Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Later that evening, as the last sunbeam dissolved in the ocean, we finished our dinner near a small fire on the beach like a married couple, happy to be in each other’s company after a hard workday.
Monday, with his yellow eyes barely open, faithfully waited for me to share a leftover piece of fish, while Tuesday chased small crabs at the edge of the water unbothered by the sneaky waves which once in a while touched his feet.
“Today is incredible. I still can’t believe it,” Hunter said. He had changed into a clean pair of shorts, and I wore his light green T-shirt and my bikini bottoms. “I wish Edward were alive.”
Hunter couldn’t stop grinning all evening long and had all the right to do so.
He’d finally found what he sought, and I was glad I’d played a role in it.
And it did something to me. A wonderful feeling twirled through me and rooted itself in my chest. And I knew that moment that whenever I’d find myself on a beach in Florida or anywhere else, it would always bring me back here.
To this month. To this day. To Hunter. The feel of the sand or the sound of the rolling waves forever would all be a living memory of our time together.
“He would be very proud of you,” I said, tossing orange peels into the fire. The flames flickered different colors as the fruit skin caramelized and caught fire, a smoky Old-Fashioned fragrance filling the air momentarily. Add this smell to that living memory too.
“I’m eternally grateful to you,” he said and kissed my inner wrist, stubble grating my skin, then his attention fixed on my face.
He had that look again he’d had earlier.
His expression was so vulnerable, unguarded, his parted lips on the verge of revealing a private secret.
A wave of butterflies erupted in my stomach as if he had just confessed his love for me.
I let out an exaggerated sigh and waved my hand at him. “It’s a team effort. We work well together. Like we are Superman and Batman.”
He arched an eyebrow, smirking. “Did you use the Superman reference because Cavill is in it?”
“What? Oh, good grief. No. I didn’t even remember he was in that movie.”
That was a fat lie. My favorite part of the movie was when Henry was shirtless, in the rain, stealing clothes. I’d rewatched it countless times. Shoot. Maybe that was Man of Steel. All the Henry Cavill shirtless moments blurred into one. (Okay, so shirtlessness was my Kryptonite)
“I’m glad I’m a few inches taller than him. Otherwise, I would be dying of jealousy and fear that one day he would swoop in and steal you from me.” Hunter gave me a cheeky grin, his dimples deeper than usual.
“You have nothing to worry about.” I laughed and rested my head on my pulled-up knees. I cataloged the man next to me on the beach blanket.
My crush on Hunter had developed into something that would cause pain in the near future.
And maybe that was precisely what I needed as a reboot to my system.
To let my heart soar high with feelings just to crash back down to earth.
I could get over Hunter. Miami had close to half a million people.
No doubt one of those people was a man just as kind and funny as Hunter, a jack of all trades who was also good-looking (which shouldn’t matter), taller than Mr. Cavill (which also shouldn’t matter), and a seriously talented lover (which Hunter really, really was).
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I’m thinking we have unfinished business that we started in the lake, but someone had to be rude and blurt out the riddle answer.” Drawn by his gravity, I leaned in and brushed the tip of my nose against his. “What are you thinking about?”
A mischievous smile curved Hunter’s full lips, and his fingers pinched my T-shirt, tugging me to him. “How about I show you now.”
Our mouths explored each other as if we had never kissed before, our tongues teasing and coaxing for incalculable minutes until we were both ready to drown in sweet nirvana.
Hunter laid me on the blanket without breaking contact, settling on his left elbow. He hummed as he kissed me, and a sound sent sparking tingles across my skin. He bit my lips, then my jaw, his fingers going for my bikini and trying to take it off. I lifted my hips, helping him.
My body freed, Hunter massaged my center with an open palm, lighting up all my nerve endings.
“Show me how much you like me,” I demanded, and a pleased grin took over Hunter’s face.
“Trust me. I like you a lot.”
My fingers wrapped around his shaft, eliciting a soft “fuck” from Hunter.
I loved the heavy feel of his dick in my hands, and my mouth watered at the thought of sweeping my tongue around its smooth crown, sucking its head, and taking him into the back of my throat, but my selfish, needy side demanded Hunter inside my core, making me cry out his name until my voice was hoarse.
“You make me so fucking hard.” His throaty voice and dirty talk made my toes curl, turning my body into a quivering mess.
“Please get inside of me already.” My tone now was a plea. Hunter’s pupils dilated with hunger. He palmed my neck with gentle pressure but kissed me hard.
“Take off your shirt,” he said against my mouth. “Then get on your hands and knees.”
I pulled the shirt over my head and did what he asked. He folded over me, nudging my legs apart more, his dick hot and stiff against me. His lips trailed kisses at the nape of my neck while his free hand stroked my damp curls.
“I love how wet and slippery you are,” he said, positioning the head of his cock at my entrance and creating a scorching point of contact.
His talented fingers glided down my spine and over my ass, slapping it once lightly, then moving up again, torturing me with anticipation. Before I could beg, he buried himself with one long thrust, filling me completely and making me cry out.
“You feel so good,” Hunter grunted, finding a steady rhythm of slow strokes.
I sucked in a breath as Hunter rocked his hips and crashed against me again, his fingers digging into my flesh.
Heat gathered at the base of my spine as his fingers found their way down and stimulated my center.
Sex with Hunter was so much more than I ever thought it could be.
I wanted him to make love to me for the rest of my life.
My breathing was frenzied with too much arousal.
“I’m close,” I whisper-moaned, struggling to speak. My hands clutching at the blanket as I bucked, demanding more. “Harder.”
Hunter’s hands took an iron grip on my hips, and he began driving inside me deeper and harder, his movements rough.
The slap of his pelvis against my bare ass and sensitive sex made my blood run faster.
The crash of waves against the shore mingled with the crash of our bodies against each other as the air around us was filled with greedy noises and growls.
Pressure built inside me, and I begged him not to stop.
Lightning struck somewhere near, or maybe it was my imagination.
I shattered, letting out strangled swearwords punctuated by his name.
I saw fireworks instead of bright stars on the canopy of the night’s sky above us.
The guttural sound Hunter made within his throat and the feel of his thickness as the orgasm tore through him could have easily pushed me over the edge one more time. He slumped on top of me, our bodies fused together. His large hands covered mine, that gripped the bunched-up blanket.
Hunter’s heart drummed against my sweaty back, in sync with mine. He pressed his mouth into the nape of my neck, then exhaled a heavy breath, warming my skin.
“Sydney,” he said softly, and there was an unspoken question in my name that released shivers through my humming body.
“Yes?” I turned my face to him.
Hunter’s lips brushed against my temple then the shell of my ear, and he repeated my name in a whisper. I hummed in reply, closing my eyes. My stomach twisted with knots of pleasure, anxiety, and anticipation of what he would say next.
“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he said.
Part of me was glad he didn’t say what I hoped and feared he could say, and part of me was disappointed.
“I know.” I smiled the smile I would for the rest of my life each time I thought of him. He huffed a laugh and landed a last kiss on my back.
Later, we rolled into the bed and Hunter pulled me close to his solid body, my butt tight against his crotch, his legs curving under mine. He whispered good night, his lips brushing over my shoulder in a kiss, and the exhaustion quickly overtook him. But not me.
While Hunter was deep asleep, I lay wide awake, staring out of the open window. The area around the hut was tranquil, night birds were silent, and a breeze didn’t play among the trees. Cogs turned in my head as I went over the last two riddles.
Strong but hollow alive but dead inside
When the ocean bows low it exposes Achilles fatal flaw
Sailors liked superstitions. Hunter didn’t strike me as a superstitious person, but Bambi had worn gold hoop earrings because she thought it brought good fortune. So much for that.
What was dead and alive? My mind sifted through different mythical creatures.
A harpy was a human vulture who took people to the underworld and tormented them.
Mermaids were beautiful monsters, luring sailors with a song to the ocean’s depths.
Tritons were fishtailed sea-gods. Why Achilles?
He had nothing to do with water. In books and movies, pirates always believed in mythical sea monsters, and ships sailed off the edge of the ocean or were sucked into giant whirlpools, but nothing to do with Greek gods.
But Captain William Thompson hadn’t been a pirate.
He’d been the commander of a merchant ship who became a criminal.