by R. S. Elliot
Lyndsey rolled one shoulder and made her way toward the living room. I followed like a faithful little puppy dog eager to hear her tale of woe. I was whipped. Already.
Damn. Let’s hope the guys at the station never notice this. I would never hear the end of it.
“Yes, well, my parents froze my inheritance the instant I received it,” Lyndsey explained.
This was insane. It certainly wasn’t the picture-perfect fairy tale Vanessa used to encapsulate the life of her sworn enemy. According to my sister, Lyndsey had everything she ever wanted. Loving parents who gave into her every whim, the underserved adoration of her grandparents, and enough money to fulfill her lifelong dreams.
Though none of that seemed very true at all. Sure, Lyndsey’s parents loved her, but even I had to admit this was all a little too harsh. Whatever lesson they intended to teach her hadn’t accounted for a threat on her life or any practical applications behind restoring the necessary parts of the house. Not to mention, Lyndsey clearly loved her grandmother. Guilt shrouded every glance she cast around this house, as though she already let her grandmother down by letting anything happen to it.
That alone would be enough to drive anyone mad. And from what I could tell, she didn’t deserve any of it.
“I’d be happy to help,” I said, turning her around to face me. My touch lingered at her arm, enjoying the feel of her beneath my hands once again. A voice within me whispered something like “home”, and I tried not to imagine my life with a woman like Lyndsey Saunders.
She was not the woman for me and never had been—completely off-limits in more ways than one.
And yet, she did feel like home to me. Especially when she looked at me the way she did in that moment with her eyes wide and hopeful, trusting me to share her burdens. Her lips curled into a soft smile.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said. “It’s just been nice to talk about it with someone.”
It was. She’d been the only person to listen to me about how I felt about my family duties. Even though Vanessa knew why I wanted a family, she never cared about my feelings on the matter. I hadn’t volunteered them either. There was an unspoken rule between us siblings: Vanessa would do all the talking, and I would have no other role than to simply listen.
“That goes both ways doesn’t it?” I asked. After all, she’d listened to me share all my thoughts and feelings about my own family problems. “Despite what others may say, this isn’t something you should have to do on your own. If someone offers you the help, you can take it.”
She shook her head, shaking loose a flurry of curls and neatly tucked strands from behind her shoulder. “I’m not very good at that, but I appreciate the offer. Though, for what it’s worth, I think your father would be very proud of the man you’ve become—wife or no wife.”
A small corner of my heart tugged forward, leading me again to this woman. Without warning, my feet shifted forward, closing the distance between us. One stray curl fell against Lyndsey’s cheek, and I brushed it back behind her ear. My fingers brushed her chin. She shuddered despite the heat filling the room.
“Thank you,” I said, low and raw. “That means a lot.”
She swallowed, then opened her mouth as if to speak, before promptly shutting it again. But I was beyond the point of words, beyond the point of excuses. There was no convincing Lyndsey of how right we were together. She’d closed herself off for whatever reason, refusing emotions she clearly felt if that kiss was any indication. There had to be a way to convince Lyndsey we were worth taking a chance on. No matter what it was pushing her away from me, I knew there was a woman just as daring to see this through.
I would find her and pull her out of this mess the way I’d hauled her out of the smoke and fire. Some people were simply worth the heartache, if it meant even the possibility of happiness.
And Lyndsey Saunders, sworn enemy to my sister and my matchmaker, was definitely worth the risk.
Chapter Twelve
Lyndsey
Before I even knew what was happening, Hunter kissed me.
The first time, I’d been the one in control, and even then, I hadn’t had much control over anything. I’d been so swept up in the moment, lost to emotions, I’d struggled to hide for the sake of saving myself.
Yet, when his lips touched mine again, there was no question this was where I was meant to be.
With him. Always.
Hunter’s lips brushed mine, a gentle request for permission which I granted wholeheartedly. It didn’t matter how wrong any of this was anymore. I wanted him, this man who stole my breath with one glance. The man who listened to my problems and sought to fix them, despite the divide between our families. He captivated me the very first moment I met him, his worry for a complete stranger endearing—even if it frustrated me at the time.
And now he was all mine, his lips worshiping my mouth like an offering. I raised myself up onto my tiptoes and looped my arms around his neck. His tongue teased along the seam of my lips, tasting every inch before delving into my mouth. He tasted of fire and pure unadultered heat, though nothing like the sinful man from dreams. That man was too close to smoke and mirrors for my taste. Everything about this man was real and none of it felt wrong.
Our mouths moved together, his tongue circling mine in a delicious exploration. I joined him in the search, the one where we found all we’d been searching for all along. All this time I thought I needed to travel the globe to find myself. And yet, I never felt more myself than when I was with Hunter.
My hands slid down from around his neck, wandering, wanting to discover more in this new adventure we’d engaged ourselves in. They glided down his chest, his muscles flexing beneath my palms. He was perfect. Even the most skilled sculptor could not have crafted a more chiseled specimen.
I needed to feel his skin against mine. My fingers tugged at the bottom of his shirt, lifting it upward. He pulled back for only a second to remove the garment from his back and toss it to the floor.
“Fair’s fair,” Hunter said, his fingers moving to the buttons of my blouse.
“I’m not complaining,” I whispered against his mouth, surprised by how hoarse my voice sounded.
Within seconds, my shirt joined his on the floor. At least I’d chosen a killer bra this morning before going to work. It made me feel sexy and empowered, even if no one else was meant to see it. In this case, it paid off.
His hands closed over my waist, sliding upward until his thumbs grazed the underside of my breasts. My skin tingled beneath his touch, every nerve responding to him as if meant for his hands alone. One hand slid over my breast. His fingertips stroked the lace edge at the top of my bra, sending a ripple of pleasure down my stomach to the space between my thighs.
“Lyndsey, you’re beautiful.” His whisper feathered across my cheek. I’d been called beautiful before and had heard every sweet line a person could imagine. But, I never truly believed it until Hunter said it. At least, it never meant anything, never mattered until then.
How had this man come to mean so much to me in such a short time? I told him things I didn’t even want to admit to myself and revealed feelings harbored for years without regret. I wanted to share everything with him, to give in to him, and yet…
Was it worth everything we’d sacrifice to be together?
It certainly felt worth it in his arms.
Hunter kissed the tops of my breasts, sending another streak of lighting across my body. My nipples hardened, wanting his mouth there, his hands. Wanting him to end this torment inside me in the way only he could. His lips reclaimed mine, his kiss possessive, more passionate. We were slowly losing control, slowly spiraling into territory from which we could never return.
His hands moved to my back and unhooked the clasps on my bra. I let the loops guide carefully down my arms, his fingertips trailing along behind them in sinful anticipation. He bent his head, taking one taut nipple between his lips. I tossed my head back, relishing every stream of pleasure e
rupting through me at that moment. It had been so long—too long since I’d been with a man. Though nothing matched this. This was different.
Hunter was different. He was everything.
His tongue stroked the tight little bud at the center of my breast. Each flick a taunting reminder of what was yet to come. I moaned. The man hadn’t even made love to me yet, and I was already close to coming. My God, I would never survive a night in this man’s bed.
Though, I was more than willing to try.
“God, Hunter,” I said, panting. “I need you. Right now.”
He smiled against me, rising up to capture my lips before adding, “I’m all yours.”
I shifted him back toward the couch. We fell back against the cushions in a puddle of laughter and limbs. He moved over top of me, untangling our bodies and legs until he found that sweet spot between my thighs. His fingertips stroked my womanhood, my underwear already wet with pleasure and ready for him.
“Tell me what you want,” he said, his lips at my chin. “Tell me how you want it.”
“I want whatever you have to offer.” Because it already felt better than anything I’d ever experienced before. There was something about being with Hunter that made me feel alive. I never wanted that feeling to end.
He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my lips. “As you wish.”
In one easy move, he lifted the edges of my skirt and pushed it up around my hips. A shiver of ecstasy wove through me, and I reminded myself to breathe. I denied myself this for too long. I deserved to be happy, to feel this way. There was no convincing me otherwise. His fingers looped around the edges of my underwear and pulled them down over my legs. He bent his head and placed a kiss along the inside of one knee, moving upward to kiss the crease of my thigh.
When his lips touched my center, a blinding warmth shattered through me. Like a blazing inferno, I let the fire consume me. Every stroke of his tongue sent me flying higher, experiencing delights I never wanted to imagine with anyone else. Hunter was it. He was the ultimate. There could never be anyone else for me again.
He slid one finger inside me, joining in the tantalizing rhythm of his tongue. No one ever made me feel this good. Slowly, the threads holding me together unraveled—fraying, tugging within me until I was primed to snap. I dove my fingers into his hair, finding anything to ground me to this world as the wave of pleasure flooded over me.
I lay there panting for a moment, trying to remember where I was. There was no forgetting who I was with, or what had just happened. Though, I questioned what the next step would be. I’d already gone this far. What was the harm of taking this another step further?
Because sex changed everything.
We could never go back. We could never forget. And if this was any indication of what full-on sex would be like with Hunter, I would never be able to stop myself from wanting more.
I was already in danger of that.
I just needed time to think. Time for things to slow down. I couldn’t think clearly with the pace we were moving at. There were priorities that needed tending to, things I should be paying attention to rather than my foolish physical needs.
“What’s going on?” Hunter asked.
He peered down at me, still on top of me, and brushed the hair back from my face. “Are you okay? We can stop if you want.”
“I just—” The subtle pucker at the edges of my eyes warned of tears. I would not do this. Not now. How could I cry over a man I just met?
Because there was no solution to this problem. Nothing made my feelings for him any better. I could maybe go three months without Hunter. Though there was no guarantee he would be waiting for me afterwards. In fact, it was my job to see he wasn’t, to ensure he found his happily ever after, even if it came at the cost of mine.
Maybe I could give up on my inheritance.
Even after a few paychecks, I could restore Hummingbird Hollow and find a different job. One that didn’t prohibit me from pursuing the man I wanted and instead forced me to find him a suitable match.
But I needed money to restore my grandmother’s home, whether I planned on selling it or not. If I kept it, I’d need plenty of money coming in to keep it running. And if I sold it, what then? Was I to simply keep running from anything permanent forever? Could I really let a stranger live in my grandmother’s home, replace all her things with theirs, and build their own memories where ours had grown because I couldn’t handle one simple task?
There had to be something. Some non-magical solution. Though at the moment, I could think of nothing.
“Hey.” Hunter drew me back to him. His soothing touch stroked along my face. One fingertip slipped beneath my eye, wiping away an escaping tear. The heat from his body set my skin alight, and all at once I forgot what it was I needed to do. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this.” I shifted out from under him, reaching down to collect my discarded clothing. I tugged the blouse back on, without my bra, working the buttons despite the sudden shaking in my hands.
Hunter followed. “Lyndsey, don’t—”
“We can’t do this anymore.” I stopped him.
“We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“We’re doing everything wrong.” My arms flew out to the side. How could he not see we were breaking every rule in the book? Family feuds, mixing working relationships. “I’m supposed to be finding you someone to marry.”
“And maybe all I want is you.”
Again, my heart melted.
Every part of me longed to hurl myself into his arms, to beg him to make all of this go away. But I was the only one in charge of my fate. I was the one holding the reins, and I needed to take control—one way or another.
No matter how much it hurt.
“We’ve already decided I’m not the girl for you,” I said softly.
“No, you decided that,” Hunter exclaimed, looking at me with his incredulous stare. He took a step toward me, and I steeled myself against taking one backward. “But I’m not giving up so easily.”
I raised my chin higher. “Well, you should.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because it’s never going to happen.”
“It almost did happen,” Hunter said. “Though for whatever reason, you still don’t want to admit that you want this.”
“I don’t.”
He stared back at me, curious.
His bright blue eyes reflected all the pain I felt in doing this, all the pain I meant to spare him by pushing him away now. If I didn’t, things would only get worse. Wouldn’t they? It’d be that much harder for us to be apart from one another. This way was better. Cleaner. Cut it off before it even had the chance to grow.
“Give me one good reason,” he said, finally.
What was I supposed to tell him?
I can’t be with you because I’d lose my job.
That wouldn’t just end things between us. It would wound him, too. He deserved someone who wanted him without anything holding them back—least of all, material possessions. Wasn’t that what he’d scolded me about the first night we met? It would confirm his suspicions of me as some spoiled little rich girl too blinded by greed to take a chance on love.
This wasn’t just about money.
It was principle. It was family. I could never be the woman Hunter needed if I couldn’t even take care of my own problems. This was my grandmother’s legacy, our family home. I was jeopardizing generations of Saunders history for a man I’d met a little over a week ago.
Betting on a romance that may not even last a week.
“I’m seeing someone.” I blurted out the words faster than I could call them back.
“You’re seeing someone,” he said, disbelief running rampant in his tone. “And you let me touch you like that?”
“We haven’t made it official yet, but it’s getting serious,” I explained, continuing my lie between haggard breaths. “I owe him the opportunity to see it through.”
Hunter studie
d me carefully, weighing my words as if depicting the truth from the fiction. For a moment, I thought he might have caught me. That he intended to call me out on my bullshit with a scathing rebuttal. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and leveled me with a look of understanding. “Lyndsey…”
I couldn’t let him convince me we were perfect together. I was losing all restraint as it was. One more second listening to him, and I would forever be at his mercy. It was now or never.
“I think it’s time for you to leave,” I said, bending down to gather his shirt. I shoved it against his chest and made my way toward the door. It swung open with more flourish than I intended, giving the illusion that I was not only upset but pissed.
It hadn’t been the image I wanted to leave him with, though it did the trick all the same.
He released a defeated sigh and ambled toward the door. “Fine. I’ll play this game with you, Lyndsey Saunders, because I know in my heart you are worth every bit of the effort.”
He leaned forward.
The heat of his breath tickled my ear as he spoke, arousing a whole new flurry of pleasure all over again.
“May the best man win.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hunter
Lyndsey Saunders was seeing someone.
I would sooner eat my gear than actually believe it, but she was adamant about us staying away from one another. Perhaps she feared what my sister might do if she found out—though Lyndsey didn’t exactly strike me as the type of person who feared anyone. Whatever her reasons, it meant enough to her to make up an excuse just to push me away.
And what if it wasn’t an excuse?
She couldn’t very well forget she was in a semi-serious relationship with someone before almost sleeping with someone else. If it was as serious as she claimed, enough to push me away now, then there would have been no reason for her to engage in the flirtation at all.
To hell with it.
