I yelp.
The moment I open my mouth, his tongue plunges back inside to tangle with my own. This kiss can only be described as punishing and still, I want more. His lips slide to my chin before migrating to my earlobe. He bites the soft flesh, tugging it with his teeth, before letting go and burying his face against my wet hair.
“Why did you have to come back and ruin everything?” His breath comes out in choppy bursts. “Why couldn’t you stay away until I was gone?”
Does he really think I came back willingly?
I want to laugh before bursting into tears. Nothing could be further from the truth.
His words are like poisonous darts but that doesn’t stop me from baring the delicate skin of my neck for him to feast on.
“Do you have any idea how much I fucking hate you right now?” he growls.
The web of pleasure he had woven around me dissolves in the blink of an eye. All I’m left with is sharp shafts of pain that radiate from every cell of my body until it feels like I’m going to shatter into a million jagged pieces.
He fucking hates me?
After everything we’ve shared, those words gut me. Tears prick the back of my eyes as he caresses my neck. No matter how much time passes or what happens between us, Hunter will always despise me. There’s nothing I can do to change that.
“And yet,” he continues viciously, “I can’t stop wanting you.”
When he releases one of my arms, I half expect him to thrust me away. Instead, his hand snakes between us before settling over the front of my bikini brief.
“This is the only thing I want from you.” He squeezes my pussy to emphasize his words as if I could misinterpret them.
My throat swells with emotion until it becomes impossible to breathe. Unable to bare his touch, I gather my strength and push him away with a surge of adrenalin. Even though he’s stronger, taller, and more muscular, he still stumbles back a step.
“Don’t touch me!” I hiss.
Bitterness flashes in his eyes.
The distance I had created is swallowed up when he surges forward. “Are you really going to pretend that you don’t want me? We both know that you do.”
When I fail to retreat, he takes another step until the tips of my breasts are able to brush against his chest. Even though he doesn’t reach out and take hold of me again, his mouth lowers, hovering dangerously close to mine. My hands tighten into fists that hang uselessly at my sides.
Push him away. Don’t let him do this.
Instead, I remain frozen because this is Hunter we’re talking about. The first and only boy I’ve ever loved. As painful as it is to acknowledge, I’ve never stopped loving him. Even though he’s nothing like I remember. Even when I can no longer see the boy in the man standing before me.
“You melt every time I touch you.” His warm breath drifts over my lips, threatening to drag me out to sea like an undertow. “You crave my touch. You crave me.”
“No.”
Disbelief slides from his lips in the form of a chuckle. “Who are you trying to fool? Me?” One hand rises before trailing down the length of my arm. Goose bumps rise in its wake. “I don’t think so, sweetheart.” He tilts his head and gives me a considering look. “I bet if I shoved my fingers inside you right now, your pussy would be drenched.” There’s a pause and his voice turns husky. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
A moan bursts free from my lips.
I wish I could tell him exactly that, but I can’t. It’s a painful admittance. I’m soaked. Needy. Throbbing for him to make good on his threat. I spent the last few years mourning his loss. Missing the feel of his sultry kisses, the way his fingers would glide over my body, the reverence of his touch.
There is nothing about this situation that feels the way it used to, but right now that doesn’t matter. I have no idea if it’s possible, but I want to soothe the ache that rages inside him. The pain I caused when I walked away.
He wants closure in the form of fucking. I can’t give him that. I won’t allow him to use me only so he can walk away when he’s finished.
“You’re not wrong,” I admit.
A groan slides from his lips. It’s a guttural sound that vibrates in the air between us.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it,” I add.
As difficult as it is, I take a step away from him, creating enough distance between us to cool the heat we’ve generated before it can burst into flame and singe us both. When he doesn’t spring forward to detain me, I take another hasty step before swiping my clothes from the sand and taking off at a dead run down the beach toward the bonfire. I’m safest from Hunter—and maybe even myself—when I’m surrounded by other people.
As much as I’m tempted to give in to him, he’s a mistake I can’t afford to make.
Chapter Eighteen
Skye
“ Holy cannoli, he really said all that?” Lanie stops in her tracks as we maneuver our way across campus and the girl walking behind us plows into her.
“What the hell, dude,” the emo chick grumbles, giving Lanie a nasty look as she walks around her.
“Oh, calm down,” my bestie huffs, glaring at the girl. Lanie isn’t afraid to make waves. “And FYI—get your eyes checked, I’m not a dude!”
The girl swings back around and flips us the bird before disappearing into the crowd of early morning traffic.
“Well, that was uncalled for,” Lanie grumbles. “People need to calm the fuck down and get some manners.”
I grab Lanie’s hand and yank her along before anyone else can crash into us. We don’t need to start our Tuesday morning off with a fight.
“Damn it, I knew you were holding out on me!” Lanie shoots me a steely look before stabbing a finger in my direction. “I knew it!”
“I—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” she snaps, plowing a fist into my bicep.
“Ow!” I rub the spot and glare. Doesn’t she know that violence never solved anything?
“Please. I barely touched you.”
Lanie has three older brothers. Not only can she take a beating, she knows how to fight dirty. I’ve been on the receiving end of her ire enough times. I don’t want to be there again.
“If you think I’m going to let you off the hook that easily, you’re crazy.” She takes a breath before there’s another rapid burst of words. “I’m your best friend and you didn’t tell me any of this!”
“I’m sorry.” Lanie won’t move on until I admit to keeping highly classified information from her. In hindsight, I should have given her full disclosure. But how could I admit what was going on with Hunter to her when I wasn’t willing to acknowledge it to myself?
Denial. It’s not just a river in Egypt.
“I should have been upfront with you from the beginning, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.” Then I add, “Trust me, you’re completely caught up to speed now.”
“I better be.” Lanie continues to mutter under her breath about crappy best friends and how some people tell other people everything, no matter what. Which is true. Lanie shares way too many details. Sometimes, more than I want to know. Definitely more than Jax would be comfortable with.
My phone dings with an incoming message and I slide it from my back pocket before glancing at the screen. Lanie scoots closer so she can take a peek, too.
“Speak of the devil,” she mutters.
I groan and scan the text. “We’re supposed to meet at the library after class to work on our project.”
Lanie’s brows skyrocket across her forehead. “That should be interesting.”
Interesting isn’t the word I would use to describe it. More like frightening. I’m tempted to bale, but we really need to get moving on this project. We’re in our fourth week of the semester and we haven’t even started.
“We can’t be in the same room without tension exploding between us.” And that’s a problem. One I have no idea how to solve.
&
nbsp; “Want to know what I think?”
“Not really.” I stare straight ahead, realizing that won’t stop her.
“I’m going to tell you anyway.” Lanie pauses dramatically before giving me her thoughts on the matter. “At some point, the sexual energy between you two is going to explode.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
“We can’t go back to what we once were. Too much has happened between us.” I glance at her as we walk past the Student Union. Lanie presses her lips together as a thoughtful expression settles on her face. I can almost see the hamster racing on its wheel inside her head. That alone should scare me.
Truthfully, it’s a relief that she knows what’s going on with Hunter. I’m running out of ideas, I need Lanie’s brain power. Avoiding Hunter hasn’t worked. Neither has moving on with a different guy. And Hunter isn’t interested in letting bygones be bygones. I’m at my wit’s end and it’s eating me up inside.
“I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do,” she admits.
Well, damn.
“There’s a lot of history, not to mention off the charts chemistry, between you two and it might be better if you got it out of your systems.”
Please tell me that she’s not suggesting we—
No. Definitely not! That would make everything ten times worse than it already is. I need to break the invisible thread that binds me to him, not strengthen it.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Actually, from everything you’ve described, it sounds like you melt every time he puts his hands on you.”
My shoulders collapse under the weight of her words. She’s got me there. It would be so much easier if he would keep his distance, but he refuses to do so. He wants to bring me to my knees and I’m afraid that it won’t take much more to get me there.
“I know…” Which is exactly why I’ve tried so damn hard to steer clear of him.
“You’re not going to like this, but my advice is to go with it. Ride the wave for as long as it lasts. Then, when it’s over, you walk away without any regrets.” She smacks the palms of her hands together as if dusting them off. “Closure with a big red bow tied around it.”
Ha! As if anything with Hunter could be that easy.
What he said rings unwantedly through my head and I wince.
“He hates me so much,” I whisper.
“There’s a thin line between love and hate, Skye. I think that’s what the two of you are straddling.” Her voice softens. “You broke his heart when you left.”
“I know.” I hate that it had to be that way, but there was nothing I could do about it.
“Have you ever considered that buried beneath all the hurt and anger, he still loves you?”
My heart constricts at the idea before I shove it away. No. Hunter has been perfectly clear about his feelings for me.
As we come to the fork in the path and head separate ways, Lanie grabs my hand. “Do you want Jaxon to talk to him? You know he has your back.”
Absolutely not!
With a grimace, I shake my head. “No, that’ll only make everything worse.” And I don’t want to put Jax in the position of going against one of his teammates.
She purses her lips and gives me a doubtful look. “Is that really possible?”
I huff out a laugh even though there’s nothing funny about the situation. “I have no idea, but I’m not willing to find out.”
“Jax loves you, he’s not going to let Hunter keep messing with you.”
My lips lift into a reluctant smile. “Jax loves you. As much as I appreciate him willing to stick up for me, I don’t want to drag him into my problems.”
“He’s already involved.”
Lanie is a good friend, she’s always been there for me when I’ve needed her. I should have told her what was going on with Hunter from the beginning instead of keeping it to myself. “Let me think about it, okay?”
She nods and releases my hand before stepping toward the path that will lead to Weylin Hall where her inorganic chem class is held. “Let me know what you decide. Jax and I will help any way we can.”
“Thanks.” I give her a quick hug before we part ways. “Better get going so you’re not late. I’ll see you back at the townhouse.”
She points a finger at me. “You give Hunter Price hell when you see him today!”
I roll my eyes and wave her off. I’m not sure that’s the right tactic to take. Admittedly, I’m at a loss as to what to do.
I take about five steps and groan, remembering that I have a quiz in stats.
Crap.
Instead of focusing on school, my mind has been full of Hunter.
When I decided to move back home last spring, I’d accepted the fact that I would eventually come in contact with my ex. I never imagined he would still be this angry. I have no clue what will diffuse the situation and I’m tired of dwelling on it. I have more important things to focus on.
Like Dad.
And school.
Specifically, statistics.
I can’t afford to fail this quiz. And there’s a good chance that’s what will happen.
As I enter the room, I pause over the threshold. Almost immediately, my gaze lands on Josh’s blond head. He’s busy pulling out his book and notepad from his backpack. Ever since he introduced himself, we’ve been sitting next to one another and yet, after Saturday and the way he disappeared, it’s doubtful he’s saving me a spot. I take a step toward the other side of the room before stopping and glancing at him again.
I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I be the one to change where I sit? Plus, I want to know what Hunter said to make him back off. With a determined stride, I head to the row Josh is parked in before sliding over a few desks and settling on the chair next to him. His gaze flickers to me and his expression turns guarded which is glaringly different from every other interaction we’ve had.
A few beats of silence slip by as I wait for some kind of acknowledgment. A—hey sorry about flaking on you, but there’s nothing. You can almost hear the crickets chirping in the background.
As seconds stretch into minutes, it becomes obvious that Josh isn’t going to bring up what happened at the beach. Instead of being deterred by his attitude, it only makes me more determined to ferret out the truth.
I clear my throat and dive right in. “Hey.”
“Hi.” He shifts on his chair and fidgets with his pencil as if I now make him uncomfortable. “What’s up?”
Seriously?
“I don’t know.” I give him a meaningful look. “Why don’t you tell me?”
He rips his gaze from mine before staring at the notepad in front of him. “What do you mean?”
I huff out an exasperated breath. Why do we have to play these games? “I thought we were having a good time Saturday, what happened? You disappeared and I never saw you again.”
He jerks his shoulders as annoyance flashes in his eyes. “Yeah, Saturday was a good time.”
Even though I’m tempted to rapid-fire questions, I keep my lips pressed together and wait for him to continue but, like before, he remains tight-lipped. This is what pulling teeth must feel like. We only have a couple of minutes before class gets underway. I might not get another chance to get to the bottom of this. “Are you going to tell me what changed that?”
His mouth sinks further into a frown. Instead of answering my question, he asks one of his own. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were involved with Hunter Price?”
The question catches me off guard. “What?”
Josh swivels on his seat and scowls. “You heard me. Don’t you think that’s something I should have known?”
Why would he think—
Goddamn it!
I poker up in my seat like someone shoved a two-by-four up my ass. “Is that what Hunter told you?”
“Not in so many words, but the implication was there. He said you were his. So, that makes you legit or...” his voice trails off as he shru
gs.
Or one of his whores he’s unwilling to share.
Heat suffuses my cheeks.
How dare Hunter imply that!
I shouldn’t have to explain myself to Josh, but I find myself doing it anyway. “Hunter and I were together in high school,” I grit out. “We haven’t been involved for a long time.”
“That’s not what he made it sound like.” His gaze remains cool as he leans back on his chair. “You’re off limits, Skye.”
Off limits?
What the hell does that mean?
“I don’t understand.”
“It means that Hunter Price made sure everyone around here knows that you belong to him. No one at Claremont is going to touch you.”
My mouth falls open as I gape in shock.
Before I can clarify anything else, the professor arrives, and class gets underway. Unfortunately, I’m too busy stewing to focus on the quiz. The equations swim before my eyes, making even less sense than usual.
Who the hell does Hunter think he is?
He has no right to make me off limits.
I tighten my fist, nearly snapping the pencil in half.
Goddamn Hunter Price.
Chapter Nineteen
Hunter
A s soon as Skye crests the second-floor landing of the library, my gaze locks on her. Even from this distance, it’s impossible not to notice that her face is contorted with anger. Or that her green eyes are flashing with fire. Or how about the way her hands are tightened into fists.
Yup, the girl is definitely pissed off.
Well…this should be fun.
I lean back on my chair and patiently wait as she surveys the floor. When her gaze collides with mine, her eyes narrow and her jaw locks before she stalks over to the table I’m sitting at.
Rage shimmers around her.
Skye Sinclair is a beautiful girl. But she’s fucking gorgeous when she has a burr shoved up her ass. My guess is that there’s a massive burr with my name on it.
My cock twitches with every step that brings her closer. I almost rub my hands together with anticipation.
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