Truth or Dare (11 page)

His hand trailed down her face. “Every move you make is seductive. You’re vibrant and alluring. Combine that with your ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude, and you’re unforgettable. When we walk into a room, every head in the place turns. I’m half torn between pride and jealousy. And yet, there’s a part of me that knows you’re like an exotic, wild animal, not meant to be tamed or caged.”

“What do you mean?”

“Luna, when I say I want you to belong to me, I don’t mean I want to control you. It would be a shame to tame your wildness. The very essence of who you are. I just want you to come home to me every night. Even when we’re apart. God knows my job takes me away too much.” He paused, and his eyes bore into her. “Do you think I’m enough for you, Luna? I know there will always be assholes trying to get into your pants, and you get off on the attention. But I can tell you this right now. None of them see your worth the way I do.”

Luna wiped away tears she hadn’t realized had fallen. She had no earthly idea how she almost let this man slip away. 

“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she said, her voice unsteady.

His fingers grazed her throat, and she fought to catch her breath. 

He kissed her with the hunger of a starving man. As his lips trailed down her neck, she arched into him, allowing him better access. 

Oh hell, she wanted to fall asleep with him and wake up every morning in his arms. She was in way over her head, and for the first time, she felt maybe that was a good thing. 

Luna stood up on her tippy toes and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him toward her. Hunter’s arms tightened around her. Slanting his head so he could deepen the kiss, his lips devoured hers; she felt her knees grow weak and her pulse race. She slid her hands up his shoulders and held him close. 

Pulling away to catch her breath, Luna’s muttered, “How can you get to me like that?”

Luna had always been aware of her sexuality, and how to use it to get what she wanted, but Hunter brought out something completely different. A craving that only he could quench. Since she’d met him, she hadn’t even glanced at another man. And if anyone tried to talk to her, she gave them the cold shoulder instead of flirting shamelessly like she usually did. 

“Like what?” Placing his palm on her lower back, he pressed her body to his; his arousal apparent against her. 

“You make me feel like I’m spinning out of control and wanting the feeling to never stop.”

His body went still almost rigid. “Do you mean that?”

A surge of panic filled her. Forcing a smile, she pulled back. “Maybe it’s a slight exaggeration. But you have to admit the sex is earth shattering.” 

“Yes, it is. I can honestly say the best sex of my life. And I don’t think it’s an exaggeration at all. You don’t need to do that around me.” 

“Do what?”

“Play coy when you think you’ve said too much. Pull back when you want to move forward.” He kissed her again, harder, and Luna let her body meld into his. The cloth of his shirt was soft and thin, but still pissed her off, because it kept his bare skin from her. She heard herself making little sounds in her throat. God how she wanted him.

They stumbled back to the bed, and as usual their clothes didn’t last long. Their bodies collided in a frenzy that continued to overwhelm her. Hunter ignited something in her that was beyond her control.  

***

A few hours later her phone went off. She reached for it with the tips of her fingers.
I’m on my way.

Crap, she’d forgotten about Marcus.

“Hunter, Marcus is on his way to pick me up. I forgot we made plans for tonight.”

“Marcus?” His posture shifted from relaxed to tense. “What kind of plans?”

“Just hanging out.”

“I need to ask you something. And I want you to be completely honest no matter what.” His face was serious and made her heart lurch. 

“Okay,” she said slowly.

“What’s going on between you and Marcus?”

Pulling away, she stared up at him confused. “We’re friends.” 

“With benefits?”

She sucked in a breath. “What? No. Purely platonic.”

“You might want to tell him that. He’s obviously in love with you.”

“No, he’s not.” 

“Luna, I know when a guy is into a girl and he’s got it bad for you. I could tell that night at the bar.” 

A part of her knew Hunter was right, but there was no way she was going to lose her only friend over jealousy. 

“You’re wrong. And even if he did, he’d never do anything to jeopardize our friendship.”

Hunter looked at her like yeah right, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m not giving up my friend. So if you’re even thinking about asking that of me, get it out of your head right now.” 

“I never said that. I just wanted to make sure the lines were clearly drawn.”

“If you want to stay involved with me, you need to accept he’s part of my life. I’m not going to toss him to the side.” 

“Okay. I get it. I wouldn’t ask you to do that anyway. Loyalty is something I take very serious.” 

“Good.” Luna leaned her body into his. He caught her lips in a lingering kiss which she melted into.

When he finally pulled away he ran a finger down the side of her jaw. “Doesn’t mean I’m not jealous as hell of the bond you two have.” 

“I read somewhere jealousy is good for the soul.”

Hunter shook his head with a laugh. “Only you.”

“He’s going to be here in a few moments.” 

Hunter ran his hand over his jaw. “All right, well how about you come over to my place after? Stay the night.”

     “We'll probably be out late. I don't want you to have to wait up.”

     “I don't mind. Just give me a text before you head over. If you don't hear back means I'm asleep.”

     “I can do that.”  They shared a long kiss before Luna untangled herself and jumped in the shower. By the time she got out, Hunter was already dressed and waiting by the door. 

 “Thank you for understanding.” 

Hunter shrugged. “If we want this to work we have to trust each other. If you need a ride or anything give me a call.” 

Luna nodded and brought him in for a long, slow kiss. She was so tempted to blow off Marcus and stay home with Hunter, but she couldn’t do that. 

Chapter Fourteen

A few moments later the doorbell rang.
Marcus.
She threw the door open and gave him a hug. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“That’s ’cause you’re always blowing me off these days.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Where are we going?”

“I don’t care. Where there’s music and beer.”

“And don’t forget hot women.”

“That too.” Marcus laughed. 

“Are you seeing anyone these days?” Luna asked curiously. 

“Nothing serious. I’m guessing you’ve found someone to occupy your time, since you haven’t been harassing me.”

Luna smiled. “I have been hanging out with someone. But we’ll see.” 

“That’s what I thought. All I can say is he’d better not hurt you or he’ll have to answer to me.”

“I’m lucky you’re my friend.” Luna grabbed her purse off the chair. “Let’s go dancing. I heard there’s a new club near the river.”

Marcus held out his arm and she linked hers through it. Maybe the place would suck and she’d have an excuse to head off to Hunter’s before he fell asleep. Damn she was pathetic. They’d only been apart a little while and already she was itching to see him again. She tried to push him out of her mind and focus on Marcus. On the drive they caught up on what’s been going on in his life the last couple of weeks and talked about Grayson’s wedding. Luna still couldn’t believe her sister was tying the knot. 

The line to get into the new club was around the bend. Luna didn’t feel like waiting, but also didn’t want to act like a prima donna and move to the front of the line. Luckily, one of Marcus’s friends called him over so they moved ahead quite a bit. Once they finally got inside, Luna had to admit the place had definite possibility. Techno music pulsed through her veins. Strobe lights flashed bright colors all around them, pulling them into the darkness. Luna grinned and grabbed Marcus, dragging him onto the dance floor. Before long she was lost in the swell of the music and having a good time. As one of the waitresses walked by, holding a tray in the air, she grabbed a couple of Jell-O shots.. 

Somehow during the night she got split up from Marcus. She thought she caught a glimpse of him talking to a woman at one point, but it was hard to say with the lights. She made her way over to the bar and pulled out her phone to text Hunter.

Hey.

How’s it going?

Good, we’re at some new club near the river.

Having fun?

Not bad. Would be better if you were here.

Want me to come get you?

Luna looked around, searching out Marcus, but of course she couldn’t see anything in the darkness. She glanced at the time, and saw it was already after midnight. 

How about you pick me up in an hour?

What’s the name of the place?

Luna grabbed ahold of the coaster on the bar and sent him the name and address.
 

See you soon. 

Thanks.

Hopefully, she would run into Marcus within the next hour and if not, she’d just text him and tell him she found a ride home. 

“Truth or dare?” 

Luna looked up, and her eyes raked over the guy standing beside her. Average at best and he had cold eyes. She didn’t like the looks of him, so she ignored the question. Turning, she asked the bartender for a drink. 

“I asked you a question.” 

“And I ignored you. Take the hint.” 

“What’s wrong, party girl, afraid to have a little fun?”

Hardly.
Luna’s life revolved around fun. She took a sip of the drink before setting it down on the bar. “Dare.” 

The guy smirked. “I dare you to suck my cock right here.”

Luna grabbed her drink and threw it in the guy’s eyes. “Go to hell.” 

“You bitch!” He wiped the liquid off his face. Even in the dim bar light, she could tell his eyes were red and knew it probably hurt like hell. Well screw him. Bastard. 

Luna brushed past him and pushed through the crowd, making her way to the bathroom. Her hands were trembling. She took a few deep breaths, before passing back through the throng of people in search of Marcus.

Where the hell was he? She couldn’t find him anywhere. A couple of times she caught that jackass glaring at her, and he was giving her the creeps. Looking at her phone, she realized Hunter should be there in about thirty minutes. She sent Marcus a text and told him she was going to wait outside for her ride and she’d call him in the morning. 

A few minutes later, she had pushed through the crowd and out the door. The fresh air felt amazing on her face. She inhaled deeply, glad to be out of the smoky club, which was set on a cliff overlooking the river. Luna decided to take a walk and look out at the water. It was a beautiful night. The moon sat high on the sky and because the place was so dark the stars shone brightly. 

She heard the crunch of gravel behind her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Instantly, her senses were on high alert. Walking off by herself was not one of her brightest ideas; Lesson 101 in self-defense, her brother had insisted they all take classes, even their mother. 

Luna grabbed her keys from her purse, and placed a key between her fingers and whirled around. Where the hell were the bouncers? There was a dark silhouette in the moonlight. As he got closer, she realized it was the asshole from the bar that she’d just wasted a drink in his face. In hindsight, not the brightest idea. His eyes were red-rimmed, glassy, and wild. 

“Think you’re too good for me, bitch?” In a jerky motion, the guy pulled a concealed knife from the back of his tattered jeans. He flicked it open and the blade gleamed beneath the misty streetlight. His face had turned ugly with hatred. 

Oh shit.
Before she knew it, he was grabbing her and jerking her around. 

Luna yanked back, afraid. There was nothing more dangerous than a knife fight with a pissed off drunk. For all she knew, he was on drugs, too. She tried to recall the steps to disarm someone yielding a knife and came up blank. Fear overrode rational thought. 

She raised an unsteady hand. If she could just get to his eyes with the key, she’d be able to make a run for it. 

As if he sensed what she was thinking, he grabbed her wrist and her purse dropped to the ground. He yanked the keys from her hand and tossed them behind him into the parking lot. She’d never find them in the poorly lit lot. 

Quickly, she raised her knee and caught him in the groin. Groaning, he stumbled back. 

Scrambling, Luna ran forward, searching for her keys. She thought she saw them gleaming under the dim streetlight, but it was someone’s stupid bracelet. She grabbed a handful of gravel and scrambled to her feet. When she turned around, he was coming for her again. She ran as fast as she could toward the bar. 

The parking lot was full of cars, but no one was outside. If she screamed, she wouldn’t be heard over the band playing inside. She didn’t care, she screamed anyway. Maybe someone would happen to come out to their car. She’d be damned if she was going to die at the hand of this jackass. Her heart was pounding so fast, it sounded like a drum to her ears. 

She could hear his footsteps coming closer. She ducked and hid behind a car. Fear rushed through her. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. She was literally paralyzed with terror. She hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. The crazy drunk spun in a circle, his eyes wildly looking for her. “You can’t hide forever,” he yelled. 

She didn’t need to hide forever, she just needed long enough for Hunter to get there. 

Just then, her phone rang in her pocket and he laughed. Stalking forward toward her. Luna was ready and flung the rocks. He screamed and covered his face, but it only pissed him off more.