“Don’t play it up, Anna. Some friend you turned out to be. You two totally deserve one another. I hope you’ll both be very happy together.”
Jason and Anna both looked to Hunter and back to me, probably deciding to stay and argue or move on and be done with us both. Luckily for Jason, he took the smarter of the two paths. Taking Anna’s hand in his, they made their way away from us.
“Are you okay?” Hunter whispered.
“Honestly, I couldn’t be better. Let’s go get some stuff and eat lunch.” I reached up on my toes, kissing him on the lips, as he wrapped his arm around me, leading me toward the store.
Chapter Forty-One
Hunter
I was in the office trying to get a bit more work done when Autumn appeared in the doorway with a cup of hot coffee.
“I thought you’d like this.”
“That’s perfect, babe, thank you.”
“I’m going to go lie down now, maybe finish the book I am reading. I’m tired. Will you be working long?”
I glanced at what I needed to get through. Lately, she hated going to bed without me.
“Maybe another hour or so. You go rest and read. I’ll be in as soon as I can.” She leaned down, kissing me hard. As her tongue found its way into my mouth, I felt my cock stiffen. I was horny as hell. “Baby, I need to concentrate to get this work done.”
“I know, just giving you a little preview of what’s to come in the future.” She ran her hand down my chest stopping at the bulge in my pants.
I let out a deep groan and playfully swatted her ass as she walked away from me.
Once I had finally calmed myself down, I buried myself back in my work. I had just finished the last bit of paperwork, saving and printing the documents, and was about to shut down my laptop, when I heard Autumn call my name. I took my time at first, just trying to tidy the mess that sat on my desk when she called my name again—this time, a little more frantic. I stopped what I was doing and headed into the bedroom.
“What is it? What do you need?”
“I think it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“Hunter, it’s time. Get the bag from the closet.”
* * *
A few hours later, I sat holding this perfect, little, sleeping bundle in my arms. Her little fists were held up by her mouth as she lay in my arms. She was so tiny and so perfect, wrapped in her little pink blanket.
I looked over at Autumn when I was able to finally peel my eyes off her. She was resting, her eyes closed as she lay against the pillow. We knew the whole family was out in the waiting area, ready and waiting to meet the newest addition to the family, but we had asked the nurse for a few minutes of private time.
“How are you feeling, baby?” I asked her in a hushed tone, not wanting to startle her.
“Tired.”
“Do you want to hold her?”
She smiled and nodded her head. As soon as I placed her in her arms, Autumn started to cry. “I can’t believe she is here and she’s mine.”
Sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her, I placed my arm around her. She rested her head into me as we both sat and looked down in awe at our little baby girl.
The nurse walked in to check and make sure everything was okay. “You know, you two have a room full of family members that are driving me crazy. They are waiting to meet this little angel.”
“We know,” Autumn said, smiling up at her. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Five more minutes and I’m letting them in. Your sister is rather persistent.” She winked at me, pressed a couple buttons on Autumn’s IV, and left the room.
We took those few minutes to just be a little family, relishing in the blessing that had been given to us.
Chapter Forty-Two
Autumn
Eight Weeks Later
Evelyn pulled the car into the driveway and put it in park. “Thank you so much for coming and spending the day with me. I’ve missed you.”
I smiled. I had missed my sister, and I truthfully needed the break. “Thank you for making it so enjoyable. It’s been an adjustment with Kaylee.”
“I’m sure. Are you coming in? Surely you can stay for another half hour for a coffee.”
“Actually, I should be going. I’m sure Hunter is climbing the walls with Kaylee by now.”
“He’s a big boy. I’m sure he can handle her.”
Something was going on. Evelyn was only persistent like this when she was hiding something. I squinted my eyes at her. “What’s going on, Evelyn?”
“Nothing. I just want to have a coffee with you before you run away again.”
“No, I lived with you long enough to know that something is going on. You’re being weird.”
Ignoring me, she reached into the back of the car, grabbed my purse along with the few bags I had sitting back there, and ran into the house. Rolling my eyes and laughing to myself, I went after her. My jaw dropped as I walked through the door and was greeted by Hunter. He stood in the foyer wearing my favorite black suit, and in his hands he held a dozen deep-red roses. I glanced from Evelyn to Derek, who was holding Kaylee in his arms.
“What’s going on?” I glanced at all of them in turn.
“Autumn, we’re going on a date tonight. Evelyn and Derek are going to look after Kaylee.”
“No, they’re not. Besides, I can’t go on a date; I have nothing here to wear.”
“But you do, my dear. Upstairs in your old room is a dress that I picked out for you to wear tonight.”
They all stood, grinning at me. “We’ll be fine with Kaylee. It’s not a big deal. She can’t be that difficult to look after,” Evelyn said, forcing me up the stairs. “Now let’s get you ready for your date.”
Thirty minutes later, I descended the stairs wearing a form-fitting white V-neck dress. As soon as Hunter laid his eyes on me, I knew where I would end up before this night was over. The desire and want that was radiating from them sent a shiver down my back. He took me in his arms at the bottom of the stairs, placing a firm, telling kiss on my lips. “Ready?” His eyes searched mine for my answer before kissing me again.
I kissed Kaylee as we walked out the door, spouting instructions to both Derek and Evelyn. “I already went over everything with them. They have everything they need, so there is no need to worry,” Hunter said as he wrapped his arm securely around my body.
As soon as we were seated in the car, I turned to Hunter. “So, how did you get here, and where are we going?” I could barely contain my excitement.
“Derek came and picked us up. Where are we going? That is a surprise.” He winked at me and placed his hand on my upper thigh. “But I can promise you that you are going to love it.”
We drove for about a half hour, when Hunter pulled into the parking lot of The Whisperwind Inn. I looked at him and smiled.
“So, a while ago, traffic held me up from a date that would have led me to the most amazing woman I have ever met. Instead, I had to travel over a thousand miles to get to her, so tonight I thought it might be fun to relive the date that never was.”
Taking my hand, we headed into the restaurant where we were immediately taken to the back. All the tables surrounding us were empty. “I reserved the same table that I reserved that night, but I also asked that they keep the back half of the restaurant empty.”
“You reserved the whole back of the restaurant?” I whispered.
“I did. The owner is a client of mine, so he’s doing me a favor.”
He nodded as the hostess stopped at the table. A bottle of my favorite wine sat chilling on the table. As we took our seats, a waitress poured us each a glass of wine. After we had both perused the menu and made our choices, Hunter reached across and grabbed hold of my hand. “My beautiful girl.”
Soft music played in the background as Hunter watched me take a sip of my wine. We sat staring at one another. I loved looking into his eyes; so many unsaid things were flowing between us.
“Do you re
member this song?” I was so lost in his eyes that I hadn’t even heard the music playing. I listened to the melody, remembering the song so vividly, I could almost feel the breeze blowing off the ocean. “Care to dance with me?”
Taking his hand, he walked me out into the middle of the room and held me while we danced to the same song that we had danced to in Jamaica that night on the beach, where he had kissed me under the stars. I rested my head on his chest, getting lost in his arms.
When the song ended, I went to walk back to the table when I felt a slight tug on my hand. I turned. Hunter was down on one knee, holding out a small black box, my hand in his other. My breath hitched.
“You already know I’ve completely fallen for you. You’re my first thought in the morning and my last thought before I fall asleep, and you consume almost every one of my thoughts in between. You’ve given me the most perfect, precious gift I could have ever asked for, and nothing in my life has ever meant so much to me as the pair of you. I broke my own rules when it came to you, and I felt my world flip the first time I laid eyes on you. Only once in a lifetime will you meet that person who will change everything, and you did, you did change everything. I’m so glad that someone threw you away, so I had the chance to pick you up and love you. I choose you. Spend the rest of your life with me.”
As I looked at Hunter through teary eyes, I saw tears in his own eyes. I knew at that moment that without a doubt there was nothing that he wouldn’t do for us. How could I say anything but yes? “Yes, Hunter, yes.”
He stood, grabbing hold of me and pulling me into him. Taking the ring from the box, he slowly slipped it on my finger, pressing his lips to mine.
* * *
We had just returned home from picking up Kaylee. It was late, and thankfully she slept almost all the way home. Hunter had taken her in to put her to bed while I got changed. It had been an amazing evening, and it was now time to relax. I walked out into the kitchen in my silk bathrobe and turned the kettle on. I flipped the radio on and let the music dance through the air. I had just placed my mug on the counter in order to grab a mug for Hunter when I felt strong hands grip my hips.
“There you are.” His voice was deep with passion, as he placed a kiss on the back of my neck, sending waves of heat through my body. He spun me around and pulled me firmly into his hard chest.
He was still semi-dressed. His suit jacket had been flung over the half wall in the entryway. His white dress shirt hung open exposing his chiseled chest and abs, and his suit pants hung low enough to expose my favorite part of him, the “v.” My hands found their way inside his shirt. I ran my hands down his bulky chest, over his tight abs, stopping and resting on the waistband of his pants.
Pushing me against the counter, he kissed me hard, sucking my bottom lip, his tongue finding its way into my mouth. He trailed a string of kisses to my ear, sucking my earlobe into his mouth. “Kaylee is sound asleep,” he whispered into my ear, his breath causing me to giggle.
“She is?” My fingers skirted along the waist of his pants.
His hands traveled down to my ass, which he firmly gripped, lifting me up and setting me on the counter. “You’re playing with fire, beautiful,” he growled as my fingers grazed against his hot skin. I slid my hand down the front of his pants and felt him, hard and ready for me.
“You sure she is asleep?” I teased as I continued to rub him, sucking on his bottom lip.
“Sound asleep,” he moaned as he slowly undid the tie to my robe exposing me to him. He kissed the tops of my breasts and ran his hands over my nipples, making them hard. “I’d love a little private time with you, but you have to keep quiet so we don’t wake her up.”
“I don’t know if I can. You know what you do to me.”
He went to push me back on the counter, but I pushed his hands away and sat up. “Not here. Let’s go to the bedroom.”
“No, baby, right here.”
He pushed himself between my legs, gently cupping my breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over my sensitive nipples.
He laid me back on the breakfast island and started kissing the insides of my thighs, the stubble on his cheeks tickling me. I was already quivering in anticipation as he inched his way toward my center. “Lace panties… You know what happens when you wear lace panties,” he growled, quickly ripping them off me.
He ran his finger through my wet folds, making me quiver, as he watched my expression. He started circling my clit with his thumb, kissing the insides of my thighs again. He placed my legs over his shoulders and pulled me to the edge of the island. “Are you ready, baby? Cause I’m going to devour you.”
I let out a loud giggle, which quickly turned into a deep inhale, as his mouth found my clit. He was alternating between sucking and licking; it wasn’t long before I was screaming his name.
As I came down from my orgasm, Hunter picked me up and carried me into the bedroom, throwing me onto the bed. He quickly shed his shirt and suit pants and crawled in between my legs.
“Now this time, you have to be quiet.” He laughed while showering me in light kisses all over my body.
I loved the look on his face as he ran himself through my wetness, teasing my already sensitive clit with the head of his cock and making me squirm. “Tell me you want it.”
I had barely gotten the words out of my mouth; the next thing I knew, he was fully seated in me.
Epilogue
Hunter
Fourteen Months Later
“Here’s your coffee.” I sat down beside her. “Flight’s been delayed again.” I sighed, we were headed to Bora Bora for ten days, and we were both anxious to get going. To be honest, I was probably more afraid that she would change her mind before the plane got a chance to take off.
“Okay, well, let me give Evelyn a call and make sure everything is okay with Kaylee.” I handed her my cell phone and watched as she walked to a quieter area—if there was such a thing—to call her sister.
I turned to Carter and Hope. “Will it always be this hard to get her to leave her?”
“Hunter, she is doing remarkable considering this is your first child. Kaylee is just a little over the age of one. Don’t be hard on her. I didn’t leave the girls for a couple years after they were both born,” Hope answered.
“It’s true, I didn’t have a vacation alone with my wife for over six years, Hunter. I wasn’t even allowed to talk dirty to her in our own bedroom while fucking her for fear the girls heard.”
Hope slapped Carter on the arm and started to laugh. “You’re such a pig.” We all laughed, Carter and I a little harder than Hope.
“Yeah, but you love it.” He winked at her and put his arm around her.
“Did you finalize all the plans, Hope?”
“I did. Everything is set for the second day we are there. You have no worries; my capable little hands have been busy over the last month. I have a live video feed set for Evelyn, Derek, and Kaylee to watch as well, along with Bryce and Chase. Autumn still has no clue?” Hope and Carter looked over toward her and smiled at me, waiting for my answer.
“None.”
“She’s on her way back over,” Carter spoke up, clearing his throat.
Autumn sat down, looking a little stressed, and handed me my phone. “Everything okay?”
“Evelyn sounds stressed.” She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know if we should go, Hunter. Maybe this is a bad idea.”
I looked at Carter and Hope. Hope nodded at me and grabbed Carter’s hand. “Honey, let’s go through the duty free and see if we can find something for the girls.” At Hope’s hint, Carter got up and winked at Autumn.
Once they were out of earshot, I turned to her, taking both of her hands in mine. “Baby, Kaylee will be fine. She loves staying with them. Your sister can handle it.”
“I know, I’ve just never left her with them for longer than a night.”
“She’ll be fine. I promise you. We can email and check in from the resort every day if we need to.”
“You’ve arranged everything with the doctor; it’ll be okay. Plus, if Evelyn has kept Derek alive this long, there’s hope for Kaylee.” I grinned as I placed a kiss on her cheek.
Autumn relaxed herself into me and entwined her hand in mine. We’d been sitting there about a half hour when Hope and Carter finally came back to join us. “Everything good?” Hope asked.
“Just had a moment of panic, all is good.” She smiled.
“Flight T878 to Bora Bora, departing Gate B54 is set to board.”
“That’s us!” Hope said, grinning.
Grabbing our bags, we slowly made our way over to the gate and got in line. All this planning for our first vacation had finally come to an end, most of it kept secret from Autumn, because little did she know that by the time we returned to this very airport, we would be Mr. & Mrs. Hunter Malone.
The End
A Note From The Author
Dear Readers,
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read A Kiss Beneath the Stars. I hope that you enjoyed Hunter and Autumn’s story. If you did, I would love it if you would leave me a review. Reviews are important to me, I love to hear what my readers thought. I am currently working on my next book, On A Silent Night due to release in November 2018.
Add On A Silent Night to your Goodreads:
http://bit.ly/SLSterlingOnaSilentNight
About the Author
S.L. Sterling has been an avid reader since she was a child, often found getting lost in books. Today if she isn’t writing, she can be found buried in a romance novel. S.L. Sterling lives with her husband and two dogs in Northern Ontario.
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