When I'm With You (Little Hollow #2)

by Danielle Dickson

  I hear Katy trying to protest but she soon comes running out and tugs on her mom’s hands. “Mommy, Sammy said I can borrow the princess DVD’s!”

  “Oh that’s very kind of her, did you use your manners?”

  Katy nods her head enthusiastically. “Mhmm.” She notices the men standing there and narrows her eyes at Connor before they widen. “I know you.”

  He bends down on one knee. “We’ve met before. How you doing, pretty lady?”

  Katy giggles then looks at Hunter, studying him. “Who drew on your neck and hands? Was it Keeley? Did you draw on each other?”

  I tense up, I’ve never seen Hunter with any kids other than his brother before so I don’t know how he’ll react. But he bends beside Connor and tilts his head to the side to give her better access to see.

  “They’re called tattoos, special pens draw on the skin and it stays there forever. Pretty cool, huh?”

  She shakes her head. “Mommy tells me off when I draw on myself.”

  He laughs a hearty laugh. “Well your mommy’s right, only certain people are allowed to do that.”

  Her eyes widen in wonder and I laugh at the contrast between the tiny little girl in a pink dress, standing in front of my biker clad in all black.

  Faith is moving from foot to foot and seems anxious, Connor must notice because he stands up and Hunter follows.

  Katy’s gaze turns to Lewis next. “You look like prince charming.”

  The whole room bursts into laughter and Lewis turns bright red. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment, Princess Katy.”

  He bows in front of her and she does a clumsy curtsy. The exchange is so cute even I find my womb melting.

  “Okay, Katy, we need to go, sweetie,” Faith says, looking at Lewis. Her eyes turn to me. “Thanks for the coffee, it was nice to meet you all.”

  I don’t even have time to reply as she grabs Katy’s hand and flits from the apartment, down the stairs. Lewis is still staring after her and I clap to snap him out of it.

  “Don’t even go there, Lewis. Did you not see the ring on her finger?”

  He laughs and puts up his hands. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

  “Coulda fooled me,” I retort.

  “So? The flooring? Don’t keep us in suspense!” Sam squeals, jumping from foot to foot.

  “It’s downstairs, sweetheart,” Connor says and I pretend gag at his pet name for her.

  I’m slowly starting to feel like myself again, being surrounded by people I love is good for me. I’m glad Sam forced me out of bed this morning.

  Hunter comes and wraps his arms around me. “I have some good news, Lewis offered me a job at his garage.”

  “No shit? That’s amazing, thanks, Lewis.”

  He waves me off. “Wasn’t doing it for you, this guy is well sought after for custom bikes, it was a no brainer. Remember when you asked me why I didn’t do bike customizations?” I nod. “Well I’m thinking that with Hunters contacts and expertise, we can do it now.”

  “That’s awesome, Lew. Finally going to put those talents of yours to good use.”

  He smiles at me but it looks a little pained. Poor guy, turning up to a restaurant to meet Sam and I turn up, he starts to like me and he turns up to me kissing Hunter. He couldn’t catch a break in the relationship department, so it’s about time he had luck in some part of his life.

  I squeeze Hunters hand and we follow everyone downstairs to look at the new flooring. We’re going all rustic with a modern twist in the new Salon. It’s going to be all aged wood and copper fixtures, with black and cream accents. It’s about time we brought some edge to this sleepy town.

  Finally able to climb into bed at the end of the night after sharing pizza with friends, I feel tired but relaxed. I think back to earlier today, I wish I had asked Faith where she lived, I want to keep in touch with her. I hope she’ll come back to the salon when it re-opens.

  Hunter, Connor and Lewis laid down the start of the flooring today and it’s beautiful, they did a good job picking it out. It’s a good job Connor knows what he’s doing, it was funny watching them go back and forth between each other.

  Hunter’s taking a shower so I let myself have a few minutes to think about everything that’s happened over the past two weeks. My mind drifts back to my mom and Arlene.

  My two mom’s.

  I ache when I think of them, I really meant what I said back in the cemetery, I forgive my mom for leaving me like she did. I don’t blame her anymore, she couldn’t live with that monster around all the time. I wonder where she’s buried? I know that’s going to be something that plagues me for the rest of my life. I’ll never find out where, but that won’t stop me from having my own memorial for her.

  The bathroom door creaks open, disturbing my thoughts, and Hunter pads across the apartment into my room. My eyes rake down his built tattooed chest, following the light scattering of hair all the way down to the towel wrapped around his waist that leaves nothing to the imagination. He sees me watching him but doesn’t make a move, just stands there and lets me appreciate him.

  I can almost feel how his body would move against mine, perfectly in sync. How he would appreciate every single inch of my body until he had me undressed and then do it all over again like he had all the time in the world.

  My eyes meet his and the lust behind his look heats the fire pooling between my thighs. He stalks toward me on the bed and I gulp in anticipation. I know just by that look that he’s done trying to be a gentleman for me. He wants me, there’s no doubt about it.

  He bends over and his wet hair flops down into his eyes, giving them a mask of sorts and it makes him look even more sexier than before. They rake over my pajama shorts and tank top before he strokes a finger from my ankle up my leg in a slow, calculating way, sending a shiver through me. His touch leaves a hot burning trail and as he reaches the top of my thighs, he places a small kiss there and moves onto the other leg.

  My breathing turns erratic under his light touch, if we hadn’t been in this position before I’d think he was trying not to hurt me, but I know him. He knows exactly what he does to me even from the slightest touch. He places a kiss at the top of my thigh again and looks into my eyes as he does, never taking his eyes away as he trails kisses all the way down each leg and back up again, ending with his face directly above the heat that’s now turned into an inferno.

  His hands brush up my stomach, lifting my tank top so he can carry on his kissing and stroking up toward my breasts. He shifts slightly and lifts my tank top off, breath hissing out as he sees I’m not wearing a bra and he groans, rubbing his thumb over my hardened nipple which elicits a moan of my own.

  He trails kisses over each one and pulls a bud into his mouth, testing and admiring each one before heading further north to my collarbone and neck. He reaches my ear and pulls my lobe between his teeth gently, then I feel his tongue piercing flick against it making me squeeze my thighs together.

  His mouth moves across my jaw and I’m shaking with anticipation as he finally reaches my mouth and flicks his tongue against my lips for entrance. His hand cups my cheek and even though I know what we’re about to do, it doesn’t feel like any of the other times. They were fuelled by the adrenaline that someone might catch us. This time, it feels like we have all the time in the world and he’s not going to waste it.

  His tongue caresses mine gently and my hand instinctively wraps around the back of his neck to grasp at the hair there.

  He growls as I pull gently. “Careful, Steely. This ain’t gonna be that kind of night, maybe after, but first I want to show you that you’re safe with me.”

  His head dips and starts to move south, stopping to give my breasts some attention on the way down. He hooks his fingers at the sides of my pajama shorts and I have a sudden panic moment and clamp my legs tight. He places a kiss on my stomach above my shorts.

  “It’s ok, beautiful. It’s me, trust me.”

  And I do.

  I unclamp my
legs and he gently works the shorts off me and tosses them onto my bedroom floor. I’m not wearing any panties so I’m bared to him and he growls in appreciation, not letting up for a second as he makes his way to my heat.

  A shudder of pleasure rolls through me and I grip the pillow next to my head as he brings me to release using just his tongue and fingers. My legs are shaking as he trails kisses back up to my mouth. “I’m going to show you how much I love you now.”

  “Please, Hunter,” I moan.

  His mouth captures mine and he rips his towel off, placing himself over the top of me. “Say you’re mine.”

  I hesitate for a second but knowing he doesn’t mean it in a controlling way, I look into his warm brown eyes. “I’m yours, always.”

  We all clink the fancy champagne flutes together that Sam bought, Connor by her side and Hunter by mine. Lewis and Faith are here too and again, he can’t keep his eyes off of her but she doesn’t realize as she clinks her flute against Katy’s and Adi’s juice filled glasses.

  She’s been coming around to help decorate every now and again for the past month and has become a firm part of the gang. She’s still really reserved with everyone but me, but that suits everyone just fine.

  Everyone but Lewis that is, I don’t know what his problem is but he turns into a bumbling idiot when she’s around. He’s a good entertainer for her two girls though which was handy for us when we needed to decorate, they’re always with her apart from when Adi is in school. Katy starts kindergarten next month so she will have more time on her hands when that rolls around and I’m thinking about offering her a job.

  The salon is finally ready to re-open and it’s back with a bang. I look around the room, it’s beautiful, to toot our own horns. It’s exactly how we imagined it to be. Dark wood floors, cream modern chairs, hollywood mirrors and copper lights hanging above us.

  Over the past month, I’ve started to drop the barrier I’ve surrounded myself with. I’ve also found myself caring less and less about the whispers that follow when me and Hunter are walking down main street.

  Standing in this space with the people I love the most in this world, I realize that my heart has thawed, I’m no longer the icy bitch I once was. I’ve made new friends and my best friend, the one I see as a sister, has found her happiness. It’s more than I can ask for.

  Hunter wraps an arm around me and I lock my fingers with his, looking at our lock and key tattoos we got last week and I grin. He sees me looking and places his signature kiss on my temple and I realize again, it’s because of him. The fire to my ice.

  This perfectly imperfect man has strolled back into my life again, flipped my view on everything upside down, and made me feel like I’m enough just as I am. And when I’m in his arms, I know I’m safe. I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not just to fit in. He takes every piece of me just as I am, and loves me for it.

  I’m not a product of my upbringing or experiences. Neither of us are. I’m a project in the making for my future, and hell, I’m going to take it by the horns and rock the fuck out of it, not caring what anyone else thinks about me.

  I said I wasn’t an icy bitch anymore, but I haven’t lost my edge.

  Read more about the gang in Faith’s book ‘Restoring Faith’, coming soon.

  There’s a Pinterest board with photos and quotes on that all inspired When I’m With You. Pop on over and take a look. https://uk.pinterest.com/authordd/when-im-with-you/

  Danielle has always dreamt about writing a book. With many stories to tell, she finally pulled her finger out one morning when one story screamed at her louder than the rest. When Danielle’s not writing, she can be found painting people’s faces with makeup or watching twenty-minute cat videos late at night, procrastination is strong in this one. If you’re ever short for shoes to match your outfit, she’s the person to go to. With an extensive shoe collection that cost more than your mortgage (although she would insist she doesn’t have a problem), you can take your pick. An avid reader all her life, she gets lost in the magic a book immerses you in and hopes to capture that for her readers.

  E-mail:

  authordanielledickson@gmail.com

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  http://www.ddauthor.co.uk

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  I want to firstly thank my cover designer for helping bring my book to life. I saw this cover and knew I needed to have it. Marisa is incredible at what she does, she works magic on covers and I was so happy to work with her. To my family and friends again for sticking by me through the process, your support is second to none and it’s meant the world to have you all by my side cheering me on. My beta readers, Abi and Sarah (Otherwise known as my mum) thank you for being brutally honest with me. You helped shape my story. Again Abi, I couldn’t have done it without you, you helped me with the development and you loved my characters just as much as I do. It’s a special thing when you have someone who actually gets your ramblings but will sit there and let you do it until you’ve talked yourself round or will give you a nudge in the right direction. Again, I’m forever grateful that you encouraged me to start writing. And then to my readers, thank you so much for your support by purchasing this book, commenting on any of my posts, and just being awesome! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it, if you did, please go to the site you got it from and leave a review. Reviews make or break authors, and I would appreciate it so much! This is the second book of The Little Hollow series. To read more about the characters, stay tuned on all my social media to get updates on the next instalment.

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my book. I am so, so grateful for every single one of you.