CHAPTER NINE
“I s it true? Were you seriously responsible for setting off the fire alarm in your complex?” Benny didn’t wait for Hunter’s reply before doubling over with laughter. “You couldn’t make this shit up,” he continued through his chuckles.
Usually, this would be around the time Hunter would leave. Especially now that Zach and Luke had joined the fold and were taking turns ribbing him.
“You know, you’re supposed to put out fires, dude ... not start them.” That was Luke, his smirk not at all hidden behind the coffee cup he was sipping from.
Hilarious.
Hunter simply rolled his eyes. Nothing was going to ruin his day. Not setting off his apartment complex smoke detectors, not getting a scolding from the chief, and definitely not his friends digging him out. Because there was not one damn thing he would change about his morning. Or evening for that matter.
“You been using the smoke detector as a timer again, man?” Zach added a hard slap to his back.
“Are you guys done? Anything else you wanna get outta your system? ’Cause I got shit to do.” Hunter kept a straight face as his eyes went from Zach to Luke to Benny.
All of them were smirking at him.
Bastards.
“How’s things going with Rachel?” Luke asked.
“Good.” Hunter fought back a smile and opted to clear his throat. “Cody’s gonna be keeping an eye on her while I’m at work for the next couple of days. But I’d feel better if I was the one with her, so I’m gonna talk to the chief today about cashing in some holiday time.”
He was going to ask this morning, but he thought it best to wait a couple of hours for the man to cool off. Damn smoke detector. It was still hard to regret his actions though. He’d take Rachel for breakfast over bacon any day.
Luke’s knowing grin was back. “You make things official yet?”
Luke had been the only one of his friends he’d spoken to about Rachel. Zach likely knew what was going on, if he hadn’t heard it from his fiancée, Libby, then he would have heard it from his best friend Cody. Benny, Hunter had no idea about.
“Hot damn, don’t tell me you finally pulled your head outta your ass and made a move?” Benny’s dark green eyes widened.
I guess he doesn’t know.
“My head is firmly outta my ass.” Hunter finally allowed his lips to tip up. “And yes, we’re official. So watch yourselves when you’re around my woman.”
It was just Luke who laughed this time. “Afraid of a little competition, big man?”
Like hell he was. Luke and Benny certainly weren’t any competition. It wasn’t like they’d been slapped with the ugly stick or anything—Hunter had seen plenty of women hit on them—but they weren’t exactly relationship kind of guys. Neither of them had been in a relationship in all the time he’d known them.
“From you? Hell no. You buy that beard of yours at the dollar store?” Hunter laughed.
“Why, you wanna buy one for yourself? Not sure it will help distract from that bald spot you got going on, brother,” Luke quipped back.
Asshole. I don’t have a bald spot.
Hunter resisted the urge to scrub a hand over the back of his head and, instead, glared at his friend. Bad grooming decisions aside, his friend didn’t seem himself. Sure, it wasn’t unusual for Luke to go a while without shaving, but it had never reached sasquatch levels before.
Something was up.
“Can we please put a pause on the insults and take a minute to appreciate the fact the big man has finally landed himself a woman?” Benny was grinning from ear to ear. “I mean, come on, how long has it been? Maybe now that he’s getting some, he’ll stop scaring little children with that face of his.”
So much for pausing the insults.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Zach chimed in. “I’m happy for you, man. We all are. Rachel’s a good woman, and it’s about time you two figured your shit out.”
Hunter simply grunted, which was enough for Zach to continue, apparently. “Now, you all coming over to the ranch this weekend for Matt’s birthday?” Zach directed that at all of them, before turning his attention to Hunter. “Your woman is baking the cake, so you know it’s gonna be a good one.”
Your woman. I like that.
He waited for Benny and Luke to confirm their attendance before grunting out his own. He would finally be able to go to one of these things with Rachel instead of spending the whole day side-glancing at her like some sort of stalker. He was actually looking forward to it.
***
“S pread for me, baby .”
Hunter’s tongue swiped his lower lip as he watched Rachel drop her legs open. He still felt feral, which made no sense. He’d just had her. How could he want her again already?
Taking the damp washcloth, he went about cleaning up his woman, trying his best to tamp down his desire. At least for a little while.
“No one’s ever ...” She trailed off as he glanced up at her. Her head was propped up against the pillow and her fascinated gaze followed his every movement.
She didn’t need to finish. She was obviously talking about cleaning her up after sex. The last thing Hunter wanted to do was think about her with anyone else, but it really sucked that whoever the faceless assholes were, they had no idea how to treat a lady.
“Well, you’re with me now, honeybun, and this is how I roll.”
After tossing the towel into the laundry, he climbed back onto the bed and gathered his tiny fairy back into his arms. Satisfaction pooled in his belly as she nuzzled close, one leg coming up to straddle his thigh.
Good times.
“When you said it’s been a while ... how long is a while?” she asked.
And there went his afterglow.
I guess we’re doing this now.
They’d exchanged a very brief, very lust-drunk sexual history in Fairy Baked right before he’d taken her against the kitchen counter. Safe sex was no joke, and he’d never put her at risk, hence the awkward exchange. But he had to admit, it was more of an “I’m clean, it’s been a while” kind of conversation, lacking a fuckload of detail.
Swallowing his pride, he tightened his grip on her. “A long time, baby. A hell of a long time.” He didn’t even want to admit it out loud.
Feeling her nod against him, he knew straight away she wasn’t going to make him say just how long. “Do you mind me asking why?”
Fuck. Here we go.
“I was married.” The words still left a bad taste in his mouth, but he had no time to dwell; Rachel’s head was up, her bright blue eyes were seeking out his. He wasn’t ready to meet them yet.
“You were married?” she repeated, not attempting to hide the shock in her tone. “How did I not know that you were married?”
A sigh slipped out unconsciously. She didn’t know, because he had good friends. Ones that learned long ago not to talk about his ex, because it resulted in him shutting down.
“Yeah, baby, I was married. A long time ago. And ... I’ve not been with anyone since.” Something else his friends didn’t talk about.
There, he’d said it. Out loud and everything. And the earth was still spinning.
Finding the courage to finally meet her gaze, he looked down just in time to see her expression soften.
“We don’t have to talk about it, sugar. Not if you don’t want to. I guess I just wanted to know why a great guy like you was still single.”
“Not anymore I’m not.”
“What?” Her head tilted with the question.
“Single. I’m not single anymore,” he clarified.
The smile she gave him was blinding. It warmed him from the inside out. “I don’t remember you asking me to go steady with you, Hunter Campbell.”
Heaving himself up, he quickly switched their positions until he was back between her thighs and those soft, silky hands were pinned beside her head.
“Honeybun ...” His warning only made her smile wider. “Two weeks ago, I stood in your kitchen and told you that you were mine. What did you think that meant?”
“I don’t know, Hunter; I don’t speak caveman.” The sass didn’t stop those sapphires from sparkling.
“It means you’re mine. You belong to me, and I belong to you.”
Rachel’s head lifted from the pillow, her mouth gently brushing against his while her legs wrapped around his waist. She slowly dragged him down, taking advantage of his groan and sweeping her tongue inside of him.
How was it possible that it was this good every single time? Every kiss. Every touch. Every damn thrust.
Pushing her hands upward, he placed them above her head before letting his own hand snake between them. His weight had shifted to one elbow as he took the kiss deeper, savoring every sexy mewl that left her lips.
When his fingers reached their final destination, he released her mouth. “Is that all for me, baby?”
Dipping his hand lower, his eyes were focused solely on Rachel as she dropped her head further back, stretching out her neck. But it was the throaty moan that made his body throb.
“Tell me you’re mine, and I promise to make the ache go away.” His voice was thick with lust.
Who was he kidding? He was the one aching.
“I-I’m ...” As he increased the pressure, she paused to whimper before trying again. “I’m yours.”
“Good girl.” Taking her lips again, he pried her apart, tasting every inch and swallowing every moan as he worked his way inside of her.
Goddamn it, I could get used to this.