“I’m beautiful?” I repeated, trying not to smile.
“Don’t let it go to your head, darling,” he said as he held his hand out for me.
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
“I know. I saw the way you stared at me when I took my shirt off,” he winked at me, and I had to take a deep breath.
As I watched Hunter walking into what was supposed to be his home I felt as if I was watching someone put on a heavy suit of armor. With each step he put on another layer of defense to protect himself from who he was supposed to be. He changed from the person I had begun to know to the person that had kidnapped me. His composure became rigid, and now that I knew him I could see the darkness in his eyes building. It was as if he was preparing himself for another war, one that he waged completely alone. I squeezed his hand, and he looked down at me. I smiled and some of the light came back to his eyes.
Chapter 15
There was one word to describe the army base of Hunter’s tribe—overkill. I had never imagined that something like this still existed in our world, and I couldn’t even begin to fathom how it did. The only thought that I could comprehend was that it hadn’t been obtained fairly.
“This house is huge,” I commented, leaning closer to Hunter as a woman pushed past me in the hall as if I were invisible.
“Wait until you see the kitchen…well, the community kitchen,” he replied with a smirk as we entered a huge room with two six-burner ovens on each side in stainless steel. There were two huge center islands with sinks in them, and a sink on the back wall that had two dish washers on either side. The cabinets were a deep cherry wood, which accented the hints of pink that shimmered out of the granite counter tops. I shivered as I looked over my shoulder to where the breeze was coming from. There were two sets of large stainless doors that led into a huge walk-in fridge and walk-in freezer.
“Seriously? Why is it so big?” I asked as I opened the fridge and stepped inside.
“We have a lot of people to feed here,” he responded, shaking his head as he looked at the massive amount of food.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much food,” I gawked at the shelves of fresh produce, eggs, milk, and condiments, “Where does it come from? I didn’t see any gardens?”
“Another one of the bases does the farming. This is a soldier base,” he explained, taking my hand and walking me out.
“How many bases are there?”
“Three, here—the soldier base, the farming base, and the home base where my father and his head men are,” he answered, averting his eyes from mine when he mentioned his father.
“Aren’t you one of your father’s head men?”
“Yes, but someone needs to run this place,” he replied, and his tone showed his disapproval.
“So, are there more kitchens?” I asked as we walked into a large open room with one side having pool tables and a bar. The other side had a huge suede couch, and a TV that took up the whole wall. There were at least ten women watching a movie there. Their faces were expressionless, and the whole idea of sitting there all day with them was frightening.
“We have our own living quarters, so we have our own kitchen. There are some perks to being the son of the man,” he whispered into my ear, but his eyes showed how trapped he felt, “Right through there is a store where the clothes and other supplies are. If you need anything you can find it there from toiletries to clothes.”
The women were now peering over the edge of the couch at us, and their eyes burned into me before they turned back around.
“They hate me already,” I observed, wanting to suddenly become invisible again. I was far more entertaining to them than the movie they were watching.
“You have that affect on other woman, huh?” he observed, his eyes becoming light.
“Yeah, must be my beauty. Makes them all want to eat me alive,” I joked with my teeth clenched.
Hunter chuckled to himself so quiet I was the only one who could hear him. I smacked him and had to shake my hand because of how hard his muscles were against it. I tried not to blush as my mind lingered to him with his shirt off.
“And what are you thinking about, darling?” Hunter asked as we walked outside onto a porch and up a set of stairs. I swallowed, shaking my head as if it would shake the thought away. It didn’t, “This is it. Our home for a while,” he turned to face me, “You’re blushing—tell me what you’re thinking about?”
My stomach was flipping because his face was just inches from mine and we were alone in his bedroom, and I couldn’t keep my brain functioning rationally.
“Nothing,” I sputtered.
“Well, I’m going to take a shower,” he said, nodding over his shoulder to the attached bath, “The kitchen is right through that there if you want to explore. It’s really not all that big. The remote to the TV is right here if you want to watch a movie or something.”
He didn’t turn away from me as he lifted his shirt off with the muscles of his arms rippling and threw it into a laundry bin. He turned, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the muscles in his back—that was until he slipped his jeans off. Jesus Christ, I thought to myself trying not to stare at his ass in his boxer briefs. He saved me from a heart attack as he opened the door to the bathroom and slipped inside. I sat on the bed shaking my head before I heard the bathroom door crack open, and Hunter threw his boxer briefs into the laundry bin, and a wide smile covered his face as he winked at me before shutting the door again. I could hear him laughing to himself as he turned the water on, and I could feel the heat spreading from my face down my body. When he came out of the bathroom he was wearing a fresh pair of jeans, and I was sorting through the DVD’s aimlessly, trying to get my hormones in check. I could honestly say that no one had ever had this effect on me. He could be fully dressed and I was just as attracted to him. If his eyes stayed locked on mine long enough just those could drive me insane.
“You can go on in if you want,” he said as his eyes teased me.
“Oh, thanks,” I responded as I stood. I took my shirt off and threw it into the laundry bin before slowly slipping my jeans off. His eyes slipped from my chest and down my legs, and the look on his face was just what I had wanted. It was exactly what I had imagined mine had looked like. I walked past him as he dropped onto the bed, and I could feel his eyes burning into my back. I was going to do him one better. I slid my hands across my back and unhooked my bra, letting the straps slip gradually off my shoulders before letting it fall to the floor. I looked over my shoulder and winked at him before closing the door.
“Jesus Christ,” I heard him say through the closed door, and I couldn’t help smiling.
I didn’t let him rest long because after I got out of the shower I discovered the walk-in closet was almost bare. The only items of clothing were his, and I found myself relieved that there wasn’t anything a woman would wear. I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and when he looked up from his hands his eyes shot up and down my body before stopping at my eyes.
“Oh, you’re good,” he said, smiling in a way that made me feel as though my heart might leap out of my chest into his hands.
“What?” I asked, trying to sound innocent, “There are no clothes in there for me to wear. You should talk—you’re shirtless and rippling when you do have clothes to wear.”
“I guess we’re even then. Let me go get you some pajama pants from the store. In the meantime you can wear one of my shirts to sleep in,” Hunter suggested.
“Can you get me some underwear and a bra too?”
“Can’t you just get those from the store tomorrow?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Sure, if you want me to walk around commando and braless,” I retorted as I caught unraveling the towel.
He coughed, “I’ll get you a big sweatshirt too.”
“You’re not going to go without a shirt on are you?” I asked as he stood and walked towards the door.
“No, of course not. I don’t want to make any of the other
guys jealous.”
“You’re a cocky bastard,” I teased, rolling my eyes.
“I don’t walk around here with my shirt off, so don’t worry,” he replied as he walked into the bathroom, “That’s a special treat just for you.”
“Get something to cook for dinner while you’re at it too.” I ordered as I sat on the bed.
“Bunny?”
I looked up at him with narrowed eyes, and he smiled back without a hint of cockiness. Cocky was one word I would never use to describe him, although I thought that the others here might mistake his coldness for the same thing.
Without Hunter to distract me I was able to take in my surroundings. The bedroom was a sapphire blue and all the furniture was mocha brown. I sat on the bed that felt like a cloud amongst the darkness of the other items in the room. The bedding was a crisp white on top of the platform bed frame that had a puffed mocha leather headboard. The pine wood floors were cool against my feet as I stood and went into the kitchen. It was like Hunter; much more modest than the world he was surrounded by. The appliances were black and framed by simple white cabinets. Unlike the main kitchen there was no dishwasher, and the room was just big enough to cook and fit a table for two in front of the windows that overlooked the woods. The high end finishes of the rest of the house made me uncomfortable— as if the whole world was tittering on the edge of being too good to be true and of course, it was.
Chapter 16
The next day came too quickly, and I knew that Hunter would have to leave me by myself to do whatever it was a general did. I rolled over to his side of the bed and spread out with a huff. I didn’t know what I would do without him there. At home I had always had something to do. I was doing some sort of chore—cooking, gardening, fixing things, and a lot of the time injuring myself, and then fixing myself back up. I figured that being here couldn’t be any worse than being there, even if those women already hated me. Sara had silently hated me, and I had always known that, so it wouldn’t be much different. At least I had Hunter.
“Where are you going?” I asked as I finally rolled over in the bed to see Hunter putting his sneakers on.
“Off to do my job,” Hunter replied, his expression hidden by his shoulders.
“What should I do today?”
He looked over his shoulder with a smugness that made me know I wasn’t going to like his answer, “Make some friends.”
I pulled the sheets over my head, “I hate you right now.”
Hunter pulled the sheets back down and brushed a piece of hair out of my face, “It won’t be that bad.”
“Promise?” I asked.
“If you need me just listen for orders being barked to granite heads,” he replied with a slight movement of his shoulders.
“Great. When will you be back to save me?” I asked with a pout.
“Soon enough. Will you cook dinner again? It was a lot better than anything I’ve ever cooked, or eaten for that matter,” he suggested, standing and stretching.
“You don’t stop for lunch?”
“Depends how much barking I have to do.”
I huffed once more and rolled over to place my head in the pillow.
“Listen, you lived with other people just like those women down stairs. I’m sure you can handle a little bit more of it. Plus, they know better than to be mean to you,” he said, opening the door. I rolled back over to face the door and he raised his eyebrows. I gave in and smiled at him, “That’s more like it.”
Chapter 17
The store that Hunter had spoken of was more of a shock to me than the kitchen filled with food had been. It was a huge room filled with every style of clothing one could think of, from lingerie to work out clothes. We had had a storage room with clothes at my father’s tribe, but it had been simple jeans, white t-shirts, white bras, and white underwear. Here there were tons of choices. I imagined this was what a mall would have been like in the old days. I was slightly lost in it, dark wash jeans, light wash jeans, jeans with holes, jeans with skinny legs, and wide legs. I decided to go with a few pairs of regular dark wash jeans and a pair of the skinny ones. The under garments were a whole other thing. I was blushing looking at them as I grabbed for black with lace, red ones and a fuchsia set that was barely there. I had fun with the various graphic tees, and the tighter they were; the better they were. It was strange for me to make my own choices, and I found myself staring at a section of lingerie with my head tilted.
“Never seen that before?”
I jumped, practically throwing the armful of clothing that I had collected, “Oh, hi I didn’t hear you,” I said.
“The name is Amy,” the young woman who had scared me said as she laughed in my face.
“Ummm…Kate.”
“The POW, yeah, I know,” she commented with a perfect black eyebrow arched at me. She tossed her curly cindered hair over her shoulder, “I’m not sure you have much use for lingerie unless you have a crush on your capturer?”
“I….oh goodness no…no, not at all. I’ve just never seen it before,” I stuttered, “but I should ummm…get going.”
“There’s not much to do around here, Kate. Why don’t you put that stuff away in your room and join us in the common room for beer, popcorn, and a movie?” Amy asked, and her dark eyes flashed.
“Sure, why not,” I replied, knowing that this gesture wasn’t one of good will, but of interest in the newest toy.
When I got back downstairs Amy patted the empty seat on the couch next to her and handed me a bottle of beer, “You’re old enough to drink aren’t you?” she sneered.
“Who gives a crap any ways?” I retorted, shrugging as I took a deep sip and tried not gag at the taste. It was like combining a bag of dirty socks with acid and then letting it rot for months.
“We don’t, so I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re over eighteen, right?” Amy asked.
I locked my eyes with hers. I wasn’t going to be her toy. I had had enough of being toyed with, “What do you think?”
It worked and she looked away as if I had burned her, “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Exactly,” I said, grabbing a handful of the popcorn she was eating.
“Bitch,” she muttered under her breath.
“Yup,” I responded as I grinded my teeth.
“Huh?”
“I’m a bitch, thanks,” I retorted, taking another sip. Why would any one drink this stuff?
“You’re a spit fire now aren’t you?” she commented as the other women looked between us.
“Aren’t you?”
“Alright, I won’t treat you like a baby—we won’t treat you like a baby,” she said, looking around the room at the other women who looked away from me.
“From what I can tell none of you are much older than me, so we can get off that subject real fast, Mhmm?” I questioned.
“I’m twenty,” Amy retorted as she munched on a handful of popcorn.
“Exactly, not much older than me,” I said, taking a deep breath. If you didn’t think two years was much, “So, what are we watching?”
“The whole Twilight Saga,” Amy replied as she nodded her head so that the girl handling the remote would turn the TV on.
“What’s it about?” I asked as previews for movies I had never heard of began to play.
“You’ve never heard of Twilight? It’s a classic; the first movie came out in 2008,” Amy commented.
“That was a long time ago,” I commented, putting my beer down on the table with no plans of ever touching another one again.
“Still awesome though!” Amy said.
I tried to hide my skeptical look from them as I watched a deer running across the screen. The music, I had to admit, already had me enthralled.
Chapter 18
“Something smells amazing,” Hunter commented as he came into the kitchen.
“It’s not you,” I retorted, wrinkling my nose as I took in his sweat and dirt covered body.
“It’s not that bad,�
� he teased as he pulled me into his arms and rubbed his sweaty head on me, “Didn’t you miss me?”
“Oh, God, you smell like something died,” I gagged, pushing him away.
He raised an eyebrow at me, “And now so do you.”
“Well, dinner is almost ready, and now we both need to bathe,” I said, dusting off my pants.
“So you found the store, eh?” he asked, his eyes going from my face down.
“Yeah, what do you think?” I asked, looking down at the very tight v-neck t-shirt with a silver scroll design and my skinny jeans. In truth it felt amazing to be able to choose something for myself, and for it to be something I truly liked. I was supposedly a prisoner, but I had never felt so free. I smiled at Hunter and cocked my head as I waited for his response.
“I think if you had a quarter in your back pocket I could read the writing on it,” he observed, sitting down at the table with his hand covering his smiling mouth.
“Really?” I asked as I turned around and then looked over my shoulder at him.
“Yeah, but, err…you look nice,” he stammered as he swallowed.
“So how was your barking today?” I asked as I continued cooking dinner.
“Huh?” he mumbled, and when I looked at him his eyes were distant and dark.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, my father said he wants to visit,” Hunter replied.
My stomach dropped, “What does that mean? Is he going to want to kill me?”
It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room when his eyes met mine. Darkness was hinging the sides of my vision and sparks started to dance as my legs wobbled. Hunter caught me in his arms just before my head would have hit the table in front of me. I felt his arms tighten around me as everything went completely black. When I opened my eyes I was in the tub with the shower head pulsating water into my face. Hunter was sitting on the floor beside the tub with his head in his hands.
“I didn’t know my face was that easy to read,” Hunter sighed, not looking at me as I sat up in the tub, “How am I going to be able to lie to my father if it’s that easy to read?”
In Between Seasons (The Fall) Page 6
