More Exposed (The Exposed Series, #4)

by Deborah Bladon

  "I told you not to do that." There's frustration skirting his tone. "Sadie, I left keys to two cars there for you. Why didn't you take one?"

  "I prefer the bus," I lie. The truth was that I didn't feel comfortable driving either car because they both were too expensive.

  "Liar," he spits back with a chuckle. "I'm buying you a car when I get back."

  "You're not." I try to sound determined. "I can study on the bus. This works well." It doesn't. I hate the bus. It's impossible to concentrate on anything because of all the sudden movements and people milling about.

  "Then buy yourself a car." He rarely brings up my trust fund. I know he wouldn't be doing it now unless he was really concerned about my safety and comfort.

  "The bus is fine." I want the conversation to be over. This is the first time I've heard his voice since he left and I don't want to mire our time talking about my mode of transportation.

  There's such a prolonged silence on the other end of the line that I'm certain the call has dropped. "Sadie," he finally speaks. "We're finding a new place next week. As soon as Cory's birthday party is over, we're moving."

  I don't try to disagree. It wouldn't matter if I did. He's determined and once Hunter wants something, nothing will stop him from getting it.

  Chapter 5

  "You're baking a cake?" He doesn't even try and mask the surprise in his voice.

  I turn around to face him as I clap my hands together causing flour to float through the air. "Stop acting like I can't do it."

  "It's not an act." He brushes the light dusting of powder from his black sweater. "You can't bake."

  I try to stifle a laugh but I can't. "I want to make Cory's birthday cake myself." It's a genuine attempt. This is my third cake today. The other two hadn’t worked out but I'm focused and determined and maybe I'm getting a little discouraged.

  "I can think of a much better use for your time." He runs his hand down my side until it's resting on my hip.

  "What might that be?" My pulse is already racing at the promise of making love.

  "This," he whispers the word softly across my cheek as he undoes the button fly on my jeans. "And this." He slides his hand into my panties and runs his fingers over my cleft. "I need this."

  I drop the whisk I'm holding in my hand and reach back to steady myself against the kitchen counter. "Yes, please."

  "Your choice, sunshine. You can bake a cake or I can touch you just like this until you come."

  "We'll buy a cake," I mutter into his chest.

  He scoops me into his arms and carries me to the bedroom. He doesn't waste any time pulling my jeans and panties off before he unbuttons my blouse. "No bra." I feel his smile against my skin as he takes one of my swollen nipples into his mouth.

  I push my body back onto the bed as I moan. "I love when you bite them," I confess. I want to feel that sharp edge of pain mixed with pleasure. I want to let go and feel everything I can.

  He pushes one hand into the bed above my head as he leans down to kneel on one knee. I stare up at him, he's fully dressed, his face awash with desire as he runs his fingers through my swollen folds.

  "I'm going to make you come just like this, Sadie." His breath skirts across my nipple before he licks it and pulls it between his teeth.

  "Yes," I moan as my hips circle the bed, trying to get his hand to bring me to the edge.

  "You want to come." It's not a question; it's a fact. He knows it. He can tell just from feeling how wet I am at the promise of an orgasm. "I'll take you there."

  I close my eyes and seep in all the sensations as his teeth course pained bites across my nipple. My back arches at the deep rooted pleasure. He slowly pushes a finger inside of me now as his thumb circles my nub. It's all so much. Every cell in my body is yearning and aching for release. I moan uncontrollably when he slides another finger into me.

  "I love how tight you are," he growls into my breast. "You're so wet, sunshine. It's so good."

  I can only nod in response. I'm lost in the race to find my release. All that exists for me is his mouth, his voice and his hand.

  "You're getting close." He knows it. He can sense it by the way my body is tensing. He slides one more finger in and pumps me slowly. I know I'm going to come. I want to tell him but I can't form the words. I just throw my back into the bed, push my hips up and let out a deep, heavy moan.

  "That's it." He coaxes me. His lips now pressed to mine. "Take it. Feel it."

  I rotate my hips, pulling another low, slow orgasm through my body. I feel his breath hitch when he realizes I've already come again.

  I motion for him to move his hand away. I know he's going to want to give me more. He always does. I can't. It's already so much.

  I close my eyes as I feel the bed heave under his weight. He's moving. I can sense his clothes are coming off. I ache when I realize he's going to fuck me now.

  "Sunshine, I need this." His deep voice growls into the empty silence of the room.

  "I need this," I repeat back and then open my eyes when I feel the tip of his cock at my lips. I hungrily open my mouth as he kneels on either side of my head. I slide it in and move my tongue in a lazy circle over the head. It feels so good. It's always so much for me to take it in. He's always so gentle.

  "Fuck, yes." The words skirt off his lips when his hand settles in my hair. He pulls on it lightly, holding my head in place so he can slide his cock in and out of my mouth at his own pace. The head slides slowly, softly and sensually across my lips and tongue. I moan at the sensation.

  He ups the tempo and braces himself with his other hand on the bed. I open my mouth wider, trying to take in as much as I can but he's so large, so wide. I moan around the thick root. I can't help it. It feels so good to look up to see his face. To see all the pleasure he's taking from me.

  "Take it, sunshine." The words spur me on and I stroke the thickness with both hands, sucking gently on the head as he throws his body back in pleasure. "Like that, Christ, yes."

  I take more in. I run my tongue up and down and across the head. I want him to feel how much I need this. How much I love giving him the same pleasure he's giving to me. "Come," I whisper around his cock. "Please."

  "Sadie," he growls my name as I feel the first of his heat hit the back of my throat. I adjust my head so I can take it all. He holds both his hands in my hair as he pumps his body into me. I swallow it all while I moan around his cock.

  Chapter 6

  "You should try and bake a cake tomorrow too." He's behind me and I can smell the fresh scent of soap.

  I turn quickly and pull his still damp chest into my body. "That was amazing, Hunter." I know I say it almost every time we make love, but it always is amazing. I love making love with him. I love everything we do together.

  "It was beyond amazing." He kisses the top of my head. "I'll run and buy a cake and then we can decorate together before my mom gets back with Cory."

  I hold onto his hips not wanting him to pull away just yet. "Can we talk about something first?" I want to bring this up at just the right time.

  "Sure, sunshine." He takes a single step back before he pulls his index finger across my jaw so he can tilt my head up.

  I didn't want to be staring at him directly when I talk about this. "It's about Cory's mom."

  "Christina?" His tone is anxious and frustrated. "What about her?"

  "He asked me if she was coming to his party." There I said it. I dove into the deep end and brought up the one person he warned me never to speak of.

  He pulls one of his hands through his hair. "You should have told him to talk to me about that." It's a fair response even if it feels too impersonal for the subject at hand.

  "I did and he said you won't talk about his mommy with him." I pull air quotes around the words trying to emphasize that even though Hunter wants nothing to do with Christina, she is still, and will always be, Cory's mom.

  "This is between me and my son." The words sting as they leave his tongue. He knows the
y will. That's why he shot them at me. It's not the first time he's subtly warned me to keep my distance when it comes to how he deals with Christina. It's the first time it has hurt this much though.

  "No problem." I try to push past him so I can breathe. Being almost pinned against the kitchen counter while we discuss Hunter's ex fiancée isn't how I imagined I'd be spending my time on Cory's fourth birthday.

  "Sadie." I can hear the exasperation in his voice. "I don't want this to come between us."

  I don't look at him. I can't. I'm angry with his refusal to address this in any substantial way. "She's always going to be his mom." The words are true. He has to admit them at some point.

  "You're going to be his mom," he whispers as his hand glides over the top of my head and back down my neck.

  I shake my head. "No, I'm Princess Sadie. Christina is his mom." With that I push past him and walk into the other room.

  ***

  "Daddy says we're going to go on a trip." Cory runs back into his room after brushing his teeth.

  "We are?" I feel excitement course through me. Hunter and I have never gone on a trip together and bringing Cory along would give us all a break from the day-to-day stresses of work and school.

  "Not you." He taps me lightly on the nose. "Just me and my daddy."

  My heart sinks at the pronouncement. "Where are you two going?" I peer quickly over my shoulder to make certain that Hunter isn't eavesdropping on me interrogating his four-year-old.

  "Someplace fun." He shrugs his shoulders as he walks over to the small, white bookcase in the corner of his room. "Will you read me a story, Sadie?"

  "Daddy will," Hunter's booming voice carries through the silence in the room.

  I hesitate before turning knowing that he likely heard me asking Cory about their trip. I feel like an outsider. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie." I reach to kiss his forehead.

  "Goodnight." He rushes past me to jump into Hunter's arms. "The one about the caterpillar, daddy."

  "That's my favorite." Hunter carries him to the bed, neither of them acknowledging my presence at all.

  Chapter 7

  "It's not a big deal, sunshine." I hear his footsteps enter the room before he even speaks. I consider pretending I'm asleep for a minute. I'm exhausted and the idea of hearing about why he chose to not include me in his trip plans is wearing on me.

  "You're right." I don't pull my gaze from my tablet. I have a test tomorrow and with all the stress of moving in and worrying about Cory, I haven't had time to prep yet.

  "I'm right?" There's definite surprise in the question.

  "Sure." I don't turn around. I just don't have the energy to face him. For the first time since I've been here I just want him to go to sleep.

  I feel the bed heave as he sits down. "You're not alright with this so stop pretending that you are." The words are meant to provoke me. If he wants a fight I can give him one but I'm not in prime form. He's going to win.

  "I am." Does that sound sweet enough? The immature part of me wants to take off for Paris to see my best friend, Alexa, once Hunter leaves with Cory. That's so grown-up of you, Sadie.

  I hear the rustle of his clothing and I know he's getting undressed. Shit. He's going to be sprawled beside me in all his naked glory in the next minute and I have to ignore that. I need some sort of impenetrable shield for my overly active libido. "Don't you want to know where we're going?"

  I just shake my head. Nope. I'll pretend I don't care. Maybe if I don't speak anymore he'll get the hint and leave me alone.

  "You're really pissed, aren't you?" He's reaching for my arm now. He wants me to turn around so I can probe him about his secret trip with his son.

  I sigh heavily making sure it's loud enough for him to hear. "I have a big test tomorrow, Hunter." I grab my tablet and turn over. I'll just stare at his face. I won't look down. "You would have given me a heads up about your trip with Cory if you wanted me to know."

  "Sadie, it's not like that." He reaches to grab the end of my ponytail. "It was a last minute idea."

  "You don't have to explain a thing." I scoot down to the end of the bed and pull myself to my feet. "I'm going to go study for a few hours. Sweet dreams."

  He doesn't say a word as I walk out the door.

  ***

  "Sadie, wake up." Cory is standing in front of me, tapping me on my cheek. "Get up."

  I shake myself awake and realize that I'd fallen asleep on the couch. I panic as I search for my tablet to see what time it is. "Cory, my tablet," I beg for him to help me.

  "I took it," he announces proudly. "I'll go get it."

  I stumble to my feet and race into the kitchen. I draw in a heavy breath once I realize how early it is. I still have time. I'll shower and use the time on the bus to finish studying.

  "Here it is." He hands it to me and my breath stops. I have to pull my hand to my mouth to quiet my breathing.

  "Cory." He's taken a picture of himself and it's staring straight back at me. "This is amazing."

  "Daddy helped me." He beams brightly. "It's for when I go away. So you can see my face."

  I pull my hand to my chest and close my eyes briefly. This is what it feels like to just let go and let life takeover. This is what it feels like to let him in and love him.

  "I love it, Cory," I whisper as I kneel down to kiss his cheek.

  "I love you, Sadie." He throws his arms around me. "I'll miss you."

  "I love you too."

  Chapter 8

  "Thanks for meeting me here, mom." I give her a brief hug as she reaches my table in the bistro.

  "Are you still working here?" She surveys the small space, her eyes pouring over all the college kids gathered around the tables. It's late afternoon and that's when Star Bistro springs to life when classes are in session.

  "I'm here two afternoons a week." I've thought about asking her to come down when I was working but she'd always frown on my uniform whenever she caught a glimpse of it when I lived at home.

  "Why?" The question is ripe with innuendo. She's always made it clear that she didn't want my brother or me working at any 'menial' job as she called them. It was likely the reason Dylan was trying so hard to follow in our father's footsteps. He'd been trying so hard that he kept tripping and falling.

  "I like it here." I'm not going to offer more. I know that she wanted to see me to discuss my current living arrangements. I can sense it every time she's called me the past few weeks.

  "I'd order a coffee but I remember it being bitter." She spits the words out loudly. I don't flinch. I'm not going to allow her relentless need to be negative to push me into a confrontation.

  "You can stop for a martini when we're done," I say the words too sweetly. I need to temper my reaction to her. Getting her riled up will only result in one thing and that's a scene with her crying and me feeling sorry that I upset her.

  She scans her phone before she throws her gaze back to me. "Your father wanted me to talk to you." The words catch me off guard.

  "Why?" I spit the question out without thought. I've avoided him for so many months. Now is the worst possible time for me to be thinking about him.

  She pretends to swat away an errand piece of lint from the top of the wooden table. "It's about him."

  "About dad?" I'll play dumb for a few minutes to bide myself some time.

  "No, him?" Is it so hard for her to say his name?

  "Dylan?" Strike two. I'm running out of possible males.

  "Your father has a problem with that man. Zander," she seethes. I actually see her lips retract enough that her gums show. She looks like an attack dog readying to pounce on its prey.

  "What about him?" I don't know why I'm asking. She's going to tell me regardless what they both think of him.

  She stares at me, her eyes never flinching. "You're living with that man and his child."

  "I'm aware of that." If she's going to open the door and start this, I'll gladly follow her through.

  "Do you know ho
w that looks to your father?" The disdain in her tone makes it very clear that she doesn't think it looks attractive or acceptable either.

  "I don't care." I don't. Why should I pretend that their opinion matters?

  "Sadie, he has a child with another woman. Your father says he's one of them," she whispers the words in what she intends to be a hushed tone. Judging by the fact that almost everyone in the bistro turns to look at the vile harshness in her voice, I'd say my mother needs to work on her whisper techniques.

  "One of them?" I repeat the phrase back to her hoping she'll hear it coming from me and recognize how completely horrific it sounds.

  It flies right over her perfectly styled hair and into the ether. "Yes, one of them. Coral's people."

  "Is that what we're calling them now?" I honestly can't believe she just said that. Did my mother honestly just refer to Cory's family as 'Coral's people?'

  She nods frantically. "That's who they are."

  "I don't know what that means," I begin before I stop myself mid-sentence. "Mother, what's going on? Why the problem with Cory's family?"

  "Don't you get it?" The smirk on her face is unsettling. This is my mother. Isn't she supposed to be the person who loves and protects me? Isn't she supposed to want me to find my true happiness?

  I shake my head slightly. "No, I don't get it."

  "Your father thinks they're just using you," she says the words with so much conviction.

  I'm going to have to point out that there's nothing any of them can gain from using me. "How so? How in the world are they using me?"

  "It's your heart." She waves her finger in the air towards my chest. "Your father thinks they're using you to get rid of all of their guilt."

  We're back to that again. How many people are going to insist that Hunter loves me because he still feels guilty about Coral's death? "That's ridiculous."

  "You don't know everything, Sadie." She stands to leave. "You should ask Zander for the truth."

  I can't believe she's resorting to that tactic. She's used it to manipulate people for years. "You want me to believe there's some deep, dark secret you know that Hunter hasn't told me yet?" It's almost laughable but I try to conceal my amusement.