“Wait? Are you saying yes?” Dad gaped at Mom.
She sighed, giving my dad a poignant look.
“Amy…”
“She’s an adult, Noah. She’s always been so responsible; we have no reason not to trust her. She’s never asked anything from us. We can’t keep her in a bubble, no matter how we feel about him. We’re only going to push them together instead of apart. We have to believe we raised our daughter right and let her go.”
Dad huffed, moving around the space in a tight circle. Finally, he exhaled, his jaw still tight. “You will text us the moment you land and call every day?”
I was only going to be gone two days, but I nodded.
“Okay. Fine.”
“Thank you!” I squeaked, running to hug both, and gave my grandma the biggest smile. She winked back.
Even though Stevie agreed to go with me, as our plane rolled to the gate, she looked like she wanted an escape hatch and a hell of a lot more wine.
“We can stop at the bar before we get a taxi, right?” She swung her weekend bag on her shoulder, tossing me mine from the overhead bin.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were nervous.” I grinned, pulling on my backpack. “This doesn’t have anything to do with a certain boy you imagine in a loincloth, does it?”
“What? No.” She scowled at me. “So over that. He only helped me confirm I like girls better.”
“Uh-huh.” I rolled my lips, trying not to outright laugh, and followed her out of the plane.
“Please, the only reason I’m here, besides for you,” she flicked her chin to me, “is the multitude of smoking-hot promo girls who will be around this weekend, wearing practically nothing. I’m so off guys right now. Remind me to not get blinded by a hot muscular ass this weekend, no matter how good it looks in a riding uniform. Not worth it.”
“Oh Stevie. You are full of shit.”
“I’m about to be full of alcohol.” She steered me toward the airport restaurant. “I warned you the only way I would go was drunk.”
Sure, this had nothing to do with the fact we were about to meet the boys at hotel in twenty minutes. That notion made me want to drink as well.
“Jayme.” Hunter’s deep voice sailed up the back of my neck. I twisted around, my breath hitching in my throat. My knees felt wobbly seeing him standing there in his typical outfit of dark jeans, black T-shirt, and boots. He looked amazing. His brown hair, slightly longer on top, was tousled and sexy. Scruff lined his face, and his blue eyes latched on to me. He was the kind of guy who made smart girls act dumb as hell. Colton had been flirty and fun, but Hunter was drenched with visceral sexuality and untamed energy. He’d watch you quietly, his gaze raking over every inch, disarming and undressing you without moving or speaking, causing your pulse to pound without a word from him.
“Hey.” My heart impaled itself on my ribs as he walked up to me in the lobby of the hotel. I had texted him when we arrived, letting him know we were here. Stevie and I quickly got refreshed and came back down. One of the supercross sponsors was putting on a party in the hotel bar. It was cooler and drier in Denver than I was used to, the humidity down south suffocating, but I still wore a cute black summer dress and my boots, a chill goosebumping my flesh.
“You girls all settled in?” His boots touched mine, his gaze heady.
“Yes. We’re in Room 439.”
“Just a few doors down from mine.” The edges of his lips tipped up as his gaze darted over my shoulder. “Hey, Stevie.”
“Hey,” she responded, her eyes scouring the area.
“He’s in the bar.” Hunter thumbed back at the dark, swanky restaurant entrance crowded with bodies, music thumping from it. A sign at the entrance read “Private Party.”
“Who?” She peered at Hunter with disinterest.
Hunter laughed, a knowing look bouncing between us. “So… you’re gonna play it like that too, huh?”
“Play what?” She flipped her hair, walking past us. “Only thing I plan on playing with is one of those hot girls.”
Hunter tipped his eyebrows. “Funny, that’s what he said also.”
“Good for him. As long as he stays out of my way, we’ll be fine.” She walked confidently into the bar.
“Jesus, those two.” Hunter rubbed his temple. “Both playing the same game, pretending they don’t care.”
“Chris too?”
“If I had a quarter for every time he subtly asked me when you girls were arriving, I would have my bar tab paid in full tonight. He watched the door and my phone more than I did.” Hunter stepped closer to me, sliding his fingers up my jaw. “And let me tell you, I looked at them nonstop.” His thumbs brushed over the tips of my ears. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Are you?” I pressed into him, lifting an eyebrow.
“You don’t know how much.”
“I think you need to show me.”
“You asked for it.” His dimple twitched in his cheek, a desirous smile curving his mouth as it came down on mine. Starving and fierce, I grabbed his T-shirt to hold on as his lips demanded and consumed. The world disappeared around me, a blaze spreading over my body. His fingers curled into the back of my head, tugging me even closer. Even if we jumped in the middle and let the flames devour us, I still wanted to be closer. To feel him everywhere.
I was aware of people walking by us, remarks being made, mostly by girls, but nothing ever seemed to matter when I was with Hunter. Not what people thought or what was right or wrong. It was just him and me.
Hunter made a loud throaty noise and broke away. “If I don’t stop now, I’m taking you upstairs. Screw the party.”
Sounded good to me. I shrugged, making Hunter groan.
“Jesus, Jayme… Don’t tempt me right now.” He tipped his head into mine, kissing me one more time before stepping back, giving me a view of the hardness lining his jeans. His gaze followed mine and he growled, whirling around into the dimly lit bar. “Stevie will kill you.”
“Unless we invite her.” I caught up with him.
He laughed, nodding, and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the throng of people crowding the bar. The sponsor putting on the party had promo girls walking around in minuscule outfits with alcohol shots for the crowd. Even the off-duty promo girls were noticeable in or out of uniform. No denying they were hot, but none looked natural. Hair, boobs, nails, skin, makeup—all were overdone. Not that the viewers or the riders cared. I felt plain, naive, and young in comparison. I couldn’t help but wonder why Hunter wouldn’t want a girl like that. A girl without baggage. With no tie to his brother or that night.
Girl after girl tried to stop Hunter, whispering in his ear, hugging him, kissing his cheek as though I weren’t there—anything to get his attention. They all seemed to want to be the one he looked at or decided to take upstairs.
His grip around my fingers increased, pulling me closer to his side as he politely moved past each stunning girl. Their attention landed on me with a mix of emotions: surprise, irritation, judgment, hatred, curiosity. Each looked at me as though assessing why I was at his side instead of them.
One raven-haired girl especially glared at me with pure detestation, not hiding her scrutiny, her gaze running over every inch of me, a snarl on her lip.
Please, please tell me he hasn’t slept with her. Or any of them…
“Bar’s open only for the supercross crowd,” he said to me, or rather yelled, over the loud music. “And no one is driving. So… what would you like?”
“One of those ciders,” I replied.
He nodded, pointing. “There’s Stevie. I’ll go get us drinks and be right back.” I thought he would just walk away, but he leaned over and kissed me, not caring who was watching, before he headed deeper into the mob at the bar.
Grinning like a fool, I made my way toward Stevie. She was talking to a striking Asian girl, not in a promo uniform, though she wasn’t wearing much more than strips of cloth anyway. I knew Stevie, and she mostly let the
m come to her. She was leaning in way too close, touching the girl far too much. My gaze scanned the room. As I thought, Chris was not too far away, flirting ridiculously with a gorgeous black beauty, her hair naturally curly and wild, her dress like skin, announcing every curve of her perfect body. She was breathtaking, but still I noticed Chris’s attention sliding every once in a while to my friend. It made me want to smash their heads together.
“Hey, Stevie.” I touched her back, coming around to her side.
“Whiskey!” Stevie’s eyes were glazed, her cheeks red. “I was wondering where you were. Meet my new friend…” She tapered off, looking at the girl to introduce herself.
“Hi, I’m Joyce.” The girl smiled, shaking my hand.
“Mulan, the sequel.” Stevie covered the side of her mouth, whispering hoarsely. “It had a sequel, right? Well, it does now!”
“How are you so drunk? You walked in like five minutes ago.” She did drink on the plane and at the airport bar, but I didn’t think she had been that intoxicated yet.
Stevie motioned to all the waitresses moving through the room with trays of free shots. “They were very kind. I think I met most of them… twice.”
“Wine, now tequila. Good plan.” I shook my head.
“Hey, Mom…” Stevie frowned. “No one is driving here. And the room is only a few floors up.”
I was firmly against drinking and driving, but I wasn’t against drinking. I’d been around Stevie enough to know she had a lot of demons and pain she kept hidden, mostly going back to her father, but I’d never seen her drown herself in alcohol like this.
It might have been a coincidence, but it all started around the time she and Chris parted ways. I asked her over and over what happened between them, but she never said more than, “He left. Good riddance.”
“Stevie, I see you’re already making friends. Hey, Joyce.” Hunter’s deep voice rumbled from behind me as a bottle seemed to levitate over my head into my hands. The feel of him as he pressed into my back made me short of breath. He felt hard against my ass, and it took everything in my power not to rub against him.
“I’m friendly like that.” Stevie grinned, giving the girl a wink. Joyce’s eyes jerked around, as though she didn’t know what to make of Stevie’s look or what was going on.
A rumble vibrated my back as Hunter chuckled. “Where’s Craig, Joyce? Is he here?”
Relief flushed over Joyce’s face.
“Yeah, he’s getting me another drink.” She motioned to a guy at the bar, smiling dreamily. “We’re only having one more then heading up. He wants to be in top form tomorrow. Hoping to beat you,” she teased Hunter, already moving toward her boyfriend. “I’m gonna go see if he needs help.” She practically ran away.
Hunter snorted, his hand pressing into my hip. “Oh Stevie… hitting on straight girls now?”
“I hit on straight girls all the time. You’d be surprised how many aren’t so straight,” she snapped at Hunter, her cheeks turning a deep red.
“Try to get the ones who aren’t newly engaged,” he said. His hand wandered over my body, stealing my rational mind.
“She’s engaged?” Stevie huffed. “Whatever. On to the next.”
“Chris?” Hunter hollered over my head, causing Stevie’s eyes to go wide, her lips pursing. Hunter waved his arm at his friend. Chris glanced at him, then at Stevie, his expression going to stone. He leaned over, kissed the girl he was with on the cheek, said something to her, then strolled to us.
Stevie folded her arms, mimicking his unemotional air, looking at her empty shot glass like she wished it would magically fill.
“Hey!” Chris grinned easily, his focus entirely on me. “You guys made it.”
“Hey, Chris.” I broke away from Hunter to give him a huge hug. “Looking forward to seeing you guys race tomorrow.”
He nodded, his happy grin sliding slightly as he turned. “Hey, Stevie.”
“Hey.” Her head bounced in response, but her eyes never connected with his. Quickly the pop music pulsed between us, straining the awkward silence instead of filling it.
“So,” I licked my lips, “where is Jones? I thought he was your manager now.”
“He’s flying in the morning. His youngest sister had another baby.” Hunter’s hand fell to my hip again.
“Shit, those sisters multiply like gremlins. What’s this, his sixth or seventh niece or nephew?” Chris took a huge swig of his beer, as if he were trying to down it in one gulp.
“Sixth. And only two of those are boys.” Hunter chuckled, tipping the bottle to his lips. “Lots of women in that house.”
The conversation seemed light and friendly enough, but all I could feel was the tension. And for once, it wasn’t Hunter and me.
There was another beat of silence before Chris held up his barely empty beer bottle. “Gonna get another. You guys all good?”
“Yeah.” Hunter nodded. “Only drinking this one before I head up. Got to be on tomorrow.”
“See, that’s why I don’t mind being such an average rider. I don’t have to be good or answer to anyone. No one cares!” Chris slapped Hunter on the arm, wiggling his eyebrows at a passing promo girl. “I get the perks of being a rider without the restrictions. Have a good night. See you guys tomorrow.” He squeezed my hand, nodding at Hunter. “Stevie,” he said quickly before he darted off to the bar.
“Wow.” Hunter curved to her. “I didn’t think it was possible… that you were capable of being so quiet. Ever.”
“Shut up, asshole.” She glared at him. “I had nothing to say to him. Conversation with an ape would have been more stimulating.”
“Well, Tarzan does talk to apes.” I grinned behind my bottle. “Maybe he can introduce you.”
“You know what?” Stevie huffed, fluffing her hair. “I’ve had enough of you two tonight. I’m going to find myself a plaything, so you might not want to come back to the room. Unless you’re finally open to that.” She rolled her shoulders back, waving at me. “Have fun.” She vanished into the horde.
“Can I smack them?” I twisted in Hunter’s arms, facing him. “They are being idiots. Why can’t they just admit they like the other and stop trying to hurt one another and themselves?”
“Chris doesn’t talk about his past much. Only once, when he was drunk, did he mention a girl he dated. But as long as I’ve known him, he has never seen a girl for more than a week, usually one night is enough. Stevie totally fucked with his head. I don’t think he knows how to deal with her.”
“Same with Stevie.” I placed my hands on his arms. “I hate seeing them try to hurt the other only because they’re too scared to admit they feel something for the other.”
Hunter’s mouth twisted, his arms circling around me. “You mean like we did?”
I inhaled, letting the notion fall over me. He was right. It was exactly what we had done. I denied my feelings for Hunter for a long time. We lashed out at each other, trying to fight against them.
There were days I still tried, when the judgment of others, of my own parents, seemed too heavy. But then I knew I wanted no one else. Being here where nobody knew our past or what we went through, created a fleeting moment where I could pretend we were a normal couple. Just a guy and girl, figuring out our relationship.
But we weren’t normal and never would be. Nor would we ever be accepted into some circles.
He set his beer down on the table, his regard thick with unsaid words. “You want to stay here?”
“No.” I shook my head as a herd of elephants stomped around in my stomach, knowing what my answer meant. He grinned, plucking the half-full bottle from my hands, placing it next to his. Without a word, he laced our hands together and led me out of the restaurant.
The bright lights of the lobby zapped reality into me, heating my cheeks when I looked over at the family and other couple waiting for the elevator. Nerves sprang up like grass and mingled with excitement. I wanted this, but I was still terrified.
With Col
ton, I had made every excuse, never feeling ready. Funny, the one time in our relationship I had been ready, wanted nothing more than to cross that line, I found out later it was Hunter with me that night, not Colton. Then the night in the physical therapy room, the first time Hunter and I really kissed, I wanted him, wanted to be with him. Feel him.
We didn’t speak the entire way up; his heated gaze only stole more air from my lungs.
He stopped a few doors before the room I shared with Stevie, opened it, and let me walk in first.
Shit, maybe I should have finished my drink to ease the battle of butterflies wrestling it out in my gut. With us it had always been spontaneous, in the heat of the moment. This felt much more intentional and strangely awkward.
“This feels…” I gulped as he shut the door behind him.
“What?”
“Cheesy?” I gestured around the room. “A hotel room… I don’t know… It doesn’t feel like us.”
“My pickup is right out front.” He stepped in front of me, desire vibrating off him, a grin playing on his lips. “No problem with that.”
I laughed, feeling a bit lighter. “Actually.”
A noise, almost like a growl and a groan, quavered his chest, his frame bumping mine.
“Hunt—” I opened my mouth, but his hand gripped the back of my head, cutting off whatever I was going to say, his mouth colliding into mine with raw brutality, igniting me in flames and burning away all reservations and nerves. He grabbed my ass and lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his torso, his erection rubbing against me. I wanted to be closer, to have him inside me.
He tossed me on the bed, following behind, sinking between my legs.
“Fuck… Jayme.” He bit my lip, sucking it; my brain spiraled into primal mode. I didn’t care how frantically I tore at his shirt or didn’t mind the noises his touch instigated with every nip of his lips. He sat back, pulling his shirt over his head, and took off my boots and his own and then returned his mouth to mine. Hunter walked the line of violent need, which seemed to incite my own wild desire. I loved his passion, the intensity of his mouth and hands on me.
Broken Love (Blinded Love Series Book 2) Page 4