Hunter took Roxy’s elbow and steered her away. “You’ve said enough tonight. It’s time to leave, I think.”
“Babe, you should be on my side –”
His body stiffened visibly. “Don’t call me that,” he said, the warning clear in his voice. He gave her a small push out the open door. “Go home, Roxy. And for fuck’s sake, learn to restrain yourself.” Before she could throw out a retort, he closed the door firmly in her face.
Now that Roxy was gone, Grandma’s narrowed gaze landed on Hunter. “Don’t expect me to apologize for what just happened.”
He shook his head, a rueful smile on his lips. “Wasn’t expecting you to, Dorothy.”
“Hmph. I’m going to bed. I’ll let you two clean up the mess in the kitchen.” Before leaving, Grandma looked at me pointedly. “Where’s Waldo?”
Hiding from you, was my first amused thought, but I told her that he’d left with Stacy and would be staying at our apartment indefinitely.
Grandma was not pleased by that. “Lazy, cowardly fool.” But she only had smiles for me. “Can you stay with me tonight, possum? Waldo’s bed is big enough for the both of us.” Before I could tell her no, she wheeled into Wally’s bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Hunter came up behind me, standing so close that I could feel his body heat. “You can’t fucking leave whenever you want, and then come back as if nothing’s happened.” He murmured into my ear.
I whirled around, my mouth dry. “I’m sorry about what happened tonight. If you want, I’ll take Grandma back to my apartment right now –”
“Stop talking, geek.”
The way he said “geek” hurt me. It just sounded so impersonal. I peered through my lashes, wishing I could touch his beautiful face. But it was no longer mine to touch.
He tossed a careless glance at the mess on the kitchen floor. “Clean that up yourself. I’m going to bed. When you’re done, you can stay or leave or do whatever the fuck you want. I don’t care.” And he abruptly turned away from me as if he couldn’t wait to get out of my presence.
Blinking back warm tears, I began cleaning up the eggy mess in the kitchen.
The penthouse was quiet by the time I finished. Exhausted, I turned off the lights and made my way to Wally’s bedroom, looking forward to sleeping beside Grandma. I wanted a shower before bed, but something told me Hunter wouldn’t appreciate that. It was already bad enough that I was sleeping here for the night.
I grabbed the door knob, but it wouldn’t turn. Frowning, I tried again. The fricking thing wouldn’t budge.
“Grandma,” I whispered, knocking on the door softly. “Unlock the door, please.”
She began snoring in response.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. I loved my grandma, I truly did, but sometimes she drove me nuts.
Once I was calm enough, I knocked again and asked her to please open the bloody door.
Her snores only grew louder.
My grandma had locked me out of Wally’s bedroom.
Chapter 15
Why the hell would you ask me to spend the night, and then bloody lock me out! I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. Instead, I shuffled over to the sofa and flopped down in defeat. This would have to do for now. I slipped off my shoes and tried to get comfortable.
A part of me wondered if Grandma had deliberately locked the door. Maybe she’d thought I would sneak into Hunter’s bedroom, and everything would be fine between us again? Sighing, I stared at the semi-dark ceiling, wishing I could take my clothes off. My skinny jeans were digging into my sensitive areas. In the end, I decided to take them off along with my bra. Clad only in my thin T-shirt and panties, I let out a breath of relief and made an effort to fall asleep.
Weird, crazy dreams tortured my mind. In them, I saw Hunter and Roxy fucking like animals as Grandma sat back and watched them with glee. Then she turned to me and said, “You blew it, possum. You had your chance, but you just had to let him go, didn’t you? You wouldn’t fight for him. Well, it’s too late now. Too late!” And Nightmare Grandma returned to her viewing as she threw raw eggs at Roxy’s sweaty, naked flesh.
I moaned and tossed my head, slowly opening my eyes. That was one fucked-up dream, probably the twisted result of everything that had happened the night before. I tried to go back to sleep, but something stirred a few paces in front of me. Alarmed, I let out a gasp and lifted my head.
“It’s me,” Hunter said softly, lounging near my feet. He sat where he was, simply staring and doing nothing else. It was only then that I remembered I had stripped down to my T-shirt and panties.
“Hunter, I’m sorry –”
“Shh, don’t talk.” He came over and crouched beside me, his eyes intense even in the semi-darkness.
I stared up at him, confused. I had to ask. “How long were you sitting there?”
“Ten minutes. Or maybe two hours. I lost track of time.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say after that.
He ran a thumb down my cheek. “I don’t care about your sorry excuse for leaving me. You’re not going to stop me from touching you, got it?”
“Got it,” I whispered, my breath quickening.
He reached over and roughly pulled the stretchy neckline of my T-shirt down, making my breasts pop out. After positioning the neckline under my breasts, he leaned forward and pulled a taut nipple into his warm mouth.
I bit into the fleshy part of my wrist, afraid my moans might wake Grandma up. Hunter lifted his head and gave the other nipple the same treatment, sucking and swirling his tongue over it, again and again, until I was writhing beneath him. My muffled moans were still too loud to my ears; to smother them, I grabbed a cushion and pressed it to my face.
“No.” Hunter ordered, grabbing the cushion and tossing it behind the sofa. “I have to see your face, the expressions you make every time you beg me for more.” He watched me as he slid a hand down my panties, gently rubbing my clit.
My hips automatically rose up to meet his sensual rhythm. He ran a finger up and down my clit, then went even lower to open up my sensitive folds, causing me to cry out and arch my back.
I hope you didn’t hear that, Grandma.
Then again, she had probably planned for this to happen all along.
Hunter’s face filled with male satisfaction as he bent down to my breasts once more, sucking on my nipples as he pushed a finger inside me. I grabbed either side of his head and tried to squirm away. It was too much. I was going to be screaming with pleasure any moment now.
“Hunter.” I gasped. “Take me to your bedroom –”
In response, he pushed my panties down and tongued my clit, tickling my inner thighs with his hair. When the scream came, he clapped his hand over my mouth, muffling my cries. Spasms shook my body as Hunter relentlessly sucked my pussy and drew out another blinding orgasm. I whimpered into his hand, tears gathering at the edges of my eyes.
Time seemed to pass slowly. After a while, Hunter pressed his forehead against my lower stomach. When I shifted my hips slightly, he lifted his head to look at me. A small smile played on his sexy lips.
“Look at you.” He murmured. “Flushed with satisfaction and looking fucking beautiful.”
“It’s my turn now, don’t you think?” I said softly, my gaze dropping to his erection. I balanced myself on my elbows, moistening my lips, when he suddenly stopped me.
“No.” His voice was hard. “That’s the last thing I want you to do.”
“But . . .” Again, my gaze dropped to his massive bulge. Then it hit me – why he was so dead set against me going down on him.
He probably doesn’t want to be reminded of Roxy. And all the other women who happily blew him.
Well, I could understand that. For now.
So I pulled off my panties that were bunched around my thighs and repositioned myself to look more inviting. I arched a brow at him.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” I said when he just stared at me. “I want you insi
de me, Hunter.”
He held himself back, his jaw tightening. “You know what this means, right?”
I did, but I wanted him to say it. “Tell me.”
“No more running away because of the stupidest excuses. Accepting my feelings for you. And trusting me.” He reached down, cupping my face with both hands. “That bit is the most important part.”
“I do trust you,” I whispered, taking comfort in his warm touch. “I only left because I didn’t want to end up being the baggage that could mess up your acting future.”
He positioned himself on top of me, his eyes glittering. “You’re my present and future, Rosemary Thornton. Don’t you ever forget that.” He growled before slamming his cock inside me. I gasped at the sudden invasion, but wiggled my hips to accommodate him. He began with maddening slowness, then picked up speed as our bodies undulated in synchronized movement. His hand covered my mouth, and mine covered his, both of us releasing stifled cries as he reached a powerful climax seconds after me. He remained surprisingly hard even after his release. When my heart rate gradually returned to normal, I wrapped my legs around his hips. I was unwilling to let him go just yet.
“I guess we’ve gotten ourselves into a pickle.” I murmured, threading my fingers through his hair. There was still that matter with Roxy, which had to be addressed. “What’s your agent going to say about all this?”
Hunter frowned. “Who gives a shit what she thinks?”
Before I could stop myself, I retorted, “Well, apparently you do, since you let her go down on you the moment she threatened to destroy your career.”
Tense silence hung between us. Finally, Hunter blew out a long, frustrated breath.
“It’s a good thing I’ve got you pinned down, geek. Otherwise, you’d have run away from me again after having the last word.” When I shot him a sullen glance, he continued on. “All right, then. Let’s talk about this. I admit that when Roxy threatened to torpedo my chances in Hollywood, I hesitated. I mean, all I’ve got is a BA in Government.” He let out a hollow laugh. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? And how’s that going to help me earn enough money to take care of you?”
I strongly objected to that last question. “I don’t need you to take care of me –”
“Hush. Let me finish. So when Roxy threatened me, I was at a loss. It was stupid, but I didn’t know what else to do. And I let her have her way.” Torment filled his eyes. “It fucking killed me to think you saw and heard all that. Even worse was when you said nothing about it and acted like everything was fine.” His hands gripped my shoulders painfully, making me wince. “Then you left, and all I had was that stupid text message on my phone. How could you leave after the incredible night we shared? How could you possibly think that I would be okay with that?”
Hunter began pumping his hips, his intense gaze locked on my face. “Don’t ever forget that you’re mine, Roe. Don’t you ever dare question it.” His breathing quickened as he reached between us and thumbed my clit, eliciting a gasp out of me. “Fuck, I love it when you make these little noises. They drive me crazy.” And his own restraint broke loose as he roughly thrust into me – claiming me right there on the sofa, not caring if Grandma or the entire fifty-third floor heard our pleasurable cries.
It took a while before sense came back to me.
When we finally quieted down, our sweaty limbs were tangled around each other. Hunter shifted and planted a kiss between my breasts.
“So . . . anything else you want to know?” This time, he pressed a lingering kiss on my shoulder.
I ran my hands up his biceps, loving the protective way he held me. “What about Roxy? She obviously believes there’s something going on between you two.” She had called Hunter “babe” in front of me, as if to make sure I knew who he really belonged to. Of course, that had only resulted in Hunter kicking her out seconds later.
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “I’ve been searching for new agents. Roxy can make her threats, but I know she’s not the only game in town.”
“You should find a rival agent, someone she can’t stand.”
He laughed softly and tweaked my nose. “I love the way your mind works, geek.”
Eventually, we moved into his bedroom to snuggle in bed and talk some more, the morning’s predawn light turning the room to a bluish-gray hue. I felt exhausted, but I didn’t want to sleep. Instead, I grabbed my phone and took a picture of Hunter in bed.
“Can you upload this to your Instagram page?” I asked, stretching out my hand to show him the photo. Although I didn’t like sharing him with millions of followers, I felt somewhat smug at the thought that I was the only one who actually got to sleep with this insanely hot specimen of a man. In the photo, the angle of Hunter’s tousled hair, sleepy eyes, naked chest, and overall demeanor in the early morning light indicated that he wasn’t alone in bed. Essentially, it was an image with a very clear message: This man is taken.
“Why don’t you do it?” he said sleepily, giving me his password before nodding off.
And so I did. For the caption, I typed, “So tired. And unbelievably happy.”
Now it was up to his followers to interpret the meaning behind those five words.
Chapter 16
The photo of Hunter in bed surrounded by predawn light went viral. At least among his twelve million frantic followers, anyway. Comments below the picture included gems such as “Who’s the bitch who took the pic?” and “Guys, he’s talking about his latest modeling campaign. Don’t jump to conclusions, y’all.” And then of course, there were thousands of “Whhhaaaat’s” and “NooooOOoo’s!” followed by heartbroken and crying face emojis.
“There’s nothing wrong with controversy every now and then,” I said to Hunter as he laughed into the phone. Frankly, there was nothing remotely controversial about the damn picture, but his fans were reacting as if he’d just publicly announced his decision to undergo a sex-reassignment surgery in Bangkok. “What did Roxy say about it?”
“She was pissed, naturally. Said it would ruin my ‘brand’ or something.”
“So hot guys can never have girlfriends or even hook up?”
“Sure they can. They just have to keep mum about it.”
“Oh, trust me, your fans will never see my face. The last thing I want is to bump into one of them in a dark alleyway. They’ll probably scratch my eyeballs out, rip off my scalp, and then donate my corpse to the Body Worlds Exhibition.”
“You’re bloody mental,” he said, still laughing. “It’s probably because of all those crazy slasher films you like to watch.”
“Speaking of mental, I’m surprised Roxy didn’t scratch your face off.” I made a skeptical noise. “She really didn’t threaten to nuke your career?”
Hunter snorted. “I bet she never had that kind of power to begin with. She’s a good agent and knows plenty of important people, but heaps of other agents have the same connections.”
I still felt uncomfortable. After all, Roxy wasn’t the type to give up so easily. I wondered what she was planning behind the cool, professional façade she’d placed back on again.
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask. Roxy’s forcing me to have a small party at the penthouse tomorrow, and I want you to be here.” A coaxing tone entered his voice. “Wally and Stacy are coming as well, and Dorothy agreed to play nice and join the party –”
“Why the hell would she do that?” I interrupted, especially since it was Roxy’s little gathering and all.
“Probably to keep an eye on Roxy. And maybe plan another accident involving eggs,” Hunter replied, sounding amused.
Knowing Grandma, I wouldn’t put it past her. “Well, sure, I’ll be there tomorrow night.” Helen Archer exited from her room, holding a piece of paper in her hand. “Uh, listen, my boss is coming. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” And I reluctantly ended our call.
The gleam in her eyes instantly made me suspicious. “You’re looking quite pleased with yourself.” I noted.
&nb
sp; “I feel so wonderful and alive!” she declared, spreading out her arms. “I’ve found him, Rosemary.”
“I’m intrigued. And who’s ‘him’?”
“My muse!” When I gave her a blank stare, she explained, “He inspires creativity I never even knew existed in me. In fact, my writer’s block is gone. Everything is just so exciting with him!” She handed me the paper, her cheeks flushed with anticipation. “Read this. I’m using him as my next protagonist.”
I swallowed a sigh and began reading silently. There was definitely a change in her writing – she was almost veering into erotica now. But it was the protagonist that caught my attention. She described him as tall and skinny, with dark curly hair and a penchant for chain-smoking. He was the complete opposite of her usual romantic heroes.
I glanced up, confused. “Your protagonist’s name is Lorenzo?”
“Hmmm, Loreeeenzo!” she said in a singsong voice, looking eerily similar to a starry-eyed school girl. “Doesn’t he just sound exotic? Like such a bad boy?”
Sounds more like my roommate, actually, I thought, frowning. A horrible idea occurred to me. Ah shit, please don’t tell me she’s the client he’s boinking!
“Uh, this is different . . . in a good way,” I said, steering our conversation back to the writing. As for Lorenzo, I would deal with him later. “I like the new sparse style.”
“So do I!” Helen sashayed back to her room, an extra bounce in her step. “Listen, take the rest of the afternoon off. And on the way, could you drop by . . .”
I rubbed my temples as she rattled off a list of places I needed to go. The dry cleaners to pick up a suit, the toy store to buy a new doll for her spoiled daughter, the post office to mail a package to her most ardent fan, and of course, the liquor store to get a bottle of expensive red. She wanted me to drop them off at her Beverly Hills home.
This was not “taking the rest of the afternoon off.” Briefly, I wondered if she was punishing me for my long weekend.
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