Unforeseen Heartbeat

by Maureen Mayer

  Hunter brushed his finger along the side of my cheek with a devilish grin on his face. “You’ll find out soon enough. We should be there in under an hour.”

  He tossed our bags behind the seats, and I slid in next to him. “So when do I get to drive Lola?” I looked over at him, batting my eyelashes.

  “You want to drive Lola? Are you sure you can handle her?” He revved the engine, causing me to jump in my seat. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  “I’m sure I could handle her better than you on any given day,” I retorted with a bit more attitude than I had intended. Looked like my inner bitch might make an appearance after all.

  Hunter threw his head back, laughing boisterously. “We’ll see.”

  He pulled out of the garage, and a few minutes later, we were flying down the highway. I rolled my window down, letting my hair blow freely in the breeze, and breathed in the salty sweet air. I loved being so close to the ocean, and from the looks of it, Hunter was taking me somewhere along the coast. We passed a “Welcome to South Carolina” sign not long ago, and I had a small hunch where he might be heading.

  It was just under an hour later that we pulled up to the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort. Holy hell, this place was freakin’ gorgeous! I sat there with my mouth gaping wide, leaving Hunter to manage our luggage. He shut his door, came around to the other side of the car, and knelt down beside me with his arms resting on the window ledge. “You planning on getting out of the car anytime soon, or would you rather enjoy the view from here for the remainder of the weekend?” He placed his finger beneath my chin and closed my still fully agape mouth. All I could do was nod, taken aback by the sheer beauty of this place. Hunter opened my door, extending his hand out for me, and I entwined our fingers as we walked to the lobby to check in.

  The young woman at the front desk looked up from what she was doing and smiled alluringly at Hunter, but I didn’t miss the extra button she just so happened to undo before he tore his eyes away from me and gave her his full attention. I knew Hunter was an attractive guy, and I’ve seen firsthand what he’s hiding under all of those layers of clothes. My panties were soaked just thinking about it, but the girl was making herself appear a little too desperate with the way she was leaning against the counter and pushing her breasts up, and I was in no mood to have to tear some skanky bitch’s claws out of my man.

  “Welcome to the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort. Do you have a reservation?” she purred at Hunter.

  “Yes, it should be under Hunter Bryant.”

  “Hmm, yes it appears we have one suite booked for you. Will your friend be checking in separately?”

  Oh, no she didn’t. I was about ready to jump over the counter and show her just how friendly I could be.

  “No, my girlfriend and I will be checking in together.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. I placed my hand on his chest and smiled up at him, silently thanking him for saving me from beating her ass. And I would have, too.

  “All right, here are your keycards. You’ll be staying in room 302. If you need anything at all, feel free to buzz me down at the front desk. I’ll be more than happy to fulfill any of your needs. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Bryant.” Her slender fingers lingered a bit longer than they should have on Hunter’s hand as she slid the keycards across the counter. I flinched next to him and tried to take a step toward her, but he was already pulling me back and spinning me around in the opposite direction. I looked over my shoulder, glaring at her, and the bitch had the nerve to roll her eyes at me.

  “Easy there, Little Rambo,” he smirked, tugging me along to the elevators.

  “Hey, I could take her.”

  “I have no doubt you could. I’ve taught you well.”

  “You should’ve let me have a go at her.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “And have you miss out on swimming with the dolphins while your ass spends the night in jail? Yeah, I think I made the right decision holding you back, sweetheart.”

  “Dolphins?” My mood instantly lightened as the elevator dinged open on the third floor. Hunter slid the keycard into our door and let me slip past him into the suite. The room was absolutely stunning, with splashes of blue and white filling the massive space. The king size bed was the main focus at the far end of the suite, and I made a beeline for it, jumping on it like a little kid on Christmas morning. Hunter set our bags down on the sofa and flopped down on the bed, causing me to tumble over on top of him and land directly in his lap. His hands flew to my hips, and the heat emanating from his touch seared through my skin as he held me in place.

  “Did you happen to pack a swimsuit before we left your apartment last night?” His fingers traced over my ribs one at a time as though he were strumming a sweet melody.

  “Y-yes,” I breathed out, leaning into his warm touch. His hands were slowly making their way further up, brushing against the underside of my breasts.

  “Two piece?”

  “Of course.”

  He looked up at me with lust-filled eyes. “I think you should go put it on.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. “Okay.”

  I was about to climb off of his lap, but he buried his hands in my hair and pulled my face closer until I could feel his fiery breath rush over my lips.

  “I can’t wait to kiss those beautiful lips.”

  “Hmm, why don’t you kiss me now?”

  His mouth descended on me like a starved man begging for his last meal. He pulled back, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip, and looked up at me with a wry smile. “Not those lips, babe.”

  Oh, sweet baby Jesus, this man was trying to kill me! If there was ever a female version of blue balls, that was exactly what I had right then.

  After he released his grip on me, I climbed off of him and made my way over to my suitcase. I knew I had seen my bikini somewhere in the deep abyss of my clothes when I was digging through them earlier, and… Bingo! One black and turquoise string bikini! I slipped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me, and took a deep breath. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why I was so nervous. These scraps of material didn’t leave much to the imagination, but it wasn’t like Hunter had never seen me naked. I quickly stripped down, sliding the bottoms on and tying the strings around my neck and back. I took in another shaky breath and stepped out of the bathroom.

  Hunter was lying on his side waiting for me, and his hooded gray eyes gradually grew wider as they trailed up the length of my body. His gaze finally latched onto me, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a mischievous grin that I found oh so sexy.

  “C’mere.” He crooked his finger, motioning for me to come closer.

  I slowly drifted toward him, only to find myself tripping on the edge of the carpet and losing my footing. Hunter flew off of the bed and caught me in his arms before I face-planted and made a complete fool of myself.

  “Almost lost ya there, sweetheart. You okay?”

  I loosened my hold on his biceps and ran my hands up the sides of his arms, finally settling on his shoulders. “Yeah. I’m f-fine.”

  His fingers traced over the edge of my top, dipping over the swell of my breast. “I really like this.” He leaned his forehead against mine and brought his hands up, brushing them over my cheeks. “Do you even realize how devastatingly beautiful you are?”

  I sucked in a breath, and he kissed me slowly, soundly. Thank God he was there to hold me up, because I was quickly drowning in him and I never wanted to come back up for air. I whimpered softy as he broke the kiss and stepped away from me.

  “Ready to swim with some dolphins?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

  “Wait… you were serious about that?”

  “Babe, why would I lie about something as awesome as swimming with freakin’ dolphins? Now let’s get going. Echo and Nikita are waiting for us.” He grabbed a few towels and slung them over his shoulder.

  “Echo and Nikita?”

 
“Yeah, those are their names.”

  “Oh my God, that is so cute! Well, what are you standing around for? Let’s go!” I ran to the door, and Hunter was hot on my heels, laughing his ass off at how excited I was. I couldn’t believe we were actually going to swim with dolphins, and the fact that Hunter had set this whole thing up had me swooning even harder for him.

  The hotel was set right on the beach, and a few yards down there was a dock that extended into the ocean. Two trainers were ready and waiting for us in their wet suits with a bucket of fish. Hunter held my hand all the way from our suite down to the dock and only released me so that we could put our life jackets on. Once we were all ready and situated in the water, the trainers went over a few instructions regarding the dolphins. They called out to Echo and Nikita, signaling for them to come over, and it was then that I noticed two greyish fins approaching us. The moment I saw them bob their huge, melon heads out of the water, I squealed just as highly pitched as they did.

  “Oh my gosh, they are so adorable. Hunter, look. Ahhh, he kissed me!” I looked over at Hunter who was feeding a small fish to Nikita, and the expression on his face said it all; he was just as in heaven as I was.

  One of the trainers asked Hunter to place his hand on Nikita’s dorsal fin and when she made a sweeping motion across the water, the dolphin took off with Hunter in tow. When they came back around, Hunter was grinning from ear to ear.

  “That was fucking awesome!” He swam over to me and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

  “Oh, I want to try that, too!”

  The trainer positioned me in the water and warned me not to freak out. Okay, just for the record, it’s never a good idea to tell someone not to freak out ahead of time, especially after all of the shit I’d had to deal with recently and always being on edge. I bobbed in and out of the water like a buoy, my heart racing and my body tensing. I felt a ripple of water hit my back, and without warning I was flying across the waves. My body was halfway out of the water with Echo pressing against my feet, and I spread my arms out to the side, feeling the wind rush over me. God, it was so exhilarating! We circled back around, and I came to a stop, sinking back down into the water. Hunter swept me up in his arms and spun me around, splashing both the trainers and Nikita and Echo.

  I giggled into his neck as he held me tight against his chest. “That was so much fun! I can’t believe you came up with the idea to surprise me with all of this. No one has ever done anything like this for me.”

  “Well, the day is still young. I’ve got a lot more planned for you.” He brushed his lips across my forehead.

  “Do your plans include me and a huge ass bed?”

  “They might.”

  Ohmigod, did that mean that he’d changed his mind? With the raging lady boner I’d been rocking all day, I could only hope (fingers crossed)!

  “Let’s head upstairs so we can shower and get changed before dinner. I hope you brought your appetite,” he said, winking down at me.

  Oh, I brought my appetite all right… and Hunter Bryant was destined to be the main course!

  “Why don’t you go on and shower first? I need speak to the concierge about something before we head down to dinner.” Hunter kissed my cheek and grabbed his cell phone and wallet before leaving the room. I had hoped to squeeze in another steamy shower with him, but he quickly extinguished any chance of that happening; not to mention I wasn’t too keen on the idea of him going down to the lobby to see that skanky bitch at the front desk. I could only imagine what lengths she’d go to get in his pants, especially without me there by his side.

  I hopped in the shower, shaking off any nefarious thoughts of her, and scrubbed away the salty seawater that still coated my body. The room quickly filled with steam, clouding up the glass door and making me feel as though I was encased in my own personal bubble; one where all of my worries faded away, and all that remained in this tiny make-believe world I had created were Hunter and myself. God, what I wouldn’t give to have him here with me right now, lathering me up and caressing me with his rough hands. I quickly rinsed the suds off and watched them swirl down the drain before I got too carried away with my wicked thoughts. I stuck my hand outside of the shower door, reaching for the towel, but it had somehow disappeared into thin air. Where could it have…

  My eyes flew to Hunter, who was sitting on the toilet with the lid down and dangling the towel in front of me.

  “Looking for this?” he smirked.

  I stepped out of the shower, not caring that I was dripping water all over the marble floor. “You know you could have joined me in there.”

  “Yeah, but I was enjoying the view from here.” He stood and wrapped the fluffy, white towel around my body, tucking the corner in between my cleavage with a smile.

  “Everything go okay with the concierge?” I knew her name was Alyssa from glancing at her nametag, but just the thought of spewing her name felt like acid burning a hole through my tongue.

  “Yup. Everything’s perfect. They saved us a table for around six, so that should leave just enough time for me to shower and get ready.”

  “All right, I’ll go get changed and you can have at it in here. I think I managed to save you some hot water.”

  Hunter chuckled softly. “Thanks, babe.”

  He leaned down to kiss me while shamelessly removing his swim trunks and letting them pool at his feet. The last sight I caught of him just before he slipped behind the glass door of the shower was his firm, pasty white ass, and I couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled in my throat.

  I let Hunter finish up in the shower while I picked out something to wear to dinner. The hotel was relatively upscale, so I opted for a raspberry-red, sleeveless wrap dress that I was lucky enough to have packed while rushing out of my apartment. Slipping into the dress, it fit snuggly in all the right places and flared out a bit past my waist. Oh, and look at that, I packed Hunter’s favorite nude stilettos as well! A smile spread across my face, knowing he’d be happy to see those. I closed my eyes and laid back on the bed, visualizing what Hunter had described when I was lying on the hood of his car; me in nothing but my stilettos and him nestling himself between my thighs, worshipping every inch of me and taking me over the edge. I couldn’t wait for that day to come.

  “Don’t fall asleep on me, sweetheart.”

  Hunter caged me in with his arms on either side of me and kissed my neck. He smelled like fresh soap and cedar, and tiny droplets of water fell from his still damp hair. My eyes slowly fluttered open, and he was grinning down at me lovingly. He had already changed into a crisp white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of tan slacks. He looked good enough to eat, but I’d have to save that appetite for later.

  “I see you’re wearing your heels.” He slithered down the bed and pressed his lips to my ankle.

  “If you want to make it to dinner on time, you better stop teasing me with your kisses,” I said breathlessly. “Otherwise, we’re never going to leave this bed.”

  He chuckled, nibbling on my leg. “Aren’t you hungry, babe?”

  “Starving.” For him.

  “All right, I better help you up before I continue to devour this luscious body and spoil my dinner.” He helped me off of the bed and took both of my hands, spreading my arms wide and taking in what I was wearing. “You look stunning, Maddie. Do a little spin for me.”

  I spun around in place and giggled as my dress floated up at the ends. He pulled me back in and whispered against my lips, “So beautiful”.

  I melted into his chest, and he held me there for a few minutes longer before we had to leave. We took the elevator down to the lobby, and Hunter steered me through double doors that opened up to an outdoor lounge and bar. The place had an island feel to it as tropical music filtered softly through the air, and from the looks of it, I never would’ve thought we were still in South Carolina. The hostess led us over to a table that had a perfect view of the Atlantic where we could hear the waves crashing in the
background. With Hunter seated across from me, and the glow of the flickering candle reflecting against his handsome face, it was almost too perfect.

  We sipped on our drinks and enjoyed some of the most delicious food to ever hit my taste buds. No one had ever taken me to such a nice restaurant before. In fact, no one had ever taken me out on a proper date until I met Hunter. I was still getting used to the fact that I was now in a relationship and this beautiful man across from me was mine. All mine.

  “I’ve got one more surprise for you before the night is over.” Hunter took one last sip of his beer before setting it down.

  I propped my elbow up on the table and rested my chin in my hand. “Do I get a hint what it might be?”

  “Well, as much as I love seeing them on you, you won’t be needing those shoes.” He grinned devilishly, nodding down toward my feet.

  I sucked in a sharp breath, hoping and praying that I was correct to assume where he was going with this. He quickly paid the bill and took my hand, interlacing our fingers, but instead of heading back into the hotel, he steered me down toward the beach. He slipped off his shoes and offered to carry mine. Damn, so that’s what he meant by not needing my shoes. I tried not to look disappointed.

  “So this was your surprise? A walk on the beach?”

  He shook his head and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Not quite. It’s a little ways down there, where it’s darker. The lights from the hotel will be a bit too bright for this.”

  A little darker, huh? Maybe a little more privacy? I liked the sound of that.

  We walked up to an area of the beach that was completely pitch black, only the moon and the stars lighting our way, but I could just make out a blanket and pillows laid out in the sand. Oh. My. God. This was actually going to happen!

  Next thing I knew, a screen illuminated the beach in front of us, and Disney-themed music began to play. What the…

  “What is all of this?” I looked over to Hunter, whose smile was beaming just as brightly as the moon up above.