“There you are, you fucker!” Bryce called out from behind me, causing me to look away from her. Chase and Bryce both approached with two women following.
“Yes, I’m here!” I turned back to watch her as she read the note, but I had missed it. In that two seconds that I had taken to glance at my brothers, I had missed the look on her face, the realization it was from me. How was I supposed to know if it was safe to talk to her after last night?
“Hunter, meet Alyssa and Julia,” Bryce said, introducing the ladies to me. I nodded at them both, turning my attention back to what was in front of me.
“They have a friend for you, Hunter,” Chase said, sitting down beside me, pulling one of the two women onto his lap. I said nothing; I just kept my focus on my brown-haired beauty.
“Hunter? Did you hear what I said?” Bryce asked and then followed my gaze in the direction I was looking.
“Ahhh. Girls, I don’t think Hunter is interested in meeting your friend, sadly,” Chase said, looking in the same direction. I could then feel their eyes on me.
“No, I’m sorry, I’m not,” I answered. “I’m headed to get ready for dinner. Where are we eating tonight, boys?”
“Just the buffet. Drinks afterward?” Chase asked, putting his arm around Julia and pulling her into him.
“Sounds good, see you in an hour.” Taking my towel, I headed back toward my room to get ready for dinner, but not before I stole one more glance in the direction of her. She had the drink I had sent her in her hand. I watched as she took a tiny sip, and I could tell from the expression on her face that she enjoyed it.
Chapter Nine
AUTUMN
SOFT MUSIC FLOATED THROUGH THE air of the small restaurant. I put the last piece of chocolate cake in my mouth, savoring the final bite; it practically melted. I had been happy to spend a quiet evening alone. My waiter returned to my table with a hot cup of coffee and removed my empty dessert plate.
Sipping on my coffee, I couldn’t help but watch another couple across the room. He listened attentively to whatever she was saying, then they both laughed. They looked at each other with such adoration. I tried to remember when Jason had looked at me that way—like I was his world—but I couldn’t remember a single time. I thought we had been in love, but it was becoming apparent to me that maybe, just maybe I had been more in love with him. Suddenly, a heavy feeling came over me. Would I ever find that? Would I ever find a man who would look at me like that? Would every man now reject me, just like Jason had, when they found out I couldn’t have children? We had taken vows, for better or for worse, and when things had gotten worse, he took the easy road, never looking back.
“Miss, you all right?” I felt a hand touch my shoulder, shaking me out of my thoughts. I could feel tears running down my cheeks, and people were staring.
“How embarrassing. Yes, I am fine, thanks.” I sniffled, wiping the tears away. I finished off the coffee, composed myself, tipped the young gentleman who had served me dinner, and headed out for the rest of the evening.
The first stop I made was the restroom. I was sure my makeup was a mess after that ridiculous outburst. I looked in the mirror—yep, a mess. I opened my little clutch bag to re-apply my eyeliner.
The lobby was still relatively quiet when I returned; people were still eating dinner. They were having a lounge singer at nine. I was looking forward to a relaxing evening. I walked up and took a seat at the bar, ordering a gin and tonic with lime. A piano player played a few classical pieces off to the side. I recognized the song he was playing immediately as one that had been played at my wedding. While it brought tears to my eyes, it also made my stomach turn. As soon as he finished playing that piece, I took a sip of my drink to stop those random tears from falling. It was then I heard a familiar deep voice. I looked over to the buffet door. Hunter, at least that was what his brothers called him, wore black dress pants that were perfectly tailored to his size. His cream-colored linen shirt hung open, a quarter of the way down, giving me another glimpse at his bulky build.
I watched as he was finally joined by his two brothers, with three women trailing behind them. So, he was here with his wife. What a pig, looking at me like that last night when I practically banged down his door, half naked. Wonder where she was while all that nonsense was going on. I could feel myself getting angry and agitated. I hated men like that. Then for him to be all cute today and send me that drink. I wonder if she knew what type of man she was married to. Bet she didn’t. Most of the time, women are oblivious to it all. I picked up the drink in front of me and drank it down while nodding to the bartender for another one.
I kept my watch on him. The group of them sat down at a table all together while he made his way up to the bar. As he stood there, waiting to be served, our eyes finally met. The corner of his mouth turned up as he took notice of me. I looked away from his gaze. I would have welcomed that sexy gaze if he weren’t married. Ignoring him for a few minutes had done the trick. He was already back sitting with his brothers. Maybe now I could relax, now that he wasn’t watching me.
One of the bartenders suddenly slid a shot in front of me. I jumped and looked up at his smiling face. “Wet Pussy!” He winked and sexily leaned against the bar.
“Excuse me?” I’m sure the look of shock and horror on my face said it all.
“Wet Pussy—a shot from your friend sitting over there at the table, miss.” He pointed over to the group of them.
A fiery rage overtook me. That was it, I couldn’t take any more. This wasn’t cute; it was disgusting. Getting up from my seat, I abandoned my drinks and marched over to him. “You,” I demanded, pointing my finger at him. “I’m sure your wife here would be interested in knowing what you just sent me, and possibly about the lovely little note you sent over to me with that waiter this afternoon, as well. I’m not some whore, just so you know. So, if this is your attempt at trying to get into my pants while she isn’t around, it’s not going to work.” I stopped speaking and looked at them all. The women just sat there looking at me as if I had lost my mind. The guys, on the other hand, sat there with smirks across their faces. “The three of you think this is funny, do you?”
“Told you not to do it, Hunter. You’ve pissed her off now. She’s a little too uptight for your liking, bro.”
“I’m not uptight,” I gasped. “I just don’t appreciate a married man behaving in that manner.”
They both burst into laughter again, this time the women joining with them. “Sweetheart, he isn’t married.”
I could feel myself getting defensive. “Don’t call me ‘sweetheart.’” The heat rose to my face.
Hunter stood up and walked over to me, closing the space between us. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating. I swallowed hard as I looked up into those blue eyes. He seriously was one of the most attractive men I had seen from a distance, but up close, he was breathtaking.
He grabbed both of my hands in his, his touch sending shivers down my body. “No, beautiful, I’m not married.” His soft and sexy voice washed over me. “I just happen to find you severely attractive, and I was trying to have some fun with you, put a smile on that beautiful face. Now please quiet down. You’re creating somewhat of a scene, and I don’t like unnecessary negative attention brought upon me.”
Our eyes were locked. I felt as though my face were on fire. I glanced over to the rest of the group, and then I saw the crowd gathering. Suddenly, the open-aired lobby didn’t seem so open, and I felt like I was suffocating. I had to get out of there. I shoved myself off Hunter’s chest and darted through the crowd of people, praying I never laid eyes on him again.
* * *
As soon as I was out of the lobby and halfway back to my room, I slowed my pace. I glanced over my shoulder, to make sure he wasn’t following, before I stopped to take a breath and remove my shoes from my aching feet, walking my way back to my room.
I dropped my shoes on the tile floor, ch
anged, and cracked open the mini bar fridge, making myself a gin and tonic. I took the drink out to the back patio and sat in the quiet, listening to the tree frogs chirp.
My mind kept running back to him. I kept thinking of the way he had looked at me last night as I stood outside his door—his eyes trailing over my body. The look in his eyes had told me everything he wanted to do to me, same as tonight, but at the same time, it made me feel uncomfortable.
What was going on with me?
I could still smell the captivating scent of his cologne, and it was driving me insane. The way his hands felt in mine when he grabbed hold of them, and the heat radiating off his body as he drew closer to me. I had wanted him to take me in his protective arms right at that moment and kiss me, make me forget everything that had happened over the last couple of years. I had wanted to feel his powerful, large hands make their way over my body. I wanted to know what it would feel like to be held while he kissed me, to know how the weight of his body felt as I lay underneath him.
I had to stop these thoughts, but the more I tried, the more they continued to invade my mind. I rubbed the middle of my forehead, closed my eyes, and gave myself a minute to contemplate an idea. What if…just what if I let my guard down like Evelyn suggested? What if just for one night, or hell even this week, I did something completely spontaneous? What would it hurt? It wasn’t like I would ever see this man again. I’m twenty-nine years old and I have needs too. Needs that hadn’t been satisfied by anything other than a piece of vibrating plastic for the last three years. Yes, it had been three years since I had felt the touch of a man.
I took another sip of my drink when I heard the sliding door to his patio open, accompanied by male voices. They were back, no doubt to party it up and keep me up half the night. I didn’t want to be seen out here, so I quietly headed back into my room, shutting the door and pulling the curtains across.
Chapter Ten
AUTUMN
I WOKE UP BRIGHT AND early with a pounding headache. I drank way too much last night, finally crashing into bed at an ungodly hour, drunk. I lay in bed waiting for the room to stop spinning. Finally I rolled out of bed and went out to the outdoor shower. I could hear the shower running next door, and immediately my thoughts went to him naked on the other side of the wall. I waited until the water stopped and I heard the door to his bathroom close before I started mine.
I decided to put on the bathing suit that Evelyn had forced me to purchase and ordered room service instead of going to the buffet for breakfast. I didn’t want to chance running into him this morning.
After breakfast, I headed down to the pool. It was a little later than I liked to get down there, but I was hoping it was still early enough to get a good spot. I grabbed a chair by the edge of the pool and set down my towel and e-reader. It was already a beautiful, clear, sunny morning. I removed my cover-up, almost instantly feeling self-conscious in this little ball of string that Evelyn had called a suit. Doing my best to ignore that feeling, I grabbed my sunscreen and poured a generous amount into my hand. I was just about done applying the lotion to my legs when I heard the same deep, sexy voice from the night before. “Morning, beautiful!”
I could feel the embarrassment from the way I had acted the night before climbing through my body. I closed my eyes, drew in a deep breath, and murmured, “Morning.”
“How are you this morning?”
I lay down on the lounge chair and tried to get settled into my book. “I’m fine.” I was trying to ignore him, hoping he would take the hint and go away, but he just stood there. “What is it?”
“It’s just I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t put any sunscreen on your back. I would hate to see you get burnt, and the sun is pretty strong down here. If you’d like, I can put some on your back and then I promise I will leave.”
I apprehensively handed him the sunscreen from my bag and put my e-reader down. “If it’s the only way to get you to leave me alone, then fine.” As he took the bottle from my hand, his fingers grazed mine, sending a jolt through me. I lay on my stomach, thinking what a mistake this was. I heard the snap of the lid and the squirt of the lotion, and then felt the rubbing of his hands together. Please don’t be good with your hands, please don’t be good with your hands. I hoped that if I prayed for that long enough, it would come true, but somehow, I already knew that my prayers were going to go unanswered.
As soon as his large, strong hands started to massage the lotion into my shoulders, I knew I was in deep trouble. As he worked his way down to my lower back, I could feel the heat pool between my legs. I tried hard to relax, but the lower he got, the more tense I became. His hands felt amazing, and I wasn’t sure, but there was a moment when I thought a slight moan had escaped my lips.
“Did you say something, beautiful?”
Fuck, I had moaned, how embarrassing. I closed my eyes and quickly rolled onto my side to stop him from continuing, his hand resting on my waist. “Nope, nothing. Thank you. I’m good.”
“You sure? It’s not all rubbed in yet.”
“It’s fine. It will soak in.” I avoided his eyes and threw my sunglasses on. “I need to get back to my book.”
His eyes never left mine as he wiped the lotion that was left on his hands onto the towel he was carrying. I rolled back onto my stomach and picked up my e-reader as he walked away. “One more thing…” He turned back to me. “What’s your name?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know my name. I still felt like an ass after last night, but clearly what had happened hadn’t stopped him from speaking to me. I dropped my e-reader down in front of me. “It’s Autumn.”
“Autumn, well, you have a wonderful day. I’m going to go and get some sun.” I watched as he walked away and found a chair across the pool deck with his brothers.
Later that afternoon, I rested my head on my arms. Hiding behind my sunglasses, I pretended to be asleep, but truthfully, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It had been almost three hours since his hands had been on me, and I could still feel how good they had felt. I could just imagine how amazing they would feel doing other things to my body.
Chapter Eleven
HUNTER
IT WAS NOON BY THE time the entertainment started, reggae music blaring. I’d kept my eyes on her all morning. She almost knocked me to my knees when that soft, sexy moan left her lips as I rubbed her back. She had finally flipped from back to front, sadly hiding that perfect ass from me. This girl desperately needed to have fun. She was too pretty not to smile. Whatever it was that had made her so uptight, I was becoming damn determined to wipe it from her memory, at least for one night.
Just as Bryce and Chase joined me by the pool bar, a roaring male voice boomed over the loud speaker. I watched as Autumn jumped and buried her face behind her e-reader, as if she were trying to hide.
“All right, everyone, it’s time for some fun! It’s BODY SHOT TIME! Participants, grab your partners!” The music started up as the entertainment crew walked over to the bar and grabbed lime wedges, salt, shot glasses, and a few bottles of tequila.
“We’ve got our girls, Hunter. You should go get yours,” Bryce said, nodding in Autumn’s direction.
“Yeah, Hunter, go get her,” Chase chimed in.
I looked at them and shook my head. “No, I promised her I’d leave her be, and that is what I am going to do.”
Bryce and Chase looked at one another, then back to me, and with shit-eating grins, they both took off in Autumn’s direction. She was completely oblivious to the actions going on around her. I watched from a distance as they both approached her. She looked annoyed, and when they pointed in my direction, the look of panic and horror that came over her face said it all. If I’d ever had any type of a chance with her, it was gone now.
“Ladies, please accompany your men up on the stage and have a seat!” the member of the entertainment crew shouted into the microphone.
I watched as Autumn put her hands up in front of her, trying to push them
away, as she shook her head adamantly. I knew Bryce and Chase weren’t going to take no for an answer, and I was right. In one swift motion, Bryce picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her up to the stage.
Once Bryce had her up there, Chase came running over to me and pulled me off the barstool. “Come on, dumb ass.”
Chase dragged me up on the stage and placed me across from Autumn. She looked irritated as hell, and to be honest, I wasn’t that happy with either of them myself.
“Everyone, can I have your attention on the main stage? It’s body-shot time. Three shots per couple. You guys vote for your favorite couple. Winning couple gets a bottle of rum! The crowed roared, and the music started blaring.
The entertainment staff walked across the stage, one staff member for every woman. They stood behind them armed with a bottle of liquor. The music started, and I locked eyes with Autumn. I couldn’t read what was going on in that head of hers, but the look of fear and anger that was painted across her face gave me a good idea. Bryce and Alyssa went first, followed by Chase and Julia.
We were up next. I watched as they put a lime wedge in her mouth, poured the shot of tequila, placing the shot glass between her breasts, and sprinkled salt along the crook of her neck. I walked up to her, placing one arm behind her back and the other on her hip. I leaned into her and whispered, “Don’t be scared. Just relax. But, I can’t promise I won’t bite.” Giving her a wink, I placed my mouth on her neck and slowly licked the salt. Then I buried my face into her chest and took the shot glass between my lips, drinking down the clear liquid. Finally, I leaned into her and took the lime wedge from between her lips. I stood back up and looked down at her. She was biting her lower lip, and her eyes were closed tightly.
“Next one. Ladies, lean back.” Again, I watched as they sprinkled salt across her upper abs, filled the glass, sitting it on her navel, and placed the lime wedge between her breasts.
A Kiss Beneath the Stars (The Malone Brothers Book 1) Page 4
