I shot up in bed in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for air. I lost him. I dreamt that I had lost Hunter, but the worst part of all was that he didn’t want to be found. Something kept telling me to turn around and go back the way I came, and as much as I fought to keep searching for him, I finally conceded. I gave up. And with that, I lost the one person who ever truly held my heart.
Whoever said you couldn’t feel any pain in your dreams was clearly full of shit, because I was living proof that you could… and it hurt so f*cking bad.
Hunter must have picked up on my erratic breathing. The arm he had draped around my waist pulled me hard against his chest, and he pressed his lips to my neck. “You’re okay, baby. It was just a dream.”
I let out a soft whimper and rolled over so that I was facing him. “You were gone.”
“I’m right here.” He brushed the damp hair away from my face. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You p-promise?”
He gave me a sad smile and kissed my forehead. “Yes, I promise. Now try to get some sleep, babe. I wasn’t able to bribe the concierge to let us check out late this time, so we can’t sleep in.”
I nodded and snuggled further into his chest, needing to be as close to him as possible. I couldn’t lose him. Not now. We were already in too deep, and there was no chance of us resurfacing without there being irreparable damage to both of our hearts. I could only hope that Hunter kept his end of the promise, because once the idea of losing him had been implanted in my brain, it continued to weigh heavily on my heart. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that Hunter was slowly slipping through my fingers.
The following week, there was a palpable change in the air whenever Hunter and I were together, and it didn’t go unnoticed by those around us. We gravitated toward one another naturally, thriving off of the electrical charge that coursed through our veins the moment we were enveloped in each other’s arms. He always made sure to have some form of contact with me, whether it was his hand resting against my lower back whenever we walked into a room, or his pinky finger tracing slow circles over my thigh while I took notes in class. To everyone else, they might have appeared to be simple signs of affection, but to me, they meant so much more. Everything I experienced with Hunter meant more.
We only had five weeks of classes left before exams, and while some might be excited for the semester to be over, I was dreading it. As the countdown began, my stress level shot through the roof, and not because I was worried about passing my classes and getting good grades; I had that shit in the bag. My stress stemmed from Hunter and the fact that he still hadn’t opened up about whatever secret he was keeping from me. Shayne wasn’t budging on the subject either, and he urged me to wait until Hunter was ready to tell me himself. Well, I was sick and tired of waiting, and if I had to take matters into my own hands, then so be it!
I peeked over at Hunter sitting beside me, looking sexy as hell in his dress fatigues and beaming an elated grin; the same grin that hadn’t left his face since this past weekend. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Why don’t you take a picture. It’ll last longer.”
I bit back a laugh as he quoted a line from Step Brothers, but I wasn’t going to let him distract me with his adorable sense of humor. I was a woman on a mission, and one way or another, I was going to get some answers out of him. It just might take a bit of convincing on my part.
Lucky for us, we were in the back of the lecture hall where Dr. Jenkins was paying us no attention. I ran my hand up Hunter’s leg, massaging his thigh as I made my way toward his crotch. You’d have thought there was a fire set beneath him from the way he bucked in his chair and nearly knocked over his cup of coffee. He grabbed my hand and slowly turned to face me with a stunned look on his face. “What are you doing? Trying to get us kicked out of class?”
I rolled my eyes. “You know Dr. Jenkins can’t hear shit all the way back here even with his hearing aid cranked up all the way. Now follow my lead.” I packed up my notebook and stealthily made my escape. Pleased to find myself stepping out into an empty hallway, I chose the door closest to me and slipped inside. Of course, I would end up in the men’s restroom. I checked to make sure all of the stalls were empty before reaching beneath my skirt and sliding my panties off. I cracked the door open just in time to find Hunter sneaking out of class, and I quickly hung my panties on the door handle so he would know where to find me.
As I perched myself on the counter next to the sinks, the door creaked open and in came Hunter, swinging my panties around his finger with a smug grin tugging at his lips. “You’re lucky I knew you wore these ones today.” He clicked the lock behind him.
“I figured I’d save you the trouble of having to hunt me down. Plus, I didn’t want you to keep me waiting. Patience has never been one of my strong points.”
“Trust me, I know.” He licked his lips, striding over to me. “So what was so important that you had to drag me out of class to meet you in the men’s room of all places?”
Pulling him toward me by the collar of his shirt, I rubbed my hands across his firm chest. “Well… I just wanted to talk.”
“You just wanted to talk,” he chuckled. “Now why am I finding that hard to believe?”
“I may have ulterior motives.” I unbuttoned his shirt, pushed it over his broad shoulders, and let it fall to the floor. “See, I trust you enough to always be honest with me, and in return, I’ll always be honest with you.”
“Sounds like we’re on the same page.”
I looked into his eyes, gauging the sincerity of his words. “Are we?”
“Of course. Babe, you know I’d never lie to you.”
Not telling me was just as bad as lying, but I knew there was no point in trying to drag it out of him now. Especially when he never planned on telling me in the first place. I made one last attempt, but I was so afraid to share this last piece of my heart with him. I had never said those three monumental words to another man before, and once I said them, I’d never be able to take them back.
“Hunter, I—”
“Hold that thought.” He carefully unbuttoned my blouse, slipping my arms free, and added it to the pile on the floor. “Okay, go ahead.” He folded his arms across his chest with a huge f*cking grin on his face.
I shook my head, giggling. “How is that supposed to make what I have to say any easier?”
“Hey, you were the one with the bright idea to start undressing me. I was just following your lead.” He had a point. “Besides, I love to hear your beautiful laugh. It’s music to my ears.”
I reached up to cup his cheeks, gazing into his eyes adoringly as I drew him closer and brushed my lips over his slightly parted mouth. “God, I love you.”
Hunter inhaled a startled breath, dragging my words right along with him, and I could feel his grin slowly spread across my lips. I was shocked at how easily they flew out of me, but it was the truth. I meant every word. I felt every word.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that. You make me so happy, Maddie. So f*cking happy.” He tipped my head back and kissed me softly, tenderly. “Never in a million years did I think it was possible for me to love another human being as much as I love you. I want to be the man who always brings a smile to that gorgeous face. To be the man who is fully and irrevocably deserving of your love. F*ck, I’ll be whatever you want me to be as long as I have you in my life.”
Tears pooled in my eyes, but there was only one thing I wanted from him. “I just want you.”
Hunter’s face shined brighter than a thousand suns, and I saw a hint of a smile twinkling in his eyes before it even touched his beautiful lips. His mouth slammed into mine, captured by the heat of the moment, and he devoured me with a searing kiss. It felt as though someone had set off a massive fireworks display right smack dab in the center of my heart, because I was bursting with so much love for this man that it was impossible to contain it any longer.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he stripped me of my lacey bra, and I tore his white undershirt straight down the middle. Hunter seemed amused by my ravenous, cavewoman antics and grabbed my hips, pulling me to the edge of the counter where his erection was threatening to bust through the seams of his pants. “So this is what you want? For me to take you hard and fast?” As he palmed the weight of my breasts, I arched my back, allowing my sensitive peaks to caress his smooth lips.
“Yes. Oh, f*ck yes. Hunter, please.”
He swirled his tongue around my nipple, gently nibbling until it was hardened into a delicate point. “Please what?”
I traced my fingers over the ridges of his abdomen, following the dark trail of hair until my hand dipped below the waistband of his camouflage pants. I pulled him to me, grinding my bare, swollen center against him. “Please, f*ck me. Now,” I said breathlessly.
“Baby, I told you I could never f*ck you. No matter how I end up inside you, I will always make love to you.”
Oh God, he was slowly but surely trying to kill me the longer he delayed this. “Hunter, I need you inside me. Please, I feel like I’m going to explode.”
Flipping my skirt up around my waist, Hunter gazed down at the juices glistening around my p-ssy. He shot me a wicked grin, crouching down so that his head was between my legs, and I felt him smile against my inner thigh as his hot breath brushed over my *, igniting me. With one flick of his tongue across my throbbing bud, I was a goner. He laved at my arousal, dragging his lips and his tongue up the length of my sex, and sucked on my * eagerly, moaning as he ate me up. His lips were full, so perfect, and the way he used his tongue… The man could do no wrong!
“H-Hunter, I’m gonna come!” I bucked against his mouth, but his hands ran up my thighs, holding my hips steady. He stroked his thumb over my * vigorously while probing my slick entrance with his tongue, and my head fell back against the mirror behind me as my body shattered around him.
Hunter finally came up for air, licking his lips and smiling down at me as if he had just won the lottery. “So f*cking good. I don’t know how you do it, but I swear you taste sweeter every time.” He kissed me unabashedly, grazing his teeth across my bottom lip and slipping his tongue into my mouth so that I could share in the salty sweetness of my arousal. His kiss was raw, oozing with unabated desire and an insatiable craving that only my body could alleviate.
“This body does crazy things to me.” He panted against my neck, lapping up a bead of sweat as it rolled down to the hollow of my throat.
“I could say the same for you.” I flicked my tongue over his nipple and slid off of the counter. I was about to reach for my clothes on the floor, but Hunter seemed to have other plans in mind because he swiftly spun me around, pressing my front-side against the counter.
“Not so fast, sweetheart. I’m not finished with you yet. That was just a preview of what’s to come… pun intended.” He whispered the last part in my ear, chuckling softly under his breath, and my body trembled as one of his hands glided down my belly and cupped my mound. I heard the unmistakable sound of his zipper being tugged down behind me and looked up to find our reflections in the mirror; there was no denying how badly we both needed this. Our faces were flushed, chests rising and falling in tandem, and my insides were screaming to have him inside me.
Hunter drove into me without warning, and I cried out in both pain and pleasure. He grew harder with every thrust, stretching me and pushing deeper than he had ever gone before. From this angle, he could fill me completely, and that was exactly what I needed from him; for him to fill me, pervade me, penetrate me beyond my limits. He pressed his chest into my back, closing the last gap between our sweat-ridden bodies, and his eyes never left mine in the mirror. Not once. Even as I cried out from the sheer intensity of the orgasm rippling through my body, our gazes were locked on one another, unwavering until the very end. We were connected, not only by our bodies, but by our love.
Tears stung the back of my eyes as he poured himself into me, hot milky spurts filling my slick channel, and I took it all greedily. I took all of him. I never wanted to lose this connection that we shared; this bond that had brought two complete strangers together to share in this beautiful moment… in the men’s restroom. A small laugh slipped past my lips at the thought of Hunter having his way with me in here, and he must have had the same thought cross his mind as he chuckled against my shoulder. But the location of our love-making made no difference to me as long as we were together.
We remained wrapped up in one another until he began to soften within me and reluctantly pulled out, breaking our connection. I turned in his arms, his chest still pressed against me, and leaned up to kiss the man who had quickly captured my heart. He held my face in his hands, brushing his thumbs over my cheeks gingerly as he smiled down at me. Just a subtle curve of his lips, but that simple gesture said so much without him ever uttering a single word. He loved me. This beautiful, selfless, angel of mine loved me and saved me in more ways than he will ever know. And to think that I had ever doubted him…
Hunter cleaned us both up and grabbed our discarded clothes off the floor, before helping me slip my bra on and hooking it in the back. “Well, that was a first.”
I peeked over my shoulder. “What, never had sex in the men’s room before?”
Hunter laughed and kissed the back of my neck. “No, I can’t say that I have, babe.”
“Good. It was a first for me, too.” I grinned up at him, pleased that I could share another first with him.
We continued to dress ourselves, sharing flirtatious glances, and when we unlocked the door and stepped out of the restroom, the janitor was standing there with his keys ready to slide into the door. He gave us a perturbed look, but his expression softened as he shook his head and mumbled something about “crazy kids” under his breath.
“Think he knows what we just did in there?” Hunter winked at me.
I threaded my fingers through his slightly disheveled hair and giggled. “Oh, I think he knows exactly what just went down in there.”
Hunter took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and brought them up to his lips. “How about I take you home and finish what we started.”
My brow furrowed. “Finish?”
“Mhmm.” He dropped his face closer to mine and purred in my ear. “You didn’t think that was all I had in me, did you, baby?”
I drew in a sharp breath, the tingling sensation returning between my legs, and a huge ass grin replaced the awestruck expression on my face. We couldn’t get home fast enough, and the second he pulled his bike into the parking lot, he lifted me in his arms, and my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as we made a beeline straight for the bedroom. He was right. He definitely had more in him. And we finished what we had started… three more times.
Hunter and I hadn’t discussed our plans for the holidays yet, so when we finally succumbed to exhaustion after making a mess of the bed sheets all afternoon, I thought it was a good time to bring it up. I threw together a pot of chili for dinner, a secret family recipe Hunter had shared with me, while he sat in the living room studying for his Organic Chemistry exam. I gave the pot one more stir before letting it simmer and brought a cold glass of sweet tea out for Hunter. He kissed my cheek appreciatively and dove back into his book.
“Hey, hon, have you thought about what you want to do for Thanksgiving? I know we haven’t really talked about it, but you’re more than welcome to come to my parents’ house if you don’t have any plans. They always make enough food to feed an entire third world country.”
He set his book down on the coffee table, marking the last page he read. With his elbows resting on his knees, he rubbed the back of his neck timidly and released a deep breath. “Actually, I was thinking about heading home to take care of a few things and visit with my family. My younger brother, Michael, is supposed to be staying the weekend, too. He’s a freshman at Texas A&M, and I haven’t had a chance to see him since school started.”
“Oh.” I smiled, trying to hide my disappointment. “Well, that’s nice. I’m sure they all really miss you.”
“Yeah, my mom was over the moon when she heard I was coming home. Said she was going to prepare all of my favorite dishes despite it being Thanksgiving.”
“Including her famous chili?” I smirked, knowing that was at the top of his list of favorites.
He gave me a warm smile. “Including her chili.”
“Well, if for whatever reason your plans fall through, I’ll save a seat for you at the table.”
“Thanks, babe, but I’m pretty sure my mom will send me to an early grave if I don’t show up on their doorstep Thanksgiving morning. She’s been planning my visit down to the very second, and if anything goes wrong… Let’s just say momma bear will have my balls on a silver platter.”
My eyes widened and he let out a full-bodied laugh, finding my reaction amusing. “Remind me never to get on your mom’s bad side.”
“Nah, my mom’s awesome. She’d love you just for putting up with me, so you have nothing to worry about. I’d be more afraid if I knocked you up. She already told me if I make her a grandma before she turns fifty, she’s cutting me out of her will.”
You know those cartoons you watched as a kid where the character’s eyes are bugging out so far that you think they’ll slingshot right out of their head? Yeah, that described me to a T in response to hearing him refer to knocking me up. My jaw just about hit the floor, and my throat suddenly felt drier than the Mojave Desert as I shot up to my feet.
A rich, deep chuckle rumbled through Hunter’s chest as he stood and took me in his arms. “I’m kidding, babe. I’m pretty sure my mom wasn’t serious about cutting me out of her will.”
“You think that’s why I have this look on my face?!” I smacked his chest, but he caught my hand and brushed his lips over my knuckles.
“Why are you freaking out? It was only a joke.” He dropped his mouth down to mine, and his instantly settled my nerves. “We have nothing to worry about. You’re on birth control. There are no kidlets on the way for us.”
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’m not so much upset about the knocking me up remark. It’s just… I haven’t met your parents yet, and I don’t want them to have any ammunition to use against me before they get to know me.”
“Ammunition? What could they possibly not love about you? I love everything about you, right down to your incessant need to overreact about everything.”
“I do not overreact about everything!”
Hunter’s eyebrow slowly rose up to his hairline. “Remember the morning after the frat party, when you flipped out over finding me in your bed? Case in point.”
“Hey, that was totally justified.” I jabbed my finger in his chest. “I had no idea who you were or how the f*ck you ended up there!”
“But I bet you’re glad I did end up there though, huh?”
I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulder, feigning indifference. “Maybe a little.”
“Only a little?” He slowly ran his hands up my sides, ghosting over my ribs. I knew where he was going with this, but I refused to cave in. “Hmm, baby, I think you can do better than that.”
“Nope.” The word popped out of my mouth. “I mean, who knows… I could be madly in love with some other G.I. Joe-McDreamy wannabe right now, had it not been you.”
Hunter smirked, licking his lips. “Care to change your answer, sweet cheeks?” His fingers skimmed over the sensitive skin beneath my arms, and his tongue traced along the shell of my ear as he whispered, “I think it would be wise of you to do so.”
I leaned in, brushing my lips against his, and breathed out seductively, “Never.”
Now I had gone and done it. Hunter shot me a roguish grin, chewing his bottom lip in a teasing manner and tempting me with his sultry, hooded gaze. Something wild flashed in his eyes, and the intoxicating blend of his signature earthy scent and the heat radiating from his rough hands had my body humming with need.
Hunter whisked me off my feet, throwing me over his shoulder, as he marched off to the bedroom. “Again?! Hunter, at least let me eat before we go at it again. I’m running on fumes here.”
He spanked my ass as if I had spoken out of turn and threw me down on the mattress with a little bounce. Straddling my tiny frame, he placed a hand on either side of me, further caging me in. “Admit it. You were glad I was the one who ended up in bed with you that morning.” I shook my head, clamping my lips shut. His fingers burrowed into my sides, causing my body to shudder beneath him. “C’mon, babe, say it just once to appease me, and I’ll never bring it up again. I promise.” He stroked his thumb across my bottom lip, coaxing me to answer him, but my stubborn ass wasn’t budging.
“All right, if that’s how you’re going to play it.” He assaulted my ribs, tickling me until I was screaming and laughing so hard that there were tears streaming down my face.
“Okay, okay! Geez, you play dirty.” I sat up on my elbows, trying to catch my breath.
Hunter bent down, trailing his warm, velvety tongue up my neck. “You know I like it dirty.”
“Yes, I’m beginning to realize that now.” I giggled.
“Out with it, my little minx. Tell me how ecstatic you were to find me sprawled out in bed next to that morning.”
I whispered, just barely audible, “Yes.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that, love.” His fingers fluttered over my ribs again, and my hips bucked beneath him.
“YES! Yes, I’m happy you were the one I woke up next to that morning. There’s no one I’d rather be waking up next to. You know that.” And I meant it. I couldn’t imagine ever waking up next to another man for as long as I lived.
Hunter smiled down at me with sweet adoration in his eyes and bent down to capture my lips in a punishing kiss. “Geez, babe, I don’t know why you felt so adamant about having to tell me that.”
Oh, that man was so infuriating! I grabbed the first thing my hands came in contact with, and luckily it was soft because I was aiming straight for Hunter. “You know you drive me crazy, right?”
“Well, I’d hope so, because you drive me just as crazy, sweet cheeks.” He smacked my ass and rolled us so that we were lying on our sides, facing each other. “But you love my crazy ass.”
“Mmm, can’t argue with you there.”
“Holy shit!” He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand and pointed it in my face. “I feel like I need to record this moment as proof that you finally agreed with me on something. Can you repeat that one more time, just a little louder?”
I took the phone out of his hand and tossed it on the far end of the bed. “Oh, shut up and kiss me, you dork.”
Hunter chuckled and wrapped his hand around my neck, drawing me closer so that I was only a breath away from him. “With pleasure.”
His full lips moved over mine, his tongue exploring my mouth purposefully. These were the kisses that made me fall in love with him all over again. No matter how many times we had kissed before, it always felt like the very first time… heartbreakingly perfect. Just like him. I’m pretty sure my lips never left his, even right up until the night before he left for Texas to visit his family. I was left swollen and thoroughly kissed, a beautiful reminder that this handsome stranger, who unexpectedly wound up in bed with me one morning almost three months earlier, had quickly become the man that would forever change my life.
Little did I know just how much our lives were about to change.