Unforeseen Heartbeat

by Maureen Mayer

  “Is that so?” I grabbed the pillow off my bed and tossed it in his face, but his reflexes were quicker than I had anticipated. He smacked my ass with the pillow before placing it back on the bed.

  “Damn. Do you have anything I can put my contacts in for the night?”

  I turned around to find Hunter sitting in my bed with his back leaned up against the headboard. I was already going against Robbie’s advice to steer him away from my bedroom, but never had a man looked so right and so perfectly at home in my bed. This was dangerous territory.

  “I didn’t even realize you wore contacts. Hmm, let me go grab Lance’s contact solution and see if I can find something to soak them in.”

  I grabbed a tank top and shorts from my dresser before stepping out of my room. Leaning my head back against the door, I had to catch my breath. Seeing Hunter in my bed had my head spinning and my heart fluttering in anticipation. I knew I had to calm myself before I faced him again. Why had I never experienced this array of feelings when any other man was in my bed? I wasn’t sure what was different about him, but to honest, it kind of frightened me. I wasn’t used to feeling so jittery and nervous around guys, but something about Hunter was different; a far cry from what I was used to.

  I shuffled down the hallway until I reached the bathroom across from Robbie’s room. After changing into my shorts and tank, I realized just how skimpy they were and inwardly cringed. This was probably a terrible idea, but there wasn’t much I could do about it now. I snagged Lance’s contact solution, but came up empty with something to put Hunter’s contacts in. I disappeared into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, needing to improvise.

  When I made my way back into the bedroom, Hunter was exactly where I had left him, but he was grinning from ear to ear as he flipped through one of my old family photo albums.

  “Is this you when you were younger?”

  I looked down to find him staring at a picture of Brett and I when we were about twelve and ten years old. My hair was a short, messy, blonde disaster, and the huge smile on my face was adorned with shiny, metal braces. I was so different back then, without a care as to how I looked or how people perceived me; back when I still believed that one day my prince charming would sweep me off my feet, and we’d ride off into the sunset, living happily ever after. But that happily ever after faded into nothingness long ago. I was young and naïve, unaware of the bitter truths that lay before me. Funny how much things had changed.

  I set the bottle of contact solution down on the nightstand along with two shot glasses. Hunter tilted his head to the side, eyebrow raised. “Are you planning on getting sloshed before bed?”

  I punched his shoulder playfully and set the photo album back on my bookshelf. “No you lush, they’re to put your contacts in for the night. It was the only thing I could find.”

  “Easy there, slugger. I’m just teasing. These will work fine. Seriously, thank you.”

  I nodded and watched as he filled the shot glasses about a third of the way full. “How come you never wear your glasses? I bet you look like a sexier version of Clark Kent.”

  “I’ll have to keep that in mind,” Hunter chuckled softly, a boyish grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, but his smile faded when he finally took in what I was wearing, and I instantly regretted my choice of attire. Well, there’s a first! It was hard enough finding clothes that bared enough skin, and here I was trying to cover myself up. The silky material rubbed against my delicate skin, causing my nipples to harden into diamond-sharp peaks that were about ready to tear through my paper-thin top. With the way his steely, gray eyes perused my body, there was no hiding the effect he had on me.

  I casually raised my arms up and crossed them over my chest. “We should probably try to get some sleep.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m beat.” He yawned, peeling off Robbie’s shirt and exposing his toned chest and abs. He placed his contacts in the shot glasses, separating them so he could remember his right from his left, and his eyes squinted as he settled down under the covers.

  “Can you still see?”

  He leaned over to face me and smiled thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving mine once. “Yeah,” he said, tucking the tiniest strand of hair that even I hadn’t noticed behind my ear. “I can still see you.”

  A shiver ran through my body, leaving goose bumps in its wake. The seduction in his voice had my heart fluttering all over again. I pulled the comforter up higher and leaned my head further into the pillow. “Goodnight, Hunter. I-I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Hunter released a heavy sigh, a hint of disappointment lacing his breath. “G’night, Madelyn.”

  And then my heart stopped.

  No one ever referred to me by my full name except for my parents, but hearing my name roll off his tongue and slip past his lips was the most beautiful sound to flow through my ears. I couldn’t be sure what Hunter was doing to me, but I was quickly beginning to realize that he might be more than what I had bargained for…

  He just might turn out to be my game changer.

  I awoke with a start the next morning to the room feeling like a blistering sauna. Groaning in disgust, I peeled my sticky body away from the source of heat, but it wasn’t until I forced myself to pry my eyes open that I remembered I hadn’t gone to bed alone. Hunter was still there, lying on his back with his arm across his face to shield his eyes from the morning’s rays that had just begun to peek through the curtains. I reached over and brushed my thumb across his cheek, admiring his handsome features as he slept. His lips were slightly parted, much like they had been the morning I first woke up in bed with him, and his warm breath swept over my hand. I slid my thumb further down over his soft, plump lips, and before I knew it, my body was moving of its own accord, and I was leaning over and pressing my lips against his.

  Hunter stirred beneath me, and I quickly tore my lips away before he had a chance to figure out what I had done. His eyes slowly flickered open, confusion wrinkling his brow as he swept over the unfamiliar surroundings, but when his beautiful gray eyes struck mine, his face softened and a smile broke through his sleepy daze.

  “Hey.” He ran his fingers through his perfectly kept hair, not one strand misplaced since the night before.

  “Hey yourself. Did you sleep all right?” I leaned up with my elbow resting on the bed.

  “Best sleep I’ve had in ages. Must’ve been that storm that lulled me to sleep.”

  I smiled, knowing that wasn’t the only thing that helped me sleep.

  The deafening sound of feet stomping down the hallway filled the silence of the early morning, and my bedroom door flew open and slammed against the wall. Brett stood there, his eyes passing back and forth between us, and his eyebrows shot up as he took in the sight before him.

  “Jesus, Maddie, you already got him in your bed?!”

  Leave it to my brother to ruin a perfectly good moment. I shook my head, throwing myself back against the mattress and pointed a shaky finger toward the door.

  “Out! Get out!”

  “But—” Brett took another step into the room.

  “I won’t have you come barging into my room and then start making assumptions. Get the fuck out!”

  Brett held his hands up, slowly backing away from me. “Look, I’m sorry, but you really need to come outside.”

  “Brett it’s too early for this. Can you just come back later when I’m fully awake?” Wait a second; didn’t I take his key away the last time this happened?

  “Uh, no, this can’t wait, Maddie. I need you to come outside… like now! Someone vandalized your car!”

  Fuck! I threw a sweatshirt on over my barely-there pajamas, and looked back to find Hunter reaching into my dresser drawer and pulling out a gun. A fucking gun! Where the hell did he get a gun, and how had he slipped it past me without me noticing?

  I stood there frozen with my mouth agape as he flew into action and ran out of my room. By the time I made it outside, Hunter had placed the gun in
the waistband of his sweatpants, and he and my brother were walking around my car assessing the damage. From the looks of it, it wasn’t good. The windows had been smashed in, all four tires were slashed, and spray-painted along both sides of my little, black Honda Civic, in dripping red paint, was a word I was all too familiar with.

  SLUT

  My knees buckled, but Hunter caught me before I hit the pavement. I suddenly felt as if the air had been punched from my lungs, and my heart was slamming against my chest vehemently. I couldn’t breathe. Oh God, I couldn’t breathe!

  Hunter pulled me into his chest, closing the space between us, and dipped his head into the crook of my neck. He pressed his lips against the pulse beating rapidly against my throat, and I could feel his hot breath cascade me. I focused on each steady breath as he released it, trying to match it with my own. He slowly pulled away, and his gaze rushed over me.

  “Are you okay now?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” I gave him a weak smile. “Did… did you do that to me the night that Tucker—”

  “You remember that?” Surprise emanated from both his husky voice and his unwavering stare.

  “Vaguely. I remember feeling your breath on me. And that smell. It was something like cedar and… you.”

  Hunter stood up, allowing me to lean on him for support.

  “Maddie, when did you start having panic attacks like that? I’ve never seen anything like that.” Brett came up behind me, pulling me into a tight hug.

  “I guess they started the night Tucker drugged me. I’d never had one before that.”

  “Well, shit. I’m glad Hunter was here because I sure as fuck wouldn’t know what to do.”

  “Thank you, Hunter.” I smiled up at him appreciatively.

  “That’s what I’m here for. Now we need to get the police out here to take pictures and file a report.”

  “I still can’t believe we never heard anything. No breaking glass, nothing.” I ran my hands through my hair and realized it was still a mess from having just woken up.

  “I’m not surprised. That storm last night even blocked out Lance’s snoring.” Robbie appeared out of thin air next to me. “Fuck, baby girl, what did they do to your poor car?”

  “Looks like we’re going to be sharing your hatchback for a while, huh?”

  My shoulders slumped, and I leaned into Robbie’s side, seeking his comfort. Why would someone do this to me? Who could possibly hate me that much?

  The police showed up a few minutes later to take photographs of the evidence and question all of us. I answered the best I could, but without any witnesses present, there wasn’t much more for them to go on. After they got everything they needed, I headed back inside and threw myself on my bed.

  “Don’t get too comfy. You and I have a date.” Hunter hovered over me with his arms on either side of my tiny frame, locking me in place.

  “Excuse me?” I shoved against his chest. “I’m not going anywhere today, and I’m sure as hell not going on a date with you. I just want to lay here and wallow in my misery.”

  “Well, that’s not a very positive attitude, is it? Now get up. I don’t have all day.” He stood tall with his arms folded over his chest. Geez, when did he get to be so pushy?

  “I already told you I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Do you have any other plans today, princess?” He tilted his head to the side.

  “No, but—”

  “Good.” He cut me off before I could get another word in. “Now get your ass out of bed.”

  I stood my ground, not moving an inch from my spot in the center of the bed. If he wanted me, he could come and get me.

  Unfortunately, Hunter was prepared to deal with my stubborn ass, and he climbed over me on the bed, tucking his arms beneath me. I tried to wrestle free from his grasp, but I was no match for his strength, and he threw me over his shoulder with ease.

  “Where the fuck are you taking me? Put me down!”

  He carried me into the bathroom and didn’t stop until I was seated in the shower. Then he turned the water on full blast, plastering my clothes to my body and soaking them until they were nearly transparent.

  “Ohmigod, that’s freezing! Have you lost your Goddamn mind?!”

  “No, but I’m not going to let you sit around all day when you could be proactive about this.” He stepped into the shower with his sweatpants hanging lower on his hips as water continued to saturate through. “Maddie, I won’t always be around to protect you. You need to learn how to defend yourself, and after what happened at the party and now your car getting all fucked up… I think this would be the perfect time to do just that. Finish up in here and meet me outside.”

  “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

  “You’ll see when we get there. Now finish getting ready. I’ll give you ten minutes.”

  Ten minutes… did this guy know anything about women? Never in the history of mankind has a woman ever been able to get ready in just ten minutes. Screw him, I was going to take my sweet old time whether he approved or not. I finished showering and leisurely got dressed. I figured after the little stunt he pulled that he deserved to be put through some torture, so I picked out a pair of my tightest black jeans, an extremely flattering purple tank top that threatened to let the girls spring free, and a pair of black, knee-high stiletto boots. Fuck yeah, I was dressed to kill!

  When I sauntered outside, Hunter was seated on his bike and had changed back into his clothes from the night before. I walked right up to him, straddled the front tire of the bike and placed my hands on both handles. I leaned forward, pushing my bra up higher and exposing my cleavage, but he just wasn’t taking the bait. He looked up when I finally got his attention, but his eyes remained locked on mine.

  “Hop on.” His eyes shot back down as he adjusted his gloves and handed me my helmet without another word.

  What the hell? I had my tits practically shoved in his face, and he could’ve cared less. Huh. Maybe I was beginning to lose my touch.

  I slowly stepped around to the back of his bike and climbed on. When I was all settled in, with my arms wrapped snug around his waist, the motorcycle purred between my legs and we quickly made our way down the road. Hunter slowed down just as we approached an indoor shooting range, and it finally clicked what his intentions were when he said I needed to learn how to protect myself.

  “So this was your crazy plan? To show me how to shoot a gun?”

  He looked over at me with a devious grin, and it was the first time I had seen him smile since we woke up in bed together this morning. I absolutely loved that smile on him… but right about now I wanted to smack it right off of his handsome face.

  “I figured it was best if you learned from a professional.” He held the door open for me and nodded at the woman seated behind the counter before steering me over to one of the stations. It appeared he was a regular here.

  “Oh, is that what they are calling G.I. Joe wannabes these days? Professionals? And since when do you carry a gun around? Do you even have a permit for that?”

  Hunter ignored my rambling and placed his large hands on my hips, directing me in front of him so that I was centered with the target. He took his gun in his hand and held it out in front of me.

  “I’ve been shooting guns since I was six-years-old. My brother has one, my father has one, and every single one of my uncles has one.”

  “Well, remind me to steer clear of your family.”

  Hunter let out a hearty laugh, and the sweet sound resonated straight through to my heart. “Babe, I’m from Texas. Carrying a gun on me is equivalent to y’all carrying purses. That’s just how it is. And yes, I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.”

  I chuckled under my breath, remembering how Robbie referred to his penis as a concealed weapon.

  “Now pay attention, because I’m only going to explain this once. This is a Glock 30 .45-caliber Subcompact Automatic Colt Pistol.” It went in one ear and out the other. “It’s not ve
ry heavy, but you will experience some recoil when you fire it.” I held the gun in my hand, and the cold steel caused a shiver to run up my arm. He reached over and pressed something on the side of the pistol, releasing the base of the gun.

  “This is a magazine. It holds seven bullets, and there will be one in the chamber. This gun doesn’t have an external safety on it, so when it’s not in use, it needs to remain unloaded. Since Glocks have three safety mechanisms, the gun will only fire if you pull the trigger all the way back.”

  I let most of what he said sink in before sliding the magazine back in myself. “So when do I get to fire this baby?”

  Hunter positioned himself so that he could wrap his arms around me and held the gun up with his hands encompassing mine. The warmth of Hunter’s hands was a sharp contrast to the cold steel between my fingers. I took a short step back until I was pressed flush into his firm, toned chest and gave a subtle shake of my hips, grinding my ass against the front of his jeans.

  He leaned in to whisper, and his lips brushed against my ear. “I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.” I looked back at him incredulously. “Keep your eyes on the target.”

  I returned my attention back to the paper target in front of me just as Hunter moved one of his legs between mine, spreading my legs further apart. He placed a pair of earmuffs over my head, doing the same for himself, and then handed me a pair of safety goggles. Seeing him with his goggles on gave me a nice little preview of what he’d look like if he was wearing glasses… definitely Clark Kent material.

  “Keep your finger outside of the trigger guard, and always aim it downrange if you’re not ready to fire.”

  I did as he said and waited for further instruction. He reached his hand over to show me how to load the chamber, and motioned for me to keep my thumb down so it wouldn’t get hammered. I struggled as I pulled back the slide and finally heard it click into place as I released it.

  “Make sure you keep a firm grip on the pistol the entire time. Good. Now raise the gun toward the target, aiming the front sight just slightly lower than the bulls-eye. Since you’ve never fired a gun before, I’ll have you use both hands.”