Trying Not To Love You

All I could think about was Hunter's lips on mine. There was a tingly feeling that spread from my lips, down my chest and right between my legs. A deep growl came from Hunter; I knew he was feeling this too. He deepened the kiss; his tongue slipped in and found mine. I reached up and tangled my hands in his hair. I did not ever want this kiss to end. I was not sure what would happen when we broke apart. I would not be able to stop my heart from shattering if he said this was a mistake again. I did not care if our family was sitting in the house or not. I needed this kiss as if my life depended on it.

Hunter started to pull away but I tightened my hands in his hair, holding his head to me. I was so scared to pull away from him. He reached up, removed my hands and positioned them between us. He pulled back ever so slightly and caught my lower lip between his teeth. I whimpered. He rested his forehead against mine; we were both panting.

"You know," he said, chuckling, "We have a thing with kissing in the rain."

We were both soaked and I truly did not care, but then I remembered the cut on his lip.

"Oh god, I didn't hurt you did I?" I asked him, reaching up to run my thumb over his cut. God, what an idiot I am. That is why he was pulling away.

"It was worth it." He bent down and kissed me again. "I guess I'm forgiven for talking to that girl yesterday?"

"Yeah, I think you are, but just don't let it happen again." I said. "What happened to you?"

He pushed my bangs out of my face. "I got a text from Hailey telling me that she ran into a very drunk Dominic. He said he was on his way to talk to you. So, I had to stop him before he came over. Let's just say that he isn't going to be going anywhere for a while."

"Hunter, you shouldn't have done that." I was thankful that he handled Dominic but I did not want to see him like this.

"Yes, I should have. I couldn't have him come over here and throw himself at you, I can't handle that shit."

"KENZIE!" Mason yelled from the front door.

"Shit." Hunter said, stepping back from me.

"Get your ass in here. Mom wants you." Mason was glaring at us; I knew this was not going to go over well. I just hoped he would not make a scene with everyone here.

"Coming." I yelled back to him. "I guess we better get back inside." He reached in and grabbed his keys from his pocket. "I'll be back later; I'm going to run home and change. Tell my mom and Jay that I'll be back."

"Ok. See you in a little bit." I did not know what to do. Did I kiss him goodbye or just walk inside?

I did not have to wait long as Hunter grabbed both of my hands, entwined our fingers, pulled me closer to him and kissed me goodbye.

"You know, you can drag my ass out in the rain and kiss me anytime you want." I told him when we broke apart from our kiss.

Smirking at me, he said, "I'll have to remember that."

"Alright, see you in a little bit." I turned and walked back towards the house.

I ran up to my room and quickly changed and dried my hair.

Someone knocked on my door. I went over to it and opened it. Jaylinn was standing there with her hand on her hip and her eyebrows raised, frowning at me.

"Where did you run my brother off to?"

"He went home to change. He said to tell you he would be right back." I was trying not to smile at her.

"And why did he have to change?"

"Because we…"

She cut me off before I could answer her. "Wait, don't answer that. I don't even want to know."

I busted out laughing, I could not help it; I was on cloud nine from my kiss with Hunter. Jaylinn just shook her head at me.

"Well, I'm glad to finally see you laughing again and I'm glad it was Hunter that did it." Hailey said leaning against my doorframe.

"Well let's not get a head of ourselves. I still have to go downstairs and deal with my brothers." I pulled my hair up in a ponytail. "Alright, let's go face the music."

Everyone was in the living room hanging out and relaxing when we went downstairs. Hailey went over to Mason to try and run inference against the ass chewing I was about to get, and Jaylinn went over to Cooper.

I took a seat in the recliner next to Jackson and Chloe. "So Chloe, how are you feeling today? Any better?"

"No, not at all, I'm so uncomfortable." She said groaning. Poor girl, she was so ready to have this baby.

"Well with your shower on Saturday, hopefully it will take your mind off of it for a little while." I tried to shine some kind of light on the situation.

"I sure hope so."

Hunter walked in looking hot, even dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt. There were not any seats anywhere, so I jumped up. "Here, sit here." I told him.

He walked over and sat in the recliner. I was going to sit on the floor between his legs, but he pulled me onto his lap instead.

I quickly glanced over at Mason and he practically leaped off the couch, throwing Hailey to the floor. "Dude, that's my f*cking sister. What are you doing?"

"Mason, watch your mouth." My dad spoke up.

I glanced around the room and everyone was staring at us. I looked at Hunter and thought it was better just to sit on the floor; we did not need a huge family fight.

I got up off Hunter's lap and I think that surprised him because he was looking at me as if I just did something wrong.

"Kenzie, what are you doing? You're not sitting on the floor." Cooper said.

"Coop, it's fine." I did not want this shit to happen, not here on Thanksgiving with our whole family here.

I decided to try to defuse the situation so I walked into the kitchen to start doing the dishes that did not make it into the dishwasher. Mason followed me into the kitchen, I assumed to finish our argument, but he was not alone. Hunter and Cooper came too.

"What the f*ck is going on between you two?" Mason seethed through his teeth.

Cooper put his hand on Mason's shoulder and said, "Mase man, just let it go."

"No, I'm not just going to let it go. You're only sticking up for them because you're f*cking his sister." Mason fired back at Cooper.

My mouth dropped opened.

"What the f*ck Mase!" Cooper yelled.

"You're what, Coop? That's my f*cking sister." Hunter yelled back.

I thought it was going to be a free for all, but thankfully, Jackson and my dad walked in before anyone could get too crazy. I guess Hunter did not know about Cooper and his sister. I had kind of put two and two together but I did not know for sure.

"What the hell is going on? Why is everyone yelling?" My dad asked.

I just shook my head at my dad. I was not about to get into this. I turned and continued to do the dishes.

"Your daughter wants Hunter." Mason told my dad.

"Wait, I thought you were with Dominic." my dad said to me.

"Nope, haven't been for a few weeks. But while we're talking about it, Mason wants Hailey." I fired right back towards Mason.

My dad reached up to rub his forehead, surely from the headache that we were all causing.

"And what about you?" my dad asked Cooper.

I started laughing at what a complete disaster this is.

Hunter spoke up and answered before Cooper could. "He wants Jay."

My dad threw his hands up and walked out. That made me laugh, and earned me a glare from everyone but Jackson, who also thought this was insane.

"This is a cluster f*ck." Jackson stated and then he turned around and walked back into the living room.

Mason and Cooper stormed out leaving me alone with Hunter in the kitchen. He walked over to me and caged me in as I continued to wash the dishes at the sink.

"Well, that went over great." He pushed my hair back off my neck then kissed it and put his hand back on the counter. "Did you know about Jay and Coop?"

I pushed back on him, snuggling a little closer and shook my head no. Hunter groaned and whispered, "Stop that."

"Stop what?" I asked innocently.

"You know what." Hunter moaned softly in my ear.

A throat cleared behind us. "Hunter," Mrs. McCormick said.

Hunter pushed off from my back and said, "Yeah Mom?"

"Could you run me and Jaylinn home now? We have to get up early to go shopping with the girls, so we need to get some sleep."

"Yeah sure. Get Jay and I'll meet you in the truck."

Mrs. McCormick walked over to me, gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, "I'll see you tomorrow morning sweetie."

When she walked out of the kitchen, Hunter crushed his lips to mine. I moaned a little when his tongue brushed against my lips. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him. He walked me over to the door and pushed me against it. All my muscles started to tense, both from the kiss and from the fact that anyone who walked in would catch us.

"God, I don't think I could ever get sick of kissing you." Hunter said.

"Good, cause I don't either."

Hunter set me down on my feet and kissed me again before he said, "I better get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe, I'm going shopping with the girls then we have to get the favors and stuff ready for Chloe's shower on Saturday."

Hunter locked his eyes with mine, those panty dropping eyes that I could get lost in forever. "I'll see you tomorrow." He was telling me, not asking.





Four in the morning came way too early, but this was a family tradition so I dragged my ass from bed. It was my birthday in just a few days. My mom always let me pick out my presents while we were shopping. Hailey had slept over last night with Mason, so we just had to go by Hunter's house to pick up his Mom and sister.

We pulled up to Hunter's, I ran up to the door to let them know we were here. I went to knock on the door but it opened before I could. Hunter appeared in the door; he reached for my hand and pulled me inside. As soon as the door closed behind me, he cupped my face and kissed me.

"Wow." It was the only response I had at an ungodly hour like this.

"Good morning." Hunter said, as he drifted his hands from my cheeks to my hips. "Damn, you even make yoga pants looks sexy."

"I make anything look sexy." I said, winking at him.

He groaned and brought his lips to mine again. When our tongues collided, I lost all sense as to where we were until I heard a throat clearing. Hunter either did not hear it or was ignoring it because he was not stopping. The throat cleared again and that time it caught Hunter's attention.

Hunter shifted his shoulder back slightly so he could see who it was. Jaylinn was standing there with her hands on her hips. "Can you stop molesting her so we can go shopping? Or do you plan on keeping her tied up all day? I am sure Mason would love to…"

Hunter cut off her off, "Shut up."

Jaylinn laughed and walked away.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I said, "So, I um, guess I better get going now."

He gave me another peck on my lips and said, "Yeah. I'll see you later."

I followed Jaylinn and Mrs. McCormick out of the house and down the steps. At the bottom, I turned back around to Hunter. "What are you doing up this damn early anyway?"

He gave me that smile that made me tingle and said, "Because, there was something I had to do." He turned and closed the door. I shook my head and continued to the car.

The morning of shopping went great. I got most all my gifts bought, but still needed to get a few things before Christmas. Mom bought me a new Coach purse for my birthday, which made up for having to wake up so early. Hailey picked up a few things along with Jaylinn and Mrs. McCormick.

We stopped for lunch before we went home, knowing we would have to start getting things ready for the baby shower tomorrow. All morning, Mrs. McCormick kept watching me. I was not sure what she was up to but something was up.

Around lunchtime, we made it back to the house. When we walked in the front door, Jackson was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. Mason was sitting next to Chloe, rubbing his hand up and down the right side of her back. Cooper was doing the same thing on the other side, and Hunter was holding a bucket up to her face.

"What's going on?" My mom asked, as soon as she set her bags down on the dining room table.

Hunter looked over at me and shook his head. Cooper said, "She's been throwing up since she woke up."

My mom walked over to Chloe and bent down in front of her. Hunter moved back and handed my Mom the bucket. My mom said to Chloe, "Sweetie what's going on? Are you in any kind of pain?"

Her whole body was shaking and she had goose bumps on her arms. Before she could answer, Jackson spoke up and said, "She's been throwing up since her feet hit the ground this morning. The doctor said to keep her hydrated, and if she's no better in a few hours to take her to the hospital."

"Ok sweetie, let's get you back up to bed." Cooper and Mason both grabbed an arm and helped Chloe back upstairs while Jackson went to go get her a couple bottles of water.

Hunter came over to me and said, "I never want to go through that bullshit. It was no wonder Jackson had not left her side since she got knocked up."

"Yeah, she hasn't had it easy."

Mrs. McCormick took the seat where Cooper had just been sitting. "Hey Mom, you buy me anything good?" Hunter asked.

"Now you know I didn't. I don't like you that much." She said laughing.

"But she bought me something, because she loves me." Jaylinn piped up from behind us.

"Whatever." Hunter draped his arm around my shoulder, "You want to go catch a movie?"

"Not now, maybe later. We need to get started on the gift bags for the shower." Hunter frowned at me, but we needed to get them done.

Eventually, my mom made it back downstairs, and we all got started on the baby shower stuff. My dad and the boys all went outside to put the Christmas decorations up. By the time everything was done, we ordered pizza, and I ran upstairs to take a quick shower. After showering, I went into my room, and Hunter was sitting there on my bed.

"What are you doing up here?" I was feeling a little uncomfortable with him being in my room. After all, we were in my parent's house.

"Don't worry. Hailey and Mason went out to a movie, Cooper took my Mom and Jay home and your parents are too worried about Chloe to realize I'm in here."

Well then, I guess he had everything covered.

He got up off the bed and went over to lock the door. He stalked over to me, stopped right in front of me and lifted my chin so that I was looking up at him.

"Am I making you nervous?" He must have felt me shivering, but it was not because I was cold.

"No." I whispered.

Hunter put his arms around me and started walking me backwards to my bed. The back of my legs hit the bed, and he gently laid me back. Once my head hit the pillow so did all of my emotions. I wanted him. I had wanted him forever and now here he was.

Hunter hovered above me, not touching me. I wanted him to touch me. I slid my hands down his back and grazed my fingers under his shirt. He tensed for a second, then sat up and pulled his shirt over his head.

Hunter was handsome with all that tanned toned skin and those damn tattoos of his. I reached up and ran my hands from his chest down to his abs. He came back down with a hand on each side of me, caging my body in with his.

"You're killing me with this towel. I shouldn't be in here but…" he placed a kiss on my lips, "But I can't stay away either."

As if to prove his point, he lowered his body right between my legs. I could feel him hard and thick through his jeans. I tried to move my hips to get him right where I wanted him, but he pushed his hips harder into mine stopping me.

"Don't," he took a breath and let it out slowly, "I only have so much self-control and you're not ready yet."

He kissed the corner of my lips, then my neck. He leaned onto his right elbow and reached down to pull my towel loose. Before he pulled, he looked up at me for permission. When he pulled the towel, the back of his hand brushed the swell of my breast and my nipples instantly went hard.

"Damn CC." He said, just before he took one of my nipples into his mouth. He sucked and swirled his tongue around it and did the same to the other side.

Before I could even think of what I was doing, I lifted my legs around his hips and started rocking. That earned me a moan from deep within Hunter's chest. I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair.

He dragged his lips back up my neck and then finally my lips. Our tongues collided and it was pure bliss.

Hunter rested his forehead on mine for a few minutes and then said, "I've got to go."

"What? Why? Don't go yet." I was starting to panic.

"Trust me, I don't want to go but I have to go." He placed a quick kiss on my lips and then started to get up. I reached up and linked my fingers behind his neck.

Sighing, he looked down at where my towel had fallen down a little more and he said, "CC I really have to go. This can't happen."

Now, I let go of him and let him crawl off me. Suddenly feeling shy around him, I quickly grabbed the blankets at the foot of the bed and pulled them up to cover myself.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

I just shook my head at him. I could not answer him. He just told me this could not happen. I was stupid for believing that he could want me this way. He could not even tell me he loved me, but he could tell my brothers that.

"CC, don't ok. Whatever you're thinking in that gorgeous head of yours don't." He bent down to pick up his shirt off the floor.

I just nodded my head. He came over, gave me a kiss and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok."

He walked over to the door but turned around to look at me before he walked out and said "Don't think, just feel it. I know you do; I can see it on your face." He winked and walked out of the door.

I threw myself back on my pillow and a huge smile broke out on my face.



The next morning I woke up to a text from Hunter.

Hunter – 7:46 am: Missed you. Hope you slept well

Me – 9:05 am: Miss your face, I slept great

I got out of bed, and went to get ready for the baby shower that was happening this afternoon. As I walked downstairs, I heard Chloe yell Jackson's name. Jackson ran up the stairs and right into his old room.

"Shit! Umm ok, what do we do now?" Jackson sounded panicked.

I walked towards their room to see what was going on. When I walked in, Chloe was sitting on the bed and Jackson was standing next to her.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" I asked. Nothing looked wrong.

"Umm, can you get mom? Yeah, you get mom." Jackson said

"Kenzie, my water broke." Chloe told me.

"Umm, yeah, I'll get mom." I said and then bolted downstairs.

A few hours later, we were all sitting in the hospital waiting on Alex's arrival instead of being at the shower that we had planned.

Mason, Cooper and Hunter were at Jackson's house attempting to put up the crib and Hailey was at home with her sister who had just come in this morning. I was starting to get impatient, so I decided to go take a walk to the gift shop downstairs.

I was looking at the blue monkey, thinking about buying it for Alex when I heard Dominic's mom call my name.

"MacKenzie, I'm surprised to see you here." When she said my name, it was like it left a bad taste in my mouth.

"My brother's having his baby upstairs." What the hell was her problem? I did not do anything to her son; I am not the one pregnant.

"Oh well, tell them congratulations." She picked up a Reese's, one of Dominic's favorites, and then she said, "You should visit Dominic while you're here. I'm sure he would be glad to see you."

What? "Dominic's here?"

"Yeah, after that boyfriend of yours damn near killed him."

Boyfriend? Was she serious?

"I don't have a boyfriend anymore. I had one but he couldn't seem to keep his dick in his pants." I snapped at her, and then went to pay for the monkey for Alex.

I went back upstairs to see how things were coming along with Jackson and Chloe. Hunter, Mason and Cooper were there. I walked over to where they were whispering in the corner.

"Oh hey, Kenzie." Cooper said placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Any update yet?"

"Not yet, Jackson was just out here, and he said anytime now." Mason answered.

"Umm, Hunter, can I talk to you for a minute?"

We walked just outside of the waiting room and I asked him, "You put Dominic in the hospital?"

He did not look at me. Instead, he looked down at the ground and nodded his head.

"And you didn't think it was important enough to tell me?"

"No, he shouldn't have been talking shit. None of this would have happened in the first place."

"Well I ran into his mom downstairs. She wasn't too happy about seeing me. She told me I should stop by and see him. He's been asking about me."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen."

He was right. I was not going to see him, at least not while Hunter was around. I needed to give Dominic some kind of closure so he could move on. I have moved on, and it is about time he does too.

Jackson walked in about twenty minutes later with a huge smile on his face and his camera in his hand. He showed us all the pictures he had taken and then gave us Alex's information.

Alex Jackson Cahill

8lbs 9oz

21 ½" long

Alex was precious with chubby little cheeks and a head of dark hair just like his daddy. I could not wait to get my hands on my little nephew.





I peaked in on my nephew before I went home for the night. I was exhausted from everything going on. I knew Chloe and Jackson were too, and they needed some one on one time with Alex.

Everyone went back to our house where we decided to order some pizza and just hang out. Mason and Hailey had disappeared after the pizza arrived, and Cooper and Jay were sitting in the living room watching Duck Dynasty. Mom and Dad were upstairs trying to get some sleep because they were exhausted.

Hunter and I were still sitting at the table, my legs in between his, talking and laughing about the three of them trying to put the crib together. The first attempt had the railings upside down and then they couldn't figure out how the grate that held the mattress went. He said it took them at least two hours before they had it completely put together.

"Come away with me for New Year's?" Hunter asked.

I stared at him trying to gauge where this was going. We always celebrated at my house with everyone, so why would he want to go away? "Where?"

"I want to surprise you with something." He placed a kiss on my lips to keep me from arguing, because he knew I hated surprises.

Whining, I told him, "I hate surprises Hunter; you know this."

Smirking at me through his dark, thick eyelashes, he said, "I know but you're not going to hate this."

I smiled and kissed him. "And what are we going to tell everyone? We don't need another argument like Thursday."

"Let me take care of that. I know someone who can help us out." He winked at me.

"All right, as long as everyone is ok with it."

"Don't worry; they'll be fine with it."

Hunter left a little after that with Jaylinn. He told me he we would come over tomorrow to pick me up because we had to head out around lunchtime to go back to school. I really was not looking forward to going back to school.

The next morning, my mom woke me up early. I wanted to sneak over to the hospital before anyone else since I was leaving the earliest.

"So you and Hunter huh?" She asked, just as we pulled up to the hospital. I was surprised she had not asked before now.

I just smiled and got out of the car. I could not exactly answer her since Hunter and I actually have not made anything official. I did not want to jinx anything by talking about it too much before it actually became true.

"Well, are you at least going to tell me what happened with Dominic?" She asked, opening the hospital doors.

I looked down to the ground and then back up. It still hurt to talk about it. "He um…cheated on me…and got the girl pregnant. He kept telling me that he wasn't cheating on me and that I should trust him. I trusted him with all my heart, right up until the night of the party when everything fell apart.

"Oh umm." She looked at me and then looked away.

"It's ok, I'm fine. I was lucky enough to have everyone there with me when it all went down. It hurts, but that was just the hand I was dealt."

Mom gave me one of her big smiles, wrapped her arms around me to give me a hug and said, "I'm sorry baby girl. Just remember everything happens for a reason. We just have to pick ourselves up, and look on the bright side of life."

I shrugged my shoulders. While it still hurt, I was grateful Hunter was there to ease the pain away. If he hadn't been there, it would have been a lot worse.

Mom and I visited with Jackson, Chloe and Alex for a little while before the rest of the family started showing up. Chloe really hoped her parents would show, but Jackson didn't seem to think they would. Once she had told them she was pregnant, they had completely cut her off.

On our way back to the car, I asked mom if she would do something with me. She agreed of course, not even knowing what I was going to ask. We went back inside to the check-in counter and I asked for Dominic's room.

My mom had a shocked look on her face. "Why is Dominic in here?" she asked when we were walking towards the elevator.

"Umm, Hunter," I didn't know if I should tell my mom this or not, but I was sure she would have put two and two together anyway. "Hunter got into a disagreement with him on Thanksgiving. Dominic didn't end up so….well."

She nodded her head and asked, "Is that where he disappeared to while we were eating?"

"Yeah, I didn't know he was here until yesterday when I ran into his mom. She wasn't too happy to see me, but she said that Dominic keeps asking about me. I want to give him closure so he can get over this. He has a kid to think about now, you know?"

She smiled at me for a good long minute before she told me, "I'm so proud of the young lady that you're becoming. You make your dad and me so proud. I know your brothers can be a bit over the top, but they love you none the less and are proud of you too."

Smiling I said, "Thanks mom."

We made it to Dominic's room. While I went in, mom stayed in the waiting room. Dominic's mom was sitting in the chair at the foot of his bed. Dominic was laying there in bed with two black eyes, a broken arm and stitches on the bridge of his nose and above his eye. Wow, Hunter had really done a number on him.

Dominic's mom looked up from the book she was reading; she took off her glasses and excused herself from the room.

"Good luck." Dominic's mom said to me on the way out.

Dominic looked out the window, turned to look at me and then turned his head back to the window. Maybe I shouldn't have come.

I walked to the other side of Dominic's bed and pulled up the chair that was by the wall. He looked completely defeated.

We sat there for a few minutes. He stared out the window and I stared at him. I really had no idea what to say to him. He must have just been thinking of what he wanted to say because he spoke up.

He looked from the window to me. "I'm sorry MacKenzie. I didn't mean for this to happen to us. I never wanted to hurt you. You were my everything."

"I know." I said, barely above a whisper.

"When I left home, I was so excited to be on my own and with you in the same building every day. As the first few weeks passed, things changed. I started drinking almost every day, and going to parties with the guys. I didn't really think about anything other than that. Being a football player, the girls just kind of flocked to me. They threw themselves at me and would do anything to be with me. I got careless. Brittany started flirting with me one night at one of the parties, and I let things get out of hand. The night I was supposed to come to your brothers' party was the day I woke up with Brittany in my bed. I didn't even realize what I had done until the next morning. That's what took me so long to show up; I didn't know what to do. I knew I couldn't let you down again by not showing up so I made the drive anyway. I beat myself up the whole way home for what I had done, and then I got to the shore house and we couldn't even be alone. That just made me even madder. Then, you were finally on campus and in my room. I thought everything was going to be fine. When Brittany showed up, I knew it wouldn't take you long to figure it out."

I nodded my head, agreeing with him because that was when everything started falling apart for us.

"I told her it couldn't happen again. She was pissed and said I was only using her. She's the one that left the panties in my room. She caught Tommy on the way out and he let her in. She knew you had my car because I had seen her earlier that day and she had asked me to give her a ride somewhere."

Sneaky bitch.

"I freaked out on her that day and I hadn't talked to her since. When you said you needed your space, I knew I had to give it to you or I would lose you. During our time apart, I realized what I had and I wanted you…forever. That is when I realized I wanted to marry you. I figured if I could get you to agree to marry me, then we could get over what I did."

How could he think that? Did he think I would just look the other way?

He reached over to tilt my head up to look at him. "When I showed up at that party and she told me she was pregnant, I knew I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I didn't even care about my football career anymore; all I cared about was you. I knew I had hurt you and that was the last thing I had wanted. You were always there for me, cheering me on."

The tears started. As much as I had wanted to come in here and be strong, I couldn't help them anymore.

He grabbed my left hand and rubbed his thumb of my ring finger. "I still love you MacKenzie. I think I always will, but I know I need to let you go. I know you are in good hands. Just look what those hands did to me." He said with a chuckle.

I laughed; yeah, I was in good hands all right. I just hope they wanted me as much as I wanted them.

"I love you too Dominic. I hope everything works out for you." I stood up and placed a kiss on his forehead.

I walked to the waiting room and told mom I was ready to go. She looked up, smiled at me and said, "Let's go home."

When we got back to the house, Mason, Hailey and Hunter were there. We got his truck all packed up with our stuff and said goodbye to everyone. I was going to miss being here and miss Alex too; winter break was only few weeks away, so I would get to see everyone soon.

Arriving back at the dorms was gloomy; I didn't really want to be back here. It brought back too many memories.

Hailey sighed behind me; she must have been thinking the same thing. "Do we really have to stay here?"

Hunter looked at her through the rearview mirror and then back at me. "You guys can always stay with me. You know Bentley doesn't mind."

"You would be ok if we stayed the night?" I asked. I wanted to make sure this wasn't too much, too soon.

"Of course, or I wouldn't have offered." He leaned over and whispered, "I get you in my bed. I'd be a damn fool not to want you to stay with me."

Hailey groaned from the backseat, "Will you two please knock that shit off."

I laughed at her. She was just jealous that Mason wasn't here. "Ok, let's go to your house."

Later that night, Hunter got Hailey all set up in the spare room since no one was using it. I took a long hot bath. I had my iPad playing music, a candle Hunter had lit and a glass of wine next to me, just relaxing.

Hunter knocked on the door before coming in; he walked over to the tub and kneeled down beside it. He bent down and captured my lips. When our lips touched, the sparks were flying again.

I pulled back and he moaned. "Get in with me?" I should feel nervous since I was naked in front of him but I wasn't.

He didn't move at first. I was expecting him to fight me but then he stood up and started stripping out of his clothes. Hunter had no reason to be ashamed. His body was perfect, all the way from his perfectly messy hair, his defined chest, his abs to that v between his hips. He was watching me rake my eyes up and down his body. I felt the flush reaching my cheeks, but he was too sexy for his own damn good.

Smirking at me with those bright blue eyes of his he said, "See something you like?"

"What is there not to like Hunter? You are absolutely gorgeous."

When he stepped into the tub, I sat up slightly so that he could sit behind me. Oh God, maybe this was not such a good idea. Once Hunter settled in, he reached for me and pulled me back against his chest. I moaned at the contact of our skin.

We sat there for a while, maybe a little unsure of what the other wanted. Hunter took the lead by helping me sit up. He reached behind him to grab the body wash, poured some in his hands and started washing my back. He rubbed circles from my neck all the way down my back to my ass. I whimpered a little when he stopped, but then he pulled me back against his chest again and started the same process again on my front. He caressed my shoulders, and paid special attention to my breasts, lightly pinching my nipples. When he did that, I arched my back at the sensation. Sliding his fingers up and down my stomach, I shifted my hips and tried to get him to go down further to the spot I wanted him the most.

When my hips shifted, I heard him take a quick breathe. He grabbed my hips to keep me in place. "CC, don't move baby."

I whined, "Please Hunter, I need you to touch me. This is killing me."

He shook his head and said, "Not tonight babe. You're not ready."

Not ready, is he kidding? I was more than ready.

He kissed my shoulders and neck for a few minutes before he reached down, let the water out of the tub and then turned the shower on. He helped me rinse the soap from my body and helped wash my hair. As much as I wanted Hunter to touch my middle, he never did.

I grabbed the body wash and started massaging Hunter's body. He had me so worked up, that if I couldn't get him to touch me, than I planned to make sure he was just as worked up as me. I started at his broad shoulders, moved down his pecs and then traced his well-defined abs with my fingers before following the V between his hips. I stopped and looked up, meeting his hooded eyes.

He looked so intense that I knew he would not stop me so I took my chances. I wrapped my hand around his length. His head fell back, and a hiss escaped through his teeth. I stroked him a few times before I continued down his legs and then back up and I washed his hair.

We dried each other off and Hunter gave me one of his shirts to sleep in. We climbed in bed and fell fast asleep, cuddled in each other's arms.

I could only hope that whatever was going on between us lasted, but for now, I would take anything he would give me.





Three weeks have passed since Hunter kissed me in the rain on Thanksgiving and things have been blissful, perfect really. Hunter and I have practically been joined at the hip. Christmas was a little less than a week away and I was looking forward to going home. I wanted to spend time with my family, especially baby Alex. Chloe, Jackson and my mom were always texting me cute little pictures of him.

More importantly, I couldn't wait to get away from school and spend some alone time with Hunter. We only saw each other when we are on our lunch together during the week and on Sundays. He worked nights at the bar every night except Sunday and I worked Monday thru Thursday night at the library. Hailey still hung out with Zeke, so he kept us entertained when Hunter could not.

On the Friday before we headed home, Hailey and I decided we were going to go out. We asked a couple of girls that we were friends with if they wanted to come along too. Hunter and Zeke both had to work that night and they expected wall-to-wall college kids at the bar because winter break had officially started.

Hailey and I headed out to grab a cab to take us to the bar. As the cab pulled up to the curb, I noticed a couple fighting in the parking lot. I thought it looked like Brittany and Logan, but I pushed that thought from my head.

The line to get into the bar wrapped around the side of the building, so Hailey asked the cab driver to drop us off at the door instead of the side where the line ended. The girls and I got out and made our way to the door where I was sure Hunter or Zeke would be. Hunter spotted me the second I was in his view, and a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

He motioned me over with his head. I looked at the girls. They all started giggling except for Hailey, who just rolled her eyes.

Hunter stood up from the stool he was sitting on and half hugged me. I don't think he was even supposed to do that. "CC, what are you doing here?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "The girls and I wanted a night out, so what better place to come then here?"

He looked behind me and said, "Hey girls, give me your hand and I'll stamp you in."

Gracie, Hailey, Zoey and I had our hands stamped and we made our way into the bar. As I walked past Hunter, I heard him radio someone that we were here and to keep an eye on us.

After dancing for a little while, we went to the bar for a drink. Hailey and I planned to order a soda since we were not old enough to drink, but the bartender shook her head and looked towards the door. She didn't ask us what we wanted; she just made the drinks and set them down in front of us. I started pulling money out of my clutch and again, she just shook her head at me again and, looked at the door.

I heard Hailey clear her throat from beside me, and then she nudged me with her elbow and tilted her head to the right. There at the end of the bar were Brittany and Logan. What in the hell was she doing here?

"Hails, isn't that Logan? What's he doing with Brittany?" Gracie asked.

"Yeah, and I have no idea and I don't really care." Hailey responded back to her.

"I thought Britt was pregnant? Why in the hell would she be here?" Zoey asked.

I just shrugged my shoulders. I was not here to worry about Brittany and Logan. I grabbed Hailey's hand and started back towards the dance floor. While Hailey and I danced around the floor with Gracie and Zoey, Hunter came in to stand near the bar. Having reached maximum capacity, they weren't letting anyone else in the bar tonight.

Hunter stood there and watched my every move, so I decided to tease him a little and give him a show. I grabbed the guy that had tried to dance with me all night and started grinding on him, throwing my head back, and crawling up and down his body with my own, while I looked straight at Hunter.

He had to work, so there was nothing he could do to stop me. The guy I danced with must have noticed me staring at Hunter because he asked, "Is that your boyfriend? He's been eye f*cking you all night."

"Nope." I told him as I turned him and circled around his body until I could get Hunter back in my view.

"You sure?" He leaned in to ask me.

"Yeah." I answered, still watching Hunter from where he stood at the bar, scowling at me.

Before I realized what had happened, the guy I was dancing with disappeared, and I was in Hunter's arms.

Completely shocked at what happened, I looked up at Hunter. He just shook his head and led me to a back room that seemed to be some kind of locker room.

"What the f*ck was that CC?" Hunter seethed.

"Nothing, I was dancing." Shit! I didn't mean to piss him off.

"You call that dancing? It looked like you were about ready to f*ck him out there."

"Far from it, did you not notice I was looking at you the whole time?" This was not going how I planned it.

"Yeah I did, but that guy was enjoying himself too damn much. Did you even notice how close to kissing you he was? If I didn't shove him back, he would have."

Damn it! "No, I guess I didn't. He knew I was watching you, though." I said, and then looked down to the floor. "And that you were watching my every move."

Hunter took a deep breath before he walked over to me, put his fingers under my chin and made me look up at him. "You got me all hot and bothered, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it while I'm working."

Now that's what I'm looking for!

I smiled at him and stood up on my tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. With his lips pressed to mine, Hunter started walking us backwards until he pushed me up against the lockers. He reached down and grabbed the back of my legs, pulling me up to him. I wrapped my legs around his waist. Hunter slid his hands up and down my ass. I needed more, so I pushed myself until I felt his length pressed hard against my middle. He stopped moving his hands and pushed back against me.

Hunter started kissing from my lips down to my neck before he started nipping on my shoulder. We continued like this for a few minutes before he started sliding me down his body.

"You're gonna kill me, you know that?" He placed another kiss on my shoulder.

"Well, that would be a shame to have that happen, now wouldn't it?" I said, grinning at him.

"Such a smart ass."

"Learned it from the best!"

"Alright, let's get back out there before someone comes looking for us. I'm sure Zeke just had to save my ass tonight."

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking." I said bashfully.

"Just don't do that shit to anyone else unless it's me." He placed another kiss on my lips before he pulled the door open. I walked through the door and he smacked me on the ass.

I turned back to look at him and just shook my head.

I made my way out the find Hailey, Gracie and Zoey to make sure everything was ok.

"What the hell happened?" Hailey asked.

"Hunter didn't like me dancing with that guy." I shrugged and walked past her towards the bar.

"Well Zeke is done for the night; he said he'd drop us off at the dorms on his way home."

I downed the rest of my drink, hopped off the stool, grabbed her arm and started towards the door.

The next morning, the ringing of my phone woke me up. "Hello?" I said sleepily.

"Morning Sunshine, get your ass out of bed. I'm outside." Hunter said all chipper like.

I groaned. "What the hell are you so happy about? And what time is it anyway?"

"It's nine a.m. and I want to get home, so get your hot little ass out of bed and get down here."

I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands and hung up the phone, not caring that I did not say goodbye. I hated mornings, especially with happy people!

"Hails, get up; Hunter is here." I said, walking towards the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, Hailey and I lugged all our stuff out to Hunter's truck to head home for Winter break.



I woke the next morning with a fever and an earache; this was not how I wanted my break from school to start. I went downstairs and asked my mom to get me a doctor's appointment.

I sat at the table when my mom picked up the phone to call Hunter's mom because she was a nurse at our doctor's office. Mom told her what was going on, and she asked that I come right over so that the doctor could see me before they closed up early because Christmas was the next day.

Two hours later, manned with antibiotics and fever reducer, I was laying on the couch when Hunter came by to see how I was doing.

He walked in with chicken noodle soup and a movie. My heart melted a little more for him.

I curled up on the couch and rested my head on Hunter's lap. Hailey, Mason, Cooper and Jaylinn walked in.

Mason sat on the end of the couch where my feet were and said to me, "Get up."

"Mase don't start; I don't feel good."

"I don't give a shit; lay your head on this end." Really? Is he kidding me?

"Just let her be man." Hunter spoke up.

Mason did not like that, not at all. Cooper just looked at Hunter as if he were crazy.

I tried to defuse the situation. I sat up and asked Hailey and Jaylinn, "Are you girls all ready for Christmas tomorrow? All your stuff wrapped?"

"Yeah, we just got back from the mall, getting our last minute things." Jaylinn said.

"I still have a few more things to wrap. Kenz, come help me with this last one I have." Hailey asked.

I moved the covers out of my way and made my way upstairs with Hailey and Jaylinn to my room.

I was waiting for her to go to Mason's room to grab the gift to wrap, but she just reached in her purse, pulled out a piece of paper and some kind of passes.

I looked at the passes; they were for skiing in the Poconos this coming weekend. New Year's Eve weekend, the weekend I was going away with Hunter.

She winked at me and said, "I have to keep him busy somehow. There's only so much I can handle of him before I can't walk."

"Oh my God Hailey! I don't want to hear about that shit!" I said, completely disgusted by the thoughts running through my head.

"No really, I told Hunter I would help him. I'm not sure this is going to work but it should, since he has no idea you are going away with him." Hailey said.

I looked over at Jaylinn, waiting for her to tell me what she was going to be doing to keep Cooper busy. They claimed nothing was going on between them but I knew different. Cooper was never one to settle but Jaylinn was just the right person to change that.

"I don't have any plans. Cooper said he was busy." Jaylinn said with an unsettled look on her face.

"Coop doesn't have shit planned Jaylinn. You guys are coming with us; just don't tell him I told you. It's supposed to be a surprise. And you," Hailey said pointing at me, "better make this time worth it."

I walked over to her and gave her a huge hug, "Love you Hails."

Jaylinn joined in on our hugging and said "Love you too Hails."

After we got our last minutes gifts wrapped up, we made our way back downstairs to the boys. We all hung out for a little while before calling it a night.

"So you, your mom and Jaylinn are coming over tomorrow for breakfast?" I asked Hunter, walking him towards the door and away from Mason and Cooper so I could steal a kiss.

"Yeah, we'll open our gifts then come here."

"Ok, then I'll see you in the morning."

Hunter pulled me close and looked over my shoulder before he kissed me. He pulled back and said, "I'll see you in the morning. Make sure you take your medicine. I need you better for this weekend," he whispered.

I smiled and nodded my head. After Hunter and Jaylinn left, I went upstairs to get some sleep before a long day tomorrow.