by Mari Carr
She obviously approved of the new position as she placed her hands on the headboard, using her arms to add even more force to their almost brutal thrusting. Romance be damned. He was fucking her like a man possessed, his fingers digging deeply into her hips as he used his grip to drive her against him harder.
For the third time, he left her dangling on the edge with a hasty retreat.
“I swear to God—” she started, just before he turned her once more. He knelt with his legs spread out, dragging her to face him.
“Open your legs and sink down on me. Wrap your legs around my waist. I want to see your face when you come.”
She shifted into place, sliding back onto his cock slower, ready to add her own brand of torment to the game. Once he was seated to the hilt, he cupped her ass cheeks and held her still.
They were face-to-face, pelvis to pelvis, breasts to chest, connected everywhere. It wasn’t physically possible for them to get any closer and still remain two separate bodies. Even so, he wanted more.
“Tell me you’re mine,” he demanded.
“Hunter.”
“I know what you think, what you believe. And maybe you aren’t ready for this, even though I know you are. So for tonight, I’ll let you pretend. Say it even if you think it’s a lie. I want you to practice, want you to hear it, so you’ll start to see I’m right.”
“Please don’t—”
“Say you’re mine, Ailis. Say it now.”
“You’re mine.”
He grinned. It wasn’t what he meant and she knew it, but that didn’t stop it from sounding pretty damn good. “You’re right. I am.”
“And I’m yours.”
The last slipped out in a whisper, and he suddenly regretted not knowing if she was finally giving in and admitting the truth, or just pretending as he’d requested.
“Always,” he added. It didn’t matter if she meant it or not. The feelings were there regardless.
He lifted her then, drawing her upwards until just the tip of his cock remained inside, then he released her, and she dropped back down heavily. Both of them groaning at the impact. He repeated the motion over and over until they were panting, scratching, clawing. He pushed her to her back on the bed one last time and pounded inside her, desperate to make sure she felt this fucking for a long time. Forever.
He wanted her to feel him imprinted inside her for the rest of her life. Their life.
She drew blood as she scratched his back, holding back nothing, demanding more.
“Harder!” she yelled. “God, Hunter. Please!”
He’d never taken a woman with so much force, but she wouldn’t let him slow down or hold back. She wanted it all, and that was what she was going to get.
She came a split second before him, her inner muscles constricting on his cock, leaving him no choice but to follow her down.
Neither of them moved for several minutes after. Now that common sense and sanity was returning, he was terrified he’d hurt her.
“Ailis,” he murmured, forcing himself to look at her.
“I want to do that again.” Her gaze was steady, focused, crystal clear.
He smiled. “Can you give me a year or two to recover from that one?”
She shook her head. “An hour. Tops. Maybe thirty minutes. And I want more kinky stuff next time.”
Hunter laughed, glancing around his room. “I’m on it. Pretty sure I own enough ties and belts to bind you to this bed spread-eagle,” he promised, though even as he spoke, he knew with her, it was always going to be more romance than kink.
She sucked in an excited breath. “Changed my mind. Fifteen minutes. Not a second more.”
He rolled to her side, pulling her until she was nestled in his arms, her eyes closed, and she started breathing deeply, a sign of total relaxation—or maybe exhaustion.
“Fifteen minutes, mouse,” he murmured, even though he knew they’d be asleep long before that.
As he lay there, he played the song he’d written for her over in his head, letting “All I Can See” lure him into the deepest sleep of his life.
9
Ailis stepped out onto the sidewalk and sucked in a deep breath of the cool, fresh air. It felt like winter had decided to retreat early. For one brief day, she could almost pretend this burst of warmth and sunshine signaled spring.
Tonight was the third night of the competition and she was on the wrong side of town, thanks to Robbie spilling coffee on Hunter’s outfit for tonight. It had obviously been an accident, but Robbie had winced and jerked away like Hunter was going to punch him for it or something. They’d assured him it was fine, then she told Hunter to stay put at the Soundstage in his stained shirt, and she’d hightailed it back to his place to pick up the outfit they’d earmarked for the last night’s competition if needed. Mercifully, the mishap had occurred with hours to spare. They’d driven to the concert venue shortly after lunch, intending to spend the entire day there prepping.
If—no, when—Hunter made it through tonight’s competition, they would have to buy something else to wear for the finale.
She’d spent every night at Hunter’s since Valentine’s Day, and the things they’d done—in his bedroom, kitchen, living room, shower and once in the hallway—had heat creeping to her cheeks, even though she was alone.
Every night, he demanded that she tell him she was his, always with that promise that she could just pretend if it wasn’t true. She always gave him the words. And it wasn’t a pretense. She’d fallen completely in love with him—and it terrified her.
For six years, she’d wrapped her life around Paul’s, living where he wanted to live, hanging out with his friends, working at a job that fit their relationship. She’d molded herself to fit what he needed.
Wouldn’t the same hold true for Hunter? For God’s sake, she’d spent the better part of the last two months working her ass off to make his dreams come true. His dreams.
And if he achieved his goal, found fame and fortune, where did that leave her?
She knew where. Following around behind him.
For some reason, that didn’t scare her as much as it had a few weeks earlier. Hunter wasn’t Paul, but she was struggling to figure out what the difference was.
Taking a deep breath, she shook off all the worries. She didn’t have time to stress out about this right now.
“Ailis.”
She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, hoping she’d misheard. She hadn’t. Paul was there, without Rhonda.
“Hi,” she said, wondering what it was she’d ever seen in the man. His hair was thinning and already graying at the temples. He looked as humorless as ever. When she thought back, she realized she’d often shared that same serious expression. Nowadays, it felt as if she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
“I thought that was you. Stopped by the pub, but your cousin Padraig said you’d been staying here lately.”
Padraig was obviously trying to make it clear to Paul that she was off-limits. “Why were you at the pub?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Me?” she asked. “Why?”
“Would you join me for a cup of coffee?”
The last thing she wanted to do at this moment was go anywhere with Paul. She’d avoided talking to the man alone for the past year. She saw no reason to break the streak now.
“I’m on my way to the show.”
“February Stars?”
She nodded.
“Hunter’s still in the competition?” he asked.
“Yes. I wasn’t under the impression you knew about that.”
“Kind of hard to miss these days. It’s all over the local news, even saw a piece about it on a national network last night.”
“So you know I’m busy. I really need to get going.” And then, because she thought it would help move things along, she added, “Shouldn’t you be home with your wife? You know, the one you couldn’t wait to leave me for?” The old Ailis, the eternal peacemaker who avo
ided conflict like the plague, would never had been so bitchy, which was apparent by Paul’s frown. Knowing him, he’d probably assumed she’d happily trail along after him to wherever he’d wanted to go.
His expression softened. “I only need twenty minutes. Please.”
“What is this about?”
“The Daily Grind is just at the end of the block. We can pop in there and grab a table.”
She glanced at her cell phone. There was still ninety minutes before the show, and Hunter was the last performer on the schedule. Even so, this wasn’t somewhere she wanted to be. “Five minutes. It’s all I can spare.” She wasn’t sure she could stomach any more of him than that.
He smiled like the cat who ate the canary and she instantly regretting giving in. They walked the length of the block in silence.
When they entered, he asked if she wanted something. She shook her head. “I don’t have time.”
He didn’t take that as a hint, so she wound up waiting at a table while he ordered a black coffee with two sugars. Same thing. Every time. Meanwhile, Hunter had made it a game to work his way down the extensive menu, trying every single hot beverage. The last time they’d come in, he’d ordered a CaraMochaNut espresso.
Paul returned to the table. He’d managed to squander the first four minutes of his time without saying a word to her.
“Okay. Let’s have it.”
“I’m concerned about your relationship with Hunter.”
She had two options—dump the hot coffee he’d just bought in his lap or laugh. She chose to laugh, simply because it was less messy. “And on that note, I’ll be going.”
She started to stand, but he gripped her wrist, holding her in her seat. She tugged it away from his grasp angrily.
“Wait, Ailis. Please. Dammit. I’m messing this up. I meant to start with I’m sorry.”
She considered all the apologies he owed her and tried to figure out what his blanket sorry was meant to cover. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
He winced. “You’re right. I do. Truth is, I’m sorry for all of it, but that one was meant for the way I behaved last week at the restaurant.”
“Okay.” That was probably the easiest thing to forgive him for. Hell, it was actually the only thing she’d forgive him for.
“Hunter’s doing well in this competition.”
She nodded. “Yeah. He is.”
“You think he really has a shot at making it as a musician?”
“I do.”
“Where does that leave you?”
She scowled. Her future plans were none of his damn business. “I’m not having this conversation with you, Paul.”
“Don’t you think you’d be smarter to stay in Baltimore, closer to your family? You hated life on the road.”
She hadn’t, but she had said that to him when he’d expressed a desire to put down roots in Baltimore.
“I meant what I said about your chances of getting back on at the marketing firm. Rhonda says your name comes up all the time. Everyone misses you.”
“I’m not going back there.”
He sighed. “I was hoping enough time had passed that you would be able to…”
“To what? Work with Rhonda again? No,” she said hotly. “Moving on or not, there’s no amount of time passing that will make that happen.”
“I miss you.” His confession came out of left field and pissed her off.
She scoffed. “Oh, sweet Jesus. I really don’t have time for this.”
“Rhonda’s not like you. We don’t have much in common. I miss our talks, the way we could discuss the news and politics and medicine. All Rhonda cares about is fashion and makeup. She watches reality TV, for God’s sake.”
“What did you expect, Paul? It’s not like you didn’t know her before you took off to Vegas.”
“She looked up to me, thought I was smart, special. It felt like she needed me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s nice to be needed, Ailis. Looked up to, respected. You’ve always been so self-assured, capable of handling yourself,” he swallowed heavily before adding, “smarter than me.”
She grinned. “How did that taste?”
He ignored her jest and she wondered briefly if he even got it. That was one of the greatest things about Hunter. The way they could tease each other, make each other laugh.
“You made me better. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I can see it now.”
Which drove home the truth. She hadn’t imagined it. She had given up her own identity to support Paul’s. And while she was supporting Hunter’s career as well, fighting tooth and nail to help him succeed, it wasn’t the same thing. “None of this really matters anymore.”
Paul sighed. “If he wins, I think you should just let him go.”
“He is going to win.”
“Then let him go. I hurt you, Ailis. I’ll regret that until the day I die. I don’t want to see you suffer that same pain again. Hunter’s a bad bet.”
“He was your best friend.”
“You’re right. He was. Which means I know him. I don’t want you to upend your life for him only to find yourself where I am right now. Stuck in a relationship with a mismatch. You and Hunter have even less in common than Rhonda and I do. You’ll both be bored and I hate to see you settle.”
“Settle?” That word was completely wrong when it came to her relationship with Hunter, but Ailis recalled feeling as if she’d been settling with Paul. Yep. Two totally different things.
Man, she hadn’t wanted to talk to Paul, but she was suddenly glad she had. The whole damn thing had been enlightening, illuminating things that should have been obvious to her if she hadn’t been so bunkered down in self-preservation mode. She owed Hunter a big-ass apology.
“Yes. Settle. You were both hurt by me and Rhonda, so you found each other. It was easy and convenient, but that doesn’t make it right.”
“You’re wrong.”
He scowled. Paul had never liked being told he was wrong about anything and, even though he was obviously trying to be on his best behavior, his true nature slipped out. “No. I’m not. He wants to be a rock star and he sees you as his easy ticket to the top.”
She leaned closer, not wanting to raise her voice, even though a large part of her wanted to rail at him at the top of her lungs. “He’s not using me. But you did. And those days are over.”
She rose and turned to leave, but before she’d taken a step, Paul spoke again. “I’m leaving her.”
“What?”
“Maybe…if the baby had lived, we could have found a way to make it work. I was willing to try for our child. Now, it feels like we’re fighting for nothing. I never should have left you.”
She held her hand up. “Let me stop you there. You did me a favor when you left with Rhonda. I’m sorry your marriage is falling apart, but I don’t have a horse in that race anymore and I couldn’t care less.”
“What’s happened to you? The Ailis I fell in love with was compassionate, caring. This is Hunter’s influence, isn’t it? Suddenly you’re sarcastic and—”
“Happy.” The word slipped out easily. She was happy. For the first time in her adult life. “I’m happy, Paul.”
“You’re making a mistake,” he called out after her, but she didn’t stop, didn’t care if he got the last word.
Ailis stepped out of the coffee shop, annoyed and later than she wanted to be. Her car was parked two blocks away, so she started walking faster. The Soundstage was only a ten-minute drive and she had plenty of time, but right now, it felt like the coffee shop was light-years away. All she wanted was to be with Hunter, to let him wrap her up in that big warm embrace of his and soak up his scent.
Perhaps if she’d been a bit calmer, she would have been paying better attention as she waited to cross the street. She would have noticed the car that jumped the curb and clipped her from behind.
When she opened her eyes, two things were instantly apparent. One,
her whole body hurt, and two, Paul was kneeling next to her, holding her hand.
“The ambulance is on the way, Ailis. I’ve done a quick check and I don’t think anything is broken, but you’re going to have a hell of a bruise on your hip and I’m pretty sure you have a concussion.”
“What…happened?”
“Car took the turn too sharp, I guess. Came out of nowhere. Driver didn’t stop and no one got the license plate. The owner of the coffee shop is in there right now, checking out the video feed of his outside camera to see if he can find anything for the cops. I swear to God, when I saw that car, saw you rolling over the hood of it, the way you hit your head on the sidewalk, I think I just lost twenty years off my life.”
“Call Hunter.”
Paul paused, and she thought for a second he was going to refuse her request. “I will if you want me to, but, Ailis, it’s almost showtime.”
Shit. There was no way Hunter would stick around to compete if he knew she’d been hit by a car. She recalled Leah and the threat to her dog. Obviously, someone was playing to win in this competition. They wanted it badly enough that they didn’t care who they hurt.
“Don’t call him.”
Paul looked far too pleased by her change of heart. Smug bastard thought he was getting his way somehow. Of course, he couldn’t see that her request was because she didn’t want Hunter to lose his shot at winning, especially considering the fact that, while she was sore from head to toe, she wasn’t in any mortal danger.
“Where’s my phone?”
Paul looked around for her purse, then accepted it from one of the countless bystanders who’d formed a circle around her, curious to witness whatever came next. “Here. I picked it up,” the woman said. “It flew nearly ten feet.”
Paul dug around for her phone, but didn’t hand it to her. Probably because she was still lying on the ground and fighting like the devil not to vomit. Black spots were dancing in her eyes, and she wasn’t sure she could see the screen well enough to make her call. “Can you look for Les’s number? Dial it for me?”
Paul nodded and she realized he still knew the code for her iPhone. She should probably change that. He found Les in her contacts. “You want to call him? I can type out a text if you want.”
