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CHAPTER10
Misunderstandings~Blue
It wasdead silent when the sunlight beating a red glow onto my eyelids woke me up. The warmth of Hunter's arms around me was gone, just as he was. I opened a single eye to look at the alarm clock on Hunter's nightstand and saw that it was just after eleven, which meant Hunter had likely gone to work.
I wasn't sure how he managed to get out of bed this morning, to be honest. I could still taste the sweet smokiness of his whiskey on my lips. There was something erotic and mature about it, coupled with the way his rough face felt against mine. But last night had left me in agony. Once again, Hunter had failed to claim me in the way I so desperately wanted him to. I couldn't ignore the burning within me. Like I was a building on fire, and Hunter's body against me was the only way to put it out.
On the way home last night, we chatted about movies we liked, and I staked my claim, refusing to back down, that horror movies were the best genre to watch in the summer, hands down. Ashley and I loved our horror movie flicks, but Hunter wasn't a fan. He claimed that they were full of cheap tricks and tacky, but I begged the differ.
He simply rolled his eyes and questioned my movie taste as he rattled off a handful of recent horror flicks that deserved two stars in his eyes. Our bickering continued up until the point he pulled into the driveway, and somehow, I convinced him to bend to my will. He agreed to watch one with me, but only if I said the magic words he so desperately wanted to hear. I pouted and folded my arms across my chest like a little brat as "please, Daddy" trickled off my tongue. He winged a brow, observing me in that carnal, possessive way. An hour later, Hunter and I found ourselves cuddling and feeding each other popcorn as the screams of characters ran for their lives on the sixty-inch TV.
He opened his mouth and let me push it in, then wrapped those same lips around my fingers. His eyes were no longer on the movie. They were so focused on me that he completely missed a pretty effective jump scare, but I didn't care. All I cared about was how hot I got just from the gentle sucking on the very tips of my middle and forefingers.
Hunter had then put his hands on my hips and lifted me, turning me so that I was straddling him. He grabbed my wrist to pull my fingers from his mouth, and then he shackled them behind my back as he kissed my cheeks, neck, and collarbone. The gentle restraint and the feeling of his lips on my skin made heat curl down my spine.
Hunter chuckled against the hollow of my throat, then came back to eye level with me.
God, this was it. This was when he'd finally take what I'd been offering him on a silver platter for longer than I even knew that was my intention.
His lips crashed down on mine as he released my arms. I pressed my hands to the sides of his face, pulling him tightly against me and opening my mouth to his tongue, which I swirled around my own.
His fingers were on my hips, grinding me against his growing erection and sending me into full-on spasms, making me wet. He slipped his hands up the back of my shirt, covering more of my skin with his strong, rough touch. My hands trailed down his neck to grip his t-shirt, and the feeling of not being close enough began to overwhelm me.
I felt a tiny snap, then the release of my bra. My full, heavy breasts slipped beneath my underwire. Hunter was quick to catch them, though, and the way he rubbed and pinched my nipples through the thin fabric made them hardened into little nubs beneath my shirt. I tugged the bra from under my tank, and he dipped his head, kissing the little raised spots through my shirt, which sent a series of spluttering palpations through my chest.
He rolled my nipple between his lips, then pressed down with his teeth while he ran his tongue over the fabric of my shirt, dampening the spot he played with. The sensation was enough that I nearly tore my clothes off right then and there.But as quick as we'd begun, Hunter pulled back, taking a deep, shuddering breath. He said we should cool things off for the night and got up to get a drink, returning a few minutes later with a nightcap in one hand and a glass of water in the other. I could only compare the feeling of going from one hundred to zero as whiplash, but the chaste kiss he placed on my cheek before taking a sip of his liquor softened the blow.
He drank two glasses of whiskey in the time it took me to finish my water, and by the time we were done, I had to admit that I was much more tired than I had realized. I stood, grabbed my bra from the floor, and started down the hall toward the guest room, with Hunter behind me. Once I passed his room, his arm snaked around my waist, and like a soothing balm to my soul, his low voice seeped into my ears. Intercepting my movements to remind me that his bed would be the one I was sleeping in that night. Once our bodies melted into the cool sheets, he drifted off to sleep in minutes while I lay staring at his chest as it rose and fell with each breath.
Now, in the late morning light, the empty glass from his second nightcap still sat next to his alarm clock. I sat up, touching the dip in the mattress where he usually slept. Not last night. Last night he slept pressed against my back, arms holding me against him, but he still needed two drinks before bed. A wave of sadness crashed over me as I wondered if he would ever be able to fight those demons off completely. I knew he was better when I was here. I could see it in everything he did. Maybe if I stayed, maybe if I didn't go back to Stonebridge–
Bzzt.
My phone went off in my hand, buzzing to announce the arrival of a text message from Sadie. She took an impromptu vacation to Hawaii with her mom, a trip they desperately needed to break out of their routine. I met her at a group for people dealing with grief and loss. Her dad died unexpectedly, and she and her mom had started to live almost on autopilot. They both needed a break, some space to breathe and dig into their feelings.
I sent back a string of emojis indicating that I was soaking up the sun on the beach and eating mountains of tacos, then turned the screen off. I didn't even get to put it down before it buzzed again. I was impressed by her speed and raised the phone, but it wasn't Sadie.
Aston: I signed you up for some last minute college tours. One of them is scheduled for next Monday, but that won’t be a problem, right?
I rolled my eyes and tossed the phone onto the bed, not even bothering to reply. I had no idea what his deal was, but he never cared about me coming to Del Mar until recently. For the longest, he preferred it because he didn't have to worry about me for weeks at a time. This weird, controlling new attitude he sported was only twenty-four hours old, and already I was over it.
I stretched out on the bed, wanting to lay there in the sheets that smelled like Hunter for hours, maybe sleeping, maybe just watching TV on my phone. But I hadn't been to the beach by myself for months, and I could feel the ocean pulling me in like the tides.
I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth before putting on my favorite bikini, and I'd barely managed to gather my towel and bag before I heard the front door open.
Heart in my throat with joy, I rushed from my room to meet Hunter in the living room, thrilled he was home early, but it wasn't him. The woman casually but seductively sitting in Hunter's chair was tall and slim like a fashion model. I crossed my arms across my chest, becoming conscious of my body for the first time since Hunter spread me out on the kitchen table.
"Who are you?" I asked.
Hunter hadn't mentioned anyone coming over, and I had never heard him mention a woman. She stood up, even taller because of the five-inch heels she had on. She tossed a sheet of platinum blond hair over her shoulder, compelling me to tug at my unruly curls, comparing myself to this more traditionally beautiful woman.
"I'm here to see Hunter," she said, licking her cherry red lips and looking past me down the hall. "Are you his daughter? I didn't expect company."
"No." I deadpanned. I didn't elaborate and stepped into my flip-flops as I headed toward the door.
The very mention of Hunter's "daughter" from this woman who he was clearly seeing was like a blow to my chest. Ashley had been his daughter. My best friend. I wasn't even close to that anymore, and after this, I knew the odds of us being anything to each other ever again weren't good.
