Alana, it lingered. Lovers became entranced in deep long lip-locks. Others shared hearty hugs and friendly pecks. Hunter gave his brothers, cousins and a few male friends high fives.

      After pulling back from his cousin Lance Barrington, he noticed Tricia had slid across the room and was now standing at his side. Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she raised her glass and said “Happy New Year” before wrapping her pink-painted lips around the rim of her champagne glass. Hunter felt as though a match had been lit somewhere in his loins. Tilting his glass, he too took a sip, never breaking eye contact.

      Hunter licked his lips and winked. A smile exploded across Tricia’s face.

      “Don’t I get a hug?” she asked seductively.

      “You can have more than that,” Hunter leaned forward to kiss Tricia on her cheek. Just before his lips landed, she turned, surprising him with her plump lips. Hunter wasn’t one to shy away from a challenge and in response gently parted his mouth. She received his tongue zealously.

      Hunter knew right then that she would end up in his bed, but he also knew that she definitely wasn’t “the one.”

       Chapter 3

      The week had gone by in a flash and despite Hunter’s attempt to be prepared for his annual trip with his frat brothers, he found himself doing a lot of last-minute running around before hitting the road.

      “Mom! Dad!” he called out as he entered his parents’ home in Long Island through the garage entrance.

      “I’m in here, baby!” Joyce, his mother, called out from their laundry room.

      Hunter followed the sound of her voice. “Hey, Ma!”

      “Hey, honey!” Joyce reached up on her toes to give her eldest son a hug and kiss. “Are you all ready for your trip?” Joyce turned back to the clothes she’d just washed. “I don’t see why you need to go all the way to Utah when we’ve got enough snow right here in New York,” she said, snapping the towel she’d just pulled from the dryer.

      Hunter laughed. “You know we try to go to different resorts every year. This will be our first time in Utah. Everyone is pretty excited about it.”

      “Well, I guess that’s good, then. Your dad hasn’t gotten back from the gym yet.”

      “Why didn’t you go with him?”

      Joyce stopped what she was doing and looked at Hunter with twisted lips. “Your daddy bugs me when we go to the gym together. I have to do things at my pace. At my age, I’m not trying to be Serena Williams. Daddy doesn’t understand that, so we go to the gym separately.”

      “Ha! Dad is still pretty competitive.”

      “Yes, he is! Now, what time are you leaving?”

      “Six in the morning. I have a few more errands to do, but I wanted to see you and Dad before I left.”

      “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

      “Just a cup of coffee.”

      Joyce folded the last towel and set it neatly on top of the others. “If you have time, let me make you a quick breakfast and he should be here by the time you finish eating.”

      Hunter couldn’t say no to spending time with his mother. “Can you make me an egg sandwich?”

      “That’s all you want?”

      “Ma! You make the best egg sandwiches.” Hunter’s smile nearly split his face in half. “Nobody prepares them like you.”

      Joyce shook her head and carried the laundry basket with her to the kitchen with Hunter on her heels. She washed her hands and then somehow guided the conversation in the direction of Hunter still being single.

      “How are you going to let Blake get married before you? Do you even want to get married? I don’t know about you young people these days. Everyone wants to stay single. What kind of life is that? You need someone to rock on the porch with when you get old.” Joyce propped her hands on her hips.

      “I didn’t say I don’t want to get married. I just haven’t found the right woman.”

      “Are you even looking?” Joyce frowned, then turned her attention to the frying pan on the stove.

      Hunter cleared his throat and then heard the churn of the garage door. He was saved! Jumping up, he headed for the door leading to the garage to greet his father as he pulled in.

      “Hey, Dad!”

      “Hey, boy! What brings you by?”

      “I leave for my trip tomorrow. I just came by to see you guys before I left.”

      “Oh, yeah! Tell the fellows I said hello.”

      “Will do!”

      Floyd stepped in carefully and walked over to Joyce in their sizable kitchen with a limp. Joyce inclined her head toward her tall husband. Floyd kissed her forehead. Something that all the towering Barrington men did with her.

      “What happened to you?” She looked down at his leg.

      “I think I pulled a muscle at the gym.”

      She looked at Hunter with a look that said, See what I mean? Hunter chuckled.

      “Go on and get your shower.