A Kiss Beneath the Stars (The Malone Brothers Book 1)

by S. L. Sterling

  * * *

  HUNTER

  I didn’t know what to say. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear what she had shared with me. I watched as the tears rolled down her cheeks, her body shaking. What kind of an asshole would do that to this angel? He was acting as if he was the only one who’d lost anything, when really it was her who had lost everything. Her life had been totally affected, and she had absolutely no support system whatsoever. It’s no wonder she always looks sad. She has every right to be sad. “Please, Hunter, I don’t want to hurt you, but I fear last night was a mistake,” she cried, her red eyes meeting mine.

  Watching the tears fall from those beautiful eyes was literally killing me. She had already suffered so much, and it wasn’t fair that she still was. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I let her go from my hold, took a couple of steps away from her, and turned to look out at the ocean. My mind screamed at me to just walk away, not to get involved, but my heart—for some reason, my heart told me not to let her go. As I stood there listening to her cry, and even fighting back tears myself, I heard her faintly whisper behind me. “Please, Hunter, please just leave.”

  I felt a very unfamiliar feeling building in my gut. I couldn’t describe it, but it didn’t calm until I had pulled her back into me and kissed her hard, holding her tightly in my arms. When the kiss broke, I sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not going anywhere, Autumn. So, you cry, cry until your heart is content, and then together we’ll move on.” I pulled her tightly against me and held her. I’d lost track of how long we’d been standing there like that, but she had finally quieted down and was just resting her head on my chest.

  Sitting down on the palapa mattress, I pulled her down beside me. She shivered as the cool night air blew off the ocean. I moved myself back onto the mattress and guided her up to lay beside me, my body blocking the cool night breeze from her. She curled her body into me and lay there. Rolling onto my side with her in my arms, I kissed her lips. “I want to take away all your pain, baby,” I whispered to her as I kissed her again.

  “Please,” she moaned as she placed her hand on the back of my head and pulled me into her, pushing her body against mine.

  She was so small in my arms. I loved listening to the sounds she made as I kissed her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  HUNTER

  MORNING RAIN TAPPING ON THE window woke me. I felt her body against mine and looked down at the sleeping angel laying beside me. I glanced at the clock. It was already eleven. My flight left at eight, which meant I had to leave the resort no later than five.

  Rolling onto my side, I pulled her body into me, a gentle, soft moan coming from her lips. I placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. I didn’t want to leave her. I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay in this moment forever. After she had poured her heart out to me the other night, she became a different person, not afraid to express herself or have fun. It was like she had washed away all the guilt that she had been holding onto.

  We had spent the last three days together—getting a couple’s massage, having dinner, laying in the sun, taking a tour through Shaw Gardens, and going horseback riding on the beach. It had been amazing getting to know her. But today was the last day I would be with her, and I secretly wished that I could stop time forever. We hadn’t had a chance to talk about what would happen after this week. As a matter of fact, neither of us had even shared where we lived. I just knew that no matter where it was, I was willing to give everything I had to make it work.

  I brushed the hair away from her neck and started kissing her slowly. She let out a soft moan as she stretched and rolled herself against me. Running my hand down the flat of her stomach and into her panties, I started rubbing her clit, dipping my finger into her wetness and back up over the small bundle of nerves. A soft moan escaped her lips. I rubbed her until she was begging me to stop, gripping my bicep, digging her nails into me. I kept going until an orgasm finally ripped through her. Then I placed a strong, deep kiss on her lips.

  “Hunter, you ready for lunch, man?” Chase shouted from outside the door, causing us both to jump.

  “Come on, man!” Bryce shouted, pounding on the door. “It’s our last day. Get out here and join us, you ass.”

  I placed another kiss on Autumn’s lips and crawled out of bed, throwing on a pair of jeans. Covering her up, I went to open the door. Bryce and Chase stood there looking at me. “Well, it’s about fucking time, man.” They pushed their way through the door. I put my hand out to stop them both from entering. “What?” Bryce looked at me in surprise. I shook my head at the pair of them.

  “What? Oh, she’s here?” Bryce and Chase laughed, both trying to peek around the corner.

  “Yes, now give us a few minutes and we’ll meet you down by the pool restaurant for some lunch.”

  Chase looked at me and smiled. “Well, is she any good?” he mouthed.

  I gave them both an annoyed look and pushed them both back out the door, shutting it behind them. I laughed to myself as I made my way back to the other room. “I swear, for two grown-ass men, they sure can act like children occasionally.” As I rounded the corner, Autumn was already out of bed, throwing on one of my T-shirts, laughing at what I had said.

  “Let me just run next door and get dressed and then we can meet your brothers for some lunch.” She kissed me deeply before heading out the back door and into her room to get ready for the day.

  * * *

  AUTUMN

  The day had gone relatively fast, and before I knew it, I was standing with Bryce and Chase in the lobby as Hunter turned in his room keys. I had a half hour left with him and then he would be gone. When Hunter returned, Bryce and Chase took off to say goodbye to their lady friends, leaving us to one another.

  “Listen, Autumn, the past few days have been wonderful. I’ve given it some thought; I’m not sure where you live, and to be honest, it really doesn’t matter because I would like to stay in touch, see where things may go between us.” He grabbed both my hands in his and smiled at me.

  “I’d like that,” I said, meeting his eyes.

  He reached into his pocket and handed me a business card. I took it from his hand and read what was printed on it, a large smile spreading across my face. “What is it, beautiful?”

  “It shouldn’t be as hard as you think. You work about an hour away from where I live,” I whispered, reaching up and placing a kiss on his lips.

  He kissed me hard, sweeping his tongue through my mouth. Then he looked deep into my eyes, not hiding how he felt. “You have no idea how happy this makes me, beautiful. Now what is your number?” He pulled his phone from his pocket, opened up his contacts, and typed me into his phone while I rattled off my number for him. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and led me over to an empty seat in the lobby, pulling me down onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around me, he kissed me again, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth.

  I rested my head against his. “Don’t you dare start something we can’t finish. We don’t have time.”

  “Want to bet?” He wagged his eyebrows at me. I leaned in and met his lips again. “Come with me,” he whispered between kisses.

  At first, I protested, but he kept pulling me through the crowd of people that were waiting for the bus. We walked quickly along the front of the resort and stopped just outside of the men’s bathroom.

  “Hunter, I can’t go in there.”

  “Yes, you can.” He winked at me and looked back over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching as he pulled me through the men’s bathroom door. I felt my heart start to pound, but the bathroom was empty. As soon as we were inside, he pushed me up against the door and locked it. His mouth was instantly on mine, his hands gripping my ass, lifting me and wrapping my legs around his hips. His kiss deepened as he carried me over to the counter and sat me on the edge of it.

  “Take your panties off and lift your skirt,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. “I’m going to make you moan so loud, the whole lobby
will know what just happened.”

  A chill ran through me at the thought as I wiggled out of my panties. Wrapping his arms around me, he held me on the edge of the counter, knelt down, and placed my legs over his shoulders. His eyes met mine before he buried his face between my legs, licking and sucking at my center. I had to bite my lower lip to keep from moaning. I could feel myself just about to come when he pushed my legs off his shoulders and stood up. “I want to hear you one more time as I bury myself in you.” I heard his zipper lower.

  I parted my legs to make room for him. Reaching down between us, I held him in my hand and stroked his thick cock.

  “Fuck, I can’t wait to feel you,” he moaned as I continued to stroke him.

  “Do you have a condom?” I asked.

  A look came over his face. “FUCK!”

  I bit my bottom lip. It would be nice to feel a man inside of me again without something between us, I thought. I knew I was going way too fast with all of this, but honestly, we really hadn’t gone slow with anything else.

  “What is it, beautiful?” he asked as he studied my face.

  “I want to feel you inside me. Just you with nothing between us,” I whispered, my eyes begging him.

  I placed him at my entrance and rubbed his hard cock through my wetness. He groaned loudly as he slid himself deep inside of me. His hands gripping my hips, he held me against him as he pumped into me hard, fast, and deep. Small whimpers escaped my lips the harder he thrust. I could feel him start to swell as I tightened around him. He let out a deep groan when he slammed into me. As he filled me, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shoulder, screaming his name through clenched teeth as I came.

  He met my lips as he pulled himself out of me and zipped his pants back up. I straightened my skirt and bent to pick my panties up off the floor. “Give those to me, beautiful.” He smiled at me as he held his hand out. “I want a reminder of you until I see you again.” I handed them to him and watched as he put them in his pocket. As he looked at me, I could feel the blush rising onto my face.

  * * *

  The bus pulled up to the front of the lobby. I closed my eyes and tried to fight down the lump that was forming in my throat.

  The bellhops were already organizing the luggage and had started to load it into the bus. “I guess this is it,” I whispered, my eyes burning.

  “Just for now. I’ll be in touch with you soon. I promise,” he said, looking toward the back of the lobby, signaling over my shoulder to both Chase and Bryce to get to the bus.

  I blinked. I could feel a hot tear slip down my cheek. Hunter looked down at me, a loving smile on his face. “Don’t cry. I promise, before you know it, you’ll be in my arms again.” He wiped away the lone tear and leaned down, pressing his lips to mine, wrapping me in his arms. I nodded, inhaling his scent.

  It wasn’t long before they were boarding the bus. I stood watching as it pulled away from the lobby, taking him from me. Once they were no longer in sight, I walked back to my room and started to pack my things. I was halfway through when a funny feeling came over me. Suddenly I was afraid that he wouldn’t call, that maybe this was all there was supposed to be between us. When we got away from this island, life would return to normal, and it was possible that he would forget about me and everything we had shared. As I was packing my carry-on bag, I found the letter he had taped to the door for me. I re-read his words, a warm feeling crawling through my body. Meeting him had been a big deal for me. Trusting again, opening up, and sharing the things I had shared with him hadn’t been easy, and I just prayed that he knew that. I was looking forward to seeing where things could go, but at this moment, I felt completely exposed and extremely vulnerable.

  Chapter Sixteen

  AUTUMN

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  I’D BEEN HOME NOW FOR a couple of weeks and had settled back into my routine. I missed Jamaica—the sun, the music, but most of all, I missed Hunter. I hadn’t heard from him since the night he left the resort except for a text that let me know he had gotten home safe. I of course had responded when I landed, but after that, there had been no communication. The only person I had told about him was Dr. Plante, mainly because the day I went to see him I was having serious doubts that I would ever hear from him again. He told me that I might need to prepare myself to accept the fact that it could have been nothing more than a fling. He had wanted me to text or call Hunter during my appointment with him to try to ease my mind, but I was too afraid. Instead, I found myself in his office in tears convinced that if he hadn’t already called me then that was all the proof I needed, and I didn’t need to make a fool of myself any more than I already had.

  I rolled over in bed. It was Thursday morning. Evelyn was off today, and by the sound of things, she was tearing apart the downstairs. She was starting to decorate for Christmas.

  I sat up in bed and checked my phone, just like I had done every morning for the past two weeks. My nerves were getting the best of me as I unlocked the phone to see the exact same thing: no message from Hunter. I grabbed the glass of water from my nightstand, taking a drink to get rid of the lump that was forming in my throat.

  I finally got up, got dressed, and headed downstairs for some food. Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured myself a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning!” Evelyn sang as she came walking into the kitchen with another box of decorations.

  “Morning.”

  “So, now that Derek finally isn’t around, are you going to tell me what really happened on your trip?” She dropped the box on the floor and poured herself a cup of coffee. Derek had been on vacation for the last two weeks, and we hadn’t really had any time to talk.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know… Did you meet anyone?” I smiled to myself as the memory of Hunter flew into my mind. I took a sip of coffee. “You did! I knew it. I could tell from the look on your face the minute you stepped off that plane!” she sang as she flopped down on the chair beside me.

  I went quiet. “I did. I met someone.”

  “Well, you have to tell me about him. First, let’s start with his name.”

  “His name is Hunter.” I began searching through my phone for a picture.

  “Are you going to see him again?” she pressed.

  “We were going to try to stay in touch, but it’s obviously not going to work. I haven’t heard from him since I came back.”

  “I’m sure he just got busy. Did you message him?”

  “No.” I continued my search through my pictures until I came upon the one I was looking for. It was the night of our candlelit dinner. I handed the phone to Evelyn. “This is Hunter. That night he set up a private candlelit dinner on the beach for us. We shared wonderful conversation, ate fantastic food, and danced under the moonlight. I think it was the most romantic night we spent together.”

  Evelyn took the phone from me and looked down at the screen. “This is him?”

  “Yes, you know, it’s really a small world. He works an hour away from here. We never spoke of where one another lived until the night he left. He suggested keeping in touch, and that was when I found out where he worked.”

  I looked at the expression on Evelyn’s face as she looked at the photo. I could tell she was hiding something. “What is it, Evelyn?”

  She looked up at me and smiled. “Nothing. He’s very handsome. So, how far did it go between the two of you?” I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I wasn’t sure I wanted to share that with Evelyn. I didn’t want to hear the lecture that I was sure would be coming from following her advice. However, it was too late. She already knew. “You didn’t!”

  “Yes, we did.” I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips, thinking back to those nights.

  “Must have been good to make you smile like that.” Evelyn nudged me with her shoulder. “Well, as long as you used protection.”

  “Okay, Mom.” I swallowed hard, thinking
about the last time we had been together, unprotected.

  “I’m sure he’ll contact you. Now drink up and help me put this stuff up.” Evelyn dug into a box of decorations and handed me a bunch of garland. “These are for the railing. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  EVELYN

  DEREK WAS LATE COMING HOME from his first day back at the office, so Autumn and I had eaten dinner without him. Autumn had already gone to bed. I on the other hand couldn’t even think about sleeping. It wasn’t that I wasn’t tired, because I was exhausted. Autumn was weighing on my mind, and without Derek home to talk to, I knew it would just keep nagging at me.

  Listening to her talk about Hunter had nearly broken my heart. I didn’t want this bastard to do this to her. I felt the strong need to protect her, even though she would insist she was fine. It’s just she had had her heart broken enough in the past couple years. She didn’t need this. Once I got her talking, she had continued telling me about her trip and about all the time she had spent with him. I listened painfully for hours as she shared everything with me—from how he tried to get her attention to how they ended up in bed together.