Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Hunter’s stomach churned so much as he ate his pizza that he passed on the blueberry pudgy pie.
He never turned down a pie before, but something wasn’t sitting right with him.
Yeah, it appeared it was only a pair of sunglasses that was out of order, and sure, someone may have put them on the tree by the pit toilet, thinking they were simply being funny.
But, between that and a few out-of-the-ordinary noises he’d heard, he was on high alert.
The feeling of being watched didn’t help and stayed at the forefront.
He glanced at Hannah, who sat quietly on the bench, staring at the fire, picking at her cherry pudgy pie. The concerned expression she wore matched how he felt.
Darkness had settled in. The woods were quiet. His senses were in tune.
He could call base camp and have someone pick them up quickly. Get the ladies out of this potential danger. Or, at least, find out if anyone else had experienced any oddities. He shook his head. Was he just being paranoid?
Bianca rose to her feet. “I’m turning in.”
“Me, too,” Alyssa replied.
His gaze landed on Hannah. He hoped she wasn’t of like mind because he wanted some alone time with her, wishing to resume what they’d started earlier in the day. She met his gaze, and a slight smile curved on her face.
She pulled her gaze from him and looked at her friends. “I’ll be along shortly.”
His pulse ratcheted up a notch.
The ladies disappeared into their tent.
He and Hannah sat in silence for a few beats before he rose from his spot, walked around the fire pit to where she sat on the bench and sat next to her. Close enough to her so that the side of his left arm and leg pressed against hers.
“I enjoyed the day,” she said as she craned her neck to look at him.
“Me, too,” he replied.
He slung his arm over her shoulders and scooted closer to her.
She felt nice to the touch, and it felt even nicer when she leaned toward him.
“Tomorrow’s going to be great. We’ll be hiking to Lover’s Leap Falls. It’s not huge, but it is the biggest one on the property.”
“Sounds nice.”
“The hike to this one is four miles round trip. Think your friends will be up for it?”
Hannah’s pleasant, soft laughter wafted into his ear canals.
“I think the wilderness has already taken its toll on Bianca, for sure. I still can’t believe she agreed to this kind of trip.
Alyssa may be up for it, but I’m sure she would have preferred a trip to Nashville or somewhere of the like.
I appreciate they did this for me. I told them they didn’t have to, but they insisted.
They’re good friends, despite our sparring sometimes. ”
“You ladies seem so different. Your tastes, I mean.”
“We are, but we were roommates throughout college. We got along well, but we didn’t do everything together all the time. That’s part of what was nice about our friendship.”
“Nice.”
“What was your college life and roommates like?” she asked.
“I was in the dorms for the first two years, then I moved into an apartment with three other guys whom I hadn’t roomed with before.
We all stayed together for two years. When they graduated with their bachelor’s degrees, they left.
I stayed on for another year to get my MBA degree, so I ended up with three new roommates.
I hung out with all my roommates while we lived together.
We keep in touch a bit. Mostly on social media. ”
She offered a slight nod.
“I wonder about the three of us. We’re all headed in different directions. Bianca and Alyssa will return to their hometowns close to the Twin Cities. I’m not sure where I’ll end up. Maybe I’ll stay close to home, but it will depend on where I get a job. I have some interviews scheduled.”
Hunter tilted his head to the sky. “If I had it my way, I’d never leave this place.”
She chuckled again. “You’ve mentioned that a couple of times. Perhaps you should just stay here.”
He lowered his head to meet her gaze. “All my best memories are here. Including this one right now.”
Her gaze intensified, and she leaned in and kissed him.
Exactly the response he hoped for.
The kiss was soft and lingered. When she parted her lips, his tongue met hers in a delightful, slow-moving dance. He wanted more. Needed more, but he let her set the pace so as not to scare her off.
She pulled away from him and pivoted in her seat. Then, she plopped herself onto his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned into him.
In response, he enveloped her in his arms and pulled her in for a kiss.
His lips, hands, and torso liked the feel of her.
Hell, his entire body loved the feel of her.
His pulse pounded, and he dove his tongue deeper into her warm mouth.
The kiss turned hotter. Her small hands gripped his shoulders, and she pressed herself harder against him.
The sensations of her touch were nearly too much, but he wanted more.
He wanted to be with her, in her. He’d never moved this fast with a woman before, but if she gave any indication that she wanted to make love, he’d easily oblige.
Good heavens, Hunter could kiss. His kiss had been soft and controlled until she urged him on. Wanting more of him, she opened her mouth wider and ground against him. It was almost as if she couldn’t control herself. His flavor was delicious.
Since the horrible betrayal by Sebastián, she’d never thought she’d allow this to happen again.
Let her heart feel, but the way Hunter looked at her with those warm, chestnut eyes of his, and those sexy amber flecks that sparked, she couldn’t help herself.
And his touch was nothing short of amazing.
Those large hands that he splayed over her back and held her firmly were irresistible.
Her lips felt like they were on fire, but in the most delightful way.
She poured everything she had into this kiss.
Her body begged for more than a kiss, but she was still lucid enough to know this hot, mind-boggling kiss would be it for now.
For now. Would she ever see him again after this trip? She hoped so.
His hand slid under her shirt and up her back. The sensation of his touch without the barrier of her clothing felt incredible. She missed human touch.
She lowered her hands from his shoulders, slid them under his T-shirt, and skimmed them up his sides. He squirmed. She laughed into the warm depths of his mouth and pulled back slightly.
“A little ticklish, are you?”
“Not really. It’s just your touch is shockingly fabulous.”
Her heart hammered at his words and the sincerity in his tone and eyes.
Moving her hands from his sides to his front, she enjoyed the feel of his rippled stomach. Hot and hard muscle felt incredible under her fingertips. She leaned back in and kissed him hard while her hands explored his chest.
When he cupped her breast, a spark of thrill shot through her. Her experience with men should have her running, but his touch felt too good.
Hunter released her breast and pulled back. “Are you okay?”
She closed her eyes for a couple of beats, then opened them and focused on his concerned gaze.
“Yes. It’s just...I probably shouldn’t have let things get this far. I’m...” She lowered her gaze.
Hunter pulled his hands out from under her shirt. Her skin cooled from the loss of his touch. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted until their gazes met.
“We can stop if you want and just sit here and enjoy the fire.”
Even though she wanted to lean forward and kiss him again, she thought better of it. She needed to slow this down. Think about what she was doing. She hardly knew this man, yet she just kissed and groped him and let him caress her. What was she thinking?
“Let’s do that,” she whispered.
As she pulled herself from her straddling posture, he assisted her but guided her to sit crossways on his lap.
He placed one of his muscular arms around her back and the other in front of her, locking his hands at the upper part of her arm, cradling her.
She leaned her head to the side and snuggled into the crook of his neck.
Inhaling deeply, she took in that fabulous, earthy scent of his.
The pine notes and hint of chocolate relaxed her.
There they sat, enjoying the warmth of the fire and each other’s hold in the quiet confines of the night forest. It’s funny how quiet the woods got shortly after sundown. A hoot of an owl here and there was the only sound.
“Hannah, Hannah.”
Her eyes fluttered open.
“Yes.”
“Let’s go to bed.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s climb into our tents. It’s almost midnight.”
Good heavens, she’d trusted him so much that she’d relaxed and fallen asleep in his arms. Wow!
He loosened his grip, and she weakly slid off his lap, though he’d kept one of his hands fastened to her arm to help steady her as she stood. That was probably a good thing with the way she wobbled.
Hunter stood along with her, then freed her and stretched his arms over his head, and yawned. When he lowered his arms, he gestured toward her tent.
“I had a nice time tonight,” she said, gluing her gaze to his, hoping to draw him in for a goodnight kiss.
He leaned toward her and gave her a sweet peck on the lips.
“See you in the morning.”
He winked at her. Her heart fluttered.
“You’re going to like Lover’s Leap Falls. I can’t wait to show it to you. The day will be epic,” he advised.
“I can’t wait. Promise?”
His smile stretched wide.
“I promise. Epic. You’ll love it.”