I was trying to talk myself away from touching her, but the closer I got to her, the harder it was to keep myself away from her. But then I smelled the gorgeous girl, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I moved toward her, crushing into her mouth against mine. It didn’t take long for her to open for me, like a flower in bloom. I backed her up against the wall near the door, and surprisingly, instead of being scared, she pushed further into me. She moaned softly.
“Dani,” I growled into her mouth. “I need you.”
I wanted to swallow her into my body. I wanted to pull her so close that we became one person. Dani’s hands went to my hair as I grasped at her back. Heat rushed through my veins as I slid my hands down her dress and squeezed her ass. She whimpered and moaned into my mouth, fingers threading through my hair.
Dani’s nails dug into my skin, no doubt leaving marks. But I didn’t care. My hands went lower, to the bottom of her dress. I grasped at her thigh, feeling the goosebumps of her skin. I started to lift up her dress.
I was so crazed with lust that I didn’t hear the door open to the side.
A voice sounded out.
“Dani!”
The beautiful brunette jumped in my arms and gasped. “Oh my gosh!” She yelped. “Justine, you scared me!” We were both breathing hard, hearts pounding fast.
“Justine is my cousin,” Dani said quickly as she pulled away from my grip. She was only a few inches away from my me and I was already missing her and aching for her warmth.
She pushed her dress down few inches as I straightened out my jacket. I wasn’t embarrassed at being caught. To the contrary, actually. But she seemed to mind that someone had walked into to us, so I tried to right myself as best as I could.
Justine, looking exactly as she did in the picture that I saw in the office, looked between the two of us, trying to figure out what was going on between us.
“I’m sorry, I just got a text from my mom. She’s kind of freaking out that we aren’t home, so I think we should go home.”
Dani blinked. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth as she looked at me.
“Oh,” was all she said. “Okay. Well, if you’re sure.” She clutched her arms like she was cold and then looked at me. There was a tense moment between us before Justine grabbed her hand and led her out of the patio.
She was walking away from me.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I couldn’t just let her leave.
Desperate for more, I darted after her and touched her shoulder. She spun around, and looked at me.
“When can I see you again?” I asked in a deep voice. “I need to see you, Dani.”
Dani was stunned at what I had said, as if she didn’t understand my question. I was about to repeat it again, when Justine interrupted.
“Oh, I bet you’ll see her around,” Justine said with a wink. “Now, come on Dani, we have to go. My mom is just going to make it worse if we aren’t home soon,” she said importantly.
Dani smiled at me before she reluctantly followed her cousin away. I stared at her body, admiring the way her ass swung from side to side like a luscious pendulum. When they were both gone, I closed my eyes, pressing my back against the cold wall. I felt on fire, as if I was on a cliff looking down a canyon. It was going to be a long night for me, thinking about my beautiful brunette angel.
I went back into the house, taking the steps slowly up to my room.
“Uncle Hunter!” I spun around to see Kristi standing behind me. “Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked. Her eyes gleamed mischievously.
I tried to keep my face as impassive as possible. “I just went outside to get some air.” Kristi’s eyebrows went up but she didn’t make a comment. I ignored her stare and turned back around, heading to the stairs. “I’m going to go to bed. Make sure all these kids are gone by the morning.”
“Of course. Have I ever let you down?” I heard Kristi say, before she called back to me. “Hey, is it okay if I go out tomorrow with Justine? She wants to go shopping and show her cousin around a little. I thought it would be fun,” she mentioned casually, like it was no big deal.
It was strange that Kristi was asking me, as she had never asked for permission before. Was she dropping a hint, somehow or other? Had she caught onto my real motives?
But my niece’s expression was casually innocent. Besides, I wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity.
“How about I give you a ride tomorrow?” was my nonchalant offer.
“Sure thing,” Kristi chirped, innocent as an angel. “Thanks!” she added before bounding out of sight and leaving me on my own. Slowly, I made my way to my room, shutting the door and sitting on my mattress. Because was I really scheming to meet up with the beautiful Dani again? A girl my niece’s age who’d likely just graduated from high school, young and pure?
But the memory of those soft curves pressed against my hardness and the sweetness of her mouth drove everything else out of my mind. Because I had to see the beautiful Dani again … even if this was wrong.
Chapter Five
Dani
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you! I leave you for ten minutes and when I come back, you are making out with Hunter Maddox!” Justine crowed with delight as we made it back to her car on the street.
“You know who he is?” I asked as I climbed into the car.
“Who, Hunter? Everyone knows who he is. He’s prime real estate around here. I can’t believe you kissed him! He’s so hot, Dani!”
I touched my lips. If we hadn’t been caught, I would have thought it was all a dream. Maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.
“How did it happen? You have to tell me everything!” gushed my cousin.
“I honestly don’t know. I can’t really explain it. We didn’t really talk.” I tried to replay our conversation, but our steamy kiss was all I could think about. All the words jumbled in my head, as if they’d happened, but I couldn’t remember. If Justine hadn’t come, who knows what would have happened?
I paused. “Justine, who is this Hunter Maddox person?”
She giggled.
“Hunter? Just the most eligible bachelor in like, the entire United States. I’ve only known him for as long as I’ve known Kristi, but the man is legendary. Big heartbreaker in high school, even bigger heartbreaker now.”
“Did he go to school with you?”
“Oh no, he didn’t. He’s almost forty.”
I gasped. Forty? I was only eighteen! I’d known that he was older than me, but I was surprised he was that much older. “What was he doing at a high school party?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “That seems weird and desperate.”
“Oh gross, he’s not like that,” Justine prattled, as she started the car and turned down the highway back to the house. “He’s Kristi’s uncle. He lives two hours away but comes over during the summer to visit Kristi and her brother. Plus, he has a business or something.”
I took a deep breath, calming down. So he wasn’t some creepy stalker. “Oh, so he was supposed to be there. I get it.”
“I actually don’t really know,” said Justine airily. “Kristi mentioned a few weeks ago that he was going to be in town, but it’s not like we expected to see him or anything. Hunter doesn’t hang out with us, he’s forty, like I said. It’s just that he stays at their house when he’s in town.”
“Oh,” I said in a small voice.
“Kristi and Aaron basically send the summer doing whatever they want. Their mom always disappears for a few weeks, so they’re essentially on their own. Their uncle is supposed to watch them, sort-of, but he’s busy too. The Maddox Media empire is pretty large after all. Besides Kristi and Aaron are pretty old, so it’s not like they need a babysitter or anything.”
“Maddox Media? That sounds familiar,” I said, brow wrinkling as Justine turned into the street where her house was.
“No shit, it’s the biggest media company around. You know the TX network? They’re in charge of t
hat. Hunter’s like, a billionaire,” Justine added in a hushed voice. “It’s totally nuts! Every woman’s trying to land him.”
The TX Network was one of the most popular channels on TV and hosted a variety of popular shows. I wasn’t much of a TV person, but even I knew this network, what with its hits in the last couple years.
“Oh my god,” I said, as Justine parked her car. “I could tell he was rich, but that’s really crazy.”
“See? Prime real estate,” she said as she got out of the car. I followed her into the house. “He’s super rich and super cute! A perfect combination if you ask me.”
Once we entered the house through the garage, Aunt Melanie ambushed us. “You girls shouldn’t have gone like that! Justine, you know your curfew is in effect all summer.”
“Mom, we were just at Kristi’s house.” My cousin rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s not even that late. Eleven p.m. isn’t so horrible.”
“And what were you doing over there?”
I was starting to get the impression my cousin didn’t have the ironclad grip on her parents that she’d told me about.
“Oh, just a few friends were over. A nice little summer party.”
Aunt Melanie eyed the girl warily, as if she didn’t believe us. I was praying she wouldn’t ask me about our whereabouts because I’ve always been a bad liar. My aunt looked between the two of us as I kept my mouth shut, expression innocent. I stole a glance at Justine, who kept her face emotionless.
“Well, it’s getting pretty late. And you guys have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so you two should get to bed.”
“Of course, Mom,” Justine said, kissing her mom on the cheek before making her way down the hall to her room. I did the same, wishing Aunt Melanie a good night and following Justine down the hallway to our room. My cousin talked for a bit while getting ready for bed, just some nonsense stuff about hair and make-up. She didn’t ask any more about Hunter and I didn’t offer any more information about our kiss.
I was glad that she didn’t inquire anymore.
I didn’t really want to talk about it, for fear that the more I talked about it, the more real it would get. It was okay that it was just in my head – like a sweet fantasy or a dream. Because what was I thinking? He was the most eligible bachelor this side of the Mississippi, whereas I was a chubby teenage girl. There was no way he’d be interested in someone like me. That was magical thinking.
But the more I tried to push Hunter out of my mind, the more he lodged himself there. It was crazy. Why was I so attracted to him? He was gorgeous and rich and much too old for someone like me.
But why had he kissed me? As I settled into my bed that night, I thought back to the wonderful moment. It had made me feel alive, nerves tingling, every part of me on fire.
I closed my eyes. And when I slept that night … I dreamed of Hunter Maddox, blue eyes flashing, big body pulling me close.
Chapter Six
Hunter
Oh shit. Why did I offer to give Kristi a ride? It was pure folly in the bright light of day.
Because my dreams had been filled with Dani. I couldn’t stop thinking about her generous curves, warm kisses, and beautiful brown eyes. What the hell? This was so wrong. She was twenty years younger than me, for crying out loud!
Slowly heaving myself out of bed, I dragged myself over to the shower. Fuck. The icy water hit my skin, making me wince and tingle. But it did its work, and my boner went down. Thank god.
By the time I was dressed, Kristi was waiting impatiently, tapping her foot in the marble foyer. “Let’s go,” she chirped excitedly. “It’s gonna be so fun today!”
I shrugged my shoulders and got into the car. “Where am I taking you?”
“Just to The Pavilion,” Kristi replied, blowing a bubble with the gum in her mouth. “We are going to walk around a bit. You don’t have to wait around if you don’t want to.”
I shrugged. “Would having me around make things weird?”
“You are being so strange!” Kristi said. “But no. It’s fine if you want.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a public place, after all.”
“A little fresh air does sound nice.”
Kristi eyed me suspiciously. “Don’t you have a lot of work to do, Uncle Hunter?”
In truth, I did have a lot of work. I was swamped with proposals and contracts to review, but I knew my head wasn’t in it. Early this morning, I’d flipped through some emails on my phone, but my mind had started to drift.
And it was all because of Dani. I knew I needed to see her again. Shit. Maybe if I did, I could get the curvy brunette out of my system, once and for all, although deep down, I knew that getting an angel like her out of my system would be damn near impossible.
“Hmm,” Kristi said, looking out the window. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun, and she was wearing a loose shirt and shorts. Suddenly, her eyes snapped towards me, sparkling with humor. “So I heard through the grapevine that you had a fun time last night.”
I eyed Kristi cautiously. “And what makes you say that?”
“I have my sources,” she said, smiling mischievously. “I also heard a certain new girl left the party rather flustered. I wonder how she got that way?”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. These are your friends, not mine.”
“You are a horrible liar,” she said, toying with the seat belt across her shoulders.
“I never said I was a good one,” I said, trying to steer the conversation into less murky waters. “What are your plans for the summer, anyways?” I asked, changing the subject. Thankfully, my niece took the bait.
She shrugged and continued to stare outside the car. “I don’t really have anything. Just some last good times with my friends before college. Spending time with you and Aaron. I hadn’t really thought about it too much.”
“You’re going to school soon. May as well party as much as you want and get it out of the way,” I said understandingly.
Kristi snorted. “Yeah, and what? Party like you did? Mom still talks about it,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“I can’t imagine you would ever get into such trouble,” I rumbled, leaning over and patting her head like she was a little girl. She swatted my hand furiously and I chuckled. “You need to do things when you’re young. Go on adventures. Hang out with your friends. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“Do you regret it?” she asked, looking at me sideways.
“Regret what?” I asked, as the shopping mall materialized in the distance.
“Not being able to do everything you wanted to before you became some big shot executive” Kristi shifted in her seat. “I mean, I’m sure it’s worth it now.”
I sighed. There was plenty that I did regret. Even as a child, I’d wanted to become CEO of my father’s company, but the more I got involved with Maddox Media, the more it had started to feel like an obligation rather than a dream. Sometimes I felt shackled to the company, like there were chains on my wrists and ankles, and I couldn’t breathe. There were too many obligations that came with my job. Plus, my dad, although he was semi-retired, was always around, trying to see if I was going to fail. It was like he wanted me to fail and prove that I was never going to be as good as him.
And my mother, well, she wasn’t any better. She was just like my sister, trying to set me up with this woman and that, always hinting about grandkids. Two decades of ignoring her hints hasn’t made her stop. For example, I was having lunch with my mother later in the week and I had a feeling she’d already made plans for some eligible woman to join us.
We came up on the first mall entrance and Kristi snapped her fingers. “Hey, you can just drop me off here,” Kristi said, as I came to the curb and stopped. She unbuckled her seat belt and opened the car door. “We are going to be inside Drystone,” she said, smiling as she exited the car.
“Roger,” I said. I touched my forehead to show I understood.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find us.”
Krist
i shut the door and skipped up the steps, towards the mall. I put the car into drive, circling around the street so I could park and go inside.
Drystone was a fancy clothing store mostly known for their women’s clothing. Kristi had practically lived there when she was growing up. When I was younger, my mother had brought us with our nanny to look over its expensive goods.
I could still remember the feeling of intense boredom while my mother painstakingly browsed, slowly rifling through multiple racks as salesgirls hovered like hummingbirds. I’d hated those trips at the time. They’d been tedious and awful.
But now, I was glad. This place was practically a second home. I knew every nook and cranny, what music they played, and where the broom closet was. I grinned as I pictured Dani slipping into a tight dress and letting me peek into the dressing room before I led her to a dark corner.
Shit. These thoughts were so wrong, and yet the images wouldn’t stop rolling in my mind. The beautiful brunette, clad only in lacy lingerie. The gorgeous girl, leaning over as she pulled a top off, baring a creamy expanse of back and bottom.
I’d never liked shopping, but somehow, I had a feeling today would be the day that changed my mind.
Chapter Seven
Dani
“I could never wear this,” I said, looking at myself doubtfully in front of the mirror. The dress shimmered and sparkled in the light. It was beautiful, but I’d seen the price tag and my jaw had almost dropped.
In other words, it wasn’t that I couldn’t ever wear the dress.
It was that I wouldn’t, because the dress was off-limits to a poor girl like me. But Justine had no idea. She was in her own world, and totally clueless to my problems.
“Of course you can! Especially since I plan on burning all your clothes,” my cousin chattered, as she handed me another dress to try on. She looked at Kristi and rolled her eyes. “Dani’s old clothes were hideous,” she added. “You should have seen them.”
Dr. Travis, I Love You Page 13
