I unclamp my legs and he gently works the shorts off me and tosses them onto my bedroom floor. I’m not wearing any panties so I’m bared to him and he growls in appreciation, not letting up for a second as he makes his way to my heat.
A shudder of pleasure rolls through me and I grip the pillow next to my head as he brings me to release using just his tongue and fingers. My legs are shaking as he trails kisses back up to my mouth. “I’m going to show you how much I love you now.”
“Please, Hunter,” I moan.
His mouth captures mine and he rips his towel off, placing himself over the top of me. “Say you’re mine.”
I hesitate for a second but knowing he doesn’t mean it in a controlling way, I look into his warm brown eyes. “I’m yours, always.”
We all clink the fancy champagne flutes together that Sam bought, Connor by her side and Hunter by mine. Lewis and Faith are here too and again, he can’t keep his eyes off of her but she doesn’t realize as she clinks her flute against Katy’s and Adi’s juice filled glasses.
She’s been coming around to help decorate every now and again for the past month and has become a firm part of the gang. She’s still really reserved with everyone but me, but that suits everyone just fine.
Everyone but Lewis that is, I don’t know what his problem is but he turns into a bumbling idiot when she’s around. He’s a good entertainer for her two girls though which was handy for us when we needed to decorate, they’re always with her apart from when Adi is in school. Katy starts kindergarten next month so she will have more time on her hands when that rolls around and I’m thinking about offering her a job.
The salon is finally ready to re-open and it’s back with a bang. I look around the room, it’s beautiful, to toot our own horns. It’s exactly how we imagined it to be. Dark wood floors, cream modern chairs, hollywood mirrors and copper lights hanging above us.
Over the past month, I’ve started to drop the barrier I’ve surrounded myself with. I’ve also found myself caring less and less about the whispers that follow when me and Hunter are walking down main street.
Standing in this space with the people I love the most in this world, I realize that my heart has thawed, I’m no longer the icy bitch I once was. I’ve made new friends and my best friend, the one I see as a sister, has found her happiness. It’s more than I can ask for.
Hunter wraps an arm around me and I lock my fingers with his, looking at our lock and key tattoos we got last week and I grin. He sees me looking and places his signature kiss on my temple and I realize again, it’s because of him. The fire to my ice.
This perfectly imperfect man has strolled back into my life again, flipped my view on everything upside down, and made me feel like I’m enough just as I am. And when I’m in his arms, I know I’m safe. I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not just to fit in. He takes every piece of me just as I am, and loves me for it.
I’m not a product of my upbringing or experiences. Neither of us are. I’m a project in the making for my future, and hell, I’m going to take it by the horns and rock the fuck out of it, not caring what anyone else thinks about me.
I said I wasn’t an icy bitch anymore, but I haven’t lost my edge.