“Amazing,” he finishes for me.
My cheeks grow hot. “I’ve never… that is… no one’s ever made me feel like that. I’ve never been… loved so well.”
That word sticks in my throat. I don’t know if I sound like a sap or a lovesick idiot. I don’t know if that was love-making. I don’t know if this is love.
But just calling it sex doesn’t cut it.
His grin tilts. “Good. Because there’s plenty more where that came from.” Hunter moves slightly against me and I barely smother a moan. “I ain’t done with you yet.” He draws back and picks up our discarded clothes.
Pulling on his boxers, he flings his T-shirt at me. I catch it and scowl.
He flicks a thumb over my bottom lip. “Don’t look like that, Jess. We need to talk first and I don’t think you’ll want to talk naked. As much as I might enjoy it.”
I sigh and tug on the T-shirt. He’s right. And I don’t need to be feeling any more vulnerable when we drag up my past. His smell envelops me—cologne and musk. Kind of makes me want to burrow into it and forget about everything. Or maybe just burrow against Hunter. I haven’t told him everything yet and I’ve no idea if he’ll freak out but I don’t think he will. Already my shoulders feel lighter. I guess I didn’t realize quite how much my past was weighing me down. It’s exhausting pretending to be someone you’re not while running away from someone you never were. I’m still not really sure who I am, but in Hunter’s arms, I’m beginning to learn.
He sits on the couch and faces me, coaxing me to do the same with a hand to my arm. We sit opposite each other, my legs sprawled in front of me and rubbing against his rough legs. Heat is already burning inside me. You’d think after that mind-blowing orgasm I’d be done, but apparently not. The sight of his firm abs and ruffled hair makes my stomach clench and I fight the need to squeeze my legs together.
Hunter studies me for a moment, dropping his head slightly so his blue gaze blazes into me from beneath his brow. At times like this, I’m sure he totally gets it. Gets me. There’s nowhere to hide and, for a change, I’ve got no intention of hiding.
“How long have you known?” I ask quietly.
“A while.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Everyone has secrets.”
“Including you?”
“Including me.”
Somehow this doesn’t surprise me. Hunter is the most complex man I’ve ever met. Hard and soft, tough and tender. I don’t really get him the way he gets me, I think, but I’d like to. I want to understand what makes him tick. And I do want to know his secrets. But weirdly, I don’t feel the need to know them all straight away. I don’t mind if it takes him a while to divulge them all because I have this little instinct inside of me that says he will tell me them all eventually. It’ll just be a matter of time. How quickly I’ve come to trust this man is scary. And exciting. I’ve never trusted anyone in my life.
“Does it bother you that I was a porn star?” I force myself to ask.
He wraps both hands around each of my legs and leans slightly forward. “Does it bother me that someone took advantage of you? Yes. Does it bother me that you were that desperate you felt you had no other choice? Yes. Does it bother me you have a past? No. I can’t deny I don’t like the thought of any other man touching you but I plan to erase any memory of other men. I didn’t expect to find a twenty-two year old virgin in this day and age but as far as I’m concerned, this is a clean slate for both of us. This is where it starts. You and me. This is day one for both of us.”
My heart does a flip, joy filling me. I beam at him like an idiot. That’s all I’ve ever wanted—a clean start—and Hunter is offering it to me.
“So…” I have to ask. “You won’t get mad or jealous if you ever see anything or if any of your friends figure out who I am?”
“I might get jealous,” he admits. “It wouldn’t be natural if I didn’t, but I won’t blame you and I won’t get mad, Jessie.” He grins suddenly. “How could I get mad at you, princess? You only need to kiss me and I’m yours.”
“Are you really?” I whisper, wrapping my arms about myself. It’s all so surreal. I can’t quite believe I’ve met someone who accepts my past and still wants me. Someone like Hunter too, who is intelligent and complex and… well, ridiculously sexy.
“Yeah, I think so. Are you mine?”
I swallow. For the first time in my life, being owned by someone appeals to me.
But I want to be his. I want to belong to Hunter O’Reilly. If he’s willing to overlook my past and still say he’s mine, then I owe him that much, don’t I?
“Yes. I’m yours.”