by Nikki Rose
The ride was long, especially without sight to distract me from the time ticking by. We were on the road for at least an hour before it changed to smaller roads with more twists and turns. When we came to a stop, I went to unbuckle but Hunter whispered close to my ear again.
“Stay put. I’ll be around to get you. Don’t remove the blindfold.”
“Okay,” I whispered breathlessly. There was something so erotic about the way his breath caressed the shell of my ear when he whispered to me.
I was hyper-aware as I listened to the sounds of Hunter unbuckling, opening and shutting his door, before opening my door for me. He took my hand and guided me out of the car. After a few steps, we stopped. He moved behind me. His front was to my back as he shifted me slightly.
He leaned in against me, his mouth so close to my ear that his lip brushed over the tender lobe. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” I breathed out.
His skillful fingers quickly untied the blindfold and darkness gave way to light as I squinted in the evening sun. Once my eyes adjusted, I gazed up at the large stone sign of a small art museum. He knew I loved art so he brought me here for our second date. It was extremely sweet and my heart swelled in my chest.
“Hunter, it’s wonderful.” I turned to him with a huge grin glued to my face.
“You like it?”
“Yes, oh my gosh, yes.”
“Shall we?” He offered me his arm.
“Please.” I hooked my hand into the crook of his elbow.
He grinned and eagerly led me into the museum.
I was blown away with all the artwork as I moved from piece to piece wanting to soak up every piece. Hunter followed me, every once in a while, I’d catch him staring at me instead of the paintings which sent warmth coursing through me.
“This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He moved up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I want to give you every wonderful experience I can.”
I turned around in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. My heart threatened to break through my breastbone but I knew what I had to do. I leaned in, lifting up on my toes, and pressed my lips to his.
One hand cradled my head while the other pressed against the small of my back, holding me tight against him. It was so warm and safe in his arms. I melted against him, instantly wanting to be closer and needing him closer with each second that passed in his embrace.
“You want to get out of here?” He whispered against my lips.
“Yes,” I barely managed the word before he took my hand and nearly dragged me through the museum toward the door.
“Mr. James, so good to see you.”
“Franklin, hello.” Hunter and I were stopped by a thin, balding man in a light gray suit. They shook hands and talked like old friends.
“I hope you’re enjoying your visit.” Franklin looked from Hunter to me and offered me his hand. “Franklin Howard.”
“Emma Martin.” I took his hand in mine and he barely brushed his lips across my knuckles. I wondered if all Hunter’s acquaintances were such gentlemen.
“A pleasure to meet you. I do hope you are enjoying yourself this evening.”
“Oh yes, the art here is amazing.”
“Franklin is the curator of the museum.”
“Oh wow. It truly is amazing.”
“Emma is an artist as well. One day her artwork will be hanging in museums like this one.” Hunter spoke with such pride and certainty.
“Well then, I look forward to seeing your art. You must let me know when you are having a showing.” Franklin reached in his pocket and offered me a business card.
“Oh, I don’t—”
“She doesn’t have a date set yet, but we will let you know as soon as things are finalized.” Hunter interrupted.
“Wonderful. I look forward to it.” Franklin nodded and I took the card from him.
“If you’ll excuse us. We have reservations at Le Petit Château.”
“Oh, wonderful food. Tell Gregoire I said hello.”
“I will. It was good to see you.” The two men shook hands and Franklin took my hand to his lips again.
“It was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to your show.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” I smiled politely and nodded before Hunter led me out the door.
“Why’d you make it sound like I had a show coming up?”
“Why not? We could set something up if it means getting your art seen by someone as big in the business as Franklin.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for all that.”
“We’ll discuss it later. You have time. This way he’s left waiting for your call until you’re ready.” He has a good point. He led me to the car and helped me in.
As he pulled out onto the street, he glanced at me, “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yes, so much.” I smiled and he took my hand.
CHAPTER 14
Addy
We stood on my front porch while I dug through my purse for my keys. I wanted to ask Hunter inside, but considering I’d been the one to make the first move with our kiss, but that would seem too forward.
“I had a great time tonight.” I looked up at him and my eyes landed on his lips. I wanted to feel them pressed against mine again but I held back.
“So did I.” His eyes flicked down to my lips. His gaze heated as he looked back up to my eyes. “I thought you might enjoy the art.”
“I did. Very much. It was wonderful.”
“I would love to see your art.”
“My art?”
“Yes. If you would honor me with a private showing.”
“Sure.” I fumbled with the keys in the lock until he took them from me.
“Here. Allow me.” He quickly unlocked my door and opened it.
“Thank you.” We entered the living room and I switched on the light.
I walked over to the fireplace and looked up at the large landscape piece hanging above the mantle. It was a painting of the park near my old apartment. Nothing gave away its location. It could have been anywhere but it gave me comfort to have a reminder of a place I’d spent countless hours painting.
The fall leaves scattered and swirled in the breeze as a young girl chased her scarf across the canvas.
“This is lovely.” Hunter’s voice was genuine in his compliment.
“Thank you.” I motioned for him to follow me to my dining nook where a large portrait-style painting of the Eiffel tower at night all lit up took up most of the back wall.
“Gorgeous. Have you been?”
“To Paris? No. I’ve never really had the chance to travel much. I’ve never even traveled outside of the United States.”
“Maybe one day.” He smiled softly “Are there more?”
“There’s one but I’m not finished with it yet.”
“May I see it?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like the others.”
“Please?” He insisted.
“Okay.” I led him down the hall to my bedroom where I’d set up my easel.
There was a blank canvas set up and another leaning against the wall on the floor. I picked it up and placed it on the easel for Hunter to see. The canvas was almost completely covered in black, navy blue, and deep purple shades blended together. A few pale-yellow street lights dotted the canvas and the main focus was on the alley. The very same alley that haunted my nightmares. I had no idea why I decided to paint it. Maybe I thought if I got it out of my head and onto a canvas, I could stop thinking about it. It didn’t work.
Hunter studied the painting quietly for a long time. “This painting is much darker than the others. What was your inspiration?”
“I’m not sure. It was just a part of the city where I used to live.”
“It doesn’t look like you have good memories of the place you used to live. The other paintings were filled with light and bold, bright colors. Even the one of Paris at night, the sky was purple and
the lights were bold. This one has an eerie feel.”
I wished I hadn’t shown Hunter this painting. I didn’t want to explain. I couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed but I wanted to. I wanted to tell him everything that happened that horrible night so I could share the pain and maybe he could chase the nightmares away.
“I was just trying something different.” I shrugged and turned my back on the painting.
“It is eerily beautiful.” He spoke with an almost dream-like quality to his voice. Hunter seemed far away now.
“I plan to do some more pieces when I have the time.”
“I can’t wait to see what you do next.” He turned to me but his smile was forced.
“I’ll make sure you’re one of the first to see the next one.”
I closed the distance between us and he took my hands in his. “I’d like to kiss you now.”
He leaned in, dipping his head down and crushing his lips onto mine. In an instant, all the restraint he’d used for our last two dates was gone. He tangled his fingers into my hair and guided my head as his tongue demanded entrance past my lips. I eagerly parted my lips and welcomed him in as he claimed my mouth. Not kissed but claimed. It was the only way to describe it.
He held me hard against him with his free hand. My body instantly softened and melded to his. He pressed his hips against mine. I could feel his erection pressing hard against my thigh which only added to how much I already wanted him.
I moaned into his mouth and a growl erupted from his throat as he pulled away. He left me standing there panting for air, dazed and confused. Hunter sliced his fingers through his hair and paced. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Hunter...” I took a step toward him but he jerked back like I’d burned him.
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” I lifted his face to look at me. “I want this too.”
“You don’t know me well enough.”
“I know you well enough to know I want this. I want you.” I peered into pained eyes. I couldn’t resist, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his tenderly before pulling back. “Please?”
He growled again, deep and feral as he took hold of my hair. His lips stopped just before touching mine letting his warm breath dance against my lips. “Remember, you asked for this.”
His lips crashed painfully into mine as our teeth clashed with bruising force. His tongue delved into my mouth. His hands made quick work of the zipper on the back of my dress, almost ripping the fabric as he pulled it down my body.
I stepped out of the dress and shoes without breaking our kiss, not that I could if I’d wanted to with the death grip, he had on me. It was as though once he crossed that line, there was no going back.
He unfastened my bra and yanked it away before pushing me onto the bed. He leaped between my parted thigh and kissed me hard again. He rose up on his knees and I lifted my hips to help him pull my panties down my legs.
I looked up at him from the bed, fully naked and exposed to him while he was still fully dressed. He climbed off the bed and discarded his jacket. As it hit the floor, something black fell out of the inner pocket. The blindfold.
Hunter followed where my eyes had landed and a mischievous smirk tugged at his lips. “I might get use out of this twice in one evening.”
He leaned over and retrieved it from the floor. Crawling back up the bed, his eyes burning into me. He kissed me quickly again before securing the blindfold around my eyes plummeting me into complete darkness.
He trailed kisses down my neck and traced my collar bones before moving lower, kissing over my breasts, teasing my nipples with his tongue and softly nibbling and tugging until it bordered on pain.
A moan poured from my lips and I arched my back. Then, he was gone. There was the sound of a foil packet tearing. The bed shifted and after a moment, it sunk again with his weight. This time, his bare chest pressed against mine when he kissed me. His erection now free, pressed against the apex of my thighs, demanding entrance.
I parted my legs farther as he settled between them and he was there. His tip circled my entrance, teasing more wetness from me as I lifted my hips, silently begging him to take me.
“Do you want me, beautiful?”
“Yes. Hunter, please?” I begged, lifting my hips searching for the friction I craved.
The words barely left my lips before he plunged into my depth. He sunk into me in one hard thrust until he was completely seated, filling me to a capacity I didn’t know was possible.
The sudden fullness took my breath. My back arched off the mattress as I gasped. He paused, allowing me a moment to adjust before thrusting again, quickly building to a relentless, punishing pace.
I wasn’t a virgin though my experience was limited. I’d never felt anything like this. Hunter completely possessed my body. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t function. I was nothing more than nerves firing over and over as my muscles contracted and my body rippled with pleasure, unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
He turned me over onto my stomach and pulled my hips up to meet his thrusts as he pounded into me. My insides trembled and contracted as the pleasure pushed me higher and higher.
My inner walls clenched around him as he swelled inside me, filling me fuller than I thought possible. Another thrust sent both of us over the edge. We spun out of control, plummeting over the precipice. Lights exploded behind my blindfold and I cried out in a voice I didn’t recognize as my own. His loud guttural roar ripped from his throat as he exploded inside me.
We both collapsed onto the bed in a panting mess. Hunter gently pulled my back against his front, holding me close as we both caught our breath. His tender touch was such a contrast as he brushed away stray hairs, damp with sweat, from my face. He untied the blindfold. The dim light of the room made me squint as exhaustion took over and my eyes fluttered closed. I fell asleep wrapped in his arms. His front perfectly cradled my back.
I awoke the next morning to an empty bed. I turned in the tangled sheets and forced my eyes open. Hunter had his back to me as he fastened his pants.
“I could get used to waking up to this view.” I teased and he turned around to smile at me.
My eyes met his, and I smiled a content, satiated smile. My eyes drifted down his glistening skin, down his neck to his chest where my heart sank into the deep pit of my stomach. All the air was sucked from the room. There, on his chiseled, glistening pecs, was the tattoo of the man who had haunted so many of my dreams.
The tribal leaves swept up his chest and flowed down his shoulder. He must have seen the shift in my eyes because concern filling his voice. “Emma, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“That... the tattoo.” I stuttered while scooting away from him. I reached the edge and jumped off the bed, wrapping myself in the sheet as I went. “It was you.” I gasped while stumbling over his shoe on the floor as I tried to back out of the bedroom.
“What are you talking about?”
“In the alley, it was you. I saw you.” My voice rose as I realized I was in a room with a killer. I turned around and darted out of the bedroom in nothing but a sheet.
I barely made it out the front door before Hunter’s arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the ground. “Let me explain.” He sounded panicked.
“There’s nothing to explain. You’re a murderer. Let me go.” I screamed, kicking and thrashing my arms and legs around as he continued to hold me above the ground.
“Damn it. Calm down and let me explain.” He growled.
“No.” Oh God, I just slept with a murderer.
“Emma.” He barked.
What if he was going to kill me next? There was a reason I was in witness protection. It was to keep me safe—from him.
I screamed louder, hoping someone might hear. “Help. Help me, please?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“Shit.” I heard the anger building in his voice. I knew it wasn’t good to anger him more but I needed to make a scene in hopes
someone might notice something but the streets were empty in the early morning.
He managed to pull the sheet tighter around my arms to control my movements and threw me over his shoulder. I squirmed and kicked while screaming until my throat was raw. Hunter dropped me into the trunk of his car. I looked up at him in shock with tears stinging my eyes.
“No, Hunter, please. Let me go.”
There was a flash of sadness in his eyes as he slammed the trunk shut, closing me in darkness. I screamed and banged on the trunk for several minutes but there was no sign he was still there.
Was he going to just leave me in here to die?
I decided it was better to save my energy. I had no idea how much time had passed laying in the dark. I finally heard the crunching of earth underfoot and the sound of a door opening. The car shifted and a door slammed shut.
Moments later, the car roared to life and the bumpy driveway turned to a smooth road. Laying in the dark, time held no meaning. We drove for what had to be hours.
The only time we stopped was for one quick bathroom break in the middle of nowhere. I was forced to pee behind a bush, grateful for the little privacy he allowed. I had no idea where we were. There were no landmarks I could see.
Even though I’d begged him not to, Hunter forced me back into the trunk. We drove for a long time. My eyes grew heavy and I allowed myself to drift off to sleep. When we got where we were going, I’d need my energy for whatever was coming.
CHAPTER 15
Addy
The slamming car door woke me. We’d stopped. I wondered if this was just another pit stop or if this was it—the end of the road. What would he do to me now that I knew who he was? I trembled with pure terror.
How had I been so wrong about him? Footsteps crunched over dry leaves growing louder by the second. I held my breath, knowing he was coming for me but he didn’t. The footsteps faded away and an even worse panic set in.
What if he’s going to abandon the car and leave me here? I banged on the trunk, screamed and yelled again in hopes there would be someone around to hear me. Finally, my voice wore out and my arms lost their strength.
I heard steps growing closer, coming to a stop nearby. The trunk clicked and a million scenarios ran through my mind.
