Hunter continued to kiss me until we reached the top again. He broke the kiss and used his finger to move my face to the left so I could soak in the view of the water again. Once the Ferris wheel began to descend down, he’d move my face back to his so he could kiss me once again.
This went on for the entire ride. Needless to say, by the time we disembarked the ride, I was extremely dizzy. It definitely wasn’t from the ride.
I think we rode every ride and saw every exhibit there throughout most of the day. I even got some funnel cake at one point.
I checked the time on my phone and gasped when I realized it was almost five p.m.
“Are you ready to go, or do you want to do another round?” Hunter asked after I’d checked my phone.
I shook my head. “My feet hurt, I think I’m ready to go.”
“Okay. Let’s go get something to eat though, I need to sit and unwind for a bit. How about you?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
It amazed me that almost every time he asked me a question, he seemed to be concerned about me. How I was feeling, what was important to me, what I needed. It was so contradictory to the type of vibe he seemed to be putting out when I’d first met him.
After a burger dinner, Hunter drove me back to my apartment. I wanted to ask him to come up, but I didn’t. I was torn. I was extremely attracted to him, but I didn’t want to sleep with him on the first date. Was that a no-no anymore? I wasn’t sure. I was too young to not know the rules of dating, yet I was seriously out of the loop. I’d only been in one relationship my whole life, and only with one person. God, this was so frustrating. My mama always told me not to give it up too quickly. Oh, God, I missed her so much.
Pushing thoughts of my parents away, I looked over at Hunter under the lights from my apartment complex and smiled at him. His cheeks were pink from the sun and he stared at me as if he was expecting me to say something. I wasn’t sure what, so I stared back at him for a bit. I felt like it should be awkward, but it just wasn’t.
“Thank you for today. I’m not sure I’ve had this much fun in… well, never.”
He nodded and said, “I’m going to walk you upstairs, then I’m going to kiss you goodnight, and then I’m going to leave. You don’t have to worry about me asking to come in.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek and looked at him from under my lashes. “You don’t want to come in?” Now I was just testing him.
He reached over and ran a finger down my bare, sun-pinked arm. “No, sweetheart, I don’t. I do, but I don’t. I want to see you again, so that’s why I’m picking you up again tomorrow night for dinner. If you’re not working, that is.”
I nodded. “I get off at six, so pick me up at seven. I’ll be ready.”
He got out of the truck and came around and opened my door, and I let him.
As we reached my door, I fumbled with my keyring and looked up at him. “I’m waiting for that kiss.”
Reaching around to the back of my head, he entangled my hair in his fist, and pushed my head toward him slowly. I closed my eyes as his lips met mine, and moaned when his tongue gently slid in to mingle. We kissed each other like we knew it was what the other liked, and the smell of sun, salt, and sex filled the air in the hallway of my apartment complex.
Gently pulling away, he gazed down at me with those amazing blue eyes and said, “Goodnight, Reece Morgan. I’ll see you at seven tomorrow.”
The hand he’d reached down and grabbed while we were kissing was still intertwined with his and he reluctantly let go while walking backward toward the stairwell. I stood there lovestruck and dumbfounded until he disappeared from view. I barely got the key in the lock with my shaking fingers.
Chapter 5
Hunter
I slept in ‘til 10 the next day, the sun and excitement had definitely worn me down.
After making myself an omelet and some orange juice, I fired up my laptop and checked my emails. I had one from Blackwood Security sent early that morning, outlining the details of my interview coming up. Wow, these guys really didn’t ever shut down. It’s Sunday morning and somebody there was working.
My stomach turned over with nerves at the thought of the interview. I knew I had enough education, knowledge, and confidence to breeze through it, but I didn’t want to get too confident. We’d had plenty of mock job fairs and interviews in college and I had been told several times to dial down the cockiness. I didn’t think I was cocky. I think because I was good looking and knew how to charm, that I came off as over-confident. Maybe admitting I was good looking was cocky in and of itself, but I didn’t think it was. I couldn’t help how I looked but I could sure as fuck use it to my advantage.
That got me thinking about girls, which got me thinking about Reece. She was a gorgeous girl, there was no doubt about it, but something about the way she didn’t have the ridiculous, fake Barbie girl looks or attitude was what attracted her to me. She didn’t need a shit-ton of makeup to look pretty, and she didn’t have those eyes that constantly darted around crowds trying to see who was looking at her. She didn’t hold her head high, and that was okay with me. I could tell she had a few demons she was hiding, and I was sure as hell going to find out what they were.
There was something about her that seemed a little broken. Not like an irreparable flaw, but like her spirit had been crushed. She obviously struggled financially, but she had an inner strength I could see when I looked into her eyes. It was like defiance and determination shined out from behind their hazel depths. The way the greens and yellows of her irises mixed together, reminding me of the bruised-looking sky right before a tornado touched down. When I looked at her, what reflected back wasn’t what she put out. She had a little desperation that needed dousing and a lot of emotion that was being suppressed. I was going to find the key that unlocked that emotion and use it to make her fall into me. Trust me. Yes, I’d fucked up the other night, and I knew I had to earn her trust back. That was a challenge I was definitely willing to accept.
I smiled and closed the laptop, needing a shower and then to head over to the U-Haul place and pick up a small rental to get my shit packed. Along with this interview with Blackwood, I also would be moving into my new place this week. Date with Reece, job interview, new house… there’s no way a smile couldn’t be permanently plastered on my face about how awesome this week was going to be.
I just hope I didn’t fuck it up.
My thumbs furiously tapped out a drum beat on the steering wheel to the blaring music in my truck as I headed toward Reece’s apartment. She had texted me that she’d gotten off early from her shift at the restaurant so we were able to have an earlier date. I thought it was cool she had told me that instead of keeping me waiting. Considerate chicks always moved to the top of my to-do list.
Heh…
My smile fell when I saw Reece waiting in front of her building. She wasn’t even inside behind the safety of the lobby. I glanced at the horizon to see sunset was still a way’s off, but I didn’t like her standing out there alone, looking as beautiful as she did. A flowy red top and a long necklace covered the top half, and some short white pants with white shoes were at the bottom. She was too vulnerable standing outside by herself.
I wanted to scold her for being so careless but I knew this would probably come off wrong. She would think I was judging where she lived rather than see my genuine concern for her safety in such a place. So, plastering a smile on my face, I got out of the truck, looked around, then carefully helped her into the passenger seat, helping her inside, but not before placing a soft, chaste kiss on her red lips.
“Hi,” I said to her as soon as she was seated.
She looked down from her seat. “Hi.”
I grinned and shut the door. Getting into the driver’s seat, I put the truck in drive and headed toward the coast.
“You like seafood?”
“Oh, hell yes I like seafood,” she said quickly.
“Great, I know a place.”
She giggled. “I bet you do.”
When we reached the Shrimp House, her eyes went wide. “Oh, my God. I love this place! I’ve only been here once but have wanted to come back.”
This made me happier than it should have. I killed the engine and escorted her to the front. It wasn’t the fanciest of places, but just a nice seafood joint where you could eat on the water and get some fried shrimp or something a bit more refined if you wanted.
A warm coastal breeze blew off the water as we sat outside. It was hot, but nothing neither of us was used to, and I think we were both grateful the sun had set enough to not be blazing down on us.
“So, how much longer do you have until you graduate?” I asked her.
She wiped cocktail sauce from her corner of her mouth with a paper towel she’d torn from the roll set in the middle of the table. “About two years, give or take.”
“I bet that’s a lot of schooling. My mom told me she barely got through it.”
She grinned and nodded. “Sounds about right. It’s pretty grueling. I am going to have to cut back my hours at the restaurant so I can concentrate on my labs and clinicals. But it’ll be worth it.”
I took a swig from my beer bottle while staring at her beautiful face. “I think you will make an amazing nurse, Reece. You seem to have the right personality and temperament for it.”
She raised a light brown eyebrow and said, “Know me that well already, do you?”
I set my bottle down and reached across the table to grab her hand. “You’re right, I don’t. But I’m also a very good judge of character – always have been – and there’s something about you that I was immediately drawn to. Aside from being beautiful, you seem kind and considerate. I know you have a good heart, Reece, and I hate that you seem to be struggling with something.” I looked into her eyes, mine flicking back and forth as she did the same to me. “I’m a good listener if you want to open up.”
A small smile twitched up on her lips and she looked almost relieved. “Thank you, I will open up one day, I promise. It’s just hard for me.”
“I understand,” I said, nodding.
She cocked her head to the side. “Do you? Because you seem to be an open book, Hunter Jenkins.”
“That’s a good thing, though. I’ve got nothing to hide. Well, except a few frat stories, but you don’t want to hear those, trust me.”
She snorted. “Probably not.”
“Well then, I will start with the basics. Brothers and sisters?”
She shook her head. “Nope, only child.”
“Parents, they live nearby?”
Her face suddenly became colored in sadness. “No, not anymore.”
“Okay. Where then?”
She set her napkin down. “They died in a car crash about three years ago.”
I dipped my head down and looked at my lap. I didn’t meant to make it such a dramatic gesture but it was exactly how I felt. I blinked a few times and looked up at her. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
She tried to smile but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s okay. But now you know. I’m on my own, but I am making it okay.”
Her pride made me happy. “Yes, you are.”
Deciding I should stop asking her questions, I asked her only one final one. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
I walked her up to her apartment, and this time, she invited me in. I gladly accepted and was pleasantly surprised at the neat, tidy way she lived. She kept her place clean and it seemed like a quiet, peaceful place to live. One sofa with an end table, a tiny kitchenette, and a small double-sized bed in the corner. I did not see a TV, but rather a small computer desk in the corner with a single chair and a laptop and printer on it.
“It’s not much, but it’s all mine,” Reece said, as if reading my mind. I watched as she fumbled with her laptop and started up Spotify as a popular country song began to croon through the speakers connected to it.
“It’s nice,” I said, not sure what else to say.
She laughed and set her purse on the small sofa. “No, it’s not. It’s all second-hand crap. But one day, I will buy a house and have all new stuff. One day.”
I glided over to her, and it only took a couple steps until I was right in front of her. With both hands, I gripped both her arms and looked down into her eyes. “Your determination is a turn-on. I’m not gonna lie. I love ambitious women.”
She licked her lips but didn’t blink a she replied, “I can take care of myself.”
“I see that,” I whispered before I crushed my lips onto hers.
She broke out of my grip and slithered her hands around my waist as we began to sway to the slow country song.
Chapter 6
Reece
God, he was such a good kisser. The music playing just added to the heat in the room.
By now his fist was in my hair and he used his control over my head to bend my neck back. He trailed kisses up my throat, to my jaw, and then onto my cheek. He followed that trail to my ear and licked at my earlobe, which had goosebumps erupting all over my body, and my knees turning to Jell-O.
As we kissed, I hadn’t realized he was walking me over to the bed until I felt myself falling, landing on my back on the too-soft mattress. I was able to catch my breath for a few seconds until Hunter was on top of me. Running his fingers over my shoulder and to my neck in feather-light touches, he continued his delicious assault of my mouth, my neck, and my ear. I found myself squirming underneath.
It’s been so long since I’ve had sex…
It’s only the second date…
One night won’t hurt anything…
You just got out of a major relationship…
It takes getting under a new man to get over the previous one…
Why couldn’t I just enjoy myself? Why did I have to have this internal conflict with myself?
Like a blazing hot flame, Hunter’s tongue licked its way up to my ear, where he whispered, “See what you do to me?” which was followed by him thrusting his hard length into my center through our clothes.
I groaned in response, the sound not completely familiar to me. I can’t recall a time where I’d ever been this ignited by a man. Lust was crowding my brain and I knew I was about to make a very bad decision – one I might regret – if I didn’t put a stop to his delicious assault.
He quickly pulled my red top off over my head and then continued kissing me, pulling my red bra strap down my shoulder and kissing me there. Then he moved back to my mouth, and I quickly found myself being flipped over. Now on top, Hunter looked up at me and then trailed his eyes down where my long necklace now lay between what little cleavage I had.
“So hot,” he whispered, grabbing the back of my head and pushing me down to meet his mouth.
Hunter’s right hand went up my thigh, across my hip, over my sides and to my breast, eventually coming to rest on the back of my head along with his left one.
We kissed for what felt like a really long time. I felt like I was back in high school on my first few dates with my ex-boyfriend. I really didn’t have anything else to compare it to.
Shoving that jerk from my brain, I enjoyed kissing Hunter. He was such a good kisser and his soft moans in my ear were driving me crazy.
I knew I needed to stop it, though.
I broke the kiss and put my hand on his face. “I have an early day tomorrow. I want this, but, really, I just can’t right now.”
In his light blue eyes, a storm was raging like an angry sea wanting to calm but having no control over what mother nature was doing to it.
Slowly he nodded and pulled back, pushing himself off my small bed and standing. He stared down at me, his cheeks red and his chest moving up and down. I looked up at him, waiting for him to get pissed off and start yelling at me about being a tease before storming out. I pulled my lip into my teeth and stared at him from under my lashes.
Finally, he sat down next to me and said, “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
&n
bsp; I laughed a little and smoothed my hair down and swung it over my shoulder. “It’s not really want I want, but probably the right thing to do. I really like you and want to see you again.”
He smiled and said, “I’m glad.” Then he gently kissed my nose, got up, grabbed his keys and phone, and left my apartment.
I felt bad but not really. I just mostly felt frustrated.
The week was dragging by. I was completely distracted at work and school thinking about Hunter. We had texted a few times but no phone calls. I knew he was busy job hunting and moving into his new place so I tried to think about other things.
“Hello! Earth to…” my eyes flicked back to the customer in the booth to see him glancing down at my nametag, “Reece. Did you get all that?” he asked as his friends all laughed.
I flushed a shade of red and said, “I’m sorry, sir, yes I got all that.” I then proceeded to repeat his order back to his verbatim, which I didn’t think the cocky asshole was expecting.
“Uh, that’s a Diet Coke, not regular,” one of the girls said, as if she had caught me making a mistake. There were six people at this table, excuse me if I forgot the “diet” for her Coke. I simply smiled and said, “Of course. I’ll be right back with those.”
I kept the smile on my face until I reached the kitchen. I put in their orders, double checking they were accurate, then put began filling drink orders at the drink station.
“Busy night, huh?” Christina said to me, also filling up drinks.
I nodded. “Yeah, got a table of half-drunk assholes at 17. It’s gonna be a long night.” I sighed.
“Sorry, girl,” she said, shooting me a sympathetic glance.
I liked Christina, she and I were in similar situations, working through college and supporting ourselves with no help. She got me, and I got her.
I carefully carried the drinks, balancing them on my tray, and put my fake smile back on. I handed out the drinks and informed the jerks that their order would be up shortly and began walking away.
Bad Boys & Billionaires: An Anthology Page 18
