He was on his feet and tearing a condom open when my brain cleared. His eyes met mine when the condom came out of the package. I was disappointed he was going to wear one, but I knew that wasn’t right. We’d only known each other a few weeks.
I saw the war in his eyes, the one that debated not wearing it, but his mindfulness and good sense won out and he rolled it down his length. He didn’t look at me until he was at my entrance. When he did, I saw the regret in his eyes, but I smiled at him, hoping he knew I wasn’t upset.
Without a word, Hunter slowly slid into me. An inch at a time, he eased my tight channel open to accept him. His hands held my hips in place as he sheathed himself fully inside me.
His eyes held mine as he moved. Neither of us spoke. Slide in, ease out. I wanted more of him. I wanted to see all of him. I tugged at the hem of his shirt. He paused, deep inside me, to pull it off. He dropped it on the floorboard and pulled at my dress. I had to get up to take it off, and when I did, he sat in the seat. His sandals, shorts, and boxer briefs went onto the floorboard, followed by my dress. He reached for me, guiding me over him. When he was inside me, we both groaned, but kept silent. He tugged the door shut, turning off the dome lights. Moonlight reflected off our skin, giving the whole thing a fantasy feel to it.
His hand cupped my breasts. I used his chest for leverage.
He unhooked my bra and dropped it behind me, then leaned up and took a nipple in his mouth. I pinched one of his.
His fingers dug into my hips. My thighs clenched around his.
Mimicking each other’s movements, we slowly made love. It was our first time. It was supposed to be hard and fast. Neither of us could wait, but from the moment he pulled out the condom, things changed. It wasn’t sex. Not for me, and I didn’t think for him either. There was more. Lots more.
More that scared me. More that told me I was falling for him. And that he might be falling for me, too.
He grunted, thrusting up into me with each drop of my hips. His fingers bit in, guiding me to the pace he needed. I pressed harder on his chest, needing the support to fuck him the way he wanted. Our eyes stayed locked together. My breasts bounced with the movement, and he eventually brought them to his lips, breaking our eye contact. I did my best to keep up the pace he set, feeling my own orgasm build.
Hunter leaned back, releasing my nipples. One hand went to my hip and the other eased between us. His thumb hit my clit and my eyes fell closed. It was all too much. A man I barely knew who understood exactly what I needed. A man who considered giving me exactly what I wanted. A man who couldn’t wait another minute to have me.
“Look at me, Vicki.”
My eyes opened, landing on him. The moonlight reflected in his eyes, showing me he was just as lost as I was. It spurred me on, telling me it was safe to let go with the beautiful man between my legs. I shifted my hips back just slightly, giving him better access to my clit and taking him in deeper at the same time. He groaned. His eyes slipped closed for a second, then snapped open to watch me.
I rose and fell. He stroked and thrusted. We both chased the same end point, runners hand-in-hand trying to reach the finish line. His eyes widened and his jaw tightened just before his thumb pressed down harder. I knew he was close. Close enough that he was holding back. For me.
Again.
It sent me over the edge. I shook and rocked and pinched my own nipples. I screamed, not caring if God and all his creatures heard me. Hunter Campbell had claimed my body, and he was working on my heart.
He grunted and shouted a few seconds after me. holding my hips down on him. I could feel him swell and cursed the latex between us as he filled it. When his fingers eased on my hips, they trailed up my spine and pulled me down to him. He buried his face in my neck and held me like he never wanted to let go.
I was definitely getting used to that feeling.
“Vicki?” he whispered a while later.
I picked up my head. “Sorry.”
He shook his head and smiled. “Why?”
“I’m probably crushing you.”
He snorted. “Not even close. I just wanted to take care of the condom.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.”
He opened the door, the blast of chilly evening air cooling my overheated, sweaty skin. I crawled off him, very clumsily, and stood next to the car wanting to pull my dress back on.
Hunter kicked his feet out and slid the condom off. He tied the end and tucked it into a napkin stashed in the door. He put the whole thing in the cupholder, then reached for me again.
“Are we okay?”
I nodded against his shoulder.
“Good. I hate that I have to take you home. I want to do that a few more times tonight.”
I laughed, feeling better that he wasn’t going to make it weird. “I wouldn’t say no.”
His hand trailed up and down my spine before cupping my ass and pulling me flush against his naked body. “Do we need to talk about the condom?”
I shook my head. “No. You wouldn’t have thought twice if I hadn’t told you I wanted a kid. I want one, but not as an accident or because you feel guilty or something like that.”
“I did consider not wearing one.”
I nodded. “I know.”
I didn’t want to talk about condoms or no condoms or babies or anything else. I just wanted to go home and replay the look in his eyes. The way he held me. The way he waited for me.
I knew I was in trouble. I was falling, and it wasn’t an easy fall.
Hunter took me home after we got dressed. He asked if we could get together over the weekend and I said yes. Of course. He said he was going to make sure the studio was cleared out for the weekend so we weren’t on the side of the road again. I didn’t tell him that I kind of liked it.
First car sex, next office sex. I was taking after my friends!
Peyton was still up when I got home, but she looked tired. She smiled when I walked in. “How was your date?”
I grinned. “It was good.”
“But?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I had fun.”
“You really like him, don’t you?”
I nodded. “I already told you that.”
“Yeah, but now you’re falling for him. What changed tonight?”
I sighed and dropped to the couch with her. I rested my head on her shoulder. “We had sex.”
“And?”
“And it wasn’t just sex. He made love to me. I mean, we were in his car on the side of the road, but we didn’t talk, just stared at each other. And he held me after.”
“Why is this a bad thing?”
I shrugged. “I feel like everything is going to change when he can start working again. Like he’s sort of in limbo or something and he’s going to work all the time when his studio is done.”
“And then he won’t have time for you?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He loves his job, which is great, but I always feel like I’m second place to people. I’m sick of it and I don’t want it in another relationship.”
“Including me, right?”
“What?” I asked, knowing I was busted.
“You feel like you’re second place to me, too. Don’t you?”
“No, I didn’t say that.”
She smiled sadly. “But it’s true.” She rose. “I’m sorry I’ve made you feel that way. I guess there’s a reason I liked Hunter. We’re two of a kind. Both destined to disappoint you.”
“Peyton-” I began.
She shook her head and walked away, leaving me feeling even worse than I did before.
Chapter 15
“Oh, wow,” Olivia gushed. “They’re perfect.”
Abby, Tara, and I were standing side by side Saturday afternoon in our bridesmaids dresses. It was our final fitting.
“They really are perfect,” Abby said, looking at the three of us in the mirrors. “We’re three hot women.”
We laughed and Tara said, “Yeah, but the hot momma is going to steal th
e show as the bride. When is your final fitting?”
“Wednesday. You guys are coming right?”
We all nodded. “Of course.”
Tara, Abby, and I disappeared into our respective dressing rooms to take off our gowns. I hung mine of the hanger and tugged my clothes back on. When I walked out, I asked Olivia, “What else do we need to do?”
Olivia sighed. “I feel like the list is growing instead of shrinking the closer we get to the wedding.”
“Like what?”
She rolled her eyes. “Ethan decided he wants a seating chart now.”
“Really? Why?” Abby asked as she walked out of her dressing room. As the one only of the four of us besides Olivia who’d ever been married, I deferred a lot of the wedding questions to her.
“He said it’s more elegant.”
“He’s funny,” Tara said with a laugh, joining us. “I get it, but this is starting to remind me of some of the weddings in Hollywood. The only thing I know will be different is you guys won’t be divorced in a couple years.”
“Yeah, Ethan’s sunk. He’s not going anywhere.”
“And once the wedding is over, Olivia won’t want to either,” Abby teased.
“Ha ha, guys. You’re not funny. I love him. I’m not going anywhere.”
“We know, Liv,” I said. “We also know Ethan is making you a little crazy.”
“He’s excited.”
“He’s a groom-zilla.”
We laughed, and after a second, Olivia joined in. “He really is. But don’t tell him that.”
I shook my head. “No way. He’s a little scary when you question him about the wedding.”
“What did you say?” Olivia asked with a chuckled.
“I asked about the receiving line. Sawyer asked if we were going to be together or if you guys were going to have us separated. Of course, Sawyer said he wanted to make sure he wasn’t in the middle of a sausage party.”
“Oh, boy,” Tara murmured.
“Anyway, I said something to Ethan Tuesday and he said you were going to skip the receiving line since it’s a small wedding. Then he flipped out because I asked him about it.”
Olivia sighed. “I hadn’t heard about this one.”
“Let’s go get dinner and we can talk about everything else for the wedding,” Abby suggested. “Wine & Dine?”
“Yes,” Olivia groaned. “I need a glass. Or a bottle.”
We all met back up at the restaurant and were seated at a table near the front. I felt bad when I noticed how tired Olivia looked. I hadn’t been much help to her. As her maid of honor, I was supposed to ease some of the stress of her wedding day, but I hadn’t done that well at all if her wine and exhaustion were any indication.
After we ordered, we jumped back into wedding talk.
“Okay, so receiving line?” Tara prompted.
Olivia shook her head. “We said no. We want to talk to everyone individually instead of making them feel like they only get a few seconds to say hi. We’re going to get our dinner first and eat while everyone else has their salads. That way we’ll be done and can walk around and talk to everyone while they’re sitting down and eating.”
“We did a receiving line,” Abby said with a wrinkle of her nose. “It was rushed. I felt like we barely had a chance to talk to anyone there.”
“That’s how I’ve felt whenever I’ve been to a wedding with one. This will work better.”
“I agree. I’ll pass it on to Sawyer. What else can I help you with? If you’re this stressed, I’m clearly not doing enough to help you.”
“Yeah,” Abby and Tara agreed. “What can we do?”
“I don’t know,” Olivia said, sounding defeated. “I feel like we’re close and everything should be handled, but he keeps throwing things at me.”
“So, a seating chart? Maybe we can do that?” I offered.
She shook her head. “It’s fine. You guys are all so busy.”
“Oh, no,” I told her. “You don’t get to pull that. We’re here to help you. When you have all the response cards back, hand them over. Half the people are people we know. You can give us special guidelines, but since the wedding is basically all friends, there won’t be those estranged divorced people you have to separate. Let us do this.”
Olivia sighed, but eventually nodded.
“Good. What’s next? What else do you need to do?”
We spent the rest of lunch going through items we could take off Olivia’s to-do list. By the time we walked away, she looked much more relaxed and happy. We also made her promise to let us know if she needed anything. Abby reminded her that the day of would be easier, which I think Olivia appreciated.
I was eloping. If I ever got married.
I knew Olivia was going to fight letting us help her, so I put reminders in my phone to bug her again. That way she’d know I meant it when I said I wanted to help. I wanted her to enjoy her wedding, and if that meant I had a few crazy weeks, I could handle it.
What I wasn’t sure about was the conversation she and I had on our way to our cars after lunch. She asked me if Hunter was coming to the wedding with me. I said no, but she pressed and encouraged me to invite him.
Her insistence was still on my mind when he rang my bell that afternoon.
“Hey,” I said as I opened the door.
He leaned in and kissed me. “You look good enough to eat,” he said, nuzzling against my ear.
I giggled and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was already looking forward to the end of our date when I could get him naked.
“You’re bad,” I said, gently pushing him back.
He grinned. “That’s not what you said the other day.”
I heard Peyton’s footsteps approaching and straightened up to face her. “Hey Peyton,” I said when she walked into the living room.
She stopped, her feet frozen in place. She knew Hunter was picking me up, but she obviously didn’t realize he was there. At least, if her messy ponytail and bra-less outfit were anything to go on.
“Hey, sorry. I didn’t hear the bell.”
“It’s okay. You remember Hunter?”
“Of course,” she said, plastering on a grin. “Nice to see you again.”
He nodded and tugged my arm. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I said, giving Peyton the out she needed. “See you later, Peyton.”
“Bye!”
I shoved Hunter out the door and kept pushing him to his SUV. He went to my side and captured my hand as he spun on me.
“Why are you pushing me out of there?” he demanded, nipping at my fingertips.
“My sister wasn’t dressed for company. She didn’t know you were there.”
“Are you worried I was checking out your sister?”
I shrugged. “It was more about her than you.”
“Good,” he said, leaning in close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck. “Because the only Prescott I noticed was the one who’s making me hard right now.”
He pressed his cock to me, letting me feel his already large erection. I groaned. Dammit, I couldn’t help it. I wanted to open the door and spread out on the side of the seat again. It had been a while since I’d been with anyone, but being with Hunter was so different, I ached for it again.
I reached between us and stroked him through his shorts. He growled and pressed into my hand. “You’re going to get more than you bargained for.”
I shook my head and gave him a salacious grin. “Maybe it’s exactly what I’m bargaining for.”
He groaned and pressed against me, trapping my hand between us. His lips were on mine before I could take another breath, prying my lips apart and demanding entry into my mouth. I nipped his lip and thrust my tongue into his mouth. He growled and lashed against mine with his, both of us trying to control the kiss and neither of us letting the other.
His hands circled me and cupped my ass, lifting me until I was on my tippy-toes. His fingertips brushed against my bare legs and
my panties flooded. I was more than ready for him.
He pulled back, his breath as ragged as mine. “Let’s go eat.”
I grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
He barked a laugh. “I meant actual food. But you’re definitely my dessert.”
I pouted for a second, but he kissed it away. When he pulled back, he kissed my nose then went to get in his side of the SUV.
He parked in front of Roger’s, which made me grin. I loved their burgers and could definitely go for a milkshake. They had the best milkshakes. We ordered our burgers, with a side of fries to share and two chocolate milkshakes, then found a booth in the back.
“I have some exciting news,” Hunter said when we sat down. “I got a call today from someone who wants to use my gallery.”
“That’s great! You said you were looking for artists. One found you.”
“Well, not entirely.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a gallery in downtown Buffalo. A small one. They had a pipe burst and their space flooded.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
He shook his head. “It’s not. They’re in the process of cleaning it up now. Thankfully, none of the art was ruined, but they don’t think they’ll be able to get the gallery opened up in the next month or two. They have a show booked in three weeks and asked if they could use my space.”
“Three weeks?” I asked, running numbers in my head. “That’s cutting it close, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “I know. I’m hoping Drew can move things a little faster and have the gallery part done a week early. Even if he has to finish up the studio and upstairs later. I just can’t say no to this opportunity.”
“Yeah, I get that,” I agreed. I was already picturing the schedules in my head and trying to figure out where we could shift people. I knew Drew worked out the schedule based on what he thought they could do, especially with bringing three spaces to completion together. It was easier to schedule the extra help he needed if he did all the spaces at once. Breaking it all up so the gallery was done first could mess things up.
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