Just as she’d known, he stood in the doorway, staring intently at her. His eyes were hungry, craving. She took a deep swallow and said nothing. A second later, he followed her lead, kicking off his shoes and pulling his shirt over his head. Gabby sucked in a breath in shock. Not at how perfect he was. She’d stared at him enough already to have a good mental map of exactly how delicious he’d look with his clothes off. What really shocked her was the giant scar on his chest. Without thinking, she crossed the room to him and reached out toward that scar, only remembering at the last minute that she probably shouldn’t touch it. “What happened?” she whispered.
Hunter reached out, wrapping his hand around hers, and moved it until she was ever so gently touching his flesh. “Close call. I survived.”
Well, that answered none of her questions, but she didn’t ask again. She was just so happy he survived. What if he hadn’t? What if she’d never found him again? And never had a chance to touch, feel him? To, well, taste him?
“Don’t worry about it,” he said softly. “It’s healed.”
Well, if he thought she wasn’t going to worry about it, he was stupider than she ever thought. She tightened her lips, but didn’t argue with him. Instead, she reluctantly let him go as she made her way to the bathroom behind him. She planned to do her nightly ritual, but there wasn’t much nightly ritual to do. It wasn’t as if she’d had makeup on all day that she had to take off. Instead, she just put a quick spread of moisturizer on and cleaned herself off the best she could before marching back into the room. Hunter traded places with her in the bathroom, and she was left trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Did she get in bed and wait for him? Did she stand there awkwardly and wait for him to come back and point her in the right direction?
She decided to try to act normal and pretend she knew what she was doing. She climbed into bed and worked on distributing the pillows equally so Hunter would have some on his side. She didn’t know what side was his, so she just had to guess. He was unfamiliar with her apartment, so she gave him the side closest to the bathroom so if he had to go it would be easy. Then she pulled back the covers, so it was more inviting and he’d have no doubt that he was expected to sleep in the bed. And then she looked around the room, trying to figure out what else she should be doing. Damn it, he’d probably want water. She should go get the glass from the kitchen. Right before she was about to get up, the door opened again, and Hunter emerged.
He’d taken off his pants and his boxer briefs were tight, showing off his muscular thighs and the noticeable bulge between his legs. Gabby really wished she was mature enough to look away, but that seemed impossible. She could hardly believe that she’d spent so much time with this perfect man, let alone that he was about to crawl into bed with her.
Her mouth went dry, the moisture seemingly redirected to depths in other parts of her body. All she could do was watch him wordlessly as he set his pants down next to his side of the bed and crawled in. The bed was a queen and seemed plenty big enough for her, but with him lying next to her, it might as well have been a twin. She flipped off the light next to her, but Hunter had left the bathroom light on and the door cracked, so there was still a soft glow throughout the room.
Gabby lay back, but she couldn’t close her eyes. Even though she was exhausted, her mind was stuck on the idea of sharing her bed with Hunter. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get to sleep,” she said aloud.
“Think happy thoughts?” offered Hunter.
“Oh trust me, my thoughts are happy.”
He offered a little chuckle. “I like your honesty.”
“Are you kidding? The way I dragged you here, and then threw myself at you, I don’t think I can pretend to be unaffected.”
“You need sleep.”
“Oh shut up. You think I don’t know that?”
He chuckled once more, and she didn’t know whether she should be offended or amused at the situation. But then he said, “Trust me, as frustrated as you are, I’ve got it worse.”
Shit. “You can’t prove that. You can’t argue that you’re more frustrated than me. I’m practically vibrating with it, okay?”
“I vibrate for you every time you’re within ten yards of me, Gabby. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep me from sliding that nightgown right off you and see everything I’ve been keeping myself from?”
Yep, now part of her was definitely getting moist. Gabby couldn’t find words to respond to that. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
“Just go to bed, Gabby. I swear, when this is over, I’m going to do things to you that you’ve never even dreamt of. But for now, just go. to. bed.”
It sounded like he was asking more for himself than her, but she was still too shocked to give him what he wanted. It seemed so stupid. He was finally here; she was finally here; they both admitted that they wanted each other. Why on earth would she go to bed right now? Instead, she rolled over on her side until she was facing him. She could just see the silhouette of his face against the bathroom light. When she asked the question, she knew it would only lead to trouble. “What would you do to me?”
She held her breath as Hunter turned on his side to face her. She could just make out his eyes in the dimly lit room, and he was fully living up to his name as he eyed her as though she were the prey he planned to conquer.
“Gabby.... What wouldn’t I do to you? I’d take you every way I can get you. In bed, like the civilized man you deserve. In public, where everyone can see that you’re mine. And everywhere in between. I’d kiss you on the lips and then eat you until you’ve come so much you’re not capable of standing. I’d run my fingers over your cheek and then I’d be so deep inside you that you’d never remember what life was like before I fucked you. I’m going to do everything to you, Gabby, and when we run out of things, we’ll make up our own.”
Gabby didn’t think she was capable of speech, but she corrected herself when she said the words that were nothing but a challenge. “Why not now?” She didn’t wait for Hunter to move. She should’ve. Considering how badly it had gone the last time she’d made a pass, it was stupid to try again.
But she was the one who found herself closing the distance between them once again and pressing her lips against his. But unlike the last time, when it had felt like kissing a statue, this time Hunter kissed her back. He tasted her simply, but it rapidly transformed into him completely devouring her. His hands ran over the silky nightgown on the curve of her waist until his fingers tightened around her ass and pulled her forcefully against him. She let out a gasp of air and he took full advantage, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he pressed himself against her, letting her know in no uncertain terms just how much he wanted her.
The reluctant barriers that had held them apart over the past few days crumbled, and there was nothing that could pull her away from him now. The exhaustion was gone, and with every touch and grind, her adrenaline kicked up another notch. She was desperate to have Hunter. There wasn’t any logical thought guiding her hands as she fisted her fingers in his hair and felt each and every considerable muscle lining his strong back and his rock-hard ass. Which wasn’t the only hard part she was desperate to touch....
All of a sudden, Hunter rolled her onto her back and pressed between her thighs, her spread legs pushing the nightgown up and around her waist. She arched her back, pressing herself firmly against him, not once thinking about how wanton the move was.
And Hunter didn’t seem to mind at all. He started to kiss and nibble his way down her jawline and neck, taking his time before he reached the edge of her nightie that only just covered her breasts. Well, it did cover her breasts until he tugged it down to reveal herself to him. The cold air brushed her nipples, but it was hard to feel cold as he took one taut peak in his mouth and pulled, the pressure somewhere between pain and pleasure. Before she could figure out which, he switched to the other side and continued to torture her for a few minutes. Her fingers were once again in his h
air, and she pulled him closer and wrapped a leg around his back, letting him know with her body exactly what had her racing toward pleasure.
When he started to move lower, Gabby had to bite back a protest, only belatedly realizing where exactly he was going. When he reached her thighs, he hooked his thumbs in the sides of her panties and agonizingly slowly pulled the material down her legs. She lifted her thighs to assist him, and then she was bared completely to his gaze. Suddenly she had to fight the urge to close her thighs, but it wasn’t possible because his large shoulders were between her legs.
But then his mouth was against her and she never wanted him to stop. Ryan had gone down on her once and then made excuses about how he wasn’t in the mood or it made him uncomfortable. Hunter seemed more than comfortable, taking his time as he savored and tasted her, from teasing her clit to fucking her with his tongue. It took minutes, maybe just seconds, before the first orgasm hit her, and it didn’t seem to stop. Neither did Hunter, for that matter. He just kept on driving her past her breaking point over and over again.
By the time he raised himself over her body, she was breathless and already wanting more of him. But she didn’t have to wait long before he was pressed between her thighs. She looked up and met his eyes, keeping that contact as he slid fully into her.
Gabby's eyes fell shut and all she could focus on was the fullness of him as lights seemed to burst behind her eyes. She didn't know if it was remnants of her previous orgasm or if she had somehow come again so soon, but each stroke was like a different shock to her system.
His hand bit into her thighs and held her in place as he pulled back and plunged back in again. All she could do was reach her arms around and hold on tight as he went completely tense above her and they tumbled over the edge together.
As the sexual rush shot through her and then slowly started to dissipate into the universe, all Gabby could do was stare at the ceiling and think about how this was the point of no return.
Gabby was absolutely one hundred percent certain she didn’t want to tell Hunter’s friends about what they’d done last night. But that entire idea flew out the window the second she opened her apartment door and Toni gave her a knowing smile. She didn’t get it. Was she giving off some vibe saying that she’d had the best sex of her life last night? Had the five times she’d brushed her hair somehow not managed to get all the sex hair tangles out? What had Toni seen that had tipped her off?
But in the long run, it really didn’t matter. She stepped aside to let Toni in, and the woman stared curiously around Gabby’s apartment.
“Good morning,” said Gabby cautiously. Toni was a hard one to read, and from the stories she’d told Gabby, she was a good friend to have, and a worse enemy.
“Good morning,” said Toni cheerfully. She circled Gabby’s apartment, carefully looking over every detail.
“Can I help you find something?” asked Gabby.
Toni shook her head even while she wasn’t looking at Gabby. “I’m just curious about you. It’s always interesting to see someone’s home for the first time. It tells you a lot about the person.”
“Well, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all,” said Gabby.
Toni snorted. “Don’t feel too weird about it. If it helps, I don’t have a home at all. Scott and I kind of bounce around the country, going where we’re needed. I bet you that tells you more about me than anything I’ll learn about you in this apartment.”
Gabby didn’t know whether that was right or not, but she didn’t reply. She couldn’t think of anything good to say.
Toni paused and picked up one of the few pictures Gabby had strewn about the apartment. “Is this your family?”
Gabby swallowed uncomfortably. Of course Toni would narrow in on that picture. “It is. I keep on feeling like I should put it away, but it seems strange to not have any pictures of family out. No matter how weird the family is, you know?”
“As someone with an epically odd family, I do know. You look happy.”
Gabby took the picture from Toni’s hand and studied it. “Yeah, I was happy back then.” The picture showed her when she was about ten years old, wearing a pink frilly dress alongside her parents, who were both dressed up. She didn’t remember where the picture was from. Her dad had so many political events, she’d dressed up like that countless times. But this picture was a little different because all three of them were smiling. Knowing what she knew now, her parents’ smiles were fake, but hers wasn’t. She’d been a happy kid, spoiled by her parents and blind to all the dysfunction. This was from before her mom had run out, and her dad looked the same as he did when he’d been arrested. A chubby man with a beard that made him appear more cheerful than he ever actually was.
“I’ve been looking into your father,” said Toni.
Gabby stiffened. “Why?”
“Because Hunter made a good point. I don’t believe in coincidences, and if someone’s trying to kill you, it would make sense that it was all related. When’s the last time you saw your father?”
“A long time ago. I only visited him once in prison. I don’t know why. I guess I thought he was my father still, even after everything he’d done to me. He basically spent the entire time yelling at me through the glass, and I vowed to never visit him again after I left. Then a few weeks later, he was killed. It was a pathetic end to a bad man’s life. Why are you asking about him?”
“Well, if someone did take over after he was put behind bars, I’m wondering if they had contact with him. Maybe even apprenticed with him or something. I’m looking into people who visited him a lot. Did he mention any friends he had?”
Gabby let out a little laugh. “No, my dad never really mentioned his friends to me. We didn’t exactly have that kind of relationship.”
Toni nodded as though she wasn’t hearing anything that surprised her. “Yeah, I figured that would be the case. It was worth asking. I hope I didn’t bring up any bad memories.”
“Stop bothering her,” said Hunter from the entrance to the bedroom.
“I’m helping her,” shot back Toni. “Gage is working on getting the visitation records now, but it could take him a while.”
“Why? Are prison systems hard to get into?” asked Gabby.
Toni snorted. “Please. I wish it was hard to get into. Hard, I can handle. Prisons are just disorganized. Everyone does everything differently, and things get missed all the time. I’m sure we’ll find what we need eventually. It just might take a while.”
“Then shouldn’t you be digging too?” asked Hunter accusingly.
Toni narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t have to look, because I have people to do that for me. Gage has repeatedly said that he’s one of the best, and it’s not like I’m not working in this case. I’m not exactly sitting on my hands, twiddling my thumbs. I’m looking into Kate.”
“Kate? Why are you looking into Kate?”
“Well, we know she was arrested. We’re guessing she was arrested to lure you back to town, which it accomplished very easily,” she said accusingly. “But there’s a chance that she was targeted for another reason. She could be involved in all this somehow.”
“No. Kate wouldn’t be involved with anything shady. I trust her.”
“Like you trusted your father?” asked Hunter.
Gabby twisted around to face him. “Excuse me? You’re comparing Kate to him?”
“I know your father. He was a dick. I don’t know anything about Kate. I’m allowed to suspect something could be going on with her.” Gabby’s mouth opened, and she was about to tell him exactly how wrong he was, but he continued, “Relax. I’m not going to hunt her down or anything. We’re just going to rule her out. It’s standard operating procedure.”
“Fine then. Rule her out and then let’s talk about actual possibilities. I know my father was taking a lot of money under the table so that drug runners could turn this town into a stop on their criminal highway. So shouldn’t we find the drug dealers who would be mad about Hunter
coming back?”
Toni nodded. “Yes, normally I’d say that’s a great strategy. But you’ve been living in this town your entire life. Where are the best spots to find the drug dealers?” Gabby’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out. “Yeah,” said Toni. “Trust me, I’ve been digging into the deepest crevices of this Pleasantville, and the good news is that you live in a pretty great place. The bad part is that finding out who put out the hit on you is harder.”
“What makes you think it’s a hit? What if that guy who came after me had something against Hunter?”
“He didn’t,” said Hunter.
“And how do you know that? I know enough about your past to understand that you have enemies.”
“I do,” he agreed. “But that wasn’t personal. When I shot him, there was nothing personal in his eyes. Whoever he was, he was hired.”
“You can’t just know that.” Gabby looked to Toni. “Right?”
“Hunter has the instincts of, well, a hunter. I trust him.”
Before Gabby could say anything else, Toni’s phone rang. “Yeah,” she said in an abrupt answer. After a long sigh, she added, “I’ll be right there.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Hunter.
“Things just got more interesting. That was Gage. He said he just got word that there’s been a murder in town. A local judge with a gunshot to the back of the head.”
“A judge? What was his name?”
“He’s sending me the info now.... Here it is. Reginald Cooke.”
She sucked in a breath. “I know him. He was a friend of my father’s.”
Toni raised a brow. “Was he involved with the side business?”
“I don’t know. I was too sheltered from everything to know much about the business.”
The Deadly Thief (Stolen Hearts Book 7) Page 8