Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Riley
After the night I spent with Hunter, you might think I’d be exhausted, but I feel exhilarated!
His every touch, his every kiss, still lingers on my body like a tattoo.
He kept his promise by tasting every inch of me, and we spent the night loving each other over and over again until we were blissfully exhausted.
I’m lying in his arms as his warm breath skims across my skin, sending goose bumps from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. His heart begins to race against my cheek as his hands tangle in my hair, gently tugging to lift my face toward his.
He looks into my eyes before asking, “Any regrets?”
I look up at his perfect face and say, “Not a one, how about you?”
He shakes his head. “None, not now, not ever.”
He kisses me softly on the lips before asking, “Would you like to go on a road trip this morning? I have some place I want to take you. It means a lot to me.”
Well, when he puts it that way, how can I say no? “Can I drive?” I look up at him, smiling.
“It’s about an hour away, so I think I should. We can pack a lunch and make a day of it, but I have a surprise for tonight, so we can’t stay all day.” I love it when he smiles; he has such a gorgeous smile.
“I get to shower first while you pack the lunch.” As he gets up to go to the bathroom, he grabs my wrist.
“Why don’t we shower together so that we can save time?” He wiggles his eyebrows in a seductive gesture as he gazes at my nakedness.
I can’t help but laugh. “We won’t be going anywhere today if we shower together; besides, you have me very curious now.”
After our showers, we pack the Jeep with everything he brought. He has blankets, a cooler, and a bag with bathing suits and towels. If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were headed to the beach—except we already live here.
It’s such a beautiful day: there’s not a cloud in the sky, and it’s so blue it reminds me of Hunter’s eyes.
I feel the wind on my face and the sun warming my skin.
A surge of happiness washes over me so quickly that tears threaten to spill.
I reach up to wipe them away when he catches my hand in his and threads his fingers through mine.
“We’re almost there. About a mile up the road, on the left.” I glance out of the corner of my eye—he looks excited. All I can see is the ocean off in the distance.
He turns left onto a dirt road. Finally, I spot it ahead.
It’s the most charming cottage I’ve ever seen, with white shutters and a thatched roof.
There’s a swing on the front porch that looks like it’s seen better days or that’s in desperate need of a paint job, but some beautiful hanging plants seem well cared for.
I take it all in, and I didn’t realize Hunter had gotten out of the Jeep until he opened my door.
“Well, what do you think?” he asks, smiling down at me.
I take his hand as he pulls me up, and I rest my back against his chest. He wraps his arms around me while leaning his chin on my shoulder.
“It’s beautiful. Who lives here?” My dad’s house is nice, but this one is more my style.
“It belonged to my grandparents. When they died, they left it to Brady and me. We spent every summer here with them, as far back as I can remember. Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the place.” He takes my hand in his.
He leads me up the stairs to the deck that wraps around the back of the cottage, or the front, since it faces the ocean.
I notice a set of white rocking chairs as we walk toward the glass sliding doors.
I can almost see his grandparents sitting there, watching their grandchildren play.
We step into a cozy kitchen with wooden cabinets and vintage appliances, which fit perfectly in this setting.
He guides me into the living room, where the furniture is covered in sheets to keep it from getting too dusty.
When we walk down the hallway, I freeze; the walls are lined with photographs, so many I lose track.
I walk back and forth, staring at each one and touching them.
They are arranged chronologically from when Hunter and Brady were born.
One picture catches my eye and takes my breath away.
Hunter has his arms around Brady, laughing, and I realize it’s the same picture as his tattoo.
I no longer wonder what color his eyes are—a brilliant emerald green.
When I turn around to look at Hunter, his grief remains visible in his eyes. “After last night, I’m ready to share this place with you because it means everything to me, and you mean everything to me. Please understand that I’m still not ready to talk about him yet.”
Walking over to him, I take his face in my hands. “Thank you for sharing this with me, and I promise I won’t pry into your life anymore until you’re willing to tell me.” He leans his head against mine before I brush my lips over his.
Grabbing my hand, he walks me down the hall.
He opens the door to the left so I can peek into his grandparents’ bedroom.
There’s a full-sized bed along the far wall with a beautiful patchwork quilt in shades of blue.
It looks homemade. All the rooms I’ve seen so far have been painted white, but with the contrasting colors of the curtains and throw rugs scattered over hardwood floors, it’s a masterpiece.
Pictures hang on the walls and sit atop their dresser, but he doesn’t let me linger long enough to peek.
He pulls me out of the room as he leads me upstairs.
He walks past the first door without opening it; I’m guessing this is Brady’s room.
He’s not ready to share this with me yet, and what scares me is I don’t know if he ever will be.
* * *
Hunter
When I open the door to my bedroom, I hear her gasp.
Her eyes take in the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean.
She turns to look at me, speechless. That’s a first; I can’t help but smile.
Then her eyes scan the rest of my room as she walks over to the pictures on my dresser.
I don’t stop her because I’m ready to share that part of my life with her now. That’s why I brought her here today.
She picks up a picture, her fingers tracing it softly.
She sets that one down only to pick up another.
She repeats this process with all of them.
But it’s the last one she holds close to her chest. I’m certain it must be the one of Brady and me—the smaller version of the one that captivated her in the hallway.
She’s still holding the picture when she turns to look at me, tears shining in her eyes. “Were these pictures taken in South Carolina?”
I’ve seen those pictures a thousand times; sometimes they make me happy, but right now, seeing her face, they make me sad.
“They were taken in California when I did a lot of bodyboarding competitions. When Brady was old enough, I taught him how to surf and bodyboard. He loved the ocean as much as I do. I guess you could say I used to be the typical surfer dude.” I can’t help the cheesy grin as I shrug my shoulders.
She gently places the picture on the dresser, then rushes over to hug me.
I instinctively pull her closer. It feels incredible to finally let the woman I love into my world.
Lifting her chin, I brush my thumb over her full bottom lip and lean in for a kiss.
I want to toss her on my bed and do all kinds of naughty things right now, but that’s not why I brought her here.
“Were your grandparents related to your dad or your mom?” she asks cautiously, unsure if that’s crossing the boundaries I had set earlier.
“They were my father’s parents, and they would have loved you as much as I do.” I don’t want to tell her that today marks three years since they died, that I brought her here for my own selfish reasons. I wanted to come here today to celebrate their lives, not their deaths.
“Let’s go get all the stuff out of the Jeep so we can change into our swimsuits. I want to spend the day with you, and without your dad interrupting us every ten seconds.” A laugh erupts from her chest, and it’s contagious.
Once everything’s set up on the beach, we settle down just to relax and enjoy the day.
It’s not the same view I see every morning, looking out my apartment window.
This is all mine, and once I graduate, I want to live here.
This is where I belong. I’m hoping I can convince Riley to stay here with me, even if I have to drive her to and from school every day.
I haven’t told her yet that my grandparents were very wealthy and left everything to me. If she knew what everything meant, she would be overwhelmed, because some days I am, too.
“Do you usually come out here often?” she looks up from the blanket, biting her bottom lip.
“I used to come by on the weekends, but there’s this girl who's been taking up a lot of my time lately.” Leaning back on my elbows, I turn to look at her. She’s blushing. After everything we shared last night, you’d think that wouldn’t happen anymore, but it does.
“If it’s something you did before you met me, then you shouldn’t let me stop you.”
Shifting my body closer to her, she shields her eyes from the sun and looks up at me.
Our mouths are just inches apart. “I’d rather spend time with you, Riley.
You are the most important person in my life.
Don’t ever doubt that.” I lean in for a kiss when her arms wrap around me in a tight embrace.
I can’t think clearly when she’s this close; my hands start to glide over her smooth skin, her lips part, and my tongue explores her mouth.
My thumb brushes her nipple when I hear her moan.
I can’t wait any longer—I need to be inside her now.
“Hunter, I need you so bad.” She arches her back and rubs her breasts against my chest.