I got rewarded with a delighted chuckle from Hunter and a few more kisses down my neck until he reached my collarbone. Each little touch of his lips on my skin drew little noises and shivers from me until he suddenly pulled away. I whined quietly at the loss of contact and opened my eyes to see him study me with a thoughtful expression.
“Is it okay if I give you a hickey?”
“Yes,” I breathed without a second of hesitation.
Hunter looked at me with a small smile. “You’re so beautiful.”
My answer turned into an appreciative sigh when he lightly turned my head to the side and pressed his lips to my skin again, licking and kissing until he suddenly started sucking at a spot on the side of my neck. I inhaled sharply at the sudden pain, but it was quickly soothed with another kiss. Hunter repeated this a few times, looking up at me with a content smile from time to time.
Eventually, he let go of my hands, letting them fall down at my sides. As soon as they were free, I started to tug at the hem of his shirt, struggling to lift it up. Hunter let go of me and pulled it over his head himself.
For a second, all I could do was stare. Then I quietly whispered, “Holy shit.”
Hunter laughed, running a hand through his hair. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that his body looked like it was from the cover of a magazine. His defined muscles flexed and his toned skin looked impossibly smooth. Of course, I had seen him shirtless at the lake and in the locker room before sports class already, but not up close and only from glancing at him briefly.
“Your turn.” Hunter teased.
I swallowed, feeling self-conscious looking at the Adonis in front of me and comparing him to my own body. But then I looked up at his eyes and realized that it probably didn’t matter. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. For a moment, everything was unnervingly quiet. Then Hunter suddenly stepped closer and kissed me again while running a hand up and down my chest.
I almost sighed in relief and pushed closer, feeling his naked skin under mine. It was then that I realized something. With a gasp, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment and I broke away.
Hunter only grinned, not at all surprised and jokingly said, “Oh, maybe I should’ve told you that the lavender oil also acts as an aphrodisiac. People get incredibly affected by only inhaling it a few times and—”
“I see,” I said sarcastically before I could think better of it. “I was already wondering why. I mean, it certainly can’t be because of you…”
“Rude,” Hunter said with a smirk and let go of me.
“Hunter, no!” I exclaimed incredulously. “Are you serious?”
He laughed and put his hand to my cheek, giving me a short kiss. “Yes, I am. We’re not doing this already. No, don’t look at me like that!” he said when I glared at him. “I told you I was not going to rush this and end up scaring you away in the end. And I’m sticking to that.”
I groaned and let my head fall back against the wall, my eyes shooting daggers at his back as he picked his shirt off the floor and went back to talking to me like nothing happened.
Chapter 25
I looked like autumn had suddenly broken out the next day. The afternoon with Hunter the day before had left a mark on me. Literally. And not only one, but at least six, from what I could see.
Right now, I cursed myself for allowing Hunter to give me a hickey, even though I knew that if he’d ask me again right now, I’d let him.
All over my neck were dark bruises that I definitely did not want my parents to see, so I had decided to wear a loop scarf along with a matching beanie in an attempt to conceal them. While my parents didn’t even look twice, Nate, on the other hand, didn’t believe that I was only wearing this because I felt like it and had quickly lifted the covers of my hidden marks.
My ears were still ringing from his excited shriek.
There was a small mirror in my locker, one that was left there by whoever had owned it last year. It came in handy sometimes. After glancing around to make sure no one was near, I pulled the scarf down to expose my neck. With a grimace, I lightly poked a particularly dark bruise, wincing at the pain.
When I suddenly heard footsteps approaching me, I immediately adjusted my scarf and spun around.
“Admiring yourself?” Hunter teased with a smirk as he stopped next to me and leaned against the lockers.
I rolled my eyes at him, but there was a smile tugging at my lips while I gave him a once-over. “Good morning to you, too.”
“Can I see?” Hunter asked curiously and pointed at my neck.
I nodded, laughing. Hunter’s face lit up as he stepped closer and lifted the scarf over my head. He whistled approvingly and gently trailed a cold finger over the marks, making me shiver.
“Proud of yourself?” I asked sarcastically.
Hunter shrugged, still grinning. “A little. Should I try to spell something out next time? Something like If found, hand back to Hunter Adams.”
I scowled at him and took the scarf out of his hand. Pulling it back over my head, I said, “And who says there’ll be a next time?”
Hunter raised a brow at me and chuckled. “Well, yesterday it didn’t seem like you didn’t enjoy it…”
My cheeks immediately heated up at the memory, but I mustered enough confidence to say, “What I mean is: Next time it’s your turn.”
I was obviously joking. Hunter had expressed his distaste for hickeys before, so I had no hope that he’ll allow me to do so any time soon.
That was why I was so surprised when he just shrugged and said, “Sure, feel free.”
“Are…are you serious?”
“Yeah. I don’t mind.”
I frowned at him and shut the door of my locker. “Okay, but I do. I don’t want to do something to you that you’re not comfortable with.”
“What do you mean?” he said, sounding confused.
“You told me you don’t like hickeys.” I clarified. “So I’m not going to give you one.”
“You got that wrong: I don’t like hickeys from unimportant hook-ups. I wouldn’t mind one from you…or a dozen, if you want to get even.” Hunter laughed, gesturing towards my neck.
It was absolutely ridiculous how happy just that one sentence made me, and I did my best to stop the broad grin that threatened to take over my face. “I’ll get back to that offer next time we’re alone.” I promised and was stunned to see that Hunter’s breath actually seemed to hitch.
Before I could comment on that, Alexis skipped towards us and slung an arm around Hunter’s waist. “Hey! You two look happy…What’s that about?” she said, smiling brightly. She had curled her hair today and was wearing an extremely oversized hoodie that reached down to her knees and high boots.
Hunter grinned down at her and propped his elbow on her shoulder. “Hey, honeybee! Are you giving me that hoodie back anytime soon?”
Sticking her tongue out at him, she ran a hand through her hair. “Nate just blushed and nearly dropped his books when he saw me, so…I think I’m gonna keep it for a while.”
“Well, you’re not exactly making this easy for him…” Hunter said between laughter.
I looked at her curiously and asked, “What’s going on between you two anyway, Alex?”
She shrugged casually, but there was a suspicious look in her eyes when she answered, “Nothing. What’s there to be?”
“I don’t know. I mean, Nate obviously likes you and—” I broke off when Hunter shook his head furiously and made a gesture as if cutting his throat with his hand.
The smile vanished from Alex’s face, and she looked almost upset. “He doesn’t like me,” she said, not meeting my eyes. “For some reason, boys tend to see me and think a few stupid pick-up lines will be enough to make me hook up with them. But that’s it. No one ever tried to get past that.”
“But you’re—”
“Pretty?” she asked, bitterness sounding in her words. “So I’ve been told. But I don’t want to be ju
st the dumb blonde beauty queen who’s worth a night. I’m more than that, but no one seems to care.”
I was silent, tempted to object and tell her that Nate was not like that, that he looked past her looks and the makeup. But then I decided that was none of my business. It was theirs to figure out.
I knew Nate well enough to be sure he wouldn’t appreciate my help on this one. So I just said, “Alex, any guy who pays just a shred of attention will realize that you’re more than that.”
“See, even Jules noticed,” Hunter said, twirling a strand of Alex’s golden locks around his finger. “And he usually really doesn’t pay attention to girls.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, which he acknowledged with an unimpressed smirk.
Alexis chuckled, the gloomy expression suddenly gone. “Honestly, Jules. How do you put up with him?”
“Excuse you, miss. Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?” Hunter asked in the same moment that I said, “Honestly? I have no idea.”
“I see.” Alex laughed before she said, suddenly excited, “Oh, I nearly forgot! The shops are starting to sell prom dresses and suits today! I thought we could all go shopping together.”
I tried not to look too opposed since I knew that she had poured her heart into this year’s prom’s planning.
“Uh, I don’t think I’ll go to the prom, to be honest.”
Hunter and Alexis looked equally bewildered.
“What do you mean, you’re not going? Of course, you are!” she exclaimed.
“I’m not really into that stuff, you know…” I said, getting uncomfortable under their disapproving stares. “I would’ve come if I was still with Emily because she would’ve dragged me there, but…”
“Fine. Then I’ll drag you there,” Hunter said confidently. “It’ll be fun!”
A nagging voice in my head pointed out that prom was still a few months away and I didn’t even know if Hunter would still be interested in me by then, so I just settled on shrugging vaguely.
“Come on, Jules. Please,” Hunter said and gave me puppy eyes. “You don’t even have to be there with me if you don’t want to. And you don’t have to dance either. Just be there.”
I tried to hold his gaze, but it soon became too intense, and I directed my stare at my shoes instead. “Okay, fine. I’ll be there.” I groaned.
Hunter smiled happily while Alexis clapped her hands in excitement. “Awesome! So you’re coming shopping with us today as well?”
“Sure.” I sighed.
“Great, so that’s settled. I’ll meet you guys at Hunter’s around five?”
After Hunter and I agreed, she walked off and only turned around once more to say, clearly amused, “By the way, Jules? Cold compresses help against hickeys.”
I stared after her in shock, one hand flying to my neck and cursed quietly while Hunter burst out laughing.
***
“Which one do you like better?”
I shrugged awkwardly and stared at both of the dresses that Alexis was holding. “Aren’t they identical?”
Alex rolled her eyes at me. “No. This one is a different shade of blue and has a different embroidery…Plus, it has a lower neckline. See?”
“Alex, I honestly have no idea. You’re asking someone who only ever wears five pairs of the same jeans and some worn out hoodies from Primark.”
Behind me, I heard Hunter laughing quietly as he finally got out of his seat. We had been sitting in front of the fitting room for at least thirty minutes now, trying to give Alex advice on what dress to buy.
“Try the left one on,” Hunter said. “And give me those. I’ll return them.”
Alexis nodded and handed him the four dresses she had already tried on and ruled out before she disappeared behind the curtain again. Hunter winked at me as he walked past me to bring the dresses back to their hangers.
When he returned, I asked, “Do you often do this?”
Hunter seemed strangely experienced as if he went shopping with Alex on a regular basis.
To my surprise, he nodded. “Mhm. We always go shopping together. Why do you think she has such a good style? Only because of my brilliant advice.”
“It’s the other way around,” Alex called out, barely muffled by the curtain.
“Shut up, woman,” Hunter shouted with a grin.
The elderly woman walking nearby at that moment sent him a glare, which he replied with, “Sorry, Granny. Wasn’t talking to you!”
The look of anger on her face got even more evident, so I felt obliged to say something.
“Excuse my…friend, miss. He’s still practicing respectful social interaction.”
She squinted at me and pressed her purse closer to her chest. “Well, then tell your boyfriend to shut his trap!”
Before either of us even had the chance to say we weren’t together, she was already gone. Hunter shrugged, chuckling quietly, and turned around just in time to see Alexis stepping out of the changing room.
Hunter and I gasped as we stared at her. Next to Alexis, Cinderella would’ve paled. She looked like a princess out of a Disney movie. The baby blue fabric clung tightly to her figure, enhancing all her curves. Her blonde hair fell loosely over her bare shoulders, and her eyes were shining just as brightly as the small beads scattered all over the dress.
But on her face, there was a sour expression as she pointed at the décolleté. “This itches.”
Hunter groaned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyeing her closely. “Don’t worry. If you go to prom looking like that, you won’t be wearing it for long.”
One corner of her mouth quirked up at that, but she still didn’t seem too pleased.
“You’re stunning, Alex,” I said
I briefly considered snapping a picture for Nate, but then I decided against it. The poor boy couldn’t have a heart attack before he even got the chance to ask her out for prom.
She scrunched up her nose as she twisted in front of the mirror and said, “It looks alright, but I can’t have two uncomfortable pieces of clothing. The high heels will be bad enough, but an itchy dress, too…”
Hunter shook his head, chuckling. “You’ll figure it out. Jules and I will be on the second floor looking for suits then, okay?”
She nodded and ushered us away with a wave of her hand.
Hunter wandered off without looking back to make sure I was following. I had to jog to catch up with him.
“Let’s find you a suit, shall we?”
I grimaced but followed him down the escalator to the area with menswear. “Is that really necessary? I’ll look stupid.”
“You won’t,” Hunter said while flipping through a rack of suit jackets. “What colors do you want?”
“Uh…Black and white?” I said and looked around. “Shouldn’t we ask an assistant for help?”
Hunter shook his head. “Not necessary. I’ve been buying and wearing suits since I was, like, thirteen when my dad had colleagues or clients over for dinner.”
I perked up at that. Hunter had never really talked about his dad before, so I was excited about every little detail.
“What does your dad do?”
“He’s a surgeon…quite a famous one in his line of work. There are a bunch of stars running around with a nose modeled by him.”
“I don’t think I ever saw him…” I mused.
He shrugged. “Yeah, he isn’t home a lot. He’s in L.A. most of the time.”
Before I could ask any more questions, he was already back to the task at hand and suddenly picked a jacket and pants from the rack, holding them up victoriously. He then continued to walk around the shop and grabbed a white shirt and a black bow tie.
“Try this on. I’ll be there in a few minutes, yeah?”
I figured that refusing wouldn’t get me anywhere with Hunter, so I accepted the clothes he handed me and looked for an unoccupied changing room. There I immediately stepped out of my clothes and put on the pants. Just as I was halfway finished with buttoning up the
shirt, the door opened behind me and two arms wrapped around my waist.
I squealed, startled, and felt Hunter laughing behind me.
“Looking hot,” he whispered into my ear.
I immediately felt goosebumps traveling across my body and looked at him through the mirror. “I’m not even fully dressed yet.”
“Exactly,” Hunter said, smiling innocently as he rested his chin on my shoulder.
Of course, he didn’t stay there for long. Seconds later, I felt his lips lightly grazing over my neck, right above one of the hickeys.
“I really, really like these,” he murmured.
“The hickeys or the clothes?”
“The clothes too, but the hickey’s even more.”
“Oh, really,” I said drily, raising a brow at him. “You love to have me branded like this, don’t you?”
He shrugged and reached around me, doing the remaining buttons. “I like the reminder that you’re mine, sugarpie.”
I looked down in embarrassment and lack of a good answer as I felt my cheeks heating up.
When I broke away from him and pulled the jacket over the shirt, he leaned against the other wall and said thoughtfully, “Huh. Sugarpie doesn’t really feel right anymore…That was my teasing name when you were still stupid and pretended to not like me.”
“Maybe I still don’t,” I said mockingly but couldn’t keep a straight face as he scowled.
“Alright. Now sugarpie seems appropriate.”
“It’s a dumb name that can never be appropriate. Especially not for flirting in a changing room.”
Hunter chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. I bit my lip as I looked at him. Something about that gesture always made him twice as attractive, for some reason.
“I liked it. But maybe it’s time for a better pet name.” He grinned mischievously. “I’ll try some.”
“Oh, dear,” I muttered and finally turned around to look into the mirror.
Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes Page 25