“Clarice, stop it right now.” She lightly slapped herself on the cheek when she realized she was fantasizing about Hunter. “Why are you fantasizing about that Casanova kissing you? Why are you comparing Anton’s kiss to that Casanova? Start walking now.”
Yes, she should start walking. Walking was good exercise. It makes you fit and strong… like that Casanova, so big and strong and… and… that kiss… ahhhhh, so sweet. He was tormenting her, but she liked it.
Clarice gently caressed her lips again, not realizing she was doing so, until a car zoomed past her, snapping her out of her delirium.
Clarice, start walking, you airhead. It brings about positive energy. With this said, she smiled as she made her way to the hotel. Always have a positive outlook on life, she told herself. That was how to succeed in life. But her outlook on life wasn’t all that positive some ten minutes later when she moaned, groaned, and constantly stopped at every available bench to rest her feet.
“You stupid heels. Why do I continue to wear you?” Clarice moaned again when she felt the ache intensify. It was definitely a curse to wear heels, especially when one had to walk.
Feeling she couldn’t tolerate any more, she took off her shoes and walked on bare feet instead. It felt much better, but the hot concrete began to bruise her soles after walking for another five minutes.
There’s no winning, is there?
Just when she was putting her heels back on, she heard a loud honk blasting her way.
“Oi, Avocado?” The shout was followed by another honk. “Out and about on a warm sunny day? What are you doing in this part of town?”
Clarice turned to see Hunter, his head sticking out the car window like a dog testing the wind, his ponytail flying against the cool breeze.
When did his hair get this long? Then she smacked herself and gritted her teeth. Why was she even thinking about his hairstyle? And she wasn’t in the mood to see him today.
Hunter’s heart thumped heavily as he drove closer to her. Once he got next to her, he pretended there was nothing wrong with him and started acting like the jerk he always was.
“Well?” he asked when Clarice didn’t react. “Are you going to bite your tongue today?”
“Piss off, Hunter. I’m not in the mood to see you today,” Clarice said, staring ahead.
“So will you be in the mood to see me tomorrow, then?” Hunter asked cheekily.
“Piss off. I don’t want to see you tomorrow either,” Clarice said as she continued to walk faster, ignoring his persistent comments.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked, concerned when he noticed Clarice wasn’t in her usual playful mood. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”
Of course I’m not glad to see you. That kiss he’d imparted still left her wanting more. But of course she didn’t say that. Instead, she said, “Nothing. So will you please leave?” Then she motioned him away with her hands and walked faster.
But Hunter didn’t listen. He just kept on following in his car.
Clarice had had enough.
“What do you want?” she snapped, turning towards him. “Stop following me.”
Hunter stared at her, wide-eyed. Clarice had never snapped at him before. Well, not in that serious tone of voice anyway. This really concerned him. Was she affected by that kiss too?
“Where are you going?” he asked seriously, driving slowly to keep to her pace.
“None of your business.” Clarice fumed. She didn’t want to be any more confused—
Crash!
Clarice was so busy thinking about Hunter’s kiss that she didn’t look where she was going. In turn, she tripped over a crack in the concrete and now had even managed to twist her ankle. What a stupid idiot!
Hunter opened his car door, leapt out, and was cradling her in three seconds flat.
“For Christ sake, Avocado, would you watch where you’re going?” Hunter shouted in fright and concern. He’d never been that afraid before. He thought his heart was about to leap out of his throat. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I don’t know,” Clarice answered. She was too shocked to react, as she was now within Hunter’s embrace. And it felt like… like… Anton’s hugs, when they were together in Queenstown that night.
“Here, let me help you.” Hunter was about to lift Clarice when she pushed him away.
“What are you doing?” she asked when she woke from her shock.
“Lifting you up so I can look at your legs properly.”
“I don’t need your help,” she said. “I can get up myself.”
“Fine. Suit yourself.”
Hunter stood back and folded his arms, watching the woman who thought she could get up without his help. It looked as if she’d injured herself quite badly. And he hadn’t even finished thinking about it when Clarice almost fell over backward as she tried to stand.
“Clarice!” He wrapped his arm behind her before she toppled to the hard concrete again. “Why don’t you let me carry you?”
“No. Don’t carry me. I can walk!” she shouted in panic.
“Goddamn it. Don’t be such an annoying woman. I’m not going to kiss you, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Oh shit! There was silence all around him. Why did he have to mention that?
Clarice swallowed. Now with him this close to her, she couldn’t think of anything else.
Hunter could feel Clarice’s trepidation. He knew she must have been thinking about that episode too.
“Wind your arms around me,” he said instead. “I’ll put you inside the car. Then I’ll have a look at that foot of yours.”
This time Clarice was obedient, letting Hunter do his job. Once he placed her in the backseat, he lifted her left foot so it rested on his bent knees. He started folding her trousers back and feeling for any broken bones.
“Owww! That hurts,” she cried.
No, she mustn’t cry in front of this kid. He was a kid after all. By seven years. But a single tear slid down her cheek. The pain was so unbearable. Then she felt a soft hand flick away that teardrop, and she opened her eyes, coming face to face with Hunter. Her breath was immediately knocked out of her chest and in that split second, she could feel the tension weighing down upon her, constricting her lungs, preventing her from inhaling enough oxygen.
“Does it hurt?” Hunter asked softly, dropping his eyes to her ruby pouty lips.
Clarice couldn’t answer so she just nodded and looked away, taking deep, slow breaths.
“Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” Hunter asked.
Oh, no, she must go to Anton. She had a meeting with Anton today. She must see him.
“No. No.” Clarice shook her head. “I should be fine now. Could you let my foot go?”
“Wait, not yet. I’ll check if your soles are all right first.” Then Hunter proceeded to remove her heels gently.
“Jesus, Avocado!” He swore when he saw her soles covered in blisters. “What the hell did you do to yourself? Why are your feet blistered?” Then Hunter lifted her other foot and removed the other heel. “For Christ sake, and here you tell me you can walk? What did this?”
“Those shoes. They’re too high for me. Plus, I didn’t expect to walk that far.”
“Where were you going?”
“Somewhere.”
“Where is somewhere?” Hunter reiterated, starting to get irritated with Clarice’s monosyllable answers.
“A hotel,” Clarice said, looking away.
“A hotel!” Hunter sputtered.
A hotel? What would Clarice be doing at a hotel? And about this hotel, was it like a normal hotel or a love hotel? He was very curious. By this stage, his heart was almost leaping from his throat.
“Why?”
“I’m meeting with someone.”
Shit. It must be a love hotel, then. No way was he taking her to a love hotel.
“Who is this someone?” Hunter asked again, almost bursting at the seams when she wouldn’t give him a straight answer. “
Older than me or younger than me? A man or a woman?
Clarice stared at Hunter, wide-eyed. What was with all these grilling questions? And why was he so interested in the person she was going to meet anyway?
“He’s older than you, if you must know.”
“So it’s a man, then,” Hunter said, looking directly at Clarice like he was accusing her of having an affair. “And older than me too. Ha! Must be some old grandpa, then.” He pretended to laugh. “What does he do? Where does he work?”
“That’s my personal business,” Clarice yelled when he refused to stop firing questions at her. Dear heavens! What was wrong with him today? Why was he acting so strange and being so nosy?
“Fine. Then what kind of business do you have at this hotel?” Hunter couldn’t help asking.
“Also my business,” Clarice said again.
“I’m not taking you, then, if you won’t tell me.” Hunter gave out his ultimatum. He refused. He refused straightforwardly. If she wouldn’t tell him, then he wouldn’t take her. There, no negotiation at all. See how see would get to this love hotel now. What was she going to do? Walk? He doubted it.
“Suits me just fine.” Clarice grinned when an idea popped into her head. She smiled and then said loudly, “I’ll just call a taxi, then.”
There! Let’s see if this Casanova is willing to let a casualty go even when that casualty is in pain. And to test her theory, she took out her uncharged phone and pretended to call a taxi.
“Hello. I would like to order—”
“Give me that phone.” Hunter snatched it from Clarice and pocketed it in his jeans. Then he jerked his azure eyes to meet her round black ones. He ground his teeth in irritation and clicked his tongue in frustration before saying to her, “I’m confiscating this for now. Until you’re well again.”
Who was she playing with? Did she think he was stupid enough to allow her to call a taxi? Over his dead body. He preferred to take her to this hotel himself. At least this way he could see this bloody old grandpa too.
“I’m not sick,” Clarice yelled. What was wrong with her? Why was she yelling constantly?
“You look sick to me. Now, I’m not going to argue with a child who lives in an adult’s body. Let’s go.”
“Hunter! Arrrggghhhhh.” Clarice screamed when Hunter lifted her again. “What are you doing?” she shouted, her hands wrapping around his neck for dear life. “Put me down right now. I’m scared of heights.”
“Oh, really?” Hunter’s sky-blue irises lit up with mischief. “You might want to hang on tight or my hands might accidently slip.” And then he pretended to loosen his grip, in turn making Clarice scream in fright and grip his neck even tighter, her body snuggling closer to his chest. Hunter laughed when he saw the lovely result he’d produced.
“You… you…” Clarice wanted to swear at him, but no profanity came to her head at that moment, so she sent a simmering death glare at him, which in turn just… just…
“What? Trying to think of a swear best suited for me?” Hunter smiled. Happiness radiated from his chest, the likes of which he had not experienced in the past two weeks. This happiness made him grin, contorting his lips until he couldn’t stop smiling. He turned to face the woman in his arms and then he just…
Hunter froze. God, she looked majestic. He couldn’t breathe.
Clarice was also experiencing a lack of oxygen. Hunter just smiled. That smile that had captivated her and made her heart go thump, thump, thump, just like in the elevator when she’d pretended to be a sick old woman.
Both Clarice and Hunter swallowed, trying to appease their dry throats. Their eyes continued to stare at one another as if they were fighting a battle to see who could stare the longest. There was definitely a spark, a thread of electricity blazing between the two, as they continued to gaze at one another. Until a random car zoomed past them and broke the spell.
Hunter recovered first. He cleared his throat, trying to regain some dignity.
That felt like an eternity, he thought, when in actual fact it had only been mere seconds.
“Let me put you in the front,” he said, moving to the other door. He dropped her off, then went back to his seat.
Hoping to lighten their mood a bit, he started teasing her again.
“God, you’re so heavy, Avocado,” he commented cheekily. “My arms almost broke. What did you eat this morning? Roast pork?”
“I had rice porridge, thank you very much,” Clarice said, fidgeting in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the whole topic of weight.
Clarice didn’t want to tell Hunter about her ailment this morning. She had resorted to eating rice porridge because she just couldn’t seem to take down any proper food. She tried to eat her normal cereal, but she just wanted to gag every time she was about to take a spoonful. She suspected it was because she was so nervous about the prospect of seeing Anton today and having to face their unknown future together. Plus, there was also the possibility that he didn’t remember their night of passion in Queenstown. But for her current conversation here with Hunter, she still had her pride, so she said, “I am not fat. I am within the range of my ideal body mass index.”
“Fine, whatever you say,” Hunter said, grinning at her. Then he realized she still hadn’t put on her seat belt. “Are you not going to do up your belt?” he asked, quirking one eyebrow in question. “Or do you want to feel the thrill of having your stomach contents jumping about inside you?”
Clarice couldn’t retort. She didn’t know what to say. She was being careless again. Seatbelts. Of course she needed to fasten her seatbelt before Hunter started the car. She’d never ever driven anywhere with her seatbelt unbuckled before. That was way too dangerous. And this situation was dangerous. She seriously needed to check her mental status. This was definitely unhealthy.
“God, Avocado, why are you being so difficult?” Hunter sighed and shook his head when he saw Clarice still struggling to pull the belt from the side.
“It’s too tight. I can’t extend it. Clearly, you need to fix your seatbelts. It’s dangerous and not functioning properly,” she said, tugging on the belt again, but it just wouldn’t budge.
“Let me do it for you,” Hunter said. Then he leaned over her, pressing his own body mass into Clarice’s small frame so they were practically molded together.
Clarice tried to press her body back into her seat as much as possible to avoid touching Hunter, but his body was just so close to her that she was literally crushed tight, like a ham sandwich. Dear heavens, she could feel his rippled abs. And his heart, his heart was beating so fast. He wasn’t sick, was he?
Clarice didn’t know what Hunter’s ailment was, but she sure did notice her own. His face was so close that it made it hard to breathe again. She had to turn and look toward the steering wheel just to avoid her face touching his.
“What’s taking so long?” she asked, squeezing back into the seat farther.
“It’s really tight Avocado. I really need to get this belt looked at.”
After a few more tugs, Hunter got it to work. Then he buckled it around her. But accidently, his nose brushed against her cheek when she turned to the sound of his voice.
Hunter sucked in his breath, just as his lips touched her. Again.
“You, you kissed me again.” Clarice touched her cheek.
“That’s not a kiss. It was an accident,” Hunter said, wanting to caress that soft cheek again, inhaling her sweet orange blossom scent.
“Get off me, then,” Clarice shouted, pushing him away. Then she folded her arms and turned to face the window.
“Fine,” Hunter said, now back in his own seat. “It’s not that spectacular anyway.”
“If it’s not spectacular, then stop kissing me,” she yelled, jerking her head to give him another death glare, which was supposed to make her look scary, but it just had the opposite effect on Hunter.
God, she was so adorable. He wanted his lips on her again. And this time he wanted to make sure it was
not an accident. But his big mouth had a mind of its own and just couldn’t help teasing her. So it decided to open of its own accord and speak without his brain even registering what it said.
“It wasn’t intentional anyway,” he said. “The first time was an accident. You bumped into me, remember? At that Cambodian restaurant? The one in Queenstown, I had to shut you up by kissing you because you just wouldn’t stop yelping, and the third time it was an accident. See, unintentional.”
So that was it? She wasn’t someone special enough to receive his kiss.
Clarice, you dork. Why would you even think something would come of it? Here you’ve slept with Anton, but all you constantly do is replay that kiss Hunter bestowed upon you. You even imagined Hunter was the one that had slept with you. You’re really pathetic. How could you feel like this towards this person?
She wasn’t replying to his teasing. Had he gone overboard? If he could take back his words, he would have done so. Maybe he should stop teasing her for a bit. She really didn’t look like she was enjoying it at all.
“Clarice… I…” He wanted to apologize, but he really didn’t know why. He guessed he just didn’t like it when she wasn’t talking or getting mad at him. This was another tension altogether. It looked as if she were really upset with him.
“Clarice… I…” he repeated.
“Just start driving,” Clarice shouted, then turned her face towards her window, avoiding his gaze.
“Okay,” he said passively, then obediently put his car in drive. The car roared to life, and soon they were in the fast line, heading towards Central Auckland.
Hunter stole a few glances at Clarice during the trip. Once or twice, she would look straight ahead and give out directions. For the rest of the time, her eyes were directed out the window, her back facing him.
It was so strange. Maybe she was really upset with him. The Clarice he knew never behaved like this. Maybe she was in pain because of her blistered feet. He came to the only conclusion he could think of. Her face sure looked pale.
That thought sparked his anger, so he started grinding his teeth again. How did she manage to walk thirty minutes with those torture devices on her poor feet? Stupid woman! Who would do that to themselves?
Baby Be Mine (Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book One) Page 19
