by Claire Adams
I took him breakfast in bed, waking him with a kiss on the head. He stretched his limbs and yawned audibly, his eyes squeezed closed. When he opened his eyes, he threw his hands around me and hugged me tightly.
“You okay, big guy?”
“Dad, I’m fine. Can we go hog hunting tonight?”
As much as I wanted to give into him, he needed to rest. I smiled at. “You need to rest, buddy. The hog hunting can wait, anyway.”
“Really?” He was obviously too beat to hide his disappointment like he usually did.
“As soon you get well, we will go hunt those hogs. Is that better, buddy?” I asked, his expression brightening up into a hopeful smile. I could not disappoint him again. He deserved better for being the most perfect son a parent could hope for. “So, you better eat this meal I prepared for superheroes like you.”
He perked up and looked over at the tray, seeing the delicious food whose inviting smell lingered around his room. He happily stood up and tugged my hand, pulling me up to come along with him.
“Superheroes don’t eat in bed. Only babies do.” He flexed his pretended biceps, posing as The Incredible hulk. He walked with his chest out, exiting the room with a spirit of a champion. He acted tough, but I knew he still felt a bit ill.
I carried the tray of food out of the room, taking his breakfast into the kitchen. He sat there waiting for me patiently, his feet swinging as they hung shortly from the chair. I laid the tray on the table, serving him his first meal of the day. He took the plate and ate in silence, his appetite returning from what I could tell.
I took a plate and served myself as my stomach rumbled. I watched as he ate his meal, observing if he was feeling better now. I was happy to see that he seemed cured of his fever, although I needed to be sure he was fully recovered.
“Hey, buddy. I think it’s best if you come along with Dad today. It’s just a tour of the town’s museum later, right?” I asked him.
He nodded, though he looked a bit sad about not coming along on the trip.
“Don’t worry, buddy. I have better plans for you later.” He looked up, grabbing his attention by my last statement. He looked at me with inquiring eyes, searching for answers. He raised his brows as he waited for an answer, but I shook my head to keep him excited. “It’s a surprise.”
I continued my meal as I watched him look pumped for what was yet to come.
*
“You look so cheerful today that it makes me worried.” Garren took one of the guns out of the display case, searching the customer’s requested item as he bumped into me. His sarcasm was thick…as per usual.
I punched his arm, telling him to focus on work instead of goofing around.
“So, how’s the hunt? You must have had a lot of game last night.” Garren walked side by side with me, approaching our respective clients to talk to.
I smiled, leaving the conversation hanging between us.
“What?” He was hoping for something clear, although he knew something interesting had happened in his absence. He was good at reading my mind, but we had been friends since we were kids. It wasn’t too damn hard to do.
“Man, we had some wild times last night.” He let out a toned chuckle as he stopped walking right before we reached our customers. His brows were wrinkled, but his eyes were screaming his desire to hear the gist of the night.
“So, Kylie was the big catch.” I pushed him forward, telling him not to keep the customers waiting. He was hoping for an answer, but I refrained from disclosing the details of what happened. Watching him squirm was far too much fun.
“Dude,” he mumbled. “What the fuck happened? Tell me, man.”
“I will, you idiot, but first, we got to get these deals done before I tell you the rest of the night’s adventure.” I faced my client and assisted him until he decided to buy something.
“So, a promise is a promise.” Garren turned to me after his client left, a smile on his face. He hopped up on the table and gave me a look. “Spill. Now.”
“I guess you know the rest of it.” I kept things mysterious. A part of me expected him to ask some nasty questions like, “How was she in bed?” or “Does she have some nice tits?” but he didn’t.
“You’re such a pussy.” He teased me for my cowardly ways, averting his questions. “Tell me what happened. What are you? Ten?”
“Man, my son’s here. Watch it; we don’t want him hearing these things.”
“Then spill.” He leaned closer. “Who did you shock with that monster in your britches and was she good?”
Garren let out another joyous chuckle, seeing the panic in my eyes.
“Yeah, and Kylie from next door.” I rolled my eyes. “Now who’s acting ten?”
“Kylie? I never noticed you had your eyes on her,” he kidded, keeping his candor despite his teasing. “But man, I’m happy for you. Finally, you took my advice. Linda left you four years ago and never looked back, bro. You had to move on. That shit is long overdue.”
“Yeah. It is, right?” I smiled at him, surprised at how good I felt. It was a breath of fresh air. It was refreshing and amazing. I never thought I would feel this way again. I got lost in my thoughts for a moment.
Garren whistled and stood, popping me in the chest as he walked to the front. “Hey, Hunter. Someone’s looking for you.”
I glanced up to see Kylie. A smile spread across my face. She had to be the most beautiful woman in the world. I wasn’t just falling in lust with her, but love. Fuck me. I was probably already there.
Kylie stood before the glass display cases looking pretty as ever. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, highlighting her attractive, delicate face. She wore a red checkered blouse which was tied up a little above the waist. Her navel was peeking out, exhibiting her sexy curves for me to see. Those skinny, dark denim jeans she wore were precisely showing her nice, long legs. I could not take my eyes off of her, beaming as she showed her gun case in her right hand.
I hurried to greet her. She had to be there for some real target practice. Yes. I’d been waiting all damn day to see her.
“Nice seeing you, Kylie. You look beautiful.” I took a deep breath, completely swept off of my feet by her.
Her lips curved into a sweet smile, her cheeks flushed. “Thanks.”
I nodded at Garren, who knew my sign. I needed back up so I could spend a little bit of time with my newest obsession. I took her with me as we picked Vince from the back office. He was coloring some of his books again, but upon seeing Kylie, he wanted to come and watch the gun practice along with us.
“Okay, buddy. But you have to keep away and sit still as the shooting starts, okay?” I smiled down at him.
His eyes lit up. I guess I was not the only one thrilled by Kylie’s company.
The three of us walked out of the back door, coming into the range that was set up at the back of the shop. It was the ideal place to shoot some targets. I had put this up for the enthusiasts and interested people ready to learn some new, badass skills.
“So, let me see your gun again.” I motioned for her to pull it out.
She took the gun out of the case, looking prepared, as if she knew the basics of loading the gun. “Here you go.”
“Saying ‘I’m impressed’ is not enough. You’ve done your homework well, Kylie,” I kidded, seeing she had researched about the preparations for gun shooting and practice.
She smiled at me, walking past me as she proceeded to the shooting area. “I had a good teacher.”
Her sultry voice had my body hardening. There was no way I was going to be able to keep myself in check around her, but I had to. The little man was with us. I followed her, taking my spot beside her. “I’ll teach you how to shoot that target today.” I pointed my finger at a thin, flat wood that stood approximately a few feet away from where we stood.
“I’d like that.” She offered me a shy smile.
“All right. Let’s get on some protective gear and we’ll get to it.” I put on mine first and
she watched me, mimicking my movements. She was too cute in her safety goggles and vest.
“All right. Just relax and listen to what I tell you to do. I’m here to help.” I positioned behind her, pressing my body to her back to enable better control over her grasp. She held the gun tightly in her hands, and I cupped mine over hers as I guided her toward shooting the target.
My face was close to hers, and I could hear her breathing speed up. I could tell that she was tense, although she suppressed her emotions inside of her. How badly I wanted to kiss her.
“Now, just aim at the target, Miss Kylie.” Vince’s small voice rose up beside her, pulling me back to reality.
“Now, on the count of three, pull the trigger. Remember, keep your grip tight and steady. You want to hit that target where you want him shot,” I whispered at her side, her hair near my mouth. She smelled sweet, like vanilla and lilies.
“One, two, three!” The sound of the gun clamored around the area as the bullet went flying at top speed. I looked at Vince who had taken a seat. He clapped upon seeing the target hit.
“Nice, now try it without my supervision.” I released my hold on hers, although I hoped I could touch her some more. She tried on her own, keeping her attention fixed on the target. She pulled the trigger, and the target was hit somewhere on the body, inaccurate but at least landing on the enemy decoy.
“Great. Keep on trying,” I spoke, crossing my arms before my chest as I watched her shoot more bullets toward the target. By the sequence of her shots, she seemed to have a good feel for her own gun. And she looked damn fine using it.
“I love it!” She smiled over at us.
Vince and I both smiled back, both of us with a sappy look on our faces, no doubt.
“Guess we’ve got a natural over here.” I turned at Vince who was still clapping his hands, impressed by her fast, adaptive skills.
“Not really if compared with you.” She put the gun down on the table, walking over to us. “This was so helpful, Hunter. I would like to return your kindness by cooking dinner for you guys. You should taste my specialty.”
My mind went to every naughty thought I could conjure up. She’d tasted me the night before, put I’d yet to open her up and drink her nectar. Dinner and then maybe she could be my dessert? But not tonight. Vince came first. He had to.
“Yeah, I think we would love that. But I think it needs to wait until this little hero gets well.” As much as I wanted to have dinner with her, I needed to be sure Vince was all well.
Kylie nodded in agreement. She was beaming beautifully, her sincere smile drawn on her angelic face. “Great then. I’ll be ready whenever you guys are.”
Chapter Twelve
Kylie
We wrapped things up, and Hunter walked me to my car. I stopped just before we got to it and turned to face him. I had to see him one more time.
“Today was fun.” I was smiling from ear to ear as I took the gun case from him.
He returned the same smile I wore, seemingly sharing the same experience as I did. “You are a fast learner. A joy to watch.” He leaned closer to me, my heart beating fast again. That similar feeling I felt when he was at my back, teaching my how to shoot re-birthed inside of me. I closed my eyes, anticipating a kiss from him.
Only when his lips touched my forehead did I realize he was kissing me goodbye. I opened my eyes again, struck by his gentle kiss on my head. “See you soon, Kylie.”
“Yeah. Okay.” I got into the car, a little disappointment. I wanted a real kiss. We’d fucked in the barn the night before. Maybe it meant more to me than it did to him?
I ignored my internal questions and waved at him as I drove off, my heart still racing. I had never felt this before. Butterflies fluttered inside my stomach. Although my eyes were on the road, my head was somewhere off in space. Somewhere above the clouds, thinking of things that caused my body to ache and grow wet.
I got to the store and parked, freaked out that I had driven without thinking about it at all. I walked in to find my mother waiting for me, the look on her face showing that she had been nervous.
“How did the gun practice go?” Her eyes were on the new novelette she had just started yesterday as she manned the counter. It was late afternoon, but the store seemed a little bit empty. I walked toward her and stopped.
“It’s pretty great, Mom. I got Hunter to teach me how to use the gun with a target.”
I pinned my name tag on the chest portion of my shirt as I stood before the counter. My mother was still reading her novelette as if she did not care much about what I had to say. She was still pissed about me disobeying her advice.
I walked over to her, taking the book out of her grasp. She stared at me with her green eyes. Only then did I see that she was troubled and worried. I squeezed her shoulder and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“Mom, we are going to be safe now. The gun will help us, in case things make a turn for the worse.”
She looked at me and ceded a weak smile. “And do you plan on using that scary thing if someone comes in here and threatens us?”
It was a good question. I shook my head, still uncertain about my intent. I hadn’t considered what I was going to do with the gun. All I knew was that having it, and knowing how to use it, helped me feel safe. Shooting a man was not part of my thought process. I wasn’t sure I could do something like that, no matter what.
“I’m not sure yet, Mom. Maybe, but hopefully, we don’t have to face something like that.”
“Yep. Hopefully not.” She went back to her romance novellas and left me to my thoughts. It was a dangerous place to be.
*
After my shift had ended, I decided to visit Bailey before going home. She had been worried sick upon hearing that my house had been broken into by burglars, but I never got the chance to see her and update her on the investigation. Now that I had some free time, I figured I’d stop by and see her and Cat.
I knocked on their front door, and Bailey opened it. She had Cat in her arms but still managed to lean in and squeeze me tightly. Cat got pinned in between the two of us and cried out before squirming around.
The three of us laughed. I loved them both so much. They were a ray of sunshine in my life that I couldn’t live without.
“Come, have a seat.” Bailey walked toward the living room. “Take a load off.”
I picked up some of the toys that were scattered on the ground, putting them in Cat’s toy box. “Sorry for not calling or coming over sooner. I got a lot of things going on.”
She helped me in picking up the toys while Cat sat on the couch, occupied by the cartoons she was watching on the TV.
“It’s okay, Kylie. As soon as you have the time, you can visit us. You doing okay after everything? You sure moving back to your house is the best idea?” She looked at me with worried eyes resembling those of my mother.
“Yeah, things are back to normal, and I stayed there last night. It was good.” I shrugged. “Besides, Hunter keeps the neighborhood in check. And I feel safer now that he taught me how to use a gun.”
I picked up the last toy and placed it in the toy box. Bailey closed the chest, her eyes smiling at me. She looked like she just heard some new gossip in town. I looked at her with a questioning gaze, waiting for her thoughts. She pursed her lips. Pain in the butt.
“What?” I crossed my arms beneath my chest.
Finally, she ended my torment and spoke what was on her mind. “You’ve talked about nothing but Hunter these past few days. Is there something I’m missing?”
From the tone of her voice, I knew she was already fully aware of what was going on. I sat beside Cat, wrapping my arm around her tiny shoulders as I planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Maybe?” I laughed.
“So, tell me! Is it what I think? Did you sleep with him?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. You lost your virginity to him, didn’t you?”
I couldn’t keep anything from her. She was my closest friend. “Yeah. I did.”
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“What!? Really?!” Her whole face lit up.
“Yeah. I went over there to learn how to hold my gun, and one thing led to the other.” I ran my hand down my face, embarrassed as hell.
She glanced at Cat and leaned close, whispering her next words. “So, was he any good? Was he big?”
I blushed upon hearing the word big. I could still feel him inside me, the tremendous part of him that filled me up. “Yes. Excessively so. I can’t get it out of my head, to be honest.”
“How big?” She mouthed and held up six fingers.
“Ten.” I leaned back and let out a long sigh.
“What?” She stood up and walked around in a circle, looking like an idiot. “Are you kidding me? How did you? Were you able to… Did he hurt you?” She put her hands on her hips, her excitement all but gone.
“What? No.” I sat back up.
“Good.” She let out a sigh and dropped back down beside me. “Well, just be careful.”
“Of?” I laughed, half expecting her to say to be careful of his monster cock, but Cat was there. We were trying hard to behave.
“Of falling for a guy like him, Kylie. Relationships need attention and time, but Hunter’s priorities are filled up already. He’s got a son and a business to manage, plus being a volunteer firefighter would limit his time even more. It’s difficult to add yourself to his tight schedule, and I don’t want to see you disappointed. Take it from someone who faced the same dilemma.”
“I know the risks.” I felt defensive, which I hated, but she didn’t know him. He was different. He had to be. Everyone loved this man…including me.
“Hey, I want you to be happy. I know how you are. But also, I want you to be happy not only for a short period of time. I wish the best for you, and as your best friend, I don’t want you coming back here and crying due to heartbreak.”
“I know. I appreciate that. I’ll be careful, really.” I forgot about everything and laid back on the couch. Cat crawled up in my lap and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. We stayed that way until the baby grew bored of me.
