The stewardess brought him a drink, and he took it. He usually wasn’t much of a drinker, but he clearly needed it.
“Thank you,” he said after we’d been traveling for a few minutes. “Sorry I freaked out.”
“It’s okay,” I said, nudging his shoulder with mine. “Flying is actually fun once you get used to it.”
“Not sure I’ll ever be that comfortable,” Hunter replied with a chuckle. “But it’s not as bad as what I made it out to be.”
“It’ll all be worth it once we get there,” I said, pressing my leg to his. It was a subtle movement that no one around would think twice about, but I needed to feel closer to him.
He ended up falling asleep on the plane—surprisingly—and he didn’t freak out at all when we landed in Florida.
We were staying at a luxury resort called The Ritz- Carlton, and once we were off the plane, a car picked us up at the airport to take us there. The photoshoot was taking place at Cape Florida beach on Key Biscayne, which was only seven or so minutes from the hotel. We’d arrived a day early, so we could relax before I had to work.
As we drove through town, I took in the sights, but none were as breathtaking as Hunter. His face lit up as he looked out the window, and his excitement enhanced my own.
I’d traveled to countless places—for football games, vacations, and for modeling gigs—so I was used to the glamor of it all. However, I had to remind myself that Hunter had never left home. He’d told me that the farthest he’d ever traveled was to go to Branson, Missouri a handful of times over the years, which was only about three hours from Willow.
So all of this was new for him.
I made a mental note to spoil the hell out of him from now on. I had more money than I even knew what to do with, and I could think of nothing better than to spend it on him. Not just on this trip, but on all the others I planned to take him on in the future. Because I refused to let go of him ever again.
Even when my season with the Raptors started up again in a few months, I had faith we’d make it work between us.
When the car got to the hotel, the driver helped us unload our luggage, and I paid him a very generous tip for his effort.
“Wow,” Hunter said as he looked toward the entrance. “Do you always stay in such fancy places?”
“Maybe.” I smirked before nodding ahead and grabbing my bag. “Come on.”
***
The resort captured the essence of a tropical island, with the most beautiful sparkling blue water and white coral sand beaches. Our hotel room had a balcony that overlooked the ocean, plus a floor to ceiling window on the other side of the room that gave the same breathtaking view.
Hunter was sitting out on the balcony, wearing sunglasses, no shirt, and looking fucking delicious. The breeze coming off the water ruffled his dark hair, and he tilted his head back, soaking up the sun.
“What’s the plan for today?” he asked, not moving from his spot.
“Well, the shoot isn’t until tomorrow,” I answered, walking closer and kneeling beside his chair. We had a corner room, and it was more secluded than others. I doubted anyone could see us. I leaned forward and gently flicked my tongue over his nipple. “We can do whatever we want.”
Hunter shuddered and gripped my hair before running his hand down to the center of my back. “Mmm. I wonder how we can pass the time.”
It didn’t take us long to figure it out. I lay on top of him, moving my body on his sun-warmed skin. He smelled like coconut from his tanning lotion and berries from the fruit he’d been eating earlier.
After making out on the balcony, we moved to the bedroom and collapsed together on the soft mattress. Fuck. It was a rare kind of heaven, being entwined with Hunter. Each kiss was with purpose, each touch was beyond the physical.
“I want you to fuck me,” I said as he kissed down my chest.
His brown eyes flashed to mine as a smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “I can do that.”
Even though I loved topping, I really enjoyed bottoming for him too. Since we’d gotten back together, I’d done it more and more. It was an equal give and take between us. Exactly how I liked it.
We spent the following three hours in bed, and by the time we finally untangled from each other, the sun was setting. And it was a gorgeous sunset. The water looked like it was on fire as areas of the now dark water were glowing with various shades of orange.
“I’m starving,” Hunter said after we’d showered. He grabbed a shirt, and I got a glimpse of the sexy V-lines disappearing beneath his jeans before he pulled it on.
Unable to stop myself, I tugged him to my chest and kissed him. Maybe because I knew once we left the privacy of the room, I wouldn’t be able to hold or kiss him until we were alone again. Not without outing myself to everyone, including all the paparazzi who were more than likely waiting in the hotel lobby to catch a glimpse of me and Veronica—who was arriving later that night.
“I’m sorry I can’t be what you want me to be,” I whispered in his ear, still holding him close. “But I swear it won’t be forever.”
Hunter kissed the base of my throat before running the tip of his nose up the side of my neck and to my ear, sending shivers along my skin. “I’m not going anywhere, Cor. Coming out is scary. It sure as hell was when I did it, and I just came out to my parents and a few college friends. You have to come out to the whole damn world. It’s not fair, but it is what it is.”
We took the elevator down to the ground floor before going toward the restaurant in the back. There were a few restaurants, one for more seafood type dishes, one to get burgers, and the other was Mexican food. In the mood for fajitas and margaritas, we decided on the latter.
It was an outside dining experience. A thatched palapa roof covered the tables and tiki torches, fire pits, and plush lounge chairs were placed throughout. With the setting sun, it couldn’t have been a more perfect time to eat out there either. The oceanfront view, picturesque décor, and Caribbean type atmosphere made it both elegant and serene.
And just like earlier, the beautiful scenery was forgotten as I looked at Hunter.
Instead of his glasses, he’d chosen to wear contacts, which gave me a better view of his gorgeous chocolate eyes and long, dark lashes around them. His hair swooped on top, giving him that messy bedhead look that seemed to be the in style with most fashion models those days. He looked better than them all, in my opinion. He wore shorts that showed his sexy, toned calves and a short sleeved button up shirt that was made causal with it hanging open and revealing the simple white shirt underneath.
The waiter came right over to take our drink order, and even though he tried to hide it, I saw how excited the guy was to see me.
“What can I get for you and your friend, Mr. Taylor?” he asked with a huge, welcoming smile. He looked to be younger than me, so probably twenty-one or just a year or two older than that. Or perhaps his wide-eyed innocence just made him appear that way. “We have many drink specials, but we’re known for our tequila.”
I ordered us the house special for the night, and once the waiter—whose name was Michael—walked away, I leaned in toward Hunter.
“This is sort of our first official date since we’ve been back together, huh?” I said, fighting the urge to reach across the table and take his hand.
“Yeah it is,” Hunter agreed before narrowing his brow. “We’ve been together for over a month and you’re just now taking me out somewhere nice. You have a lot of catching up to do.”
Unlike when William used to say shit like that, I knew Hunter was just playing around. The amount of money I had meant nothing to him. Our bond went way back before any of that anyway.
“The nerve of me, right?” I responded.
Hunter grinned.
We ordered fajitas—he had shrimp and steak ones while I just went with chicken—and over dinner, we talked about anything and everything. Just anything that popped into our heads. It was freeing in ways I couldn’t even describe.
“I’ve been thinking about what I want to do after my contract is up,” I said after wiping my mouth with the cloth napkin. Hunter looked at me with a somewhat anxious expression. “I want to move into Grandpa’s house.”
I had thought about it over the past several weeks, and I kept coming back to that one decision. Sure, I liked living in Kansas City, in Overland Park, but it was just a house. Just a town like any other.
But with Hunter? I had a home.
“What about Kansas City?” he asked, truly surprised, as if he couldn’t believe I’d chosen a life with him over one that got way too lonely, even while I was surrounded by crowds of people. “Willow is nothing compared to that.”
“That’s not true.” I held his gaze, wishing he could feel what I felt deep in my chest. If he could, he would never question my decision to stay with him ever again. “You’re there.”
Hunter didn’t say anything at first, but various emotions flickered across his face. Shock, joy, and even a little sadness.
“So this is really happening?” he asked. “You and me. A real future together.”
I nodded, closely watching him. I was sure to anyone on the outside looking in, we’d probably look like we were having an argument by how serious we both were.
“I don’t know what I’ll do career wise,” I said, feeling a stirring of nerves at the thought of not having something to fall back on. “But what I do know? I’m tired of living a huge life that seems so small because you aren’t with me. It’s lonely, and although it can be incredible at times, at the end of the day, most people only want me because of what I represent and not actually want me for me.”
Hunter took a drink before looking down at the table, visibly mulling something around in his head. Then, he looked back at me.
“I don’t want you giving up football, Cor. If KC doesn’t extend your contract, stay in as a free agent and maybe some other team will pick you up.” The seriousness in his eyes was reflected in his tone as well. “I want you to live in Willow more than anything, but you don’t have to give up your dream to do it.”
I saw his yearning for the kind of life I’d talked about, and yet, he was putting all of that aside because he thought I was giving something up for him. Maybe I was. Football meant a lot to me, and I’d fucking miss it.
But I’d miss him more.
“Let’s talk about it later, okay?” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “Tonight, I just want us to enjoy ourselves and live in the moment.”
Hunter smiled. “Agreed.”
After we’d eaten, we went over to the lounge area and drank a few margaritas. With the sound of the surf up ahead, as well as the soft music playing from the back patio, it was romantic and absolutely perfect. Well, it would’ve been perfect if I could’ve held him while we enjoyed it all, but just being beside him was enough for now.
A perfect date, followed by an even more amazing night.
Chapter 21
Hunter
I awoke to the sound of waves and a warm body wrapped around mine. The sun streamed in through the open balcony doors and a light breeze blew the white see-through curtains that hung around the doorframe.
Corbin sighed in his sleep and pulled me closer to him, my back to his chest. His left leg was over mine and his right arm was under me. I couldn’t escape even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. Not in a million years.
After we’d gotten back to the room the night before, we’d made love again before sitting out on the balcony and talking more about what we’d started to at dinner. He seemed set on moving to Willow. And it wasn’t as if he couldn’t still play football if he moved there. He’d be gone a lot, sure, but we’d make the time when he was able to come home worth it.
He could keep his luxurious house in Overland Park to stay when he had to be in Kansas City, and during his offseason he could stay in Willow, with both of us flying back and forth in between to see each other, even if it was just for a weekend. That way, he could still do what he loved, and we could be together.
A compromise, which was important in order to make relationships work.
I tried not to obsess over the fact that there’d be more days I didn’t see him than days that I did, with the exception of his offseason which lasted three months. Four tops. I tried not to think about his side of the bed being cold because he wasn’t lying beside me during most nights in the summer, fall, and some of winter.
I knew Corbin was awake when his breathing changed, and his arms tightened around me. He pressed a kiss to my nape before slowly moving his hips forward.
I grinned against the pillow. “Good morning.”
In one swift movement, Corbin moved me onto my stomach and pushed my legs apart with his knee, lying on top of me. His hard dick poked against my ass, causing my own to stiffen. Morning sex was like a ritual with us. It’d been that way when we were teenagers, and it was still the case.
I pushed backward, rubbing my ass on his cock. Teasing him.
Corbin growled before biting at the back of my neck. “I’m gonna fuck you into this mattress. Would you like that?”
God. I loved when he talked like that. He had a passionate love making side, and then he had a wild, animalistic, rough fucking side that thrilled me just as much.
I felt his weight shift off me as he leaned over to the bedside table, but then he was back in place and running a lubed finger across my hole. I was still a little stretched from the night before, so it didn’t take him long to get me ready and aching for the rest of him.
“Fuuuck,” he said on a breathy gasp as he breached me. He gripped the front of my hip and propped me up an inch or so on the bed before moving farther.
It stung a little before I moaned with the pleasure of it, of being filled so completely.
I hung my head forward on the pillow, but Corbin wasn’t having that. He grabbed a handful of my dark hair and pulled my head back up before gently grabbing my throat, still fucking me. I braced myself on the dipping mattress with my other arm and shifted more to my knees.
“Mmm. Fuck me, Cor.” The feel of him driving into me was intoxicating. I needed more. I needed all he had to offer. “Harder.”
My dick hardened even more as Corbin fucked me deeper. I reached down and started jerking myself. I groaned as I worked my tip, taking the pre-cum and adding it to the mix as I stroked my pulsing shaft.
“I love when you touch yourself,” he grunted in the sexiest lust driven tone, holding me in place as he glided in and out of my tight heat.
Corbin quickened his pace when my moans became a slur of unintelligible words. His groans added to the chorus of mine, and his balls slapped against my ass faster. When he gripped both sides of my hips and pounded into me harder, the hold on my orgasm slipped and I cried out as wave after wave of pleasure crashed into me.
His fingers dug into my sides as he began to lose his rhythm. “God damn, Hunter. I—” His words were cut off by a drawn-out moan as he began empting his load inside me.
Corbin collapsed beside me on the bed before pulling me back into his arms. We lay there, trying to catch our breaths and come down from the clouds he’d shot us to.
“Now that’s what I call a good morning wake-up call,” he said in a husky tone.
I laughed. “You’re such a dork.”
“You love me, though.” He leaned forward and kissed my shoulder blade, letting his lips linger on my skin a moment before pulling away.
“Yeah, I do.” I flipped to my other side, watching as he got off the bed and walked toward the bathroom, still butt ass naked and sexy as hell. “What time is the shoot today?”
“Noon-ish,” he answered as he opened the closet a
nd grabbed a shirt and shorts. His gray eyes focused on me as a sly grin spread across his too handsome face. “Wanna take a shower?”
I looked at the clock by the bed. “It’s already after ten. If we get in that shower together, there’s no way you’ll be on time.”
“Fine,” he said with a pout before walking into the bathroom, leaving the door open. The shower started seconds later, and I heard the water hit the curtain as he stepped inside the tub. “Hey, Hunt?”
“Yeah?” I stayed on the bed, not wanting to let go of the post-orgasm haze just yet.
“I want you to meet Veronica before the shoot,” he said, and I didn’t miss the hesitance in his voice. “That way when we’re shooting together, you’ll know it’s just work…and not…well, you know.”
I’d tried to put it out of my mind that their photoshoot would more than likely be very intimate, but having him basically verify it caused that damn spike of jealousy again. I’d thought I would just stay in the hotel while he worked and just see him after. But he really wanted me to go, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.
Dammit.
“Hunt?”
“Okay,” I said, sitting up and rubbing at the back of my neck. I walked into the bathroom and pulled back the curtain. Shit, Corbin was too beautiful—the way the water rolled down his rippling abs and glistened on his tan skin, how it darkened his blond hair. I nearly forgot why I even went in there. “Guess I’ll take that shower after all.”
He smirked and stepped back to make room for me. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. Mostly.”
Right after I stepped inside, his arms came around my waist and he kissed down the back of my neck.
“Liar,” I said.
Corbin answered me with an adorably sexy laugh, and just like that, I didn’t think about anything other than how amazing it felt to love and be loved in return.
***
Veronica was staying in the nicest suite in the hotel, one with an oceanfront view, living area, and one and a half bathrooms—not surprising. Models were usually spoiled and demanding, and I knew this supermodel from the UK with her fucking perfect hair and body wouldn’t be any different.
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