Chapter 7
Hunter
I knew I wanted Tori the moment I first laid eyes on her.
She’s been at the clubhouse for a week, and every day it’s getting harder and harder to resist her.
It doesn’t help that the new wardrobe Shelly gifted her seems to be designed to drive me wild.
Every day, she’s growing in confidence, dressing sexier, and showing off her curves. She’s also getting bolder.
I initially enjoyed flirting with her to shock her, seeing her cheeks flush pink and her breath hitch as I taunted her.
Now she flirts back, though a bit clumsily, which makes it cuter, and makes me wonder if she wants me too.
That first night when she asked me to kiss her, I wanted to, but I wasn’t about to take advantage of her when she was drunk.
Each day, she’s pushing me further, daring me, challenging me.
I want her so badly I feel like I’m going to explode.
Every day, I’m jerking off to thoughts of what I’d like to do to her.
It doesn’t help that she’s forbidden fruit, the daughter of our rival, too young for me; it only makes me want her more.
If she asked me to kiss her now, I don’t know that I’d be able to resist.
I can tell that Flint and Cyrus want her, too, although they deny it. Why else would they get so pissy with me flirting with her? I should stake my claim, make her mine before anyone else can.
Tori has been working at the bar during the day, which is good since I know Flint doesn’t want her left unattended while we’re out on official business.
He doesn’t trust that she won’t disappear or that she isn’t a spy.
At night, we hang out at the bar. So far, we’ve yet to come up with a decent plan of how exactly we’re going to humiliate King.
Tori vetoes most suggestions we come up with.
I can tell she has an idea, but as of yet, she hasn’t felt comfortable enough to share it with us.
Flint and Cyrus will be out until late, giving me the perfect opportunity to get to know Tori better, one-on-one. I know I should keep my distance, but I can’t help myself. Like a magnet, I’m drawn to her.
Tonight she’s wearing those tight jeans that make her ass look like a ripe peach, ready to bite, and a top that reveals her ample cleavage, her long hair tumbling down in waves to caress them.
I consider turning around and walking away.
I’m not sure I can resist her when she’s looking this good.
But my feet have a mind of their own, and I walk over to her.
She’s sitting alone at the counter, chatting to Amber, who’s working the bar.
Nearby, I spot Breaker ogling her, building up the courage to approach.
I’m unable to resist putting a possessive arm around her waist. “Evening, gorgeous,” I purr. “You’re looking delectable.” I glower at Breaker who slinks away, message received. She’s mine.
As usual, Tori laughs nervously and deflects the compliment. “Not as good as you, is that a new aftershave?” she asks, breathing me in.
Damn, I was hoping she wouldn’t notice. It kinda goes against my whole rebel without a cause thing, the fact that I’m trying to impress her with a fancy new aftershave. “Do you like it?” I ask, avoiding the question.
“Mmm, I do,” she says breathily, making my cock twitch. Fuck. She closes her eyes as she pretends to smell, and I have the sudden urge to kiss her.
Amber saves me by spoiling the moment, asking, “Whatcha drinking tonight?”
Reluctantly, I pull my focus away from Tori.
Amber’s trying to hide her annoyance, but I can tell from the firm set of her jaw and the way she is trying not to look at Tori that she’s jealous.
I hooked up with Amber once, a drunken mistake and something that I’m not in a hurry to repeat.
Unfortunately, Amber doesn’t feel the same way.
“I’ll have a whiskey. And whatever Tori wants.” I glance at Tori. “Vodka cranberry maybe?” I tease.
She shudders. “I’m not sure I’ll ever drink that again. Maybe just a beer?” she says, making it sound like a question.
Amber stomps away on her six-inch platforms to get our drinks, slamming them down on the bar. “Thanks.” I turn to Tori and say, “Come on, let’s sit somewhere quieter.” I don’t want to deal with Amber eavesdropping and shooting us daggers all night.
“I think Amber’s into you,” Tori points out, fishing for information. It makes me feel good that I think I hear the slightest tinge of jealousy in her voice.
I shrug. “The feeling ain’t mutual.”
Tori tries to hide her pleased grin by taking a swig of her beer. “Where are Flint and Cyrus?”
“They’re gonna be out till late working. Afraid you’re stuck with just me tonight.” I wink at her. “Hope you’re not too disappointed by that.”
“Not at all,” she replies. “Though won’t your old lady be pissed about that? You spending the whole evening alone with another woman?”
I know she’s testing the waters, trying to find out if there’s another woman on the scene or not.
“Don’t you think that if any of us had an old lady, you’d know by now?
” I reply, taunting her a little. “Not to mention, I doubt many women would be happy with their old man living under the same roof as a smoke show like you.” I allow myself to look her up and down, enjoying how she squirms a little but not with discomfort.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a shameless flirt?” she says, cocking an eyebrow.
I grin back at her. “Only with the prettiest girls.”
Now I finally get the blush I was trying for.
We continue to talk about life, our likes and dislikes.
As much as I find Tori attractive, I also find her interesting.
She’s shy at times, reluctant to reveal much about herself, as if she’s not used to being asked her opinion.
I guess she probably is. We talk a lot about books and movies and find we have similar tastes.
“What about when you were a kid? What films or shows were you obsessed with?” she asks me.
I shrug. “None really. We didn’t have a TV. My parents sold it for drug money.”
To my surprise, Tori doesn’t offer me the same shallow condolences that most people do when I tell them anything about my childhood.
“Shit. You missed out! I don’t know what I would have done without television as a kid; the kids on those shows were my only friends.
” She says this without any self-pity, which I admire.
She isn’t the sort of person to blame her upbringing for her woes, and I appreciate that.
I try to be the same way. “What did you do to keep yourself entertained as a kid then?” she asks me.
“I liked taking things apart and figuring out how they worked, then I’d put them back together again. I also spent a long time looking at maps.”
Tori’s brow furrows with curiosity. “Maps? What kind of maps?”
I think back to my childhood. The dirty trailer that I called home.
“My parents sold pretty much anything of value. One day I found a pile of old road maps, probably left behind by the previous occupant. I used to study those maps. I used to imagine how I’d travel each and every one of them when I was older.
I’d dream of traveling far away. It came in pretty handy, helping me become our road captain, seeing as I know the roads without GPS.
Got all the coordinates I need up here,” I say, tapping my head.
Tori smiles at me. It’s a sad smile, also filled with understanding. “I used to dream of getting away, too. I read a lot of fairy tales and spent a long time dreaming of being rescued by a prince. Though as I got older, I realized life wasn’t like that.”
“Well, now, just because we rode bikes and not horses doesn’t mean we weren’t the white knights who rescued you from the dragon,” I say with a cheeky grin.
Tori laughs. “You guys are about as far from fairy tale princes as you can get. But I guess you have a point, you did rescue me.”
“To be fair, that wasn’t our original intention.
You’re the one who turned us from evil princess stealers into heroes,” I point out.
I’m amazed now how we could ever have believed we’d follow through with our plan and hold Tori against her will.
The thought of causing her any pain hurts me now.
If her father wanted her back, would we have even been able to do it once we got to know her?
Probably not. I know I don’t want to let her go now.
“Nah, you guys were always the good guys. Being here is heaven compared to home,” she says, gesturing around her.
“What was it like?” I ask gently.
“Maybe you can understand this. But I feel like while I was there, I didn’t know any better.
I thought it was normal to be told every day how useless and awful you are.
I thought I deserved it.” She takes a deep breath, as if trying to hold back her emotions.
“My father always blamed me for my mother’s death, and I guess I did feel responsible, even though I didn’t do anything wrong.
I didn’t ask to be born.” I reach out to take her hand in mine, trying to comfort her.
She looks up at me with wide, trusting eyes.
“Thank you for showing me how people should treat each other.”
I nod, feeling a little choked up. But I want Tori to know I understand that we’re the same.
“I was like that too, I thought that if only I had been better behaved, more lovable, my parents wouldn’t have picked drugs over me.
It was only when I met Maggie that I started to realize I wasn’t the one who had failed.
Your father failed you; he didn’t do his job, just as my parents didn’t.
It is not our fault, and we don’t have to live with that burden.
You get to choose to be the person you want to be, to lead the life you want to live, to be happy.
Not him. You deserve happiness, you deserve love and affection, you are enough,” I tell her, looking into her eyes so she can see my sincerity.
Tears spring to Tori’s eyes, and I move around to the other side of the booth, climbing in beside her and pulling her into my arms. She cries into my chest, finally hearing the words she should have been told long ago.
I started out tonight planning on either flirting and seducing Tori or getting over my attraction to her, but I find myself drawn to her even more.
I want to be the one to make her happy, to protect her, to love her.
Shit. I think I’m falling for her.