by Krissy V
“No, I don’t think you understand. You’re not staying on your own. You can stay here.”
“But, Hunter, we’ve just start…”
“Scarlett! I need to make sure you’re safe. Just until those two fuckers are caught.”
She laughs. “I didn’t realise you were so bossy.”
“You like that, don’t you?”
“I’ve got to go. There’s a doctor here.”
“Hunter,” Skylar says. “I’ll ring you back when she’s seen the doctor.” He hangs up.
I lay back down on the couch and sigh. I’m wrecked.
Mum gives me another couple of painkillers and I slowly drift off. Again.
“Hunter. Hunter.”
When I open my eyes, I see Scarlett sitting next to me and touching my face. As soon as her hand touches my face, I feel okay. I feel like I can take on the world.
“Hey,” I say, touching her cheek. She leans into my hand as I lean into hers. “You came.” I smile.
“I wasn’t really given a choice.” She laughs. A couple of tears escape from her eyes and roll down her face.
“Baby, I’ll look after you. I’m so happy you’re okay.” I’ve never felt so emotional about someone in my life. Everything I went through with Grace has nothing on the emotions that are flowing through my heart right now.
“Tonight I’ll look after you, Hunter.” She leans down and kisses me gently on the lips.
I hear someone clear their throat. When I open my eyes, Mum is looking at me, smiling.
“Mum, this is Scarlett, but I’m sure you guessed that.”
“Yes, I did. Nice to meet you, Scarlett.” She holds out her hand. “My name’s Verity.”
“Nice to meet you too. Sorry about all of this. My ex-boyfriend is a nut job.” She looks at me. “Skylar told you who they think it is. Keaton and Zac shouldn’t go after him. He’s trouble, Hunter.”
“They can handle themselves, and anyway, we can’t let them get away with it, Scarlett. Look what they did to you. That is unacceptable.”
“I know. But I don’t want your brothers to get themselves into trouble just because of me.”
“Listen. You mean so much to me already. That means my brothers will take care of you too. Your problems are my problems. My problems are my family’s problems. That’s how the James family rolls.”
“It sure is.” Mum walks over to stand near us. “If Hunter wants you in his life, then we all want you in our lives. We’re a very tight family and we never deal with a problem on our own. That has happened twice with my kids and it’s not happening again.”
Mum looks at me sadly. I know she’s thinking of my bust up with Grace and my sudden departure to Australia without telling the family. Things were awkward for a while, but it didn’t last long. The second time was with Zac when he was in London.
Mum pulls Scarlett into a hug and I think she’s shocked. I chuckle a little, but not too much because it hurts.
“Right, I’m going to cook some food for you all. It’s been a long day already.” She walks into the kitchen and I hear her open the fridge door. “Hunter, what the hell? Where’s your food?”
I laugh. “I eat at your house or out so I don’t have much.”
“I’m going to the shop to get some. Come on, Ainsley. Let’s get some food.”
They both leave, and to be honest, I’m glad.
Scarlett looks at me and makes her way over to the couch. God, she’s beautiful, even with all her bruises.
When she gets to the couch, she hesitates for a second, then she seems to make her mind up. She straddles me so she’s sitting on my legs, facing me.
She reaches out and takes my face between her delicate hands and looks into my eyes. It’s like she’s looking for my soul. It’s there for her to take. It’s a few seconds before she leans forward and kisses me.
This isn’t a hurried kiss of two lovers desperate to shed their clothes. This isn’t a kiss of two new lovers meeting for the first time. This isn’t even a kiss which preludes sex. This is a kiss that tells me how she feels about me and how I feel about her. This is a kiss of love. Gut-wrenching, soul-seeking, ever-lasting love.
When she pulls away, she rests her forehead against mine. She closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she looks into my eyes. “Hunter, I’m scared.”
I wrap my arms around her, as tight as I can without hurting myself. “Baby, I’m here. He’s not going to hurt you.”
“I’m not scared of him. I’m scared about us.”
“Us? Why would you be scared of us?” I ask hesitantly.
“I don’t want to be just a one night stand for you. That’s what scares me. If I sleep with you, then you’ll ditch me like you ditch all the other women. I can’t do that to myself.” She tries to get off my lap. I hold her in place. I can’t let her walk away now or she won’t come back.
“Scarlett, you are more than a one night stand to me. You’ve climbed under my skin and made yourself comfortable.” She smiles. “I couldn’t walk away from you, even if I was fully recovered. I feel you here.” I place her hand on my heart. Fuck. When did I get all soppy?
“Really?” She looks at her hand on my chest and then back up to my eyes.
“Yes, really.” I lean forward and kiss her, my hand snaking around to the back of her neck. Pulling her close, I slip my tongue inside her hot mouth. It feels like heaven and it sets off all these feelings in my body that I can’t explain.
Mum and Ainsley find us like that on the couch kissing.
“We can’t leave you alone for two minutes, Hunter,” Mum says, scolding me. I don’t care; it was well worth it.
“Very funny, Mum.”
Mum makes dinner and I ring Keaton to see what’s going on and to tell them what time to be back for.
“Hey, Hunter. How are you? How’s Scarlett?”
“I’m okay. My ribs hurt the most but I’ll live. Scarlett is here with me. She’s okay. More bruised than anything else. She was lucky.”
“I know.”
“What’s the update, Keaton?” I take Scarlett’s hand and she sits next to me, leaning in so she can hear too.
“Well, we’ve been looking for this Finn guy, but it’s not as easy as we thought. Do you know who he is?” Keaton asks, concerned.
“No. I just know he was trying to force Scarlett into doing something she didn’t want to do the other night. What else do I need to know about him other than he’s a prick?”
“Give me that phone.” I hear Zac in the background. There’s a bit of shuffling. “Drive us back to Hunter’s,” Zac says to Keaton and then says, “Hunter, this is fucked up.”
“What do you mean, Zac? What’s going on?”
“He’s disappeared. His family will be hiding him, no doubt. They are the Bridges from Hele. They own that turf and have been in a turf war with the Strickers for years. Hunter, this is gang territory we’re getting into.”
“Fuck!” I look at Scarlett. “Did you know who you were getting together with when you went out with him?”
“No. I met him in a pub and we went on a couple of dates before that night you showed up. He was trying to force me to kiss him and have sex with him and I didn’t want to. I could tell he was shifty and I didn’t want anything to do with him. That’s why I dumped him. He wasn’t happy about it and told me to watch out for myself. He must have been watching me and that’s why he targeted your bar and you. I’m so sorry to bring all of this to your doorstep.”
“Scarlett, don’t worry about it. Honestly, you’re worth any trouble that’s thrown at us. We can handle ourselves.”
I turn my attention back to Zac.
“So, little bro, what are we going to do about it?”
“Well, as you know, I have some friends who can help me out here. You know it’s not legal, but I don’t think that matters in this instance.”
“Are these your friends from London?” I ask, hesitantly and quietly as I don’t want Mum to overhear me. She
would panic if she thought Zac was even in contact with those friends.
“Yes. They have my back and I have theirs. It doesn’t matter that I haven’t seen or heard from them in two years. They’re the ones who will help us, and quickly. I’m going to ring them now while Keaton is driving us to yours. After we’ve had dinner, we need to get Ainsley to take Mum home and then we can make some plans. Will Scarlett be up to this? She might have to get involved as she knows him better than we do.”
I look at her and she nods her head.
“Yeah. She’s in. But if she gets hurt, Zac, it’s on your head. I don’t care if you’re my brother or not.”
“Hunter, I got this. This is my speciality. I wouldn’t let a woman get hurt ever. You know that.”
“Yeah. Sorry, bro.”
He hangs up and I take a few deep breaths.
“I’m sorry, Hunter,” Scarlett says, trying to get away from me.
“Don’t you go anywhere, baby. You’re staying here with me, and after dinner, after we’ve planned our next move, I’m kicking everyone out and you and I are going to bed.”
“I don’t think you're up…”
I laugh. “I didn’t mean that, but if you’re offering, I’m always up for it. I just want to hold you in my arms in my bed tonight. That would make me feel so much better.”
She kisses me and then we sit back and close our eyes for a few moments. It has been a busy day.
We’re woken with a start when Zac crashes through the door. Even before he speaks, I know he’s angry. He’s a very aggressive man and his body seems to pump up when the endorphins flow through him like they are right now. He’s looking for a fight and Finn is the one who needs to look out.
“What the fuck, Zac? You woke us up.”
“Still sleeping, are you? You pussy. You should be out looking for whoever did this to your woman.”
“Now now, boys,” Mum says, diffusing the situation. “Hunter can’t go out today; I won’t let him. And you, my boy, need to calm down before you go charging after anyone and end up in prison. Now sit. Dinner is ready.”
‘Sorry, Mum,” Zac says, calming down instantly.
We all sit at the table and talk about Keaton’s upcoming championship that we want to go and watch.
“At least I’m not going up against Dakota this time,” Keaton says. “She won’t be anywhere near the place and I’m going to smash it.” He smiles.
“Are you talking about Dakota Ryan?” Scarlett says. We all turn to look at her. “Yes. Why? Do you know her?” Keaton asks.
“Yeah. I went to school with her. She’s lovely.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same Dakota Ryan? The one I know is such a bitch!”
“Keaton James, you can’t use language like that about a girl. That’s just not right,” Mum says, banging her fork down on the table.
“But, Mum, she is. She taunts me all the time. You know she’s the bane of my life. I hate her.”
We all start laughing; he really sounds like a spoilt child who keeps losing and is annoyed at the person who keeps winning. Actually, it is just like that.
“I’m supposed to meet her this weekend. She’s going to watch some competition.” Scarlett starts giggling. “Is that the one you’re talking about?” She looks at Keaton’s stricken face. “She keeps talking about this guy that she hates. He’s her nemesis. She must be talking about you. Oh my God!”
“Keaton, this is too funny,” I say, joining Scarlett in laughing.
“Right, you just laugh away. It’s not like I’ve been helping you today at all, Hunter.”
“Oh, yeah. Scarlett, stop laughing at Keaton. It’s not nice!” I say, trying to scold her without laughing.
She smiles and I can see she’s trying to hold her laugh in. “Sorry. She really is a bitch. Oh, Keaton. You’re so funny.” Scarlett has tears running down her face. This is just what we all need.
When dinner is finished, the girls clean up and the rest of us sit down in the lounge to work out what we’re going to do next.
“Now that I know his name, I can do some searches and see what I can come up with,” Skylar says, reaching for the laptop. When he opens it, he starts clicking away on the keys. We’re so used to hearing the clicking that we just ignore it and concentrate on what else we’re going to do.
“I have my friends coming down to help out. When they heard it was the Bridges, they wanted in. They should be here in an hour. When Mum goes, we can let them in and sort this out once and for all,” Zac says. He stands up and starts pacing the room. He’s like a caged tiger, walking round and round just waiting to jump on his prey.
“Great. We need to find him and his mate.” I say, worried this is all out of our league.
Scarlett comes back into the lounge and looks at me to see if can she come in and sit with us. I nod and she sits next to me. Ainsley follows her in and sits next to her. Mum stands looking at us all.
“I love my family. You all come together and look after each other. Just be careful and don’t do anything stupid. I’m going home. Dad was away today and he’s due back soon. Hunter, Scarlett, look after each other and rest.” She walks over and kisses each one of us, including Scarlett.
Ainsley walks her to the door and then comes back to sit down. It’s only about ten minutes later when Zac gets a call.
“Yeah. Okay. Meet you there.” He hangs up. I guess his friends like to talk as much as he does.
“I’m heading out, guys. I’ll catch up with you later. We need to open Mixology anyway so these guys are going to help me with security tonight – just in case,” he says then turns and leaves.
“Yeah, I guess I’d better go too,” Keaton says. “Come on, Ainsley. Some of us have work to do tonight.”
She looks at us and kisses me on the cheek. “See you later, Hunter. You’ll be well enough to work in a couple of days.”
“I’ve never had a day off since I started. This feels weird.”
She laughs. “Time to get some you time then.” They leave.
Skylar is still sitting there, clicking on the keys. When he looks up, everyone else has gone. “Hmm, suppose I’d better be going,” he says, laughing. “I have a music booth to run. I might be onto something, Hunter. I’ll check in with you if there’s any news.” He closes his laptop and stands. “See you later, Scarlett.”
She surprises me as she stands and hugs him. “Thanks for taking care of me, Skylar. I really appreciate it.” He blushes like mad and I snigger to myself.
“Yeah, um… see you later.” He rushes out of the apartment.
It’s quiet when everyone has left.
“I thought they’d never leave,” I say.
“I know. So, what do we do now? You need to rest,” Scarlett says, standing up again. “What can I get you?”
I look at her and feel my chest getting tight. I’m so lucky to have her in my life. She makes me feel whole again.
“I just want you. Then I’ll feel better.”
She smiles and reaches down to help me off the couch. “Come on, soldier. Let’s get you to bed and I can take care of you,” she says, before she realises what she said and blushes. “That’s...”
“I know what you meant, and I think I like your idea better.” I chuckle.
I take her hand and guide her into my bedroom. I’ve never had a girl here before; it’s strange. She looks around and then I lay on the bed and she lays with me. She turns on her side, looking at me while I lay on my back.
She touches my cheek and then moves her finger slowly down my body.
“Scarlett, we don’t have to do anything. I told you, I just want to hold you.”
“I know, Hunter, and I want you to do that too, but I just keep thinking about Mixology,” she says, not stopping her finger in its slow descent down my body.
“Why… why are you thinking of Mixology?” I stumble over my words as her finger reaches my belt.
“Well, I know you can’t work tonight so you’r
e going to miss out on the cocktail of the day. What is it tonight?” She’s now straddling my lower legs, looking up at me.
“Tonight… tonight is a Sloe Comfortable Screw.” My eyes light up when I say the words.
“Hmm.” She sits up and I feel the loss of her fingers.
She pulls her t-shirt over her head, wincing slightly as she does it. She pulls her hair to one side and knots it to keep it back. “I was thinking…” she says.
“What? What were you thinking?” I can’t take my eyes off her tits. They’re encased in a pretty, white, lace bra and spilling over the top. All I want to do is reach out and touch them. But this is her gig, and it would fucking hurt.
“I missed out on Monday night at Mixology, so how about we run through these cocktails. Monday was…”
I stare into her eyes. “The Blow Job,” I say, gulping loudly as I think about her hot mouth around my cock.
“And Tuesday?”
“Cocksucking Cowboy.”
“Hmm, and Wednesday was Slippery Nipple,” she says, licking her lips. I was hard already, but now it physically hurts. It feels like my cock is going to bust out of my jeans. I moan as she reaches down and undoes my belt slowly. Too slowly. She lifts my hips and starts to take down my jeans and boxers.
“What about Thursday night? Oh, yeah. A Screaming Orgasm. I like the sound of that one.”
“Me too.” I moan, unable to do anything except watch her.
“What are the cocktails for tomorrow night and Sunday night?” she asks, pausing and looking up at me.
“Sex on the Beach and Happy Ending,” I say, breathlessly.
“Ohh, I’ve never had sex on a beach. I like the sound of that. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got enough to keep us going tonight anyway.” She gives me a wicked grin.
“What are you going to do to me, Scarlett? You know I can’t move a lot.”
“I know that, that’s what I’m counting on. If this is going to be a regular thing between us…”
“It is,” I say quickly.
“Then I know for a fact I’m not going to be able to get you at my mercy very often. I get the impression you like to lead and I bet you’re alpha in the bedroom.”
