Chapter 20
Insanity. That must be it. There’s no other way to describe how she makes me feel.
A soft smile grazes those lips of hers, and I can’t abstain from kissing them. We’re in public, and I don’t even care about anything but bringing her closer to me. Tucking her hand in mine, I pull her flush to my side.
We have just finished brunch and are strolling through downtown. Whenever a guy passes us by and glances at her dumbfounded, my jaw clenches. One poor fucker almost ran into a streetlamp, gawking at her. I will gouge someone’s eyes out today if they keep looking at what’s mine. I’m jealous to the point that I could eradicate the entire male population, but I am also proud as fuck. She’s mine: mine and no one else’s.
It’s as if she senses my turmoil because she places her cheek against my arm. Natural. Simple. Serene. I want more of that, aware I can’t go back to how things were.
We’re window shopping when something catches my eye. While she points at a mulled wine stand, I dip my head and kiss her lips. “I’ll be with you in a second.”
Her brows furrow quizzically, but then she nods and walks over to the stand while I inconspicuously enter the jewelry store.
“Good morning. What can I help you with?” the clerk asks, and I point at a mini snow globe.
As she packs the gift, I browse the selection of jewelry and a golden necklace with a kitten pendant catches my attention.
“It’s 24-karat gold, and the kitten’s eyes are emerald, just like the tip of her tail.”
“Perfect. I’ll take that too, but please hurry,” I say, glancing outside to where Bailey is.
Tucking the presents in the inside pocket of my jacket, I hurry out of the store and spot Bailey at a small wood stand, sipping mulled wine, closing her eyes for a moment. A guy makes his move, ready to approach her, but I stare him down, and he quickly scurries away. She must sense me because she opens her eyes, and they shine with so much emotion, playing my heartstrings like she’s a virtuoso, and my insides are her concert hall.
She tilts her head. “Is it crazy that I missed you?”
Her honesty ignites mine. “Must be madness.”
“Then let’s be mad together.”
Let’s. I can’t wait to lock the jewelry around her neck and fuck her while she wears only my necklace.
Have I ever felt like this—elated, alive, at peace? No, never. It’s her, this magical creature caught in my dark hideout and brightening it all up.
Foam covers the contour of her upper lip, and I trace my tongue over it, licking it off.
“Hunter,” she chastises, but it comes out as more of a plea.
“We should head back,” I say low, my desire and impatience matching hers.
We speedwalk toward the ATV, and she hops on behind me. Locking her arms over my stomach, she rests her cheek on my back as we ride back in pleasant silence.
The cabins come into sight, and I groan when I see our friends engaged in a snowball fight. I haven’t even fully parked when the first one hits me in the side of the head.
There goes my plan of spending my time with and inside Bailey. I can’t get rid of these nosy and needy fuckers, but that can be changed. An idea pops into my head. I need a place just for us. Here I am, making plans, expecting any moment for the panic to set in, but nothing happens.
Bailey hops off the ATV, makes a small snowball, and throws it precisely in Blake’s direction, grinning. His jaw drops in mock shock. “Little traitor.”
“Who are you calling a traitor?” I ask and duck behind the ATV, firing at him as well.
“You come for him, you come for me,” my sister says, and the four of us engage in a snow battle before the others pick sides. Kaden and Celine come to our side, and Abi and Dane help them.
By the time we finish, our team has won—of course—and everyone is shivering.
Bailey’s teeth chatter. “I can’t feel my fingers.”
Placing my hand on her back, I urge her inside. “Come on, let’s get you inside and warmed up.”
“Do you need an extra blanket?” Dane asks.
“Help with some logs for the fireplace?” Kaden says next, hopping onto the “let’s-make-fun-of-the-clueless-guy” train. These fuckers enjoy that shit too much.
“Skin on skin helps, but we wouldn’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Blake ends with a smirk.
They chortle at their childish innuendos.
I flip them the bird and mutter, “Assholes.” If Bailey catches a cold, I am going to lock these idiots outside to freeze.
The girls, unimpressed, stand in a line, shaking their heads at us before heading inside.
Bailey groans because she can’t get her gloves off, so I remove them with a gentleness that only she ignites in me. Grabbing her hands between mine, I blow warm air into them. She looks so damn adorable—the tip of her delicate nose has gone red, and snowflakes decorate her hair.
After I undress her, I do the same. Gathering her in my arms, I place her on the couch in front of the fireplace and drape a blanket over us, but nothing is hotter than the skin-on-skin sensation.
As I press play on the screen, I search the National Geographic channel, and we both burst into laughter when I come across a mating documentary.
I waggle my brows at her. “The universe must be telling us something.”
“You’re insatiable. That’s what it’s saying.”
“I don’t hear you complaining, kitten.”
She gasps exaggeratedly. “To even think that with a 100% satisfaction rate.”
A wave of laughter rocks my chest, brimming with joy. It’s such a heady emotion, overwhelming me.
“Why me, Bailey?” I ask. I sound so unlike myself—almost unsure, shy.
“Stop questioning it… please…”
She cuddles into me, and just seconds later, she’s snoring lightly. There goes my plan to have my way with her. But this is just as good—this skin contact, this intimacy.
I’ve never slept with anyone before Bailey, and I don’t want to go back to sleeping alone. But I also can’t have a repeat of the first time we were in bed together. It must have been the fucking nerves that triggered my nightmare. As long as I don’t slip, we should be fine.
Closing my eyes, I inhale her scent and caress down her back. I must have also drifted off because I’m suddenly waking up to sweet pecks on my face. I peek one eye open. Bailey is straddling my waist, bent over me.
“I’m sorry my kisses woke you.”
Gripping her waist, I give her a squeeze. “Never apologize, love. Not for that.”
I need you just as much, if not more . The dam of my emotions cracks wider, and it will soon overflow.
I scoot up and cup her cheek. Kissing her, I suck on her full bottom lip, plunging my tongue into her addictive taste. She grinds on my lap, making me even harder than I am.
“My kitten wants to be fucked?”
“Please.”
How could I ever refuse her? My finger swipes over her pussy before I push it inside of her. She’s drenched, and that’s all I need to lift her by her waist and lower her down onto me. I drive into her, and she lets out a shuddery moan. She bites into her lower lip as we rotate our hips; our moans and groans combine, creating a carnal symphony. With my hands splayed across her back, I hold her to me as I suck on her rosy, pebbled nipples. I feast on them until her breath hitches, and she comes apart on my cock.
It could be long minutes or even hours as I lose myself in her, trying to satiate a need that I doubt will ever be quenched.
Thrusting one more time, I stay buried until her pussy sucks in all my cum. She drops onto my chest, spent, sighing contentedly and caressing down my side.
I place a kiss on top of her head. “You’ve bewitched me.”
We stay entangled for a bit longer and then move to the bathroom, where I turn on the water and pour some bath oils into the tub.
Stretching out my hand, I help her in and get behind her.
“I never thought we’d be like this…” What she doesn’t say rings louder. She doesn’t want to go back to our push-pull tango, either.
“Me either, but I like it.”
The tense silence stretches between us. She looks at me for a long moment, then sighs, fidgeting with her fingers. I know I won’t like what she says next.
“You haven’t had any nightmares…”
“No.” My voice is firm, my answer clipped.
She trails some patterns on my arm. “I have to respect your secrecy about that, even though I don’t like it.”
“I don’t want to talk about that. Not now, not ever.”
“But why?”
“Bailey.”
“Fine. Ugh.”
When my kitten shows her little claws, looking all pouty and feisty, it does things to me I can’t explain or comprehend.
I caress down the valley of her breasts. “I don’t want to taint that innocence of yours.”
“You’ve tarnished it anyway.”
“This is different.”
Another heavy silence follows while I continue brushing my fingers over every inch of her I can touch, anchoring myself in the present with her, far away from my past and Alice.
“Innocence… My parents have despised me for as long as I can remember. My world has never been warm, embracing, or supportive. When your makers can’t even stand looking at you, that changes you. There’s darkness in me, scraping at my walls, wanting to be let out. I am not innocent, Hunter.”
Her words ignite a murderous energy under my skin.
“Then they’re stupid for not seeing how amazing you are. How lucky they are to call you their daughter. It’s not your fault. It’s entirely their loss.”
She shrugs, lips pulling down in a broken smile. “I don’t think they’ll ever see it like that. And while I accept that, the wound will never truly close, just pulsing from time to time.”
“I’m sorry, Bailey.”
“My brokenness matches yours. My darkness recognizes yours. This goes both ways. You brought elation and happiness into my life, a whole new world of sensations. I think I saw you and had my first crush—me and all the other girls on campus.”
I palm her cheek, brushing my nose against hers, wanting to soothe her. “Is my girl jealous?”
“Of course. I don’t like that feeling—it only makes the worse one even stronger: the thought of losing you to someone else.”
“I am too, Bailey. Blind with jealousy, mad with passion. I see only you. You have held my attention since the very beginning. Don’t ever be jealous. I swear there never was and never will be someone else. I am sorry I ever gave you a reason to feel like that, but I promise that will never happen again.”
“That makes me feel better. More secure, I guess.” She tilts her head, chewing on her lip. “But I can’t forget that I was just a mission to you.”
I guess we’re rehashing our story—but whatever helps her. I acted like an idiot, but I won’t repeat that mistake. “And I failed at it. Miserably.”
“Good, I doubt we’d be here if that wasn’t the case.”
“No, my inability to stay away from you brought us here.”
Her hand movement stops. “Am I still annoying and a pain in the ass?”
I’m going to pulverize her uncertainty. Not with words, but with actions. For now, though, we need to enjoy how far we have come.
“It’s better now that I have access to your pussy.”
“Oh my gosh. You didn’t just say that.” She turns, her front draped over my chest, eyes huge with incredulity. I can’t contain my amusement and burst into laughter. She looks too damn cute, all indignant. She slaps my chest, then crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up. Saliva pools in my mouth as fire spreads through my veins, heating me up from the inside out.
“Let me apologize. With my mouth, fingers, and cock, kitten.”
“The orgasms won’t help you.” She doesn’t sound sure at all.
“Maybe one, no, but three, definitely,” I say confidently.
“So cocky, and I can’t even deny it because you can back it up.”
Snaking my arms under her ass, I lift her so that her pussy is above my mouth, and her legs dangle over the edges of the tub. Diving into her pussy, I feast on her like she’s my own buffet, and I can’t help but be greedy. She grips the side of the tub while her other hand threads through my hair.
“Am I forgiven?” I ask as I flatten my tongue and lap at her slit from bottom to top.
A shiver rocks her, and she pants. “So quickly? Please.”
I love her sass. Her challenges are the biggest turn-on.
Turning her on her knees and elbows, water spills over the tub and splashes onto the marble floor. We could flood the cabin, and I wouldn’t care.
Parting her legs, I caress down her spine and bite into her ass cheek. My throat rumbles with an animalistic sound when I see my teeth imprint on her.
Stroking it gently, I guide my cock to her slick entrance. And it has nothing to do with water but everything to do with how wet and loose the orgasm made her. Coated in her warmth, I slide in gently, so out of the ordinary, but I want her to feel every ridge, take every hard inch while her walls squeeze me tight. I got my cock pierced to regain my control over it. But now, I’m grateful for it because I love how it ravishes her once I’m inside her. The pleasure goes both ways.
Two orgasms later, she doesn’t just say I am forgiven—she screams it.
Her legs shake as she sits on top of me in reverse cowgirl position with my cock still inside of her. She looks over her shoulder and eyes locked, she asks, “Is this normal?”
“No, love. This is madness. Our madness.”
I don’t come in her though. Pulling out, I spray her back and ass, smirking at the work of art I created.
She arches a playful brow at me. “So proud of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Get used to seeing my marks on you.”
I stand her up and drag her over to the shower, taking her mouth in a long, sensual kiss, caressing her until her body recovers from the shivers. With a contented sigh, she squirts shower gel into her palms and bathes me. I dip my head so she can wash my hair as well. But her pretty nipples are right there in my line of sight, and I can’t help myself, so I suck on one.
“Stop it. I need to focus.” She squirms.
“How am I impeding that?”
“With that sinful mouth, you’d corrupt a damn nun.”
“The only person I want to corrupt is you.”
“I am thoroughly corrupted.” She giggles and moves to rinse my body next. Her care and tenderness wash over me, cleansing me of my past. She has to be magic because her touch is healing—my angel.
Then it’s my turn as my hands draw her sinuous body to me, and we give in to our need one more time.
This surpasses addiction.
Obsession has nothing on me.
Madness is too tame a word to describe my feelings.
I’ve fallen. Hard. And I’ll keep falling because there’s no end to what I feel for her.
When we move to the bedroom, both our phones ping with messages. I pick up mine and see a text from Abi in the group chat.
Presence is mandatory. This goes for you, too, Hunter. I made reservations at the club tonight.
I mumble under my breath, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.
“Stop frowning and say yes.” Bailey blushes a fiery red. “Do you think they know what we’re doing?”
“What they’re all doing as well.”
“I’m happy for Blake.”
I know it’s a me problem, but I can’t help myself. Irrational, that’s what I am with her, and I doubt there’s a cure.
“How so?” I ask while she hops out of bed and picks a dress from the walk-in closet.
“Blake and I have always shared a deeper connection. Even within our tight-knit group, there’s always been this pressing need to make sure the other is okay, to be more present in each other’s lives.”
“Did you?” I swallow that football-sized lump, not even being able to say it.
Her face scrunches up. “No, not like that. It’s hard to explain. But we kind of always revolved around each other.”
“That’s why you didn’t tell Kaden where he was?”
She tilts her head, a pensive look crossing her face. “I was mad at him. Kaden didn’t see past the worry of losing Celine, and I knew Blake could never betray us. He’s too loyal for that. And even if I understood Kaden’s point of view—Blake’s plan was highly risky—he didn’t handle the situation well. I guess neither of them did.”
“You’re loyal too.”
She lowers her head in acknowledgment, and then we both dress. It takes every ounce of steel willpower not to maul her. Her strawberry mane bounces down her chest in loose curls, stopping at her nipples. She’s wearing a tight red dress with a deep V-neckline that shows nothing but everything, molding to her like a second skin.
I pluck the necklace I bought from my pocket. As I approach her, it dangles from my fingers. She takes it in, her hand moving to her chest.
“Turn around,” I say gruffly, emotions scratching at my throat. I brush some strands of hair from her skin and lock the chain around her neck. I can see her reflection in the mirror as she clutches it, and her eyes shine with pure emotions.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful, Bailey. You redefine beauty. You embody beauty.”
“Please, don’t break my heart, Hunter,” she whispers.
“I’d sooner break my own,” I vow.
That organ in my chest is yours.
“I will take care of it. I promise.”
I want to tell her not to make promises she can’t keep, but I’m too far gone for her.