Sweetest Salvation

by Kacey Hammell

  She sat up and grabbed her knees. Using them for leverage, her hips rose and fell, seating him deep inside her each time she came down.

  Yes, perfect! He hit her in exactly the right spot, going so deep, the pinch of pain was there.

  “Andy, slow down,” Hunter demanded.

  His hands came around her waist as if to slow her, but she put her own over his wrists to hold him in position.

  “Fuck me, Hunter,”

  “Dammit, shit. I can’t resist you.”

  Andy laughed, free in the swells of rapture that coursed through her. She rode his cock strong and steady; her pussy wept. Her juices made it even easier for him to hit the mark without any resistance.

  Her hips jerked. An orgasm was just out of reach.

  His hands tightened on her. “Your pussy feels so good around my cock. I’ll never get enough.”

  Her gaze locked on the two men through the window. Cum spilled from their cocks as the woman between them tried to catch it all in her mouth.

  Andy shouted in rapture as she rode Hunter’s cock. The swift pace pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

  As his hands at her waist helped her to move in perfect rhythm, Andy lowered hers and grabbed her breasts. She pinched and pulled her nipples, feeling the pleasurable sting wash over her. She shivered and gasped.

  “I’ve got to cum, sweetheart,” Hunter growled. “Goddammit, shit, it’s too good.”

  “Cum for me. Give me everything.”

  Her orgasm drew closer and her pussy tightened around him as she felt his dick swell. Andy couldn’t believe that there was any room for him to grow.

  “You have everything that I am, Andy.”

  The comment brought tears to her eyes. This was a bad idea. But she couldn’t stop. He felt too good inside her. His cock slid along her tight walls and made her crazy.

  She dropped her right hand to her clit and rubbed. As Hunter pumped into her pussy, her swollen clit begged to be touched. Her body tightened and her head fell back.

  “Hunter!” Andy screamed as her release washed over her.

  He continued to maneuver her hips over his cock as her juices spilled from her. Her sighs and gasps were loud to her ears, but she didn’t care. The eruption washed over her and her hands dropped back to his sides. She clenched his strong hips as another orgasm swam toward her. Her vision blurred and everything went black as the wave crashed over her.

  Andy heard Hunter shout her name and his dick pulsated inside her as he found his own release.

  Their heavy breathing was harsh as their hips finally slowed and bodies relaxed.

  Her hands slid off his sides and her arms fell on the couch. She leaned back, sedate and out of breath. He worshipped her neck with kisses.

  She closed her eyes, mind spinning. And not just from the fantastic release she’d just had.

  This kind of connection with Hunter was a very bad idea. As the thought formed in her head, he wrapped his arms around her and lowered their bodies onto the couch. He pulled a thin blanket off the back of it and arranged it over them.

  Beside him, his arms snug around her, warmth seeped into her bones. She really needed to get up and leave. It would be better to end this now. But her eyelids refused to lift and she couldn’t move an inch.

  Content to lie there for a few moments, Andy relaxed and listened to his deep breathing. She smiled, pleased that she’d exhausted him as much as he did her.

  While his chest rose and fell against her back, a peace she hadn’t felt in a long time washed over her. Like a sense of calm that eased her mind and soul.

  As sleep tried pulled her under, Andy was too tired to fight the realization that Hunter’s face—not Patrick or Peter’s—was the last thing on her mind as she surrendered to the darkness.

  Chapter Five

  “Come in,” Andy called after she heard a knock on the door.

  “Andy, dear,” Mrs. Morrow greeted as she entered the room. “Here’s your tea, just how you like it.”

  The Bed and Breakfast owner was one of Andy’s favorite people in the world. Since meeting her the first time when she and Patrick vacationed here on Wolfe Island, the older woman instantly found a place within her heart. The grandmotherly type—now a retired psychologist——she was the perfect hostess who enjoyed taking care of everyone.

  Andy always found her easy to love.

  “Oh, thank you.” Andy placed her clothes in the drawer and reached out to take the tray from her. “You always know just what I need.” She placed it on the dresser, then cupped the mug in her hand and waved Mrs. Morrow to sit down. “Have a seat, please. How have you been?”

  “I’ve been fine, just fine.” Andy smiled a little as the older woman started fluffing the pillows on the bed instead of taking a seat. Her hostess always had to make sure everything was perfect for her guests. “I’m glad to see you, my dear.”

  “I’m happy to come back. I had to be here.” Andy shook her head and set the mug on the side table. Clenching her fists in her lap, she blew out a shaky breath. “I guess I don’t know why the need drove me here but it did.”

  Mrs. Morrow moved around the bed and sat on the end. “I know what it’s like to lose the man you love. It’s not easy. Even to this day, I think about my Frederick many times a day. And he’s been gone seventeen years.”

  “You never remarried?”

  “Oh heavens no, my dear. He was the only man for me. That I know.”

  “But,” Andy swallowed hard, uncertain how to ask the question, running wild in her mind. “Umm, that’s a long time, what about—”

  No, she couldn’t ask.

  Mrs. Morrow chortled. “The look on your face!” She shook her head. “It’s okay. Obviously you’re thinking about sex.”

  Andy blushed.

  “I said I’ve never remarried. I didn’t say I hadn’t found solace in another man’s arms now and again. I might be getting on in age but I still know what I need.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend.”

  “Oh, child, think nothing of it. I don’t offend easily. I’ve had a few men in my life over the years but no one was quite right for me.”

  Andy nodded. She had a great marriage and Patrick was everything she’d ever wanted in a husband. To be blessed with Peter as well, her life had been perfect.

  “If another man came along and made you feel as your husband did, would you consider marrying again?”

  “At my age, I’m not sure. I’m seventy-one, my dear, probably too old to get married again.”

  “But if you did meet a man that you wanted to marry, you would?” Andy persisted.

  The older woman’s gaze narrowed on her. Andy could practically see the questions churning through the other woman’s thoughts.

  “I guess it’s a possibility. Andy, are you really all right?”

  She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “I’m so lost. Confused. I’m not sure how to move past missing them. It hurts all the time.”

  Mrs. Morrow reached out for her hand and held it tight. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve suffered. I know it isn’t easy but you have to remember the type of man Patrick was. He would not want you suffering as you are. And that little boy… Oh, Andy, he knew how much you loved him. I didn’t have the privilege of meeting him but the love in your voice and eyes when you’d share pictures whenever you were here…oh, that boy would want you to be happy. And have more children someday.”

  Andy buried her face in her hands and shook with tears. Mrs. Morrow’s arm came around her shoulders. “I miss my baby boy so much.” Her shoulders shook and the tears fell. The arm around her tightened and held her close.

  Once she pulled herself together a bit, Andy lifted her head and laid it on the older woman’s shoulder. She savored the warmth and loving touch of a friend.

  “I’m not sure I can lay my heart in someone else’s hands. No matter how much I believe that he’d take care of it.”

  “Who is he, Andy?” Mrs. Morrow questione
d, her tone soft, without censor.

  “Patrick’s best friend,” Andy whispered.

  “That Hunter fellow Patrick mentioned a few times? I remember how much he meant to Patrick.”

  Andy nodded. “He’d always been family. Peter’s godfather, a part of the Sheaver family.”

  “And how have you felt about him?”

  “We’ve always been friends. In fact,” Andy stopped, certain that if she said it out loud, she’d be admitting too much.

  “Go on, my dear, your secrets are safe with me.”

  Andy moved out of her embrace, picked up her tea and held in tight in her hands as she paced the room. “It might be nothing I guess. Back in college, when I first met Hunter, there was an attraction there. God, does that sound awful?”

  Mrs. Morrow’s hazel eyes met hers. “Did either of you act on the attraction?”

  “No, never. I could tell we were both attracted to each another but then I met Patrick. Looking back… Dammit, I don’t know. But honestly, I felt safer, more secure with Patrick.”

  “I see,” Mrs. Morrow murmured.

  “I’m a horrible person.”

  “Not at all. Andy.” The older woman paused, and patted the seat beside her, beckoning Andy to sit down again. “Listen, you can’t regret decisions you made then and you can’t change anything now. You must let it all go. You did nothing wrong. Things work out the way they do for many reasons. You loved Patrick wholeheartedly. He knew that. And it is all that matters.”

  Andy wanted to believe her. In her mind, the words made sense, but in her heart…

  It felt as if she’d betrayed Patrick for years by developing deeper feelings for his best friend, to whom she’d once been attracted.

  “You need to hear what I’m telling you, Andy. You and Hunter never acted on your feelings for one another, not in your years of marriage to Patrick. It’s not like you to cheat. I don’t need you to confirm that. You would never have done that to Patrick, to your family. But now, with him gone, wouldn’t it be easier for the first relationship you have to be with someone familiar? Someone who has always cared about you?”

  Mrs. Morrow’s words sunk deep. Andy let them settle and pondered them.

  They made sense. Hunter would never do anything to hurt her.

  An overwhelming urge to talk to him flooded Andy. She needed to talk to him, figure things out.

  She put her arms around her friend and squeezed. “Thank you. You don’t know how much you mean to me.”

  When they pulled apart, they shared a smile.

  “I love when you come to visit. I hope our talk has helped?”

  “I need to talk to Hunter. Perhaps over the phone, things would be easier?”

  The other woman chuckled and patted her shoulder when she stood. “Hmm, don’t trust yourself alone with him, do you?” She grinned at Andy over her shoulder when she stood at the door. “I’ll see you later, my dear.”

  After the door closed, Andy grinned. The old woman was coy and perceptive.

  She crossed to the bed, pulled her cell phone from her purse and pushed the pillow up against the headboard. She climbed onto the center of the bed and reclined on the pile behind her.

  Thanks to Mrs. Morrow’s words, she knew the best thing for her was to reach out to Hunter.

  She’d made the fast decision to visit the B&B when she’d woken up beside Hunter on the couch at the club five days ago. She’d panicked and needed to reconnect with something familiar that had belonged solely to her and her husband.

  Guilt had flooded her. She’d had sex with her husband’s best friend. Though it was ridiculous to feel as if she’d betrayed Patrick, her heart had other ideas.

  She couldn’t allow herself to speculate on what Patrick would think of her. She couldn’t regret it. She’d wanted Hunter as much as he had her.

  After she’d slid off the couch quietly as possible and gathered her clothing from the floor, she’d quickly dressed, then looked down at Hunter, still sleeping.

  He looked so peaceful, face calm and relaxed in sleep. The absent tension in his face after so long was nice to see. The sadness from the last year had eased, and she realized how much pain he’d also been in.

  His relationship with Patrick had been strong, without a doubt, and she was angry with herself for being so absorbed in her own pain that she hadn’t helped him with his grief.

  She’d been such a bitch to Hunter this last year. He’d needed her just as much as she did him. Once it dawned on her how selfish and cold she’d been to him for so long, it was essential to get away from him. How could he even look at her after how horrible she’d been to him?

  Scrolling through the contacts on her phone, she pulled up his, took a deep breath, then hit send.

  Tapping her fingers on her thigh, she waited nervously for him to answer. After what seemed a dozen rings, she was just about to hang up when she heard his voice. Butterflies fluttered in her belly.

  “Hello,” she heard him say again.

  “Hunter,” she said, voice shaking.

  “Andy?”

  “Yeah, umm, hi.”

  “Hey, how are you?” She heard the note of concern in his soft voice.

  “I’m okay. Is this a bad time?”

  “No not at all, I’m working from home for a few days.”

  “Everything all right at work?” She didn’t want to talk about the club, but she didn’t know how to start the conversation she knew they needed to have.

  “No problems there. Just quieter here, and gives me time to think.”

  Here’s your opening, take it.

  “Thinking is good.” God, she was such an idiot. Her throat felt tight and dry. The words were stuck in her throat.

  His chuckle wafted over the line. “Sure. Listen, Andy, I can hear the nerves in your voice so I’m going to cut right to the chase of things. I’ve left you dozens of messages over the last few days, since I woke up to find you gone. Are you all right? Really?”

  She remembered the texts he’d sent that she hit ignore on. He cared about her. She should have been a better friend, if he considered her even that now, and let him know she was okay.

  “I’m sorry, I needed some space. I should have replied.”

  “All right. I understand what you’re going through, too. He was my best friend. To be with you like that wasn’t an easy decision for me, either.”

  “It didn’t seem too difficult when you threw that ultimatum at me.” Andy said, anger seeping into her a bit. He’d pushed her, forced things between them to take a different path.

  She had to wonder if her anger was because she’d wanted him. For years, the attraction she’d once felt for him lay smothered and forgotten. In the moment he threw down the gauntlet, the attraction had resurfaced and she was forced to face it.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No, you have every reason to be angry. The heat of the moment, concern about the path you were on… Hell, Andy, I didn’t know how else to stop you. I care about you.”

  Her skin tingled at the gruffness in his voice. “I know. It’s difficult for me not to feel guilty, like I betrayed Patrick.”

  He sighed. “I understand. But if there’s one thing—and I’ve said it before—Patrick would have wanted is for you to live again. It’s not your fault, no way at all.”

  Tears filled her eyes as she leaned back. “How can I ask for any type of happiness when I lost my little boy and caused his father so much pain? Hunter…”

  “You have to know that no one but you can make your decisions. And no one but you is blaming you for what happened. Life happens as it does. We learn from it. Pick ourselves up and move forward. I miss them too. Every day I want to call my best friend and tell him something about business or whatever, but I can’t.”

  Andy swallowed. She knew his pain but never allowed herself to think of anyone else suffering as much as she was. Had never thought to care about how he was feeling. She had stopped being there
for him. But he’d never stopped wanting to be there for her.

  “I’m not sure how to find myself again,” she admitted.

  “I can’t tell you how to move forward, but will say that you start by reconciling yourself to the fact that nothing is your fault. You have many loved ones around you who care about you. And support you. You’re not alone.”

  “A step at a time.”

  “Exactly, that’s all you can do. There’s no pressure here.”

  She smiled. “No more ultimatums?”

  “Well, depends on what the choices are. And how tough I have to be.”

  The conversation shifted, as did the tone of his husky voice. She shivered and her nipples beaded. Dammit, she had to pull herself together. This wasn’t why she’d called him.

  She coughed to clear her throat. “How you make me feel scares the hell out of me.” Her eyes widened, she wanted to recall the words as soon as she left her mouth. They weren’t what she expected.

  “Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” he said, gruff and soft. “But I’ve had longer to live with mine. Why don’t you tell me more? What do I make you feel?”

  She frowned, confused by his “I’ve had longer” comment, but pushed it aside, thinking he wasn’t saying things correctly.

  “Weak in the knees, I guess.”

  “Hmm, and…?” he asked.

  “Very cared for.”

  “That’s a given.”

  “Like I have a friend who will always be here for me.”

  “Most definitely.”

  “Sexy,” she whispered.

  “You are most definitely sexy. Stunning, really.”

  “You’re biased,” she chuckled.

  “No, just honest.”

  “Thank you.”

  “When will I get to see you?” he demanded.

  She frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I just would rather have this conversation in person. To tell you how gorgeous you are face-to-face. Maybe show you.”

  Andy shifted on the bed, goosebumps spread along her skin. To take things with him to the next level…was she ready? She needed just a bit more time.

  “I’ll be home in a few days.”

  “Home? Where the hell are you?”