by Molly O'Hare
Harnessing all her newly found ninja skills Abbie carefully shut the bathroom door.
Okay, it might have been the fact the rain was hitting the window hard, or that Hunter apparently slept like the dead, but Abbie wanted to believe in her bomb ass ninja skills.
Once she was safely inside, she finally took a deep breath. Abbie didn’t dare turn on the light. At this point, it would be her luck the light would cause Hunter to finally wake up.
As she leaned against the door, tears formed in her eyes. How in the world was she ever going to survive this? How had her life turned into such a fucking mess? How could she had been so stupid to sleep with Hunter?
Hunter fucking James.
How?
And no matter how hard she fought against her mind, she liked it. She liked every dirty second of it.
Abbie pushed herself off the door and walked to the sink. She braced herself on the countertop with her hands as her head hung low with the gravity of the situation.
There were so many things she needed to sort out, but she had no idea where to start. From his words to his actions, to the fact he seemed to love her body. All of it.
One of her hands went to her stomach. She’d never had qualms about the way she looked before. Hell, if people didn’t like her, that was their problem, not hers. But with Hunter, it was different.
Different was what they did.
It was always a competition with him.
Abbie closed her eyes as the memory of Hunter’s touch on her skin filled her mind. He seemed to like it, wait no, he seemed to be possessed by it.
A shiver ran down her body as her gut twisted into knots. There was no way she was going to survive this.
Abbie placed her hand back on the sink as tears pricked her eyes. Life wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. Nowhere in the cards, did she think Hunter would show back up or that she would end up sleeping with him.
It didn’t make any sense, she was supposed to hate him.
Her heart constricted. But if she was supposed to hate him, why did she feel more at peace when he was there? And on the plane… She shook her head. Abbie wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for him.
A single tear fell from her eyes. With everything that happened, how was it possible that right now even though she hated Hunter, all she wanted to do was crawl back in bed with him.
What was wrong with her? Quickly, she wiped away the tears trying her best to control her heart.
For the first time since sneaking into the bathroom, Abbie slowly looked up to stare into the mirror. She gasped in horror.
She was a mess.
A freaking mess. Her hair was all over the place, her face was puffy, and as she looked carefully down her body, she could already see bruises forming on her hips.
She groaned as she felt her world shattering around her. Universe, it’s me, Abbie, again. I know we’ve been having a crap ton of these heart to hearts. I’d like to say I’d tone them down, but who am I kidding? Is there any way—
She froze mid-thought as a cold sweat broke out over her body. “We didn’t use protection.”
Chapter Seventeen
Hunter stretched as he slowly opened his eyes. Damn, he felt good. He didn’t think he’d ever slept so well before.
He wasn’t that surprised, though. Abbie was a fucking animal. After they finished, she passed out, and he was seconds from doing the same. He pulled the sheets over them and curled up with Abbie finally in his arms.
So, hell yeah, he slept great.
The sound of rain hitting the window reminded him of the hurricane. How had he forgotten? Moving his eyes to the window he watched the trees bend in the wind as the rain coated everything.
It was bad.
Really bad.
Hunter looked at the clock on the nightstand. They’d only slept for a few hours. Thankfully, there was still power.
His eyes shot to the window as a branch hit it. This had to be the winds at the eyewall. He’d been in enough hurricanes to tell. The eyewall was always the worst.
Then it went calm.
An eerie calm.
Even though everything became a standstill, the eye was by far the most dangerous. As the hurricane moved over you, the eye never lasted long. And what was on the other side was deadly.
Very deadly.
As the winds flipped directions, the danger only worsened.
Thank fuck the hotel had a room for them. If they hadn’t found shelter who knows what could have happened.
But none of that mattered. They were safe.
And more importantly, Abbie - a naked Abbie, was lying right next to him.
His signature smirk appeared on his face as Hunter quietly stretched trying not to wake her, feeling his muscles loosen. Damn, he felt amazing. Finally, being able to touch, taste, fuck Abbie was a dream come true.
His dream come true.
The way she moved her body against his begging for more was caveman inducing.
Shit, Abbie was a fucking beast in bed.
Hunter’s smirk turned into a full-on toothy grin as he realized with the way the hurricane was raging on outside, he figured they could get in a few more rounds before they got the all-clear.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
Plus, with the way the sheet was now tenting at his lower half, he knew there was only one way to ease the ache in his groin.
I’ve always wanted to wake someone up by my tongue being between their legs. Who better to do that with than Abs? His mouth watered at the thought of her taste.
Fuck hurricane food, he knew exactly what he was having for a snack.
Hunter slowly — trying his best not to wake Abbie, turned his body to finally face her.
Everything stopped.
It was like a pocket of ice hit him. The sheets were empty.
As in fucking empty.
Dread washed through him as his eyes shot around the room.
Nothing.
Hunter’s adrenaline kicked in as he jumped from the bed. He ran to the bathroom. When he pushed open the door only to be greeted with an empty room, his gut clenched.
Abbie was gone.
Panic ran through him. Holy shit she was fucking gone.
This couldn’t be happening.
As he scanned the room, he noticed Abbie’s suitcase still on the ground. Okay, that was a good sign, right? I mean she didn’t just up and leave and never plan to come back. Her things were here.
And knowing Abbie, she wasn’t walking around the hotel naked.
As fast as he could, he ran to his bag before throwing on a shirt and a pair of gym shorts. When he reached for his thing, he saw Abbie’s phone on the floor.
A new wave of dread ran through him. She wouldn’t have left without her phone, right?
His eyes moved to the window, as his heart slammed against his chest. The winds were dying down. That only meant one thing.
The eye was here.
Fuck. He had to find her.
Hunter quickly threw on his shoes as he ran down the hall, scanning his surroundings as he went. It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Deciding it was best to start in the lobby, he jogged to the elevator and hit the button. That’s when the power flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Boom.
He was thrust into darkness. “Fuck, are you kidding me?” How could this get any worse? He groaned.
Hunter pulled out his cell phone. Turning on the in-camera flashlight he scanned his surrounding area. That’s when he found the door to the staircase.
When he swung it open, he was surprised to see auxiliary lights. Thank god, they must have a generator.
As fast as he could he ran down the four flights of stairs until he reached the first floor. The moment he opened the door, he scanned the area.
Just like on the fourth floor there wasn’t a soul in sight. Apparently, everyone else had the right idea by staying in their room where it was saf
e.
Hunter’s eyes hardened. As soon as he got his hands on Abbie, he was going to kill her.
At least it was brighter down here. Since the lobby was full of windows, Hunter threw his phone back into his pocket as he headed toward the front desk. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when he saw no one there.
Figures.
As he continued his search for Abbie, he ran into an employee. Thank fuck. At least there was another person around. Quickly Hunter jogged up to him. “Hey man, have you seen a woman about this tall, drop-dead curves, chestnut hair? Probably a little crazed, anywhere?”
The man arched his brow. “She like to mumble obscenities and threats to throat punch a lot?”
Relief ran through him. “That would be her. So, you saw her?”
“Yeah, I saw her about five minutes ago. She wanted to head outside.” He shook his head. “She was kind of feisty.”
His heart stopped. “What did you just say?”
“That she was feisty, well maybe angry I’m not really sure.” The employee shook his head. “Maybe she was drunk? Either way, it was best to stay clear.”
“You said she wanted to head outside?” Hunter’s heart plummeted as the thought of Abbie going out into the hurricane ran through him. Why in the hell would she do that?
“Yeah,” the guy answered with a shrug. “I told her she shouldn’t and needed to get back up into her room. She then flipped me off, told me to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine, before pointing outside saying it was clear.”
“It’s the fucking eye! It’s not clear.” Hunter’s heart slammed against his chest with such force he thought he might have a heart attack.
“No need to yell at me. I know it’s the eye. I tried to tell her that, but she was hell-bent on going out there.”
“So, you let her leave?” Hunter’s fists clenched. He could punch him and no one would know. The police couldn’t come out in this storm even if they wanted to.
“I don’t think you let that woman do anything. She does what she wants.” He laughed.
“Does a statewide curfew mean nothing to you?” That’s it, this guy was dead.
“Hey, I’m not the one headed out there, she was. You can’t force someone to do something they don’t wanna do. That’s not how the world works. I told her it was dangerous but she was dead set on going out there. I wasn’t going to stop her and risk my life if she wanted to be stupid.”
Hunter saw red, but he couldn’t blame the guy. He was right, it wasn’t safe and he knew Abbie. Keeping her against her will would not have ended well. “What store?”
“She asked where the nearest pharmacy was. I told her about four blocks away but I doubted they’d be open.” He shook his head. “I don’t think she heard that part. As soon as I told her which way she was out the door.” The man looked at Hunter with concern. “She looked determined to get to the store. Is she okay?”
“If she is, she won’t be when I get my hands on her.” He glared out the windows. He was going to murder her. First, he was going to kiss her, but then he was going to kill her.
This was his worst nightmare come to life. Abbie was out there in the storm. In the eye of a fucking hurricane.
Yeah, if she was safe, she wouldn’t be for long.
Hunter looked harder out the window, he could see the clouds moving as the rain started to pick back up.
This was dangerous.
He had to find her.
“Which way did she go?” he asked looking at the employee.
“That way.” He pointed out the door and to the right.
“Thanks.” Hunter ran out of the hotel and in the direction the guy mentioned.
Once he was outside, he looked to the sky, the clouds were moving faster, this wasn’t good. If he didn’t find her in time before the other side of the eyewall came, they were both screwed.
Abbie might be the love of his fucking life, but he couldn’t love her if she was dead.
This was the stupidest thing she’d ever done. Even more stupid than all the dares they’d done before.
This took the cake.
As Hunter ran down the street, the rain increased causing his heart to slam harder against his chest.
What if he couldn’t find her?
His eyes scanned every area as he searched. “Who the fuck goes out into a hurricane?” he growled as the rain pelted his face. “When I get my hands on you, Abigail Collins, you won’t sit for a fucking week. No, make that a month!”
Jesus fucking Christ.
Not seeing her anywhere Hunter took the next right. As soon as he rounded the corner, he saw a curvy woman banging on a door.
He stopped as his heart jumped recognizing her. He’d never felt relief like this before.
Stupid fucking woman.
As he watched her bang on the door he took off. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he shouted through the rain.
Abbie let out a high-pitched scream causing him to jump back. Her hand went to her heart. “Don’t scream at me like that, assface.”
His eyes dangerously hardened on her. “Abbie, you’re out in a fucking hurricane. I will scream at you until I’m blue in the fucking face. I think I’ve had ten heart attacks by now.”
When Abbie turned toward him, he saw terror in her eyes. “It’s only a little rain, Hunter.” She turned away from him in desperation before she started banging on the pharmacy door. “Please open up, you don’t understand I have to get in there.”
Hunter watched her in amazement.
“Please! I can’t do this alone! I only have a few hours to take it. Please, please I’m begging you, please open up.” Abbie fell to her knees as she pounded on the door. Hunter could swear he even heard a choked sob.
What the hell was so important she risked her life for? Shaking his head, Hunter looked around. The sky was getting darker. It was time to go. She could get whatever she needed later.
Screw this. Hunter took a few steps to Abbie before hoisting her into the air tossing her over his shoulder.
“What the hell, you Neanderthal. Let me down right now. I have to get inside.”
“It’s the middle of a fucking Hurricane, Abbie. No one is inside.”
“They have to be. You don’t understand. I’m not ready for this.”
Just then a gust of wind hit them. That’s it. They had to go. Hunter started running toward the hotel.
“I should fucking chain you to the bed for this stunt, Abbie,” he shouted keeping his hand on her ass.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me, Abbie. This isn’t a game.” He was done. With Abbie on his shoulder he sprinted toward the hotel.
“No, Hunter you’ve gotta stop.” Abbie pounded on his back. “You have to let me down right now. I need to get into the pharmacy. Right fucking now!” He heard the plea in her voice but he didn’t care.
His only concern was getting them to safety.
As if on cue, the wind increased as the rain picked up. Hunter glanced around only to see the trees start moving in the opposite direction that they had before.
Fuck!
That meant the eyewall was here. The absolute worst part of the storm was about to be on top of them and they were still a few blocks from the hotel.
If they made it out of this alive, he was going to strangle her. Fuck her senseless first, and then murder her.
“You don’t get it, Hunter, I have to get in there. Bring me back,” she yelled into his back.
“Shut up, Abbie.” Hunter slapped her ass as he continued running.
“Stop doing that!”
“No. When you finally act like an adult, I’ll stop treating you like a child. Until then, when you act like a spoiled brat, I’m gonna smack your ass.”
As the rain increased more Hunter prayed they’d make it before things started flying.
If you touch my ass one more time it will be the last thing you ever do!”
A gust of wind hit them causing Hunte
r to lose his footing. Once he steadied himself he looked up to see the hotel. Thank god!
“We didn’t use anything!”
Hunter couldn’t hear Abbie over the wind but he didn’t care. She could continue to scream at him once they were inside the hotel.
“We need to go back to the pharmacy. We didn’t use any protection!”
Anger coursed through him as Abbie’s muffled words pissed him off. Didn’t she get the fact she could die if they didn’t get inside? She could bitch at him later.
As the wind picked up, he ran faster. It was only a few more feet to the door. Once his hand touched the handle instant relief swept through him.
They were going to be okay.
Hunter’s breathing was heavy as he walked them further into the lobby. Once he knew they were somewhat out of harm’s way he grabbed Abbie’s hips taking her off his shoulder.
The second her feet hit the ground, she lunged at him. “I’m not on the fucking pill and you came in me!”
Chapter Eighteen
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”
Abbie collided with Hunter before she pinned him to the ground.
“Do you really have to do this every time something happens?” Hunter groaned as she landed on top of him.
His hands went to her hips as Abbie’s eyes narrowed. Fuck this asshole. She was pissed for so many freaking reasons. How dare he carry her like a child on his shoulder? She was soaking wet, she was scared, and the most important thing…
He fucking came in her!
Mother fucker.
Abbie locked her legs around his waist. This was his fault. All of it. Every last fucking bit of it. If Hunter hadn’t waltzed back into her life none of this shit would be happening right now.
“I hate you,” she said in a menacing tone.
Hunter’s face changed instantly.
Before she knew it, she was flipped onto the floor with Hunter staring down at her.
“No, you don’t.” His eyes were hard as he glared at her. How dare he?
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t, Abbie.”
“You don’t get to tell me how I feel, Hunter. That’s not how feelings work.” She tried pulling out of his grasp but failed miserably.
