by Ava Ashley
“I can’t believe you actually hit him,” Hunter said, looking at me with something like admiration.
“I honestly can’t either,” I told him. “I’ve never done anything like that in my life. But when he smiled at me like that, I just wanted to wipe the grin off his face so badly.”
“Well, you certainly accomplished that,” Hunter said. “You gave him a bloody nose. You pack a pretty mean punch.”
“I never hit anyone before,” I said. “I didn’t even know what I was doing.”
“You got Nate’s attention,” Hunter told me. “He was pretty pissed.”
“Did he say anything?” I asked.
“Yeah, he made some threats, as usual,” Hunter said.
“What kind of threats?”
“Nothing specific. Just ‘wait and see’ kind of crap,” Hunter said. “I’m sure it was nothing. He was just angry.”
“I hope so,” I said.
“Anyway, I will have to remember not to piss you off,” Hunter joked, “if that’s what you can do when you don’t even know what you’re doing.”
“Oh wow,” I said. “Suddenly I feel so powerful. You’d better stay in line. I might start to like this.”
“They have female MMA fighters, you know,” he said. “Maybe you’d make a good one.”
“Well, let’s not take it that far,” I said. “It’s my job to heal people, not beat them up.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’re so feisty,” Hunter said, sliding closer to me in the car and wrapping his arms around me. “To tell you the truth, it’s kind of a turn-on.”
“Oh?” I said. “Tell me more.”
Hunter ran his hands down my back, and I shuddered with pleasure as I felt his lips brush against my neck.
“God, Anna,” he whispered. “You drive me wild.”
“Hurry up and take me back to your place,” I told him, and he obediently slid over to the driver’s side and started the car. I looked at him, his muscles tensed underneath his T-shirt, driving with such fixed attention. I couldn’t wait to get back to his house.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Anna
Hunter pulled into the garage and turned the car off, then got out and came around to the passenger side. Instead of just opening the door for me as usual, he opened it and then leaned down to scoop me up in his arms and carry me inside. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the chest.
He kicked the door closed behind him and marched right up the stairs without putting me down. He didn’t stop until we reached the bedroom, when he laid me down gently on the bed.
“Oh, Anna, Anna,” he whispered as he slid on top of me. I felt chills all through my body as he brushed lightly against me, and I could feel just the hint of his hardness through his clothes.
He held my face in his hands and kissed me, drawing my bottom lip in and gently biting it as he moved his hands down my waist. He reached under my shirt and started to caress my breasts, softly at first and then growing more urgent. He lowered himself further, putting his whole weight into me. I moaned as he pressed his cock hard against me, making me want so much more.
“I want you,” I told him, pressing his back with my hands.
“Yeah?” he asked, kissing my neck, then my throat, then the tops of my breasts.
“Yeah,” I told him, running my hands through his hair. “I want you right now.”
“Soon, baby,” he said, lifting my shirt over my head and unhooking my bra. “But not quite yet.”
I writhed in pleasure as he took each of my nipples in his mouth and sucked them, hard. I felt the hard muscles of his arms as he moved down further, kissing my stomach and unbuttoning my jeans, slipping them around my hips. He ran his mouth down over my panties, without touching me, so that I could only feel his hot breath against me. I shuddered, starting to lose myself in desire.
“You smell so good, Anna,” he breathed, pressing his mouth against me, sending jolts of pleasure through me.
“Hunter, I can’t take anymore,” I sighed. I wanted him inside me so badly I thought I’d explode.
“Soon, baby,” he said again, slipping my panties down my legs.
He ran his big, strong hands up my thighs, and leaned down to gently brush his lips between my legs. He started by lightly flicking his tongue against me, so that I had to use all of my willpower not to press him harder into me. Soon enough, I didn’t have to. He sucked my clitoris into his mouth and slipped his fingers inside me, gently at first, then harder and harder. I rocked against him, hardly able to believe that anything could feel so good.
As he pressed his fingers further inside me, harder and faster, a deep pleasure began to spread through my whole body. After a minute, I arched my back and let the waves of bliss pass through me, rocking my body until I nearly lost consciousness. When it stopped, I realized that I had my fingers knotted in Hunter’s hair, and I was pulling it pretty hard.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be,” he said. Hunter rolled off of me and lay down next to me on the bed. I sat up and looked at him, still fully clothed.
We’ll have to do something about that, I thought, and turned to help lift his shirt over his head. I ran my hands along his chest, marveling at his perfectly sculpted body.
“God, you look good,” I said, and Hunter smiled. I started to unbutton his jeans, feeling my knees go weak when I got an eyeful of his big, hard cock. “You look so, incredibly good.”
I bent down to take him in my mouth, wanting him so badly in every way. Hunter let out a sigh of pleasure, and gathered up my hair in his hands, pushing his cock harder into my mouth.
“Fuck, Anna,” he said, and turned me over so that he was kneeling over me. He started to push in and out, fucking me in the mouth. I felt myself get wet all over again, turned on beyond belief by the way he took charge. No one had ever done that to me before, and I had no idea that I would like it so much. By the time he pulled out of my mouth, panting with desire, I was more than ready for him.
“Please,” I pleaded. “I need you inside me. Now.”
“I’m going to fuck your brains out,” he said. “I hope you’re ready.”
With that, he spread my legs with his knees and let me feel the tip of his dick at my opening.
“Oh God, you feel ready,” he said. “You’re so wet.”
“I want you so badly,” I moaned, and Hunter silenced me by pushing himself all the way in. “Oh, yes. Oh, yes,” I said. “That’s exactly where I want you.”
“Yeah?” he said, starting to push slowly in and out of me. “Right there?”
“Just like that, baby,” I said, holding onto his back and guiding him in. His cock was so big and hard, I could feel it throbbing inside of me. Soon he started to push harder, and he looked deep into my eyes.
“It feels so good inside you,” he whispered. “It feels so perfect.”
I couldn’t answer. All I could do was feel, feel how good it was to have him inside me, on top of me, loving me. He pushed harder and harder, until I knew that I would come again soon.
“I want you to come,” I told him.
“Right now?”
“Yes,” I cried, feeling my body begin to quake. “Yes, right now.”
Hunter started to push even harder, harder than I’d ever felt before, all the while looking intensely into my eyes. Soon I felt a hot stream inside me as he cried out and I let myself go too, and we both collapsed into each other’s arms. We fell asleep like that, with him still inside me. It was exactly where I wanted him, always.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hunter
Waking up naked next to Anna was the sweetest feeling in the world. I lay behind her, my arm wrapped around her soft, achingly beautiful body. I ran my hand along her side, feeling her skin, thinking that I never wanted to be anywhere else but right there.
I had to tell her about Jane. Today was the day, I decided. I hoped that it wouldn’t ruin everything we had together, but kne
w that if I put it off longer the chances of it ruining us would only grow.
“Hey, you,” she said sleepily, rolling over and gazing at me with her big brown eyes. She absolutely melted my heart.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” she said, wrapping her long, slender arm around my back. I didn’t understand how it felt so incredible when she touched me. If I didn’t know better, I would think that she must have had something magical in her fingertips.
“So, it’s supposed to be warm today,” I said. “I was thinking we could take a ride up into the mountains.”
“Mountains?” she said. “Sure, that sounds great. I’d love to get some fresh air.”
“Perfect,” I said, hopping out of bed. Now that I’d decided to tell her the truth, I was incredibly excited to get it out there. It felt terrible keeping things from her. “Let’s get dressed!”
“OK,” she said, sitting up and laughing. “You’re awfully energetic.”
“That’s the effect you have on me, baby,” I told her, putting on my jeans and pulling a T-shirt over my head. Anna got up and found her clothes from the night before, and started putting them on. “I wish you could stay just like that,” I told her. “It wouldn’t be very safe, though. In addition to being illegal.”
“Safe? What do you mean, safe?” she asked.
“Riding a motorcycle naked is kind of dangerous,” I told her, smiling. “Although it would be kind of fun. And it would definitely get us some nasty looks from the old ladies in the neighborhood.”
“Wait—motorcycle?” she said. “You didn’t say anything about a motorcycle.”
“Did I not mention that?” I asked. “Silly me. Well, I’m afraid that’s what’s in store for you. But don’t worry, I’m an excellent driver.”
“I don’t know,” Anna said. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before. Isn’t it dangerous? What if I fall?”
“You won’t fall,” I told her. “I think you’ll like it. And I guarantee you’ll be safe. I’ve got an extra helmet, and I’ll be very careful.”
“All right,” she said, still somewhat reluctant. “I guess I trust you.”
“You guess?” I said, laughing. “All right, I’ll take what I can get.”
We headed out to the garage and I grabbed two helmets off the shelf, handing one to Anna. She strapped it on, and I had to admit she looked incredibly cute.
“It suits you,” I told her.
“Because you can’t see my face?” she asked.
“Haha, very funny,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and lifting the visor to give her a kiss on the nose. “You look tough. And, as you proved last night, you are tough. Therefore, it suits you.”
“Thanks,” she said, and I could see her eyes crinkle up from smiling. I strapped on my own helmet, uncovered my bike, and hopped on.
“Come on,” I said, patting the seat behind me. “You ready?”
“Oh, I guess so,” she said, climbing on and wrapping her arms around my waist. I started the engine and soon we were on our way to Mount Helix, where we could get a great view of San Diego, and hopefully a little privacy so we could talk.
All through the drive I went over in my head what I wanted to say to Anna about Jane. I thought I’d start by telling her again what a great mother I thought she’d be. I really did think she’d be an amazing mom, and I wanted her to understand how badly I wanted her to be a part of Jane’s life. Even though Jane already had a mother, and of course I couldn’t change that, I wanted Anna to be like a second mother to her. I wanted that more than anything, and I hoped she would understand.
I took the drive really easily, hoping Anna was having a good time. I figured if she wanted to stop she would have let me know, so she must have at least been OK. When we got to the top of Mount Helix though, I was in for a surprise.
Anna whipped off her helmet, shook out her hair and cried, “That was incredible! I can’t believe I’ve never done this before, it’s so exhilarating!”
She had a huge, happy grin on her face, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“So you liked it then?” I asked.
“Liked it?” she said. “I loved it!”
“I’m so glad,” I told her.
“And what beautiful scenery!” she cried.
“If you think that was beautiful,” I said, taking her hand, “you’ve definitely got to check out the view.”
I walked her over to my favorite spot, where we could not only see pretty much all of San Diego, but also some really beautiful mountains off in the distance. We found an open bench to sit on, and amazingly there was no one else around. We must have gotten there pretty early, because usually there were at least a few tourists around, especially on a Sunday.
“This is so beautiful,” Anna said, looking out at the view. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“You’re very welcome,” I said. “I love it up here. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a chance to take the ride up, though.”
We sat silently for a moment, just taking in the scene. After a while, I decided it was time to start the conversation about Jane. I was nervous about what Anna’s reaction might be, but I was more than ready to get it off my chest.
“Anna,” I began, “there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” she said, turning towards me. “What is it?”
Just then, her phone rang. I sighed, starting to feel like fate was against me telling her about Jane.
“You can get it,” I told her.
“Sorry,” she said. “Just one second, I’ll just turn the ringer off.”
She pulled the phone out of her bag and I saw her expression change suddenly.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said, silencing the phone and putting it back in her bag.
“It’s Nathaniel, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “But I’m not answering it. Don’t let him get to you, please. Tell me what you were going to say.”
I looked into her eyes, and they were so trusting and full of love that I thought my heart would break.
“Well, remember when we went to the beach with Ted and Betsy and Avery?” I asked, hoping that would be a good way to start.
“Of course,” she answered. “I do believe you got a little fresh with me out there in the ocean.”
“Haha, yeah, I remember that,” I said. “And do you remember when I told you I thought you’d make a great mother?”
“Oh that,” Anna said, turning away from me. “Yes, I do remember that.” All of a sudden, everything about her demeanor changed. Her happy, trusting eyes clouded over with sadness.
“Anna,” I said, taking her hand. “What’s the matter?”
She took a deep, shaky breath, and it sounded as if she was about to start crying.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “But do you mind if we change the subject?”
“Sure we can,” I told her, taking her hand. “I don’t mean to upset you.”
“I know,” she said. “I just don’t want to talk about that. At least not right now.”
I didn’t know what was bothering Anna, but I knew I didn’t want to make her upset, and I certainly didn’t want to make her cry. Once again, it seemed like now just wasn’t the right time to tell her about Jane.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Anna
After I asked Hunter if we could change the subject, things got a little quiet between us. Hunter was really sweet and supportive about it, of course, but I could tell that he was a bit put off. I didn’t want to shut him out, but every time he started talking about me being a great mom like that, it just hurt way too much. Even though we were having such a great time, it still made me start to doubt our relationship again. If having children was so important to Hunter, would he really want to be with me in the long run?
I knew I had to tell him about everything, but I didn’t want to think about what mig
ht happen to us when I did. I asked Hunter if he’d take me back to L.A. so I could stay in my apartment that night. I needed a little time to be alone and think about things, and besides, I had to work the next day.
“Sure,” he said, seeming a little disappointed. “Of course I’ll bring you back, if that’s what you want.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking his hand and squeezing it. I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I also couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t upset.
When he dropped me off at my place, Hunter got out to open the door for me as always. When I stood up he pulled me into his arms and gave me a big, reassuring hug. It felt so great to be in his arms that I thought I would burst into tears, so I did my best to gently pull away from him.
“Are you mad at me, Anna?” he asked, his voice quiet.
“No,” I told him, kissing his hand. “No, not at all. I’m just a little sad, and I need some time to think, OK?”
“All right,” he said. “Of course that’s OK. I’m just really sorry if I’ve done something to upset you.”
“You didn’t do anything, honey,” I told him. “I’ll explain everything soon, I promise.”
“All right,” Hunter said, still disappointed. “I’m staying at my apartment tonight. Can I see you tomorrow?”
“Sure,” I said. “I’d like that.”
“OK, good,” he said, brightening somewhat. “Should I meet you after work?”
“That would be perfect,” I said, and stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him goodbye. I went inside and closed the door behind me, feeling totally drained.
I remembered suddenly that Nate had called while Hunter and I were talking, and as much as I dreaded looking at my phone, I knew I had to eventually. To my surprise, it only showed one missed call. No texts. No voicemail. Nothing. For some reason, that was even creepier to me than if he had left some threatening message. Why was he calling me?