by Elisa Leigh
“What is there to think about?” He asks with sounding hurt.
I shake my head but don’t turn to face him. If I do, he’ll see my smeared makeup, and I can’t do this with him right now. “Just take me, home, Hunter.” He deserves more than that, but I'm not in the right frame of mind to give it to him.
Hunter is quiet for the rest of the drive back to my house. When he parks, he sits looking out in front of him, staring at my house like he wished it would burn to the ground.
I need to say something to end tonight in somewhat of a good place. “Hunter I-”
“I know there’s something you aren’t telling me, Lee. I can understand you being upset after having to deal with Ramsey’s troll of a girlfriend all night. It’s the fact that you can’t trust me with whatever has you upset that has me pissed. I’ve been honest with you from day one, and it feels like you keep holding back. If you want this relationship to work out, you need to be honest with me and stop keeping everything in your head.”
Before I can respond, Hunter opens his door and gets out, shutting it more forcefully than normal, making me jump in my seat. He comes around to my side and opens the door for me but says nothing. He walks me to my door and waits for me to unlock it. I expect him to want to come inside and talk, but instead, he gives me a quick kiss to the cheek and tells me to have a good night.
I stare at him in shock, not prepared for the way Hunter is treating me.
“I’ll wait for you to lock up before I leave.”
I close the door and wait a second before locking it. I should open the door right now and tell him what happened and how it made me feel, but then I’d have to admit that I’m having doubts and I’ll be putting my insecurities out there. It was awful enough before, I can’t do it again. I’m too raw. I lock the door and wait a few seconds before I peek through the curtains to check and see if he’s left. It’s a blow to my heart to see him walking toward his truck. I can’t help but feel disappointed yet relieved that he’s leaving. I’m such a fucking mess.
As soon as I get to my room, I strip out of my dress and throw it in the corner. I untie my shoes and toss them into my closet then make a beeline to my shower, turning it as hot as it will go. I’m in the middle of taking off my panties when I notice the curtain over my bathroom window blow up. That’s weird. I don’t remember opening a window. I close the window and lock it, then make sure to put the curtains back so no one can see inside. It crosses my mind that someone else could have opened it, but I quickly throw that out. Who would have opened it? If someone broke in, which is unlikely, the place looks like nothing was touched and or taken. I’m probably worrying about nothing.
I pull out a makeup remover cloth and wipe my face clean, then get into the steaming shower. I wash my hair first and then my face. Next, I rinse and put my conditioner in. I grab my poof and squirt body wash onto it and wash my body. While I’m washing, it occurs to me that before today, I haven’t showered here since Tuesday morning. I’ve been spending all of my time over at Hunter’s house. I completely put my life on hold to be with him. That can’t be healthy. That’s not the type of woman I want to be. I was ready to give him my virginity, and I’m not even on birth control yet. Would he have brought the condoms? Does he already have them? Has he been tested? He said he hasn’t been with anyone since high school, but can I believe that? He’s a man. Who really goes that long without having sex? I shake my head and rinse off. I’m driving myself crazy with all of these what-ifs.
When I get out of the shower, I’m more pissed and confused than before. I dry off and brush out my hair. I pull on a big t-shirt, and some panties then crawl into bed. My phone is on my nightstand, and I make sure to plug it in before I check to see if I have any missed calls or messages. I don’t. So, I start scrolling through Facebook. I usually do this before bed but haven’t been the past few nights since I’ve been with Hunter. It’s been four days, and I feel like I’ve missed so much.
Ramsey has posted a couple pictures of Hunter and I together tonight. We look so happy. Hunter is staring down at me, and I can tell how much he cares. How did I miss it while in the moment? While I’m scrolling through Ramsey’s pictures, I catch some of Hunter and me from the other night at Beach Bums when we ran into each other for the first time. How did I not see these before? I roll my eyes, knowing exactly how Ramsey is notorious for not tagging people in pics. A yawn escapes, and I know it’s time to put down the phone. I put it on silent and roll over to go to sleep. I wonder about Hunter and what he’s doing right now. Did he go home after he dropped me off? Or is he out at Beach Bums with Ramsey and Julia, like she offered as we were leaving? She’s such a twat waffle.
I wish I were with Hunter, lying in his arms, falling asleep.
Chapter 10
Hunter
Something happened in that bathroom. I wouldn’t put it past Julia to have said something to my woman. I didn’t believe her when she told us that Whitley got sick, but I was ready to get the hell out of there. I think about texting Ramsey to ask him about it but decide not to. He’s probably still with Julia, and I doubt he’ll be checking his phone any time soon. Did she really think I’d leave Whitley at home “sick” and come back out to party?
Shaking my head, I pull into my garage and park. I grab a beer from the fridge and sit on the couch while I watch something on TV, I have no idea what I’m watching because I keep thinking about Whitley and what she said tonight. It pissed me off when she said she needed space, space for what? I finish my beer and go to bed. Before I fall asleep, I text Whitley.
Me: Sweet dreams, baby.
I don’t wait for her to reply. Instead, I toss my phone on my nightstand and try to sleep. Sleep doesn’t come easy, though. I’m up half the night tossing and turning, wondering if there’s something I could have done or said differently so that tonight would have had a different outcome.
When I wake up at half-past six and don’t see a reply from Whitley, I try not to let it bother me. I go to the gym and work out. When I’m finished two hours later and still haven’t heard from her, I start to wonder what is going on. I do some laundry and pick up around the house, but that doesn’t take me long since there’s not much here.
Trying to give her the “space” she needs, I go grocery shopping and pick up all of the things on the list we made that can be purchased at the grocery store. Once I’m home, and all the groceries are put away, I have a well-stocked pantry and fridge, but my house is empty, and there’s no one to share it with. The only person I want next to me isn’t here. I could go furniture shopping, but I refuse to do that without her.
Fuck it. I’ve waited long enough, either Whitley is ignoring me, or something happened to her. I try calling her, but she doesn’t answer. When I text her, and they go unread for over a half-hour, I pocket my keys and jump in my truck. Enough is enough.
Whitley
I wake up to tears falling down my cheeks. I kick out of my sheets and blanket and stomp to the bathroom. By the time I’ve finished and brushed my teeth, I’m calmer, realizing it was only a dream. An awful dream that still has me ready to hit a bitch, but only a dream. I don’t even bother grabbing my phone before I walk over to my parent’s house and knock on the sliding glass door before walking in. Mom has country music playing in the background and is standing at the stove, flipping bacon. Even the smell of bacon can’t get me out of this funk.
“There’s coffee in the pot if you need a cup.” Mom calls while keeping her eyes on what she’s cooking.
I need coffee, but I need her more. I wrap her in a side hug and hold her tight. “Hey honey, I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” She says and kisses the side of my head.
“Hug me. I need a mom hug.” I grumble into her shirt.
She laughs and puts the tongs down, then turns and engulfs me in the hug I need. This is the hug of all hugs, the kind that only your momma can give you. “What’s wrong, baby girl?” She asks while rubbing my back.
“No
thing. Everything. I don’t know mom.” I say and let out a heavy sigh.
She pulls back and grips my arms. “What happened Whitley?” She asks sternly.
“Hunter cheated on me in my dream with Ramsey’s stupid twat girlfriend. Ramsey stood there drinking a beer acting like nothing wrong was happening in front of him.”
“Well, that’s descriptive.” My mom says, arching her eyebrows as high as they will go.
“Last night was the worst.” I groan and dramatically fall down into a chair at the bar.
Mom grabs her tongs and pulls the bacon out of the pan then rolls her tongs at me. “Well get on with it. I don’t have all day to listen to you pout about something that didn’t even happen.”
“You owe this to me. You’ve never had to sit and listen to me whine about guys when I was growing up. Not once. So, you’re going to sit here and listen to all my petty bullshit and then make me feel better afterward.” I shout and hit my fist on the bar for added emphasis.
“That’s because the only guy you would have done this about was in freaking Arizona and too damn old for you at the time.” She shouts back.
“You knew?” I screech, my eyes going wide as I stare at her in shock.
She rolls her eyes. “Please, like you could hide that mile wide, canyon deep crush from me. I’m only surprised no one else noticed.”
I lay my head against my forearms and groan.
“I’m not going to delve into your dream, because it’s pretty obvious what that was about. So, tell me what happened at dinner last night.”
I sit up in my seat and tell her everything that happened at the restaurant, the drive home, and finally how we left things when Hunter dropped me off. She doesn’t say anything even though I can tell she’s dying to.
“What do you need me to say to make you feel better?”
I grumble and push out of my seat. “Never mind.”
Mom lays her hand on my arm, stopping me from walking out. “Wait, Whitley. Listen to yourself, to everything that you said. You’re not mad at Hunter, you’re mad at Julia. You’re frustrated that last night ended the way it did, and you’re scared about what the future holds for you and him.”
“How are you so good at that? I word vomit all of it, and you’re able to pick out the problem in seconds.”
“I know you, Whitley, I’m your mom. You are one of the most levelheaded and drama free people I know, and that’s saying a lot since you’re only twenty-one.”
“Hey!”
She grins at me. “All I’m trying to say is for being as young as you are you’ve got your head on right. You never let this kind of crap bother you. Don’t start now. Be honest with yourself and then be honest with Hunter. He’ll appreciate it.”
“Thanks, mom.” I hug her neck quick before walking back to my place.
I spend the next couple of hours cleaning my house and doing laundry. For not being here all week, I’m surprised at how messy the place is.
My hair is up in a ponytail, and I’m still in my leggings and a big t-shirt when I hear a knock at my door. Putting down the shirt I’m folding, I go to my door and open it. Standing in front of me is Hunter looking pissed off and delicious in his gym shorts and a muscle shirt.
“Hey.”
“Hey? That’s all you have to say?” He asks storming through my door and into my living room.
I close the door and follow him to the living room where I find him pacing back and forth. “Hunter, will you please stop? What’s wrong?”
He stops and faces me, his hands braced on his hips, and his eyes boring into mine. “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” He snaps.
“My phone?” I ask and quirk my head.
He closes his eyes and drops his head back, releasing a large sigh. When he looks up, he doesn’t look angry, just frustrated. “I texted you last night, and you never replied. I figured you needed time still, but after not hearing from you after a few hours, I texted and called again. I get it if you’re upset, but next time at least let me know that you’re alright. I was worried about you.”
Damn, I didn’t even think about it that way. I wince. “I haven’t checked my phone all day. I freaked out over some dream I had last night and then went to talk to my mom as soon as I got up. After that, I came back here and have been cleaning all day. I promise I wasn’t purposely avoiding your calls and texts.”
“But you were avoiding your phone?” He asks.
I shrug and sit on the couch. “Maybe? I don’t know, I guess I needed time to think some things through.”
Hunter kneels at my feet and pulls my hands into his. “Are you done thinking things through? I’ve been going crazy without you, and it’s been less than a day.”
“I know what you mean. I slept horribly last night. God, and that freaking dream I had.” I shake my head, the remnants of it still irking me.
Hunter kisses each of my hands then looks me in the eyes. “Tell me about the dream, baby.”
“Only if you come up here and sit next to me,” I say, wanting him beside me, needing to draw comfort from him.
Hunter sits in the middle of the couch and pulls my legs over his thighs, so he’s resting his hands on my calves. I tell him about my dream, and by the time I’m finished, I feel foolish for making it such a big deal in the first place. I know Hunter, and he’d never do anything like that. He’s too honorable of a man.
“You know I’d never do that, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I guess after last night, and the way we left things, it just added insult to injury.”
“It killed me to leave you here, baby. I almost couldn’t leave. I sat in my truck for a few minutes watching your house, until I saw your mom peek out the window at me and wink.”
I shake my head smiling. My mom is something else. “Hunter, I’m sorry about last night. Julia said some things to me in the bathroom, and I let it get to me.”
“What did she say to you?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s stupid. I shouldn’t have let it bother me, but I did.”
“It’s not stupid if it made you feel this way. It came between us and in no way am I okay with that. Now, what did she say?” He demands.
“Basically, she told me I was lucky we were together, but that it wasn’t permanent, and you’d be looking for someone else soon. She also said I should look for someone who was in my league so I wouldn’t be hurt in the end.”
“What the fuck?” He tries to stand, but I push him back down with my legs.
“Sit down. I didn’t tell you so you would go and do something about it, I told you because you asked. You have a right to know why I acted the way I did last night.”
Hunter pushes my legs off of him and parts my knees with his body. He leans over me, resting his hard body against mine, then kisses me. “Whitley, you are the most important person in my life. I won’t put up with anyone making you feel less than who you are.”
“Tell me, Hunter, who am I?”
“My fucking queen. My thick, curvy goddess that has me hard as a fucking rock. You’re the only woman I want because you’re the only woman I love.” He says fiercely, then takes my mouth in a demanding kiss.
“Fuck her and everything she said.” He says, kissing down my neck. Curving his hands around the back of my ass, he squeezes my cheeks and lifts, pressing his hard cock against my center. “This is what your curves do to me, baby.” He thrusts his cock over my sensitive clit, and I moan. With his gym shorts and my leggings, there isn’t much left to the imagination.
He pulls my shirt over my head and leans down, sucking one of my nipples into his mouth, while continuing to thrust against my core. Oh god, that feels so good, so fucking good.
I scramble to get his shirt off of him, tugging it up over his head. He helps me out and throws it to the floor.
“You know what upsets me the most about last night?” I moan as he kisses down my chest and runs his tongue around my belly button.
“What’s that?” he asks, ni
pping at my belly, and pulling at the top of my leggings.
“That we couldn’t do this.” I hook my thumbs into the top of my leggings and push them down over my butt. Hunter helps me out by lifting his body up so I can push my leggings down my legs. He grows impatient and rips them off of me, tossing them in the same way he did his shirt, then he’s back. His body hovers over mine as he makes love to my mouth with his tongue, and his fingers pull on the strands of my hair. I push my hand into his shorts and grasp his thick cock and stroke it a few times. He shudders against me and groans when I pull my hand back. I need to get him out of these. I push my hands into the back of his shorts and squeeze his ass, then I push his shorts down just enough that his cock springs free. It slaps against my stomach, and he thrusts lower, sliding his shaft through my wet pussy lips.
“Fuck, baby,” he groans and continues to rub his dick against me.
Grabbing his shaft, I position it at my entrance. He stills and looks up at me. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent sure. I love you, Hunter.”
“I fucking love you too, Whitley.” His hand goes behind my shoulder and rests on the arm of the couch as he holds his dick in his other hand, rubbing his head through my wetness. I watch as he pushes into me in shallow thrusts. It feels good, but I need more. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. I don’t want to hurt you, baby.” He says, looking worried.
“You won’t, don’t stop. I need to feel you inside me, as far as you can go.”
He thrusts into my pussy and stops at my barrier. “Whitley, look at me, baby.”
My eyes connect with his, and he takes my mouth in a deep, soul-searing kiss. “I’m never going to let anything happen to you. I’m going to take care of you for the rest of our lives, and I’m going to love you until the day I die. Now watch as I make you mine.”
He thrusts into me deeply, tearing through my barrier until he’s bottomed out inside me.
“Oh my god.” I moan as the stretch of pleasure and pain takes my breath away. He stills inside me and slowly rubs his thumb around my clit until I’m writhing and needing more. “You’re my woman now Whitley, forever.” He says and seals his declaration with a kiss.
