Unforeseen Heartbeat

by Maureen Mayer

  “Are you sure you want this?” His breath feathered over my lips and his voice thickened. “Tell me now, because I know I won’t be able to stop.”

  He took the words right out of my mouth, because I couldn’t have stopped even if I tried. “I want this. I want you. Please.”

  He smiled against my lips and proceeded to rain kisses down my body. His rough hands were hot against my bare skin. It didn’t even register that he had already slid my panties down over my legs and tossed them clear across the room until I heard them slap against a lamp, almost knocking it over. Hunter reached into the drawer next to the bed, and I looked over to see he had stashed a box of condoms there… alongside his pistol; no surprise there.

  “You know you don’t need those, right?” I peered up at him hesitantly.

  “What do you mean? I’ve never—”

  “I never have either. I’ve always made everyone wear a condom, but I’ve been getting birth control shots ever since—” Ever since I got pregnant with Shayne’s baby, “—since I was sixteen. So you don’t need to worry about… well, you know.” I couldn’t even say the words. I mentally berated myself for never telling Hunter about what had happened with Shayne, but now was not the time for past demons to resurface and possibly ruin the most incredible moment of my life.

  “Maddie—”

  I shook my head, silently cutting him off. “Hunter, I don’t want there to be anything between us. Ever. I meant it when I said I wanted all of you.”

  His gaze met mine, his eyes softening as he smiled down at me. He set the condom back in the drawer and repositioned himself over me, lowering his mouth so that he could drag his tongue across my bottom lip. I opened for him readily, and our tongues became interwoven, matching each other’s movements as we slowly spiraled into a beautiful oblivion.

  Spreading my legs apart, I cradled his hips so that he was pressed flush against my swollen sex. His hips rocked forward, stimulating my hypersensitive bundle of nerves, and I moaned softly, relishing in the feel of his smooth shaft running along my slick folds. Once he was fully coated with my arousal, he pulled back, and I whimpered at the loss of contact. He lifted my chin, and the love emanating from his stare sent my heart soaring as his thickness gradually sank into me.

  “I love you, Madelyn. God, I love you so fucking much.” He leaned his head against mine, allowing me time to stretch around him. He slid out just a bit before plunging back in and soon picked up his pace. Never in a million years did I ever imagine it would feel this good. Flesh against flesh, slowly becoming one as our love physically consumed one another. Hunter grabbed ahold of my breast, pinching and rolling my puckered nipple and shooting a lightning bolt of pleasure straight down to my sex where he was pumping me full of his manhood. I could feel my orgasm quickly building, and Hunter dug his fingers into the swell of hips as he rolled us over so that I was straddling him. Our movements halted for a beat, and I wasn’t quite sure what he wanted me to do from here.

  “Take the reins, baby. I’m all yours. You have complete control.” He rested one hand on my hip while the other stroked my cheek reassuringly.

  I stared blankly at him, because for once, I didn’t know what to do. I usually wasn’t the one in control in the bedroom… or whatever room for that matter. Although I enjoyed sex probably more than I should, I always let the man take the lead. Now I sat astride Hunter, sweat gleaming over his chiseled form, and all I could do was stare down at this beautiful man who had unknowingly given me a gift. I leaned forward and kissed the center of his chest, lingering a bit before I rose up and sank back down over his engorged cock. It didn’t take long to find my own steady rhythm, and I could tell Hunter was enjoying the ride just as much as I was. I loved how perfectly he filled and stretched me from this angle as I enveloped him, and the way the tip of his penis kissed my cervix every time I slid back down his length… it was almost too much, and yet I still wanted more!

  “Babe, I’m gonna come soon,” he grunted, his chest rising and falling in heavy pants. “I want you to come with me. I want to feel your pussy clenching around every inch of me when you finally let go.” Hunter’s thumb swept over my clit in tantalizing circles, and the added stimulation was just the extra push I needed for my body to completely fall apart around him as I screamed his name. His climax surged forward, spilling every last drop of cum inside me, and we rode our sweet release together until my orgasm began to ebb.

  I carefully slid Hunter out of me and collapsed on the bed beside him. “That was… Jesus, I don’t even have words for what that was.” I giggled softly.

  “That was perfection.” Hunter rolled over onto his side and raked his hands up and down my body. His fingers grazed over my mound, and he slipped one inside me, blending our bodily fluids together as he drew his finger back out and over my clit. “Is it bad that I love seeing a part of myself inside of you like this?”

  I bucked against his hand and let out an aggravated moan. This man was seriously trying to kill me… but what a delicious way to go! “Mmm, well I love that you’re the only one I’ve ever fully trusted my body with. I wish I could always carry a part of you inside of me.”

  Holy shit, did I really just say that out loud?

  Instead of freaking out like I half expected him to, Hunter grinned and pressed his lips against the hollow of my throat, whispering, “One day.” I sighed and melted into his side, while he lazily traced over the beautifully scripted words “She Will Be Loved” that were etched into the side of my ribs.

  I still remember the day Liberty and I got tattoos together. I was so afraid, not just because of the needle involved, but because by having these words permanently placed on my skin, I was making a promise to myself; a promise that one day I would finally shed the hard exterior that encased my fragile heart and let someone see that I am capable of loving and being loved. Somehow, Hunter was the one to finally make me see that I was worthy of such a love.

  “Do the words still hold true? Do you still believe she will be loved?” He nuzzled against my shoulder, feathering kisses across my bare skin.

  I smiled, knowing what he was really asking. “I think she already is… it just took until now for her to realize it.”

  Hunter leaned in, slanting his mouth over mine, and kissed me senseless. I loved this man. Loved him down to the tiniest cell in his body. I had never been so sure of anything in my life, but I was sure that Hunter Bryant was my forever. My always. I never wanted to spend another moment of my life without him.

  My eyes fell, heavy with exhaustion, as I lay nestled in his strong arms with my head tucked snug beneath his chin. He softly sang me to sleep, a sweet little lullaby I had never heard before, and it warmed by heart to hear the beautiful words that flowed past his lips. His voice gradually trickled off into a gentle hum, quickly lulling me to sleep, but I knew I wouldn’t be missing Hunter for long, because he was there, waiting for me in my dreams

  I shot up in bed in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for air. I lost him. I dreamt that I had lost Hunter, but the worst part of all was that he didn’t want to be found. Something kept telling me to turn around and go back the way I came, and as much as I fought to keep searching for him, I finally conceded. I gave up. And with that, I lost the one person who ever truly held my heart.

  Whoever said you couldn’t feel any pain in your dreams was clearly full of shit, because I was living proof that you could… and it hurt so fucking bad.

  Hunter must have picked up on my erratic breathing. The arm he had draped around my waist pulled me hard against his chest, and he pressed his lips to my neck. “You’re okay, baby. It was just a dream.”

  I let out a soft whimper and rolled over so that I was facing him. “You were gone.”

  “I’m right here.” He brushed the damp hair away from my face. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You p-promise?”

  He gave me a sad smile and kissed my forehead. “Yes, I promise. Now try to get som
e sleep, babe. I wasn’t able to bribe the concierge to let us check out late this time, so we can’t sleep in.”

  I nodded and snuggled further into his chest, needing to be as close to him as possible. I couldn’t lose him. Not now. We were already in too deep, and there was no chance of us resurfacing without there being irreparable damage to both of our hearts. I could only hope that Hunter kept his end of the promise, because once the idea of losing him had been implanted in my brain, it continued to weigh heavily on my heart. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that Hunter was slowly slipping through my fingers.

  The following week, there was a palpable change in the air whenever Hunter and I were together, and it didn’t go unnoticed by those around us. We gravitated toward one another naturally, thriving off of the electrical charge that coursed through our veins the moment we were enveloped in each other’s arms. He always made sure to have some form of contact with me, whether it was his hand resting against my lower back whenever we walked into a room, or his pinky finger tracing slow circles over my thigh while I took notes in class. To everyone else, they might have appeared to be simple signs of affection, but to me, they meant so much more. Everything I experienced with Hunter meant more.

  We only had five weeks of classes left before exams, and while some might be excited for the semester to be over, I was dreading it. As the countdown began, my stress level shot through the roof, and not because I was worried about passing my classes and getting good grades; I had that shit in the bag. My stress stemmed from Hunter and the fact that he still hadn’t opened up about whatever secret he was keeping from me. Shayne wasn’t budging on the subject either, and he urged me to wait until Hunter was ready to tell me himself. Well, I was sick and tired of waiting, and if I had to take matters into my own hands, then so be it!

  I peeked over at Hunter sitting beside me, looking sexy as hell in his dress fatigues and beaming an elated grin; the same grin that hadn’t left his face since this past weekend. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Why don’t you take a picture. It’ll last longer.”

  I bit back a laugh as he quoted a line from Step Brothers, but I wasn’t going to let him distract me with his adorable sense of humor. I was a woman on a mission, and one way or another, I was going to get some answers out of him. It just might take a bit of convincing on my part.

  Lucky for us, we were in the back of the lecture hall where Dr. Jenkins was paying us no attention. I ran my hand up Hunter’s leg, massaging his thigh as I made my way toward his crotch. You’d have thought there was a fire set beneath him from the way he bucked in his chair and nearly knocked over his cup of coffee. He grabbed my hand and slowly turned to face me with a stunned look on his face. “What are you doing? Trying to get us kicked out of class?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You know Dr. Jenkins can’t hear shit all the way back here even with his hearing aid cranked up all the way. Now follow my lead.” I packed up my notebook and stealthily made my escape. Pleased to find myself stepping out into an empty hallway, I chose the door closest to me and slipped inside. Of course, I would end up in the men’s restroom. I checked to make sure all of the stalls were empty before reaching beneath my skirt and sliding my panties off. I cracked the door open just in time to find Hunter sneaking out of class, and I quickly hung my panties on the door handle so he would know where to find me.

  As I perched myself on the counter next to the sinks, the door creaked open and in came Hunter, swinging my panties around his finger with a smug grin tugging at his lips. “You’re lucky I knew you wore these ones today.” He clicked the lock behind him.

  “I figured I’d save you the trouble of having to hunt me down. Plus, I didn’t want you to keep me waiting. Patience has never been one of my strong points.”

  “Trust me, I know.” He licked his lips, striding over to me. “So what was so important that you had to drag me out of class to meet you in the men’s room of all places?”

  Pulling him toward me by the collar of his shirt, I rubbed my hands across his firm chest. “Well… I just wanted to talk.”

  “You just wanted to talk,” he chuckled. “Now why am I finding that hard to believe?”

  “I may have ulterior motives.” I unbuttoned his shirt, pushed it over his broad shoulders, and let it fall to the floor. “See, I trust you enough to always be honest with me, and in return, I’ll always be honest with you.”

  “Sounds like we’re on the same page.”

  I looked into his eyes, gauging the sincerity of his words. “Are we?”

  “Of course. Babe, you know I’d never lie to you.”

  Not telling me was just as bad as lying, but I knew there was no point in trying to drag it out of him now. Especially when he never planned on telling me in the first place. I made one last attempt, but I was so afraid to share this last piece of my heart with him. I had never said those three monumental words to another man before, and once I said them, I’d never be able to take them back.

  “Hunter, I—”

  “Hold that thought.” He carefully unbuttoned my blouse, slipping my arms free, and added it to the pile on the floor. “Okay, go ahead.” He folded his arms across his chest with a huge fucking grin on his face.

  I shook my head, giggling. “How is that supposed to make what I have to say any easier?”

  “Hey, you were the one with the bright idea to start undressing me. I was just following your lead.” He had a point. “Besides, I love to hear your beautiful laugh. It’s music to my ears.”

  I reached up to cup his cheeks, gazing into his eyes adoringly as I drew him closer and brushed my lips over his slightly parted mouth. “God, I love you.”

  Hunter inhaled a startled breath, dragging my words right along with him, and I could feel his grin slowly spread across my lips. I was shocked at how easily they flew out of me, but it was the truth. I meant every word. I felt every word.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that. You make me so happy, Maddie. So fucking happy.” He tipped my head back and kissed me softly, tenderly. “Never in a million years did I think it was possible for me to love another human being as much as I love you. I want to be the man who always brings a smile to that gorgeous face. To be the man who is fully and irrevocably deserving of your love. Fuck, I’ll be whatever you want me to be as long as I have you in my life.”

  Tears pooled in my eyes, but there was only one thing I wanted from him. “I just want you.”

  Hunter’s face shined brighter than a thousand suns, and I saw a hint of a smile twinkling in his eyes before it even touched his beautiful lips. His mouth slammed into mine, captured by the heat of the moment, and he devoured me with a searing kiss. It felt as though someone had set off a massive fireworks display right smack dab in the center of my heart, because I was bursting with so much love for this man that it was impossible to contain it any longer.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, he stripped me of my lacey bra, and I tore his white undershirt straight down the middle. Hunter seemed amused by my ravenous, cavewoman antics and grabbed my hips, pulling me to the edge of the counter where his erection was threatening to bust through the seams of his pants. “So this is what you want? For me to take you hard and fast?” As he palmed the weight of my breasts, I arched my back, allowing my sensitive peaks to caress his smooth lips.

  “Yes. Oh, fuck yes. Hunter, please.”

  He swirled his tongue around my nipple, gently nibbling until it was hardened into a delicate point. “Please what?”

  I traced my fingers over the ridges of his abdomen, following the dark trail of hair until my hand dipped below the waistband of his camouflage pants. I pulled him to me, grinding my bare, swollen center against him. “Please, fuck me. Now,” I said breathlessly.

  “Baby, I told you I could never fuck you. No matter how I end up inside you, I will always make love to you.”

  Oh God, he was slowly but surely trying to kill me the longer he delayed this. “Hunter, I need
you inside me. Please, I feel like I’m going to explode.”

  Flipping my skirt up around my waist, Hunter gazed down at the juices glistening around my pussy. He shot me a wicked grin, crouching down so that his head was between my legs, and I felt him smile against my inner thigh as his hot breath brushed over my clit, igniting me. With one flick of his tongue across my throbbing bud, I was a goner. He laved at my arousal, dragging his lips and his tongue up the length of my sex, and sucked on my clit eagerly, moaning as he ate me up. His lips were full, so perfect, and the way he used his tongue… The man could do no wrong!

  “H-Hunter, I’m gonna come!” I bucked against his mouth, but his hands ran up my thighs, holding my hips steady. He stroked his thumb over my clit vigorously while probing my slick entrance with his tongue, and my head fell back against the mirror behind me as my body shattered around him.

  Hunter finally came up for air, licking his lips and smiling down at me as if he had just won the lottery. “So fucking good. I don’t know how you do it, but I swear you taste sweeter every time.” He kissed me unabashedly, grazing his teeth across my bottom lip and slipping his tongue into my mouth so that I could share in the salty sweetness of my arousal. His kiss was raw, oozing with unabated desire and an insatiable craving that only my body could alleviate.

  “This body does crazy things to me.” He panted against my neck, lapping up a bead of sweat as it rolled down to the hollow of my throat.

  “I could say the same for you.” I flicked my tongue over his nipple and slid off of the counter. I was about to reach for my clothes on the floor, but Hunter seemed to have other plans in mind because he swiftly spun me around, pressing my front-side against the counter.