Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
From the driveway, Katrina stared at Hunter’s beautiful log home. She didn’t remember driving here, but here she sat.
His pleas on the phone tugged at her heart.
The hurt in his voice when she shot down his request for a say in the matter brought more tears.
The man had done nothing wrong. In fact, he’d done everything right by risking himself to save her.
He’d wrapped her in his protective hold and thrown them both over Lover’s Leap Falls, even after getting shot.
He never even hesitated. He just reacted.
Then, he abided by her wish to stay away. Until recently, when they happened upon each other by accident. Guilt consumed her after she ignored his calls earlier in the day. She couldn’t stand herself. And now, here she was in his driveway. Still, she debated going in. She wanted to, but should she?
Before she cut the engine, she glanced around one more time to see if anyone had followed her. It didn’t appear so.
She slid out of the car and hurried to his front door and depressed the doorbell. When the door opened, she threw herself into his arms.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For all of it. Getting you shot. Putting you in danger. For ignoring your calls. For all of it.”
She sobbed into his chest. He pulled her into the house, kicked the door shut, and held her firmly. She couldn’t stop crying. Years of pent-up fear and anxiety had taken over as if she had no say about it.
“Shh. It’ll be okay. It’ll all be fine. I’m not going to let him hurt you again,” Hunter whispered into her ear.
She wished that were true, but she honestly believed Sebastián was capable of anything.
The fact that he was likely out of prison now provided a better opportunity for him to get even with her for what she’d put him through.
The trial and almost ten years in prison.
Without a doubt, she knew he’d come out of prison an angry man.
When her tears subsided, she edged away from Hunter’s comforting hold, but he protested only by letting her slip back a few inches.
His warm gaze held hers as he slid his hands from around her back, up to her shoulders, then farther until his palms rested on either side of her head.
He used his thumbs to swipe the moisture from her cheeks.
His soul-searching stare bore into her, warming every cell of her being.
“I’m so glad you came here. Everything will be okay. I will protect you at any cost.”
Tears rushed into her eyes again at his words and the conviction in his tone.
“That’s just it. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt again.”
“We can’t live in fear of what this guy may or may not do.”
“I know. I tell myself that every day, but it’s hard to let my guard down.”
“I understand, but now that I have you back in my life, he’ll have to go through me to get to you.”
She flung herself against him and pressed her mouth to his, pouring years of suppressed passion into the kiss.
Digging her fingertips into his shoulders, she pulled him closer and kissed him harder, needing more from him.
He plunged his tongue into her mouth, deepening this already mind-boggling kiss.
His lips were hot, his tongue was hot. Good heavens, her nerve endings were on fire.
She released his shoulders and slid her hands down, then up under his shirt. His hard, rippled abs tightened under her touch. She needed his shirt off him, wanting the feel of his skin against hers.
His hands slid down from her cheeks, then over her sides, and landed at her hips, where he gripped the hem of her shirt and tugged it up.
They pulled their mouths back from one another as they rid each other of their shirts.
Then she edged back to allow his large hands to cup her breasts.
The sensation of his touch, even through the thin material of her bra, was overwhelming.
In one swift movement of his thumb and forefinger, her bra floated to the floor, and he fastened his mouth to her right breast as his hand massaged her left breast. She tipped her head back, enjoying the sensation of it while holding his broad shoulders for support, fearing her weak knees would give out on her.
Desire throbbed between her legs.
He trailed his mouth down from her breasts to her belly button, then he undid the button and zipper of her jeans.
His warm lips left her skin, and he tilted his head upward to look at her from his kneeling position, his eyes pleading for permission to remove her pants.
Upon her nod, his irises darkened, and he slowly pulled her pants over her hips, and they dropped to the floor.
Then, he hooked his fingers over the waistband of her panties and pulled them off her, all the while boring into her with that mesmerizing stare of his.
There she stood, in front of him, fully exposed.
It wasn’t just the nudity, it was her soul, too.
Everything she had was fully exposed to him.
It was frightening, yet exhilarating beyond words.
For so many years, she’d cut herself off from everyone, not allowing herself to get too close to new friends or get romantically involved with men.
But she had needs, and now and then she’d allow herself to indulge in intimacy with the opposite sex.
Though full-blown relationships were simply out of the question since keeping up with the lies associated with her new identity was too difficult.
Now, here she stood as vulnerable as ever, and deep down, she knew it would be okay.
She reached down, offering her hand to him. He took it and led her to the bedroom.
A large log-framed bed sat in the middle of the room.
The thick, inviting mattress called out to her.
She wanted him and her on that mattress now.
Why she felt so urgent about this, she wasn’t sure.
It had been a while for her, and she generally liked slow lovemaking, but today, with him, she felt impatient.
Perhaps because she’d thought about Hunter so much in the past, she was eager to have him, and that hot, passionate kiss they’d just shared had her pretty revved up.
Hunter turned toward her, lifted her hand to his mouth, and pressed his lips lightly to it, lingering there for a moment before lowering it.
“I’ve thought about you so much over the years. I can’t believe you’re actually here.”
“Me, too,” she replied.
He leaned forward and kissed her softly.
Slow, lingering kisses pursued. Much like the one they shared earlier.
She liked it. Their mouths moved together as if they were experts at kissing each other.
As if they’d done this a thousand times before.
His reaction to her and her reaction to him couldn’t have been choreographed any better.
Hunter pulled back, but the dark desire in his eyes let her know he wanted more and was ready. He took off his tennis shoes, then slid off his jeans, boxers, and socks. The man was a glorious sight.
Stepping toward her, he took her lips again.
The soft, slow movements transitioned to hot, wet, and urgent.
His large hands gripped her butt and when he lifted, she wrapped her legs around him and he moved them to the bed.
He lay beside her, kissing her, stroking her body with his hands. His touch felt exhilarating.
She pressed her fingertips to his heated skin. Soft skin, with hard muscles beneath it.
His mouth fastened to her breast, and he circled his tongue around her nipple. Her need for him wound tighter. He moved his mouth to her other breast. Moisture pooled between her legs.
She reached down and circled her fingers around his erection and stroked, then ran her thumb over the tip.
He pulled his mouth from her breast and it chilled in the air, causing her to reach up, place her palm to the back of his head, to pull him back to her breast. When he simply kissed her nipple, the sensation of it pulled a soft moan from her lips.
Hunter rolled away from her and snagged a condom from the drawer in the nightstand. She stared at his erection as he kneeled on the bed and sheathed himself. The slight smile he flashed her sent her heart racing. They were really going to do this after all this time.
He nestled himself between her legs, kissed her lightly, and then slid into her. Long, slow strokes and tender kisses ensued. His gentleness moved her. The way he looked at her was endearing—both sincere and overwhelming.
Her hands explored him. His hard muscles and soft skin were delightful to her fingertips.
With each stroke, he drove her closer to the edge.
His eyes darkened, and he reached down between their bodies and circled her clit.
Her back arched as he swallowed her groan in his mouth.
He applied pressure to her sensitive, swollen bead, and she came apart, pulsating around him and quivering beneath him.
Complete loss of control of her body. The force and pleasure of her orgasm were exhilarating.
He stroked a couple of more times before his own groan of pleasure filled the room.
The weight of Hunter’s muscular body atop hers felt soothing. His warm breath caressed her ear.
After a few beats, Hunter rolled off her, pulling her along with him. She curled into the curve of his arm and rested her hand on his chest. His heartbeat tapped against her palm.
“I’ll be right back,” Hunter said as he edged away from her and slid out of bed.
She stared in awe at his backside as he slipped into the bathroom to rid himself of the condom, she supposed.
He returned a moment later, leaned the pillows up against the headboard, and climbed back in beside her, propped up just a smidge. The quilt covered him up to his mid-torso.
She elbowed herself up and stuffed a pillow behind her back to align herself with him. That’s when she noticed it. The scar from the bullet. That incident would haunt them forever. They’d never escape it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she responded, not wanting to ruin the beautiful moment they’d just shared.
He arched a brow.
She reached up and lightly placed her fingertip to the round, jagged-edged scar on the front of his right shoulder.
“We’ll always be reminded of that day. Those days, weeks, and years.”
“It’s okay. Just a scratch. All good.”
It wasn’t, though. He’d been shot.
With her fingers still touching his scar, he covered her hand with his.
“You didn’t do this.”
She hung her head.
He released her hand and placed his fingertips under her chin and lifted slightly, not stopping until their gazes met.
“I’m so glad you are here. You know that, right? I know we hardly knew each other, but I felt such a connection to you, and I missed you. I thought of you every day, hoping I’d see you again.”
“I thought of you too.”
He lifted his hand from hers, reached forward, and touched the small butterfly tattoo on her upper left breast. He traced the outline of it. She shivered.
“This is what finally gave you away, you know.”
“What?”
“The day of your presentation. Your face, eyes, and the way you moved were all familiar to me, but I didn’t believe it was really you because your name didn’t match, so I thought you were Hannah’s doppelganger.
My mind worked to trick me that it wasn’t really you.
But when you leaned over the table to gather your things, I saw it.
Actually, I only saw the tips of the bright orange wings, but that was when I realized it was really you.
As if you dropped on my doorstep for a reason. ”
“I never showed you my tattoo back then.”
Because of its location, she hadn’t shown hardly anyone. The tattoo was personal to her. Not meant for just anyone to see.
He smiled softly.
“No, not intentionally, anyhow. One of my last memories of you was you dumping me into the hole created by the uprooted tree. You leaned over and kissed my forehead and apologized for leaving me covered in dirt and branches. I saw the tattoo when you hovered over me. It was the last thing I remembered of you.”
Shock raked through her.
“I was certain you were unconscious when I did that.”
“I nearly was. At that moment, everything cleared for me. I saw and heard you clearly through my slitted eyes. Then, the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by my family in a hospital room, and you were nowhere to be seen. Actually, I have to confess, the memory of that incident didn’t come back to me right away. It took a while.”
“I left a note,” she said weakly, suddenly feeling like a heel for the Dear John letter she’d left him.
“I still have it. And if you recall, I abided by your wishes. Under protest, but I did.”
“You kept it?”
“Yes. It’s in the box on my dresser over there. I’m pretty sure I’ve read it a hundred times over the past few days. I’m a glutton for punishment.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
Though she had told him to stay away years ago, a small part of her was disappointed he hadn’t come after her.
She could have used his support through the heartache following her parents’ death, Alyssa’s death, and the long, drawn-out trial.
How could she be angry with him when all he did was accommodate her request?
Then, she disappeared altogether, making it harder for anyone who once knew her to support her.
Yet, anger laced her thoughts sometimes when she thought about him.
“Katrina?”
She flinched at the sound of her fake name.
“Yes,” she replied, as she refocused on him.
“Where did I lose you to?”
“I’m just thinking back to the trial. Sometimes I felt so alone. My parents were gone. Alyssa was gone. My brothers were there, but Bianca bailed, and I’d pushed you away.”
Hunter reeled his hand back from her tattoo and stiffened. Did he think she’d scolded him just now for not coming after her? That was the last thing she’d meant to do.
“I was there. Every day I sat in that courtroom supporting you the best I could. Wanting to reach out and hold you. Comfort you when you cried. It killed me to watch you go through the torment of the trial and not touch you. Hold you. Dry your tears. That hurt, but not nearly as much as when you seemed to fall off the face of the earth.”
“What?”
Her heart raced and her pulse pounded.
“You were there? I never saw you.”
He leaned toward her. That glint in his chestnut irises brought her right back to the moment the old man in the courtroom, the one with a casted arm, leaped over the railing between her and the spectators, protecting her from Sebastián.
“Oh, my God! That was you. The entire time you were there.”
She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, kissing him hard, leading to another round of heart-stopping lovemaking.