Annie pulled her palm along his dick more roughly. Hunter mimicked, pushing the vibrator inside her quicker, harder. She wished it were Hunter fucking her instead of the toy. But that desire was forgotten when her orgasm came, shaking her frame, her existence. She closed her eyes as she rode out the glorious storm.
She heard Hunter grunt, felt his cock quiver as come spurted from the head, splashing her stomach and the sheet beneath them.
Time passed without recognition as Annie fought to catch her breath, to regain her wits. Which happened all too quickly.
What the hell was that?
Assisted masturbation? With Dylan’s brother?
She fought for some sense of regret, of guilt. None came. Annie felt nothing but exhausted pleasure. “This isn’t me. I don’t usually do stuff like this.”
Hunter kissed the end of her nose. “You’re on holiday. People do all sorts of crazy stuff when they’re away from home.”
Annie gave him a sleepy smile. “So what’s your excuse?”
“I was horny.” They laughed softly.
“Your bed is sticky,” Hunter murmured. Annie could hear the drowsiness in his voice.
“Your fault.”
“Nope. Yours. Come on.”
She felt him leave the mattress but was too weary to lift her eyelids to see where he was going.
“I’m too tired to move,” she complained.
“I know.”
“I’ll just sleep on the edge of the bed.”
Hunter tugged on her arm, lifting her a few inches. “Sleep is what you’re going to do, but in my bed.”
She tried to respond, but she was drifting too fast, powerless to remain awake. She didn’t even comment when Hunter lifted her and carried her to his room.
“Your mum,” she said softly.
“Shhh. We’ll sort it out in the morning, love. Go to sleep.”
Briefly, as she lay next to him, she considered the fact she was naked in Hunter’s bed, being spooned by the equally naked, sexy stockman. The night had been sheer magic.
She really had taken a trip to Oz.
* * * *
Hunter slowly disengaged from Annie’s still body.
Last night, he’d drifted to sleep the instant his head hit the pillow. He wasn’t surprised. Annie had rocked his world with just her hand on his cock. She was incredible. His regular morning half-mast hard-on thickened as he considered how much more he wanted to do with the sexy American.
He shook the thought out of his head as soon as it landed. She was here for Dylan. Fuck. His intentions to hold her at arm’s length out of respect for his brother had crashed and burned. Hunter pulled on a pair of jeans and glanced at the clock. It was after eight a.m. Typically he was up at dawn, but the late night had apparently taken its toll—on both of them.
Annie didn’t stir as Hunter grabbed a t-shirt and shrugged it on. He needed to ring Dylan. He should have gotten his luggage by now. Why wasn’t he coming home? Mentally, Hunter did the math and figured out with the time change, his morning was currently his brother’s yesterday evening. Jesus. Why couldn’t it be the same day and time everywhere?
Hunter walked to the door of his bedroom and opened it. He panicked when he spotted his mum outside Annie’s door.
“Hey, Mum. What’s up?” Hunter stepped into the hall and closed the door.
Hazel smiled and wished him a good morning. “I thought I’d sneak a peek to see if Annie’s still asleep. If not, I’ll get breakfast rolling.”
“Oh, um…” Hunter needed to stop her. “I haven’t heard a sound from her room. I’m sure she’s still sleeping.”
His mum glanced at the closed door to the guest room. Thank bloody God he’d thought to pull it shut behind him last night. “Maybe you’re right. How about you? Ready for something to eat?”
Hunter nodded. “I’m starving.” He was. He’d worked up one hell of an appetite.
His mother’s grin grew. There was nothing she loved more than feeding her sons. “I’ll make you some Vegemite and toast.”
She started to walk back down the hall, but turned to say something else. The words died on her lips as Hunter heard his bedroom door open.
Hunter turned and saw Annie standing in the doorframe, wearing one of his t-shirts. Luckily it hung to nearly her knees, but there was no denying she was naked underneath. Her face was flushed and the high color in her cheeks reminded him of her embarrassment last night when he’d walked in on her playing with her vibrator.
God bless her, his mum never missed a beat.
“G’day, Annie. I was about to make breakfast. Are you ready to give the Vegemite another try?”
Annie cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Uh. Sure.”
Her agreement proved how uncomfortable she was. She’d sworn to Hunter that hell would freeze over before she’d put that vile stuff in her mouth again.
“I’m sure you’ll grow love it,” his mum insisted, even though Hunter knew chances were pretty good Annie would hate the black, salty stuff forever. It was definitely an acquired taste, usually one only those born and raised in Australia could stomach. “I’ll scramble up a few eggs too. There’s no rush, though. Why don’t you get a shower and come to the kitchen when you’re ready?”
Annie nodded. She looked like a stray cat cornered by a pack of rabid dogs.
His mother continued away from them and neither spoke until they were certain she was out of earshot. Hunter was in for the mother of all Hazel lectures before the day was out, but for now, he was more worried about Annie.
She sighed heavily. “What was that you were saying about my luck getting better?”
Hunter chuckled. “I can’t tell if you have bad luck or awful timing.”
“God.” Annie lightly beat her forehead against the door. “I can’t believe your mother watched me walk out of your bedroom in nothing but a t-shirt. Your t-shirt, for shit’s sake. She must think I’m the biggest slut on the face of the earth.”
“Hey now.” Hunter pulled her away from the door. “Stop that. Nobody thinks badly of you. Honest. If anything, Mum’s probably in the kitchen right now waiting to tear a strip out of my hide for taking advantage of you.”
Annie snickered. “Kind of hard to take advantage of the willing.”
Her words warmed him. Before he could think better of it, he kissed her. He’d never been much for kissing before, but he’d obviously never met a girl worth the effort. Annie was funny, down-to-earth, adventurous and…fuck a bloody duck, here because Dylan invited her.
Hunter had tried to keep his distance, fight off this attraction between them. That had been a complete failure. Since her arrival at Farpoint, he’d kissed her in the airport, on the couch, by the billabong, then he’d walked into her bedroom last night, joined her in bed and they’d masturbated each other into a couple of mind-blowing orgasms.
So much for his self-restraint.
“Hunter,” his mother called out. “Do you mind giving me a hand with something?”
The request was transparent and Annie grinned at him. “Somebody’s in trouble,” she singsonged.
“I’m thirty years old, Annie. If I want to have a woman in my bed, I can.”
“So your girlfriends sleep over all the time?”
The answer to that was simple. He’d never brought a woman back to his bedroom. He was far from a saint, but when he slept with a woman, it was always at her place or in a hotel or, occasionally, he had quickies in the shed. He’d always felt it would be disrespectful to his mother to bring a one-night stand back to the homestead for sex.
That self-proclaimed rule had fallen to the wayside as easily as his determination not to poach on his brother’s girl. He was headed straight to hell. And even now, he couldn’t make himself give a damn.
“I currently don’t have a girlfriend,” he responded, dodging her real question.
“Hunter?” his mum yelled again.
“Be there in a minute.” Hunter ran his finger along Annie’
s cheek. “Go get a shower. I’ll straighten things out with Mum.”
Annie looked uneasy.
“It’ll be fine, promise.” He sealed his vow with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Oh, and it’s going to be hot as blue blazes today, so you’ll be fine with a t-shirt, but you might want to consider wearing shorts instead of jeans.”
“Okay.” Annie walked back into her room.
Hunter girded his loins and headed toward the executioner.
His mum was standing in the foyer. She pointed toward his office and he followed her in silence, shutting the door behind them.
“Listen, before you say anything,” he began, “I know I fucked up.”
Hazel frowned. “Fucked up how?”
“Annie is here to meet Dylan. She’s his girl.”
Hazel scoffed. “Oh, Hunter. I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. Dylan wrote a few emails to her and they became friends. That doesn’t make her ‘his’.”
“But it was an online dating site and they were obviously interested. They both took off halfway around the world to meet each other.”
Hazel crossed her arms. “And who’s to say if Dylan had been here, they wouldn’t have taken one look at each other and realized it was a mistake?”
“There’s no way Dylan won’t fall for Annie. She’s smart, funny, easy to talk to, sexy.”
His mum’s smile grew. “Is that right? Well then, by all means, back off until Dylan gets here. Finders keepers and all that jazz.”
Hunter recognized his mother’s tone. It was one he’d inherited. It was pure, one-hundred-percent sarcasm. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.”
Hunter walked behind his desk and sank into the chair. “So what are you saying? Screw Dylan and go after Annie?”
“Not in so many words. Dylan’s in New York. He didn’t think twice about heading out of Farpoint to find his destiny, an adventure, maybe even love, and if this doesn’t work out for him, I know he’ll try again. Because that’s Dylan. He’s not afraid to seize the day.”
Hunter leaned back and studied his mother’s face. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to come out of this conversation looking like a loser?”
Hazel snorted. “Not a loser. Just different. You’re so much like your father, Hunter. This property is your life. You’re completely committed to your family and to seeing our livelihood succeed. As a result, you won’t walk away from your responsibilities here.”
“So instead I have to rely on you to fly in prospective brides?”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “I only did that once.”
Hunter scoffed. “Six times, mum. You brought six women here.”
“I’m your mother. I want you to be happy.”
Hunter stood. “I am.”
“Are you?”
Her question, spoken quietly, struck a chord. Was he happy? Since his father’s death, Hunter had moved in a straight line, never straying from the path because his family depended on him to run the business, keep them afloat financially. It was a big job, one that didn’t fit between the hours of nine to five. His career was so interwoven with his life, there wasn’t a line where one ended and the other began. Was there a woman in the world who could accept that? Live with that?
A knock at the door saved him from answering.
“Come in,” he said.
Keith Munroe, one of the station’s best hands, peered around the door. “Bernie’s wife went into labor this morning, so the hands are hanging around out there waiting for somebody to give them their list of duties today. Dylan picked a hell of a time to saunter off to America. Any idea when he’ll be back?”
Hunter shook his head. Keith had grown up on Farpoint and was close in age to him and Dylan. They’d been best mates as boys and that friendship had never wavered through the years. Though he worked on the station as a jackaroo, Keith wasn’t an employee as much as a member of the family.
“Shit.” Hunter had known the station foreman’s wife was due any day. Figured it would be today, when his mind was on anything but work. “Tell the guys I’ll be right there,” Hunter replied.
Keith tipped his hat and closed the door. Hunter pointedly tried to ignore the surprise on Hazel’s face. When she didn’t break the silence, he snapped, “I do know what needs to be done around here.”
“I didn’t say you didn’t. It’s just been awhile since you’ve been out there getting your hands dirty. I’m enjoying seeing the jackaroo side of you again.”
He shrugged. When Annie told Hazel about her magazine articles, his mother had barely restrained her laughter. Hunter wasn’t the stockman Dylan was, but Annie still insisted on shadowing him. He hadn’t told Annie the truth about his role on the station originally because he hadn’t wanted her to choose someone else to interview. He’d grown up on Farpoint, he and Dylan doing the same chores when they were boys. He was perfectly versed in what it meant to ride herd, raise stock, muster cattle and do head checks. However, with the passing of his father, Hunter had moved away from the life of a jackaroo, opting instead for the desk job.
“I better get out there.”
Hazel nodded. “I think you should. I’ll send Annie out after she’s had some breakfast. She still has those articles to write.”
This time his mum didn’t bother to hide her matchmaking grin. Hunter had clearly wasted time worrying about her reaction to his interest in Annie. He had her full support. Only problem now was, Hazel would go out of her way to push them together. He really needed to talk to Dylan.
“You won’t say anything to embarrass her, will you? Last night was my doing. Not hers. She’s worried about what you’ll think of her. Maybe it would be good if you let the subject drop completely. Don’t mention it.”
Hazel threw her hands up, a smile glinting in her eyes. “Since when do I do anything to embarrass anyone?”
Hunter raised a single eyebrow, no less than twenty humiliating instances floating through his memory.
“Oh, go on. Your Annie will be right as rain with me.”
Hunter walked toward the shed, grinning despite his anxiety.
Your Annie.
If only she were.
Chapter 6
The sun was just rising as Hunter stood next to Annie, Mutt lounging by her feet lazily. They leaned on the fence, watching Prince and his mother walk around the paddock. After their bumpy start, the little calf’s mother soon accepted him and the two had been inseparable. They’d be ready to return to the rest of the herd in a couple more days.
Hunter had been concerned things between he and Annie would be awkward after being caught by his mum yesterday morning, but Annie bounced fast. He assumed years of dealing with unexpected shanghais by the tabloids had thickened her skin in terms of embarrassing easily.
The past two days—like the ones preceding them—had fallen into an easy pattern of chores, meals with his mother and quiet afternoons spent in his office, both of them working on their computers. Annie had sent off her first article after letting him read it. She was an incredibly gifted writer. She’d obviously found her calling as a big city journalist.
Unable to sleep, he’d risen while it was still dark only to find Annie sitting on the front porch. She’d merely smiled when he joined her. He’d taken her hand and they’d walked in silence, soaking in the last of the cool air. With the sun’s arrival, the day would heat up quickly.
“I suppose this cattle station is pretty boring compared to your life in America.”
Annie looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? This place is awesome. I was standing here trying to imagine myself back in New York. I’m not looking forward to the crowds, the noise, the fast pace. Staying here has driven home how crazy my life in the city has gotten. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve noticed the sky or watched a sunrise or taken a deep breath of fresh, clean air. I feel like a prisoner who’s been released from jail after years locked away. You’re so lucky to be able to call Farpoint home
.”
Hunter turned to face her. “You’re welcome to come back any time you want.” Imagining the day when she had to return to her own life left him with a gnawing ache in his gut. He’d woken up every morning since her arrival with a smile on his face, looking forward to the day. He couldn’t remember the last time that had been true. He’d fallen into a rut of monotony, forgetting to enjoy the little things—like sunrises, picnics by the lake, the wonder of a newborn calf.
“Thanks, Hunter. You might want to be careful with that invitation though. I’m sure you feel pretty safe offering, thinking I’d never brave another twenty-hour flight, hours spent in that death trap you call a helicopter and even this unbearable summer heat, but I can promise you right now, I would. In a heartbeat.”
Hunter brushed a strand of hair from her face and moved closer. He’d wanted to kiss her since yesterday morning, but he’d forced himself to maintain his distance. The tether was stretched too taut. It was about to snap.
“You never told me what your mother said about catching us coming out of your bedroom.”
He grinned, surprised Annie hadn’t asked him about Hazel earlier. “She was pleased.”
“Pleased?”
“She likes you, Annie. A lot. I think there’s a part of her that hopes you’ll save me from a life of work and one-night stands.” He’d meant his words as a joke. Partly.
“Do you want to be saved?”
He’d expected her to latch on to the one-night stand comment. Neither of them had talked much about past relationships. Somehow he knew they didn’t matter. What he felt for Annie was different than anything he’d ever experienced with anyone else. She’d alluded to the same. In this relationship, the past didn’t exist. It had no significance.
He didn’t even need to consider the response to her question. He knew the answer. He leaned forward until their lips were a breath apart. “Only by you.”
Annie covered the minute distance separating them, kissing him hard and fast. Hunter took the reins almost immediately. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her closer as Annie’s arms wrapped around his neck. Kissing her had become as natural as breathing.
Outback Princess Page 8
