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Bright lights peppered through the windows around the buildings, as people were in various stages of their nights. I yawned, not fighting it. I was dog-tired, but I took a moment or two to go over my hectic afternoon in my mind.
Luna hadn’t come to school that morning. It was happenstance a police officer saw her walking the streets when she should have been in class. He brought her back as a truancy, and that’s when everything came out. The machinations of her case weren’t usual, and it didn’t stop me from talking to the scared girl the entire time she was in my presence. Nor had the way they had found her, either.
When police ran her prints and name through the system, they got an immediate hit. I’d only been brought in when the police found the recently closed CPS case. When I arrived, she sat huddled in the room's corner, keeping her back to the wall and her eyes on both doors. The defensive pose hit me in the chest like a ton of bricks. This little girl was afraid of everything, and she had a right to be.
I didn’t fault the other worker for closing the case so quickly. How could I? The parents said all the right things. Now we knew it was all a façade.
Because of the seriousness of Luna’s situation, she and any siblings she had would become wards of the Juvenile Court of Tennessee. After securing a spot for her and her siblings in a house where she’d be safe, I grabbed them some clothes and groceries for the family where they’d be staying.
The memory of her fearful voice and tear-streaked cheeks would haunt me forever.“You’re just going to drop me here and make me someone else’s problem.”
“I’m not. I’ll be back to see you tomorrow morning around ten.”I’d already marked the time in my calendar and planned a meeting with Jacki, the woman who ran the foster house. But saying as much to a frightened girl while she tried to protect her siblings didn’t count for much. I had to show her every day I was in her corner, no matter what.
One of my neighbor’s dogs barking pulled me back to the here and now. I yawned again and got my bag together and got out of my car. Once I locked up my car, I walked toward the building to the right, heading up three flights of stairs to my apartment on the left.
My place wasn’t overly big. A large bedroom, one bathroom with a small kitchen, and a living room. I’d learned over the years, out of habit, before I met Darcy, to keep my belongings simple and easy to pack. I didn’t even own physical books, just a tablet to read them on.
Dropping my keys on the table by the door, I took my lunch bag to the kitchen. I was tired and hungry, but I was also kind of cheap. I rarely ordered takeout, preferring to either make dinner at home or eat leftovers. Right now, I was too tired and didn’t care. I’d eat in the morning.
Closing my bedroom door behind me, I started stripping off my clothes for a shower. It might seem weird to some, but after going so long in life without being able to take a bath, I took two a day—a luxury to any of the kids in the system.
Once steam flowed out of the shower, I pinned my curly hair up in a bun and stepped into the spray. A long, tired moan escaped me as the muscles in my shoulders relaxed. Using my favorite scented soap, I thoroughly washed my body, moaning when the washcloth brushed across my nipples. I blamed the excess arousal from meeting Hunter for the cause of my sensitivity.
Growing up, privacy was a privilege. I was in a group home or one of the many houses where I didn’t feel a hundred percent comfortable enough to explore my body. Thanks to my stint of being in group homes, I’d heard about the sexual assault that occurred with both the boys and girls. I was one of the lucky ones.
Yet the stunted growth had followed me through my life. I never fully felt comfortable in my skin, nor able to relax enough to enjoy a little quality time with myself. At the ripe old age of 28, I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing orgasm. Like ever. I was a walking cliché. The girl most readers complained about, while I sought solace in those women, knowing I wasn’t alone.
Out of desperation, because I didn’t like the stigma attached to not being able to pleasure myself, I bought a vibrator, or four. Yet, I could never make myself come. Even after several attempts. After a while, I just kind of gave up.
So, the fact my nipples were sensitive had been a shocking revelation.
Could it be I just didn’t have the correct stimulation or motivation?
I wondered, not for the first time today, how Hunter would kiss me. How’d it feels to be naked in his arms, with his body pressed to mine?
I shuddered as intense pleasure washed over me. My clit throbbed in need. Who knew, maybe with Hunter in my thoughts, maybe I could finally achieve a climax. Then I groaned. Using him as spank bank material would make it uncomfortable for me to look him in the eye the next time, I saw him. Chiding myself for being stupid, I finished my shower, then got out.
Tonight, was going to be a long night. No matter how much I tried not to think about Hunter or how he made me feel, he was at the forefront of my mind, invading my thoughts.Damn it, why did I have to meet you now?
Chapter 3
Hunter
“Hunter...” I closed my eyes, knowing just what she saw the minute she stepped into Mack Jr.’s room, aka Ireland’s old bedroom. “What’s going on?”
“Can you be more specific?” I tilted my head, hoping not to engage in a round of twenty questions—Ireland’s favorite game.
She squinted her eyes and pursed her lips, pointing right at me while Mack Jr. gurgled and cooed in her arms. His hair was all askew from his hardcore nap. He even had a little sheet wrinkle mark on his cheek where he’d faced planted in his portable crib. “Don’t you dare gaslight me, Hunter Banks. I know what I saw in there.”
I exhaled, running my fingers through my hair. “It’s best you don’t know for now.” When she opened her mouth, I held up my hand. “So much has happened over the last few months that I can’t talk about.”
“Does this have anything to do with where you were slinking off to—” She frowned. “Of course, it does. That little girl can’t be much older than Mack Jr. Where’s her mother, Hunter?”
I gritted my teeth. Why did I think any of this would be simple? Why did I believe I could go undercover, help Cobi, and come out the other side without being tagged by something else? “Ireland, I wish I could explain everything, but I can’t right now. All you need to know is Destiny’s my daughter, and I’m taking responsibility for my indiscretions.”
“Your daughter?” She jerked, her expression going from angry to disbelief in a blink. Ireland shook her head. “No. No way. I’d know if you got some girl pregnant, Hunter. We all would.”
“Would you though? You don’t live here now. Jackson is at work or school or even with Waverly, more than he’s home. I could say the same for Landon. How do you know I didn’t fuck out my frustrations one night and forgot to wrap up my dick?” I hated being dishonest with my family. We didn’t lie to each other. But in order for Destiny to stay safe and for no one from the auction to find out about her, I had to tell this lie.
