I walked to the window and stared out through the rain spatters. The storm outside was picking up speed. The people on the street below ran for cover. I had nowhere to hide.
He crossed the room and stood next to me. “I’m miserable without you.”
“Good.” Emotion cracked through my resolve and my chin quivered. “What do you want from me, Hunter?”
“I want my life back.” He took my hand in his. He ran his thumb over the top of my hand, and I knew right then I’d already forgiven him.
“Hunter,” I started to speak, but his other hand went to my face.
He placed a finger over my lips. The simple act of his touch woke up parts of me I’d thought were dead forever. Outside, the severity of the storm increased. Lightning flashed in the distance and thunder shook the windows. None of that compared to the storm that brewed inside me.
“Please, Summer. Just hear me out.” He took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here for you. I should have been. I was angry and stupid and confused, and I let myself fall for Mitch’s bullshit. I should have listened to you.”
“I didn’t exactly try hard to explain.”
Hunter shook his head and squeezed my hand tighter. “Don’t you dare take the blame for any of this, Summer. I was the idiot. I knew you’d never lie to me about something like that, but I panicked. It was easier to believe Mitch’s line of bullshit than to confront the truth.”
I pulled him to the couch, and we sat. We were quiet for a minute. We hadn’t officially reconciled yet, and it felt as if one of us said the wrong thing, this fragile conversation would break apart and dissolve completely.
“Why did you tell Mitch before me?”
The hurt was etched into his face, and it killed me to know that I caused it. “He came to the reunion and was the same old Mitch. He wanted me back, or at least he thought he wanted me back. I just wanted him to leave me alone.” I folded my hands on my lap and twisted my fingers around each other. “I thought he’d leave me alone.” I wiped a flurry of tears away. “I didn’t think he’d try to ruin everything. But then Mitch saw you come out of the study. He figured you’d been with someone, so he waited to see who you hooked up with.” I took a deep breath as I remembered the ugly scene at the reunion “Why did he do that to me in front of everyone?”
“Revenge is my guess.”
“Revenge?”
“Mitch and I used to hit the bars and parties together, a lot. We were each other’s wingman.” Hunter looked away. “Tiffany Jacobs wasn’t the first chick Mitch cheated on you with.”
I shrugged. The knowledge should have been a knife in my gut, but it was more like a thorn in my side. “I’m not surprised.” I groaned as the familiar feelings of embarrassment and stupidity returned.
“I could tell he was getting serious about Tiffany, but he wouldn’t stop seeing you. I didn’t love you then. I barely knew you, but I didn’t like how he was treating you. So when he disappeared into his room with Tiffany, I texted you from his cell.”
The memory of that day played back in my mind like a scene from an old movie. The footage was grainy and some of the words were missing, but it was all there. Mitch had texted me to come over, he’d said he had a surprise for me.
I flicked my gaze over Hunter’s face. “You set me up.”
“I just wanted you to know the truth.”
“You should have told me.”
Hunter arched an eyebrow. “We fought whenever we came within twenty feet of each other. Would you have believed me?”
I thought about Hunter’s confession. “So Mitch being a dick to me was to get back at you?”
“Well, and you too. His ego took a hit when you dumped him.
“So he ruined everything for a little revenge?”
My tears fell like the rain outside. The fat drops streamed down my cheeks. Hunter moved close and swept me into his arms. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and buried my face into his chest. All the misery and fear from the past week evaporated into pools of tears. The more I cried the more I believed everything was going to be okay.
Hunter waited until my tears ran dry, then kissed the top of my head. “I made a mess of everything, but I have a plan for us.” He pulled out of my grasp and slid to the floor as he pulled a little black box out of his coat pocket. “Summer. I know I screwed up. I know I don’t deserve you, but if you give me one more chance, I’ll spend my life making it up to you.”
My gaze fell to the ring. A princess-cut diamond bigger than I’d ever seen shimmered in the box. “I can’t wear that ring, Hunter.”
He looked as if the air had been vacuumed out of him. His face fell and he snapped the box closed. “I understand.” He started to get up, but I caught his hand.
“I’m allergic to gold.”
Hunter stared at me, his expression blank for a moment before it was slowly replaced by a wide grin. Mischief glimmered in his eyes as he stuffed the ring box back into his pocket. “You scared me, Summer. I thought I’d lost you for good.”
I brushed his cheek and ran my fingertips through his hair. “You’ll never lose me, Hunter.”
He pulled me into a kiss. His tongue grazed my lower lip, urging me to open for him. Hunter slipped a hand up my shirt. He went slowly, as if he savored every sensation. He cupped my breast as our tongues danced together. He moved his thumb over the hard tip of my nipple, and I gasped into his mouth.
Hunter’s tongue slid out as he smiled. “Sensitive?” he asked even as he tightened his grip on my breast.
I held my breath, arched my back and pressed my chest closer.
“God,” I breathed. “You have no idea.”
Hunter tweaked my nipple, then pulled his hand out of my shirt. He spoke while he unbuttoned it. “I’m going to explore your body all night, Summer.”
He bent and kissed my collarbone. I shivered as he ran the tip of his tongue up to my neck. I stifled a moan when he bit it.
I clenched my thighs together. “I’m going to be nothing but a puddle of mush when you’re done with me, Hunter.” I gripped the couch cushion as he ran his lips over the tops of my exposed breasts.
He looked up at me, his eyes dark with lust. “Who says I’m ever going to be done with you?” He pushed my blouse off my shoulders. “I plan to do this every day for the rest of our lives, but tonight I want you slow.” Hunter stood, then plucked me off the couch as if I weighed nothing and then carried me to my room.
He didn’t set me on the bed. He set me down so I stood in front of it. He walked behind me and tugged my blouse off the rest of the way. His hands slid up my back, slowly, as if he were discovering me all over again. He undid my bra and I pulled it off. I ached for him to touch me. I ached so bad I tingled in anticipation.
He turned me to face him. His eyes dipped down. “Take the belt off.” His voice was commanding, but it wasn’t an order. It was a need, like mine. My need for him burrowed inside me and became the reason for everything I did.
I removed my belt and flung it to the side. He didn’t have to ask me to take off my skirt. I unzipped it and pushed it to the floor, taking my panties with it. I stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.
Hunter growled in approval as he gripped my hips. “Fuck, Summer. You’re so beautiful.” He sounded breathless, as if the moment took away his oxygen.
I smiled when he left my hips and skidded over my almost flat stomach. “I won’t show for a while yet. I’m barely six weeks along.”
“You’re glowing.” His brow furrowed. “Is that even possible?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“How do you feel? Do you get morning sickness?”
His sudden concern was sweet, but there was only one thing on my mind as I reached for his belt. “I feel fine, Hunter. Better than fine in fact.”
I slid a hand into his pants and down the ridge of his cock. It pushed against the fabric. I bit my lip as I worked it free. I went down to my knees and looked up at him through
my eyelashes.
I ran my tongue over my lips, then the tip down his shaft, never once breaking eye contact. He made a sound in the back of his throat as his head tilted back. I circled around the base of his cock with my hand as the head slid over my lips and onto my tongue.
Mine. That single bit of knowledge drove me over the edge. Hunter was mine, and I was his. I tightened my fingers as I moved my mouth up and down the length of his shaft. I swirled my tongue around the head. He tightened his grip on my hair and urged me to take him deeper. I swirled my tongue until it reached my hand. I dropped it and took the rest of him into me. Down my throat, again and again, until he tensed and shuddered. He growled my name over and over as his dick twitched and pulsed.
He untangled his fingers and pulled away. I used my index finger and wiped away the single drop of cum that slid out of him and onto my lip. I licked off the salty liquid. Hunter bent down, grabbed me by the elbow and helped me to my feet. He crushed me against him. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath.
One of Hunter’s fingers hooked me under the chin and he made me look up at him.
“What would I do without you?” he asked, his voice choked with emotion, or lust, or both.
He touched his lips to mine, just enough to let me get a taste of him, then they were gone. They were on my ear, my neck, my collarbone. He explored my body with his hands. They were everywhere at once. I didn’t know whether to stand still or jump up and wrap my legs around him.
He kissed the top of my breast, then flicked my nipple with his tongue before he took it into his mouth and sucked on it. It travelled to the other breast. I bit back a moan as he swirled his tongue over the tender bud. He kissed his way down to my stomach. He was on his knees now, and I couldn’t resist running my hands through his hair.
He pressed his lips to my stomach. The kiss wasn’t meant for me, but the little life that grew inside me. The little life that would be half me and half him and one hundred percent perfect. It’d have his wild smile, full of mischief. It’d have my eyes. In my mind our child was already taking shape.
My legs quaked as Hunter ran his hands up the backs of them. “Hunter.”
I choked his name out. I dug my fingers into his shoulders as he tasted the flesh near my pussy. I arched my back, a silent plea for more. Every nerve in my body was electrified, and he’d only begun to touch me. He took my clit into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. I wanted to take his head in my hands and shove it farther between my legs. It wasn’t enough. It’d never be. I could have him forever, just like this, and it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy my hunger for him.
Hunter hummed in approval as he ran his tongue between my folds. I almost fell over when, without warning, he slid two fingers inside me. I wanted to clamp my thighs together, to keep him still and squeeze him tight, but I forced myself to stay still and take whatever pleasure he’d give me.
With a death grip on his shoulders, I rode his fingers. Somehow I resisted the urge to slip my hands into his hair and force his mouth down onto my throbbing clit. My legs wobbled as he urged me closer to the edge. He held me on that precipice, release within reach, but he pulled back, pulled out. I whimpered at the loss.
“Mmm. Hungry, are you?”
He rose to his feet, captured my lips with his mouth and slipped his tongue in as I moaned. I clawed at his shirt, desperate to feel more of his skin on mine. More of him on me. He raised his arms, and I yanked it over his head. I raked my hands down his chest. My nails left white trails that disappeared almost instantly.
He cradled my face in his hand and brushed his thumb against my cheek. “Why do I get the feeling you want to tear me apart?”
I slid my hands down his abs and circled around his waist as I stepped closer. There was no space between us now, just skin. “Because I’m going to. If you make me wait much longer, I will rip you apart.”
In one swift motion, he gathered me up into his arms and laid me on the bed before removing his pants. He climbed on top of me, pushed my legs open and moved to take me, but I put a hand to his chest.
“Not so fast.” A smile twitched at the corners of my mouth. “Get on your back.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter flopped over onto his back and put his hands behind his head. “Is this okay?”
“Mmm. I hope you’re always this obedient.”
I rolled over and got in position on top of him. He shut his eyes as I rocked my hips, grinding my pussy against him. I leaned forward, pressed my lips to his and positioned the head of his cock at the entrance to my pussy. I slid my tongue into his mouth as I lowered myself onto him.
It was slow, painful, torture, and the sounds he made told me he enjoyed every moment as I continued my slow descent on his shaft. Once his full length was inside me, I pushed up until I was upright again.
I bit my lip and ran my fingers through my hair as I rocked my hips. He gripped my hips. One hand pinched my nipple. He tried to sit up, but I forced him back down.
“Nuh-uh.” I shook my head, never breaking the rhythm of my hips.
He pressed his head harder into the pillow and tightened his grip on my waist. “You’re torturing me, you know that, right?” His hand travelled lower. I bucked when he brushed my clit with his thumb. “I can torture you right back.” His touch was so light it was almost not there, but it still ignited the urge to explode.
I planted my palms on his chest and rode the shockwave of pleasure that ripped through me as he grazed my clit for a second time. I bit my lip as the electricity spread through me. He gripped my hips, slammed himself deep inside me, breaking the dam. I dug my fingers into his shoulders as he thrust into me again. His own release was coming, it was right there with mine, on the edge, waiting for the final push. I brought my lips to his and we swallowed each other’s cries as we shuddered and twitched.
I collapsed on top of him, and he wrapped me in his arms. It took a few minutes for us to speak. The weight of the moment was heavy in the room. My heart was still hammering when I felt Hunter’s lips on my head.
“You’re mine, Summer. I’ve always wanted you.”
“Not always.”
I laughed, remembering the way we used to fight and compete for grades in class. I slid off him, but tucked myself tight against his side. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he snaked his arm around me, his hand heavy on my hip. I’d missed Hunter. I missed kissing him and fucking him, sure. What I missed most was this. These moments of quiet afterward when I felt as if the world were gone and we were all who was left.
Hunter chuckled. “No, not always. I guess you’re right. You were a pain in my ass.”
“When did you want me then?”
“When you came to my dorm, carrying that box of Mitch’s stuff.” He ran a finger up my side. “You looked sad, but there was something else there with the sadness. It was like you were determined to get over him as fast as you could because you didn’t want to stay knocked down. You didn’t want to be broken.” He stopped for a moment and his chest heaved as he took a deep breath. “I knocked you down. I broke you.”
I pushed myself up and looked at him. “Do I look broken to you?”
He studied me for a moment, then smiled. “No, I guess you don’t.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Can’t sleep?” Hunter asked as he rolled over.
He slid in behind me and draped an arm over my stomach. I was huge now, due in only a few weeks. Having a beach ball for a stomach sometimes made sleep a little interesting.
“I think I’m going to be giving birth to an acrobat.” I smiled as the baby did another somersault.
“Hey there, little man. How about you let your mommy get some sleep?” Hunter gently rubbed my stomach, and the baby responded with a hard kick. It was as if they were already having actual conversations with each other.
Hunter rained kisses on my shoulder and neck. I groaned, but not in a good way. “I have to use the bathroom. I swear this kid of ours can come ou
t any time now. I feel like a beached whale.” I pushed myself to my feet and waddled to the bathroom, ignoring Hunters quiet chuckles.
I was on my way back from the bathroom, and Hunter did that thing where he stared at me again. He was always staring at me now. He said I grew more beautiful every day. I always quipped that I just grow every day.
I was about to climb back into bed when I felt a pull in my stomach. It was different than a kick. It was more like a twinge, not quite a cramp. Warm liquid seeped through my panties.
I grabbed my stomach. “Hunter.”
He was out of bed and at my side before I could take another step.
“My water broke.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m toilet trained. I didn’t just piss myself,” I snapped. I was scared. I’d never done this before. “Isn’t it too early?”
“You’re thirty-seven weeks. It’s only a little bit too early. It’s going to be okay.”
Hunter grabbed my suitcase from the closet and then took me out to the car. From there he called the hospital to inform them we were coming. We drove the twenty minutes to the hospital, and my hands didn’t leave my stomach the whole way. I waddled in with his support, and a nurse rushed over with a wheelchair. The contractions were fierce and already five minutes apart.
They say women never forget the pain of labor, but it’s not the pain that I thought I’d remember. It’s Hunter and the way he looked at me with a thousand emotions all at once. Fear. Love. Adoration. Terror. Hope. They were all there bubbling over. It was as if he didn’t know which emotion to have so he had them all. He let me crush his hand during the contractions, and his gaze never left my face. He never left my side. The words resonated in me. Hunter never leaves.
Since the day Hunter showed up at Felicity’s and begged for my forgiveness, he’d never left. He’d gone through it all with me. He’d read all the books. He helped me create the baby registry. He was there for me in Lamaze class and for all the blood work and tests and ultrasounds. He was there for everything.
Once the contraction ended and I could breathe again I looked at him. “Let’s get married.”
Revenge Page 6
