Authors: Robin Kaye
“Thanks.” Hunter brought her hand back to the table and released it. The last thing he and his dick needed was any more encouragement in front of his family. It was bad enough he’d been at least half hard since he first set eyes on her. He shifted in his seat and sawed a piece of meat off his steak.
“Oh come on.” Toni replaced her hand on his leg, rubbing his thigh. Her thumb brushed his dick, and he almost shot out of his seat. “It’s not as if you’re asking for help for yourself. You’re just giving Grampa Warbucks over here and everyone else involved a way to help all those deserving kids. You’re doing them a favor.”
Hunter chewed his steak, and ignoring the loud buzz of sexual awareness, he thought about what she’d said. As much as he hated to admit it, she did have a point. “Okay.”
Silence fell over the table except for the clink of Karma’s dropped utensils. She quickly picked them up. “Did you say okay? Just like that?”
Another twenty changed hands, this time from Fisher to Trapper.
Hunter felt like grabbing the money and stuffing it in his own pocket, since it was obviously him they’d been betting on. “Yes.” When it came to stubbornness, Hunter freely admitted he suffered from his fair share, but he wasn’t obstinate. He was also no idiot. He’d been reading the book Karma brought up every chance he got. In chapter eight it talked about how highly evolved men had no problem admitting when they were wrong. He was a big enough man to admit he was wrong—he just wished he didn’t have to do it in front of his whole family. “Toni’s right. In the end, all that matters is what’s best for the kids.”
Karma put her hand out, and both Fisher and Trapper passed a twenty over. She winked at Hunter, mouthing the words
Chapter Eight
, and stuffed the loot in her bra.
Hunter choked on his beer. Son of a bitch, she had her own copy.
Toni smacked him on the back while he tried to catch his breath.
Gramps looked past Toni to Hunter. “Well, boy, I’m awful glad Karma brought what you needed to get the job done. I think it’ll come in handy with this little filly.”
Karma slurped her water and grinned.
“As nice as this dysfunctional family reunion has been, Toni and I have a lot to do before tomorrow’s photo shoot.” Hunter didn’t mention getting naked was his top priority, followed closely by making love to Toni repeatedly. His mother didn’t look happy. She’d just have to get over it.
Kate dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “Can’t we talk you two into at least staying for dessert?”
Hunter stood and shook his head as he shouldered his duffel bag and backpack. “Sorry Mom. What we need to do really can’t wait.”
Toni looked relieved as he helped her out of her seat. “Hunter’s right. We have a lot to go over, and I’m about dead on my feet. It’s been really nice meeting you Mrs. Kincaid, Grampa Warbucks.”
Gramps let out a laugh and slapped Hunter on the back again. “She’s a real spitfire.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
Before Toni could get around him, Gramps grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. “You be sure to call Tom Delany as soon as you get home. And if you ever need anything else, my number’s on the front of the card.”
“Thanks, Gramps. I’ll be sure to do that.”
Kate waited for them as they rounded the table. She pulled Toni into another hug. “I’m so glad I got to meet you, Toni. Now don’t be a stranger. We’ll expect to see you in Boise often.”
“Mom, let go of her, will ya?”
Kate released Toni. “Only so that I can get a hug and a kiss from you too.”
He leaned down and pulled her into a hug.
“I like her, Hunter.” She whispered in his ear. “Now don’t do something stupid and screw it up.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then wiped her ever-present lipstick off it with her thumb. “You could remember to use that phone you always wear around. You know how it works. You press the buttons, and you can talk to people on it. It’s not supposed to be just for show.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And take good care of Toni. Make sure she wears sunscreen. She’s very fair.”
“I will.” He turned and waved, “See ya,” grabbed Toni’s hand, and made a break for it.
Hunter walked with Toni toward her cabin, holding her hand, and wondering what was going through her mind.
“So that’s your family, huh?”
“Pretty much.” Hunter still stung from the embarrassment that was his family. He couldn’t believe Karma had ratted him out, and his mom and Grampa Joe had come all this way just to meet his new girlfriend. You’d think he was sixteen.
“What about your dad? What’s he like?”
“We were close when I was a little kid. He took me out fishing and hunting. You know, all the guy stuff dads and boys do.”
“Out here maybe, definitely not in New York.”
“Dad and Mom split the sheets when Karma was a baby. He had visitation rights for a while, but then one weekend Trapper, Fisher, and I were waiting for him to pick us up, and he didn’t come.”
“How old were you?”
“I don’t know, seven or eight. I haven’t seen him since.” He looked over at her and shrugged. “We were lucky though. We had Grampa Joe. Gramps was always there for us, and my mom is great.”
“I’d say you’re pretty lucky in the family department.”
Hunter threw his arm around her and pulled her close. “Yes, I am. And you haven’t even met Ben and Gina yet. You’re gonna love them. Ben’s like another brother, and his wife Gina is a real hoot.”
“Karma mentioned them. They live in New York, right?”
“Park Slope. We’ve been seeing a lot more of each other lately. The whole family is on a mission to find Gina’s brother, Rafael.”
“What, no cell phone?”
Hunter shook his head. “It’s a long story, but Rafael was given up for adoption when Gina was six. She’s been looking for him ever since.”
“How does a six-year-old look for anyone? She was practically a baby.”
“At six, she’d been taking care of Rafael and her little sister, Tina. She’s an amazing woman despite having a nightmare childhood. When she married Ben, Gina, her sister Tina, and her brother-in-law Sam ended up with a whole new family. The Walshes and Kincaids take care of our own. Now we’re trying to find Rafael. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang when I come out to visit you.”
Toni stopped dead in her tracks. “What are you talking about?”
Hunter stopped and looked around. They were alone, so he pulled her closer and kissed her. “I’m talking about coming out to New York to visit you just as soon as I can. Maybe you can fly back for Labor Day weekend.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s pretty hard to carry on a relationship if we don’t see each other.”
“A relationship?”
“Yeah, you know, the thing where you talk to each other on the phone all the time. Miss the other person like crazy when you’re not with them. Spend as much time as possible together and rack up frequent flier miles like mad. And when you are together, you have nonstop earth-shattering sex?”
She looked at him as if he was nuts.
“What did you think? That we’d just part ways after the shoot is done and never see or talk to each other again?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
Hunter tried to put aside the slam to his ego and reminded himself that the idea of a relationship was all new to Toni. “I’ll try not to take that personally.”
“I didn’t mean it as a cut, Hunter. It just never occurred to me. I don’t think that way.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—it doesn’t sound as if you’ve ever seen a real relationship that works.”
“And you have?”
“Yes, I have. I’ve just never found someone I cared enough about to change my life and career to make room for a relationship—until I met you. So I guess you better put your thinking cap on then.”
Chapter 12
Toni dragged her feet and walked beside Hunter toward her cabin, holding hands and sneaking glances at him. He hadn’t said anything after dropping the relationship bombshell. For that, she was grateful. She didn’t want to think about the future. All she wanted to think about was the way she’d spent the whole dinner on a slow burn. Damn Hunter and all his talk of how good chocolate was for her. When she’d revealed her weakness, he’d taken full advantage of it.
Toni stopped at her door and pulled out her key. Her hands shook. She wasn’t sure if it was nervousness or excitement. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. The porch light highlighted the sharp angles of his face. God, he was beautiful. Their eyes met, and she melted just a little more.
Hunter had a way of turning her to jelly with just the slide of his hand or the look he gave her now. He’d spent most of the meal touching her. Sure, she’d retaliated, and although no one else seemed to notice him jump when her hand brushed his fly, she definitely did, which just made her squirm. He stepped forward and took the key card. Of course he had no problem figuring out which way to slide it into the slot. He pushed open the door and held it for her to precede him.
He stepped in behind her and started talking before she could even put her clipboard down.
“Toni, I just want—”
“Stop.” The last thing she wanted to do was talk. “We’ll talk later. I promise, but right now—” She slammed him back against the door and almost laughed at the shocked look on his face. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. Hunter groaned just before he dropped his bags and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her against him with brute strength. She pushed back enough so she could shove his shirt up, her hands running over his chest as she sucked his tongue into her mouth and then raked her teeth over it.
Pulling his shirt over his head, Hunter dragged in a breath when her mouth closed around his flat nipple. She kissed her way to the other, tasting the hint of salt on his skin and the flavor that was all his own. She tried to unhook his belt but fumbled—he finished the job.
Toni was thankful he took over and did her best to catch up with him. He watched as she unbuttoned her blouse and pulled her hair out of the pigtails. After shaking it out, she reached for her collar.
“Leave that on. You never know when I might need to use it.”
Toni’s hands stilled, and his words sent a shot of heat right to her core.
He slid his finger through the D-ring and tugged her toward the bed. His mouth met hers in a bruising kiss—hard, hot, and drugging. He explored her mouth, nipped her bottom lip, and soothed the spot his teeth had raked as his fingers tangled in her hair, massaging her scalp and keeping her from escaping—as if she would. Toni would gladly kiss him for however long he wanted. But that didn’t keep her from wrapping a leg around his hip and sinking her hand into his shorts.
Toni stilled as Hunter’s rough hands slid up her sides to cup her breasts. He snapped the front clasp, pulling off her bra with her blouse, turning her, his front to her back, facing the mirror. The searing intensity in his eyes held her captive.
“Look at you.” His eyes followed the reflection of his dark hands sliding over her white stomach to her breasts. “So beautiful.”
Toni tried to see herself as he would. Her lips were red and swollen. Her hair looked wild. The heat in his eyes sent her girl parts screaming for more. “Thanks, but there’s no need for seduction, Hunter. I brought you here, remember?”
“Babe, you’re the one doing the seducing. Not me. You’ve been seducing me from the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
He must have lost his shorts because when he slid her tight skirt up, his erection was hot and hard and nestled against her lower back. She took his hand in hers and brought it down between her legs. She watched his reaction in the mirror, having never before asked for what she wanted even wordlessly, and was thankful the man could take a hint. He slid the fabric of her thong to the side, and she watched as his fingers disappeared inside her.
“Yes.” She reached across the dresser to anchor herself and spread her legs as he pressed his thumb against the bundle of nerves, and his fingers slid in and out sending her world spinning toward bliss. One hand on her breast pinched the hard nipple, while his other tormented and teased her below. Within a minute she was caught up in the sights, sounds, and feelings of his hands on her. Still, she wanted more.
She reached back and took hold of his erection. “Hunter. I want you. Inside me. Now.”
His fingers stilled and retreated as she held his gaze through the mirror. Rising to her toes, she slid the hard length of him between her legs and rocked, his erection slipping against her wet folds.
Toni leaned forward and pressed back against the hard tip as he glided home, filling her in one swift thrust. His hands held her hips, stilling her as he pulled out slow and steady. She was on fire, and slow was not what she wanted—what she needed. She needed Hunter. She needed his wild side, the one that broke through the tight control he held.
Taking the hand that had brought her so much pleasure, Toni drew it to her mouth and slipped his fingers between her lips, sucking them in deep, tasting herself, all the while staring straight into his eyes.
Hunter went wild, bucking against her. He took her hard and fast, sending her into a climax the likes of which she’d never known. He pulled her up against him as she came and bit down on her shoulder, sending her even higher. His name flew from her lips as he hand-grazed the length of her body, his wet fingers stroking the tight bundle of nerves and dragging her screaming into another realm. She gasped as his face contorted, body shaking, and he thrust twice more before she felt his release flooding her. They collapsed on the dresser, the surface smooth and cool against her heated chest and face.
“I hurt you.”
“No.” She couldn’t say more, but she felt him stiffen against her.
“Babe. I’m sorry. I…” He lifted himself off her and slid out, leaving her chilled and feeling suddenly empty. “I didn’t mean to…”
“I did.” Toni gathered the last of her strength and reached for him. The poor guy looked horrified. She wrapped her limp arms around him and smiled as she kissed his lips. He held her like she was made of china, and the thought of it had her fighting back a fit of giggles.
Her legs felt as if they were made of rubber bands. Needing to lie down, she pushed him back against the bed and fell on top of him so they were nose to nose. “That was amazing. Hunter, you can take me on the wild side whenever you want.” She had to laugh then; the shocked look on his face was priceless.
He rolled them over, pulling her up farther onto the bed before kissing her and slid her leg over his hip. Her eyes shot open when she felt him hard against her.
“Maybe the next time we’ll try it without clothes on. What do you think?”
“Probably not a bad idea.”
***
Hunter pulled off Toni’s boots before sliding her skirt, thong, and stockings down her long legs. She lay there on the bed boneless, her pale skin tinged with pink except for the red spots on her hips from when he pounded her into the dresser. He cursed under his breath.
They needed to have a conversation. For the first time in his life he’d completely lost control and had unprotected sex.
He pulled the white comforter down and lifted her, placing her back against the pillows. After toeing off his boots and socks, he lay beside her and dragged her back against him. He cringed when he saw the red spot on her bare shoulder where he’d nipped her. Damn, he took her like a rutting boar. “Toni?”
“Hmm?”
He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, spooning around her. “I fucked up… royally.”
“Hunter,” she said on a sigh. “I already told you. I liked it. I’ve never felt anything so… intense and exciting.” She tried to turn, but he held her tight against him. He really didn’t want to see the look on her face when she found out the truth.
“But the thing is… Toni, I wasn’t wearing a condom. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ve never had unprotected sex before so I’m clean. It’s just—”
She did roll over then. “It’s okay. I’ve always been very careful about that too. It’s not as if I’ve had much of a sex life, but I’ve never messed up before. So stop blaming yourself. It was just as much my fault as it was yours—probably more, and I’m on the pill so there’s nothing to worry about. It’s fine.”
He brushed the hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “Why are you on the pill? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. Just curious.”
She laughed. “Because without it, I have mood swings that give PMS a bad name followed closely by the cramps from hell. Now with the new pill, I only have four periods a year, and it helps with the PMS.”
“Is that healthy?”
“I’ve never had a problem, and I don’t smoke. I’m young, so for now… it’s fine.” She moved up his chest and kissed his neck. “Hunter?”
Damn, one kiss, and he was tenting the sheet. “Toni?”
“Were you serious before?”
“Before what?” She’d stiffened in his arms. All thoughts of his hard-on disappeared.
“Before… you know… when we were walking over here.”
“When we talked about our relationship?”
Her fingers tangled with his chest hair. “What does that entail?”
He lifted her chin and looked straight into the eyes of a very nervous woman. God, she slayed him. “It means we’ll see each other, we’ll burn up the phone lines, we’ll get together as often as humanly possible, and we’ll see where it leads.”
“That’s what I don’t get. Where can it lead? I mean, look at your life and look at mine. We live in two different worlds.”
“Not that different.”
“You’re here, and I’m in New York. It doesn’t get much more different than that.”
“I live in Boise. We have modeling firms, ad agencies, and rec centers—all the conveniences of home.”
“Do you have any good delis?”
“No, but we do have access to a corporate jet, and Ben would be happy to deliver anything you want from New York whenever he’s coming out.”
“But what if it doesn’t work?”
“Toni, the way I look at it, we have two choices. We can give it a try and see how it goes, or we can just end it. If we did that, we’d definitely lose.” Hunter pulled her closer. His hard-on slipped between them as she settled on top of him. He kissed her, tasting her fear and uncertainty. “I don’t want to lose this.” He rocked his pelvis against hers and pulled her legs forward to straddle him. “I don’t want to lose you.”
She sat up, shaking her head, her black hair flying about her shoulders. “I’m not talking about sex.”
“I’m not either.” He sat too, and when she leaned away from him, he gave her collar a tug, pulling her close. He really liked that collar. “I’m talking about you.” He kissed the shocked look off her face and wrapped his arm around her waist, dragging her closer still. “I don’t want to lose you, Toni. I don’t want to ever stop feeling the way I feel when I’m with you.”
“It’s only been a few days. You hardly know me.”
“I guess you don’t believe in love at first sight then.”
“I’m not sure I believe in love at all. As far as I can see it’s lust at first sight—so okay, we have that in spades. You and me, we’re like some kind of chemical reaction now, but that will fizzle out soon enough, believe me. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.”
The thought of Toni having any kind of reaction to another man did nasty things to his gut. “Are you talking about personal experience?”
“Yes… no. My mother’s been married five times. My father’s on wife number three and kid number four. That’s personal enough for me.”
“Oh babe.” He held her close and rubbed her back, trying to forget the fact she was naked and sitting on him. “I know it’s hard to believe, but people have long and loving relationships all the time.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “You don’t. I don’t. What makes you think that two people like us can make it work?”
Hunter tipped her chin up so she had to look at him. “Because I’ve never met a woman I’ve cared about as much as I do you, and it’s only been three days.”
She rolled her eyes. “Two and a half.”
“Can you imagine what it’ll be like after a week? If this keeps up, I’m never gonna want to let you go.”
***
Toni’d fallen asleep in Hunter’s embrace and had awoken to kisses on her shoulder and sleepy, arousing caresses. He kissed her between yawns and teased her with gentleness. She’d never had lazy morning sex before. Hell, she’d never had lazy sex ever.
Hunter seemed content to just be together, touching and tasting in groggy exploration. There was no urgency, no desperate frenzied need for completion, just a slow build of quiet intensity where every kiss was affecting, every touch powerful, every look heartrending in its tenderness. The combination, the gentle assault on all fronts, seduced and unnerved her.
The way he made love filled her with indescribable emotion so strong, so beautiful, and so overwhelming it was impossible to ignore.
Hunter’s eyes locked on hers, and she was incapable of looking away, incapable of protecting herself from the current arcing between them. The physical and spiritual connections were tangible. He touched her body, her mind, her soul. He filled her with longing and sated her with—whatever this was. She understood lust, and that was definitely part of it. There was need, there was desire, but the three of them together didn’t hold a candle to this connection they’d built.
Tears rolled down the sides of her face, but she didn’t know why. She was not a crier. She had nothing to cry about. Fear, bright and sharp, pierced her consciousness.
“Hunter?” Her breath caught in a whirlwind of sensation, escalating the fear, the excitement, and the hold he had on her.
Hunter fought against his own need. Toni was all that mattered, and she was seconds away from shattering. Her inner muscles hummed, clenching him, pulling him deeper. In her eyes he saw fear warring with longing. Tears rolled down the sides of her face. She knew. He was sure of it. His love was what she both feared and wanted.