“Hey now.” Hunter pulled her away from the door. “Stop that. Nobody thinks badly of you. Honest. If anything, Mum’s probably in the kitchen right now waiting to tear a strip out of my hide for taking advantage of you.”
Annie snickered. “Kind of hard to take advantage of the willing.”
Her words warmed him. Before he could think better of it, he kissed her. He’d never been much for kissing before, but he’d obviously never met a girl worth the effort. Annie was funny, down-to-earth, adventurous and…fuck a bloody duck, here because Dylan invited her.
Hunter had tried to keep his distance, fight off this attraction between them. That had been a complete failure. Since her arrival at Farpoint, he’d kissed her in the airport, on the couch, by the billabong, then he’d walked into her bedroom last night, joined her in bed and they’d masturbated each other into a couple of mind-blowing orgasms.
So much for his self-restraint.
“Hunter,” his mother called out. “Do you mind giving me a hand with something?”
The request was transparent and Annie grinned at him. “Somebody’s in trouble,” she singsonged.
“I’m thirty years old, Annie. If I want to have a woman in my bed, I can.”
“So your girlfriends sleep over all the time?”
The answer to that was simple. He’d never brought a woman back to his bedroom. He was far from a saint, but when he slept with a woman, it was always at her place or in a hotel or, occasionally, he had quickies in the shed. He’d always felt it would be disrespectful to his mother to bring a one-night stand back to the homestead for sex.
That self-proclaimed rule had fallen to the wayside as easily as his determination not to poach on his brother’s girl. He was headed straight to hell. And even now, he couldn’t make himself give a damn.
“I currently don’t have a girlfriend,” he responded, dodging her real question.
“Hunter?” his mum yelled again.
“Be there in a minute.” Hunter ran his finger along Annie’s cheek. “Go get a shower. I’ll straighten things out with Mum.”
Annie looked uneasy.
“It’ll be fine, promise.” He sealed his vow with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Oh, and it’s going to be hot as blue blazes today, so you’ll be fine with a t-shirt, but you might want to consider wearing shorts instead of jeans.”
“Okay.” Annie walked back into her room.
Hunter girded his loins and headed toward the executioner.
His mum was standing in the foyer. She pointed toward his office and he followed her in silence, shutting the door behind them.
“Listen, before you say anything,” he began, “I know I fucked up.”
Hazel frowned. “Fucked up how?”
“Annie is here to meet Dylan. She’s his girl.”
Hazel scoffed. “Oh, Hunter. I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. Dylan wrote a few emails to her and they became friends. That doesn’t make her ‘his’.”
“But it was an online dating site and they were obviously interested. They both took off halfway around the world to meet each other.”
Hazel crossed her arms. “And who’s to say if Dylan had been here, they wouldn’t have taken one look at each other and realized it was a mistake?”
“There’s no way Dylan won’t fall for Annie. She’s smart, funny, easy to talk to, sexy.”
His mum’s smile grew. “Is that right? Well then, by all means, back off until Dylan gets here. Finders keepers and all that jazz.”
Hunter recognized his mother’s tone. It was one he’d inherited. It was pure, one-hundred-percent sarcasm. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.”
Hunter walked behind his desk and sank into the chair. “So what are you saying? Screw Dylan and go after Annie?”
“Not in so many words. Dylan’s in New York. He didn’t think twice about heading out of Farpoint to find his destiny, an adventure, maybe even love, and if this doesn’t work out for him, I know he’ll try again. Because that’s Dylan. He’s not afraid to seize the day.”
Hunter leaned back and studied his mother’s face. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to come out of this conversation looking like a loser?”
Hazel snorted. “Not a loser. Just different. You’re so much like your father, Hunter. This property is your life. You’re completely committed to your family and to seeing our livelihood succeed. As a result, you won’t walk away from your responsibilities here.”
“So instead I have to rely on you to fly in prospective brides?”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “I only did that once.”
Hunter scoffed. “Six times, mum. You brought six women here.”
“I’m your mother. I want you to be happy.”
Hunter stood. “I am.”
“Are you?”
Her question, spoken quietly, struck a chord. Was he happy? Since his father’s death, Hunter had moved in a straight line, never straying from the path because his family depended on him to run the business, keep them afloat financially. It was a big job, one that didn’t fit between the hours of nine to five. His career was so interwoven with his life, there wasn’t a line where one ended and the other began. Was there a woman in the world who could accept that? Live with that?
A knock at the door saved him from answering.
“Come in,” he said.
Keith Munroe, one of the station’s best hands, peered around the door. “Bernie’s wife went into labor this morning, so the hands are hanging around out there waiting for somebody to give them their list of duties today. Dylan picked a hell of a time to saunter off to America. Any idea when he’ll be back?”
Hunter shook his head. Keith had grown up on Farpoint and was close in age to him and Dylan. They’d been best mates as boys and that friendship had never wavered through the years. Though he worked on the station as a jackaroo, Keith wasn’t an employee as much as a member of the family.
“Shit.” Hunter had known the station foreman’s wife was due any day. Figured it would be today, when his mind was on anything but work. “Tell the guys I’ll be right there,” Hunter replied.
Keith tipped his hat and closed the door. Hunter pointedly tried to ignore the surprise on Hazel’s face. When she didn’t break the silence, he snapped, “I do know what needs to be done around here.”
“I didn’t say you didn’t. It’s just been awhile since you’ve been out there getting your hands dirty. I’m enjoying seeing the jackaroo side of you again.”
He shrugged. When Annie told Hazel about her magazine articles, his mother had barely restrained her laughter. Hunter wasn’t the stockman Dylan was, but Annie still insisted on shadowing him. He hadn’t told Annie the truth about his role on the station originally because he hadn’t wanted her to choose someone else to interview. He’d grown up on Farpoint, he and Dylan doing the same chores when they were boys. He was perfectly versed in what it meant to ride herd, raise stock, muster cattle and do head checks. However, with the passing of his father, Hunter had moved away from the life of a jackaroo, opting instead for the desk job.
“I better get out there.”
Hazel nodded. “I think you should. I’ll send Annie out after she’s had some breakfast. She still has those articles to write.”
This time his mum didn’t bother to hide her matchmaking grin. Hunter had clearly wasted time worrying about her reaction to his interest in Annie. He had her full support. Only problem now was, Hazel would go out of her way to push them together. He really needed to talk to Dylan.
“You won’t say anything to embarrass her, will you? Last night was my doing. Not hers. She’s worried about what you’ll think of her. Maybe it would be good if you let the subject drop completely. Don’t mention it.”
Hazel threw her hands up, a smile glinting in her eyes. “Since when do I do anything to embarrass anyone?”
Hunter raised a single eyebrow, no less than twenty humiliating instances floating
through his memory.
“Oh, go on. Your Annie will be right as rain with me.”
Hunter walked toward the shed, grinning despite his anxiety.
Your Annie.
If only she were.
Chapter Six
The sun was just rising as Hunter stood next to Annie, Mutt lounging by her feet lazily. They leaned on the fence, watching Prince and his mother walk around the paddock. After their bumpy start, the little calf’s mother soon accepted him and the two had been inseparable. They’d be ready to return to the rest of the herd in a couple more days.
Hunter had been concerned things between he and Annie would be awkward after being caught by his mum yesterday morning, but Annie bounced fast. He assumed years of dealing with unexpected shanghais by the tabloids had thickened her skin in terms of embarrassing easily.
The past two days—like the ones preceding them—had fallen into an easy pattern of chores, meals with his mother and quiet afternoons spent in his office, both of them working on their computers. Annie had sent off her first article after letting him read it. She was an incredibly gifted writer. She’d obviously found her calling as a big city journalist.
Unable to sleep, he’d risen while it was still dark only to find Annie sitting on the front porch. She’d merely smiled when he joined her. He’d taken her hand and they’d walked in silence, soaking in the last of the cool air. With the sun’s arrival, the day would heat up quickly.
“I suppose this cattle station is pretty boring compared to your life in America.”
Annie looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? This place is awesome. I was standing here trying to imagine myself back in New York. I’m not looking forward to the crowds, the noise, the fast pace. Staying here has driven home how crazy my life in the city has gotten. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve noticed the sky or watched a sunrise or taken a deep breath of fresh, clean air. I feel like a prisoner who’s been released from jail after years locked away. You’re so lucky to be able to call Farpoint home.”
Hunter turned to face her. “You’re welcome to come back any time you want.” Imagining the day when she had to return to her own life left him with a gnawing ache in his gut. He’d woken up every morning since her arrival with a smile on his face, looking forward to the day. He couldn’t remember the last time that had been true. He’d fallen into a rut of monotony, forgetting to enjoy the little things—like sunrises, picnics by the lake, the wonder of a newborn calf.
“Thanks, Hunter. You might want to be careful with that invitation though. I’m sure you feel pretty safe offering, thinking I’d never brave another twenty-hour flight, hours spent in that death trap you call a helicopter and even this unbearable summer heat, but I can promise you right now, I would. In a heartbeat.”
Hunter brushed a strand of hair from her face and moved closer. He’d wanted to kiss her since yesterday morning, but he’d forced himself to maintain his distance. The tether was stretched too taut. It was about to snap.
“You never told me what your mother said about catching us coming out of your bedroom.”
He grinned, surprised Annie hadn’t asked him about Hazel earlier. “She was pleased.”
“Pleased?”
“She likes you, Annie. A lot. I think there’s a part of her that hopes you’ll save me from a life of work and one-night stands.” He’d meant his words as a joke. Partly.
“Do you want to be saved?”
He’d expected her to latch on to the one-night stand comment. Neither of them had talked much about past relationships. Somehow he knew they didn’t matter. What he felt for Annie was different than anything he’d ever experienced with anyone else. She’d alluded to the same. In this relationship, the past didn’t exist. It had no significance.
He didn’t even need to consider the response to her question. He knew the answer. He leaned forward until their lips were a breath apart. “Only by you.”
Annie covered the minute distance separating them, kissing him hard and fast. Hunter took the reins almost immediately. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her closer as Annie’s arms wrapped around his neck. Kissing her had become as natural as breathing.
They fell into each other. They’d kissed at least half a dozen times since her arrival and yet the overpowering sensation of holding her like this never lessened. The impact was stronger than getting kicked in the gut by a horse. Every time he touched her, the need for more grew.
He broke the kiss, touching his forehead to hers. “I know you Yanks do the whole hayloft thing, but the best I can offer is a shed.”
Annie frowned, even as a smile played on her lips. “Shed?”
He grinned. “Wanna make out with me in the shed? There’s a stack of hay bales in the corner that almost hits the ceiling.”
Annie’s smile grew wide. “That sounds…intriguing.”
Hunter grasped her hand and tugged her toward the shed. “Just making out, Annie. That’s all. I promise. I won’t let it go farther than that.”
They had less than an hour before the jackaroos started arriving to tackle the day’s tasks. Soon the yard would be teeming with men drinking coffee before settling down to work. For now, the station was relatively quiet. He could imagine the satisfied smirk on his mum’s face if she were to spot him holding Annie’s hand right now. His resolve to keep his hands to himself crumbled even more.
When they entered the shed, he gestured to the hay bales stacked at the back right corner, like a staircase made of tightly compacted straw. Annie started first, climbing each square bale as if she were scaling a mountain. Hunter grabbed a blanket, not waiting for her to reach the top before making his own ascent. He distracted her midway by running his hand down her bare leg. She’d donned shorts again today. They were perfectly appropriate, coming nearly to her knees. Even so, that didn’t keep him from fondling her trim calves.
“Keep that up and I’ll fall,” she chastised, though there was no censure in her voice.
“Don’t worry about that. I’d catch you.”
She paused for a moment then gave him a sweet smile that knocked the breath from his lungs. What the hell was wrong with American blokes? How could they let a woman like her run around free and lonely for so long?
Once they reached the top of the stack, he resumed the kiss without a word. Annie accepted his embrace, her hands tightening on his waist. Her firm grip told him she was afraid he’d pull away again. He knew he should. Walking away was the right thing to do, but no force of nature was going to stop this stampede. He’d promised her a makeout session and by God, she was getting one.
Hunter tossed his hat to the bale beneath his feet, tangling his fingers in Annie’s soft brown hair. She’d joked once that she got all the brains in the family, while her younger two siblings got all the beauty. Hunter couldn’t imagine any woman holding a candle to his Annie. Her eyes were bluer than a clear Australian sky. Since arriving in Oz, her porcelain skin had warmed to a beautiful golden brown.
Annie started to sit down, but he stopped her. “Wait.” He spread out the large blanket he’d grabbed. “Hay is scratchy stuff. This might help a little.”
She helped him pull it over the hay then they lay on their sides, facing each other. “I can’t remember the last time I made out on the sly. I feel like a naughty teenager again.”
He’d brought loads of girls to the tops of hay bale stacks when he was a boy. He’d learned quite a bit on the hay. “Where did you do your fooling around?”
She grimaced, humor twinkling in her blue eyes. “Oh God. This is sort of embarrassing to admit.”
“Tell me.”
“The back of my dad’s limo.”
Hunter shook his head, chuckling. “Jesus. What a life.”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she ran her hand over his chest, dragging it down until she could slip it under the thin cotton. Then she caressed his bare skin. “If it makes you feel better, I think I prefer it here.”
“You think
? Sounds like I have my work cut out for me.”
He rolled her to her back, moving over her. He’d jerked off to this image a couple times since her arrival. Annie beneath him, parting her legs to welcome him between.
He pressed his cock against her, enjoying her soft intake of breath. Her face was flushed, her gaze heavy, inviting. She pulled him lower, initiating the next round of kisses. Unlike the hungry ones by the paddock, these were slower, deeper. Their mouths met and fused like time had stopped for them. The sense of urgency dissipated. This was what they were here for. No more. No less. Just this.
He planted soft kisses on her lips, cheeks, neck, even her closed eyelids, and Annie followed suit. He’d never felt such adoration. Neither of them sought to undress or to take the game to the next level. They simply gave and received while holding on tight.
Annie changed the rules first. Her hand left his chest, drifting south until it hovered above his cock. Their eyes met and held. She gave him a sexy grin while trying to unbuckle his belt and open his jeans.
Hunter didn’t stop her. Instead, he bent his knees, holding himself up with his hands on the blanket. He wasn’t a saint, but above that, he was no fool. He wanted her to touch him. Once she had his pants open, she wasted no time in exposing his cock and gripping it tightly, letting him know she had arrived at her destination.
He hissed between gritted teeth, trying to ignore how fucking good it felt. He was no stranger to fooling around, but in the past, he’d always managed to give as good as he got. Annie’s rough rubs against his aching flesh sent him to the top too fast. He needed to get control.
He was about to slow down her sexy pumping when she moved. She shoved against his chest, forcing him away from, then rose on her knees. She pressed him to his back, quickly assuming the top position. Then—holy fuck—she shifted lower.
Hunter closed his eyes, blinded by the stars flashing behind his eyelids as Annie bent down and took him in her mouth.
Misplaced Princess (Foreign Affairs, Book One) Page 8
