Hunted (Love like Yours Series Book 3)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  “You’re full of questions tonight.” He stated.

  I shrugged, taking another sip of my own drink.

  “What do you wanna know?”

  I’d been building up the nerve to ask him this since we first slept together. I took a deep breath. “Does me having been with your brother bother you?”

  His eyes narrowed slightly and the arm lifting his beer to his mouth froze.

  Shit.

  “It bothers me.” He said finally.

  My heart sank. Things were going so well between us, but this elephant in the room needed to be addressed.

  “But, surprisingly, it bothers me no more than the thought of you with any other man.” He added.

  “I don’t get it.” I acknowledged.

  “The thought of you with anyone but me is enough to make me crazy. It doesn’t matter if it’s my brother, the mail man, or some punk ass kid in high school… it bothers me. But it’s not getting in the way of us.” He explained.

  I shuddered at the possessiveness in his voice.

  “Now, if he were to go throwing it in my face… then yeah, we’d have problems. But for now… we’re good.”

  Sounds fair.

  It was more than fair. He was being incredibly understanding about an awkward situation.

  “What if he asked you to stop seeing me?” I asked quietly.

  I must have shown my vulnerability at that moment because he reached out and took my hand.

  “He wouldn’t”

  “You don’t know that.” I insisted, lacing my fingers in his.

  “I do. I made it very clear to him that I was going after you, with or without his approval. He isn’t stupid. He knows what the outcome would be.”

  My jaw dropped.

  He did what?

  “You choose pursuing me, a woman you didn’t even know, over your relationship with your brother?” I asked, disbelief evident in my tone.

  “I guess I did.” He smirked.

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  “That’s a hell of a lot of pressure.” I whispered.

  “I knew he’d get over it.” He stated. “Another girl will come along and he’ll be back in his usual loved up state.”

  I should have been at least a little insulted by his comment, but he was right, Colt jumped in too fast, too often. Truth was, I couldn’t wait for him to move on, and I was hoping I’d feel less guilty about Harrison when he did.

  “And the pressures on me.” He added quietly.

  “What? Why?”

  He rested his head back on the sun lounger and turned to look right at me.

  “I know I want you. Hell, I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you, and I took you. Even though it was probably a shitty thing to do.” He smirked and carried on. “I stuff things up, make you run, then I’m the fool.”

  My heart raced at his explanation.

  “What makes you think I’d run?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “You’ll see. I’m actually an asshole.”

  His shit-eating grin made me smile, but there was a hint of fear in his caramel eyes that I couldn’t explain.

  “Oh I know.” I teased. “It could be worse. Once I had this asshole take me away for a weekend alone together, treat me, pleasure me… made me feel special. Now he was a total asshole.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Pleasured you huh?”

  I smacked his arm playfully. “I knew that’d be the only bit of information you’d retain.”

  He chuckled loudly and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. His laugh was contagious.

  My phone rang from inside.

  “Saved by the bell.” I yelled as I ran inside to catch it before I missed it.

  I nearly squealed with excitement when I saw who was calling. It’d be way to long since I’d talked to Lexie.

  “Lexie!” I half squealed into the phone.

  “Hey girl.” She cried back.

  I didn’t get to talk to Lexie anywhere as much as I liked anymore, she was so busy. Lexie worked on a cruise ship as a singer. She performed every night and took children’s and adults singing lessons during the day.

  She was amazing. I’d never heard a voice as beautiful as Lexie’s. She’d been offered numerous recording deals, but she’d turned them all down. She was only twenty two and didn’t want to ruin her life by thrusting it into the spotlight. Working on a cruise ship had always been her dream. I’d found that out the first day we’d met at a dancing class in L.A. Lexie, El and I had been close ever since.

  “God I’ve missed you.” I replied, flopping myself down on the couch.

  “Me too.” She sighed. “Works been crazy. I was meant to have the last shift off, but when we got back into port, the other girl was a no show, so I worked back-to-back, and then it was my original shift again, so it was actually back-to-back-to-back.”

  “Shit Lex, you can say no, you know that right?”

  “It’s all good. You know I love it.”

  She did love it. But that was a whole lot of work, most of the cruises were between nine and eighteen days, so she’d probably been working well over a month straight.

  “Just take care of yourself, you work too hard.”

  “Whatever mom.” She teased. “I didn’t call for a lecture. I called to find out what the hell has been going on with you? I’m so behind on all the goss.”

  “Well, I’m away for the weekend right now.” I gushed.

  “Ooo la la. With the man?”

  “With the man.” I confirmed.

  “Colt right?” She questioned and I winced.

  Oh shit. She really is out of the loop.

  “Ummm no.”

  “Whhhaaat?” She cried dramatically.

  “Yeah.” I nodded to myself. “I’m seeing someone new.”

  “Who?” She demanded.

  “His name’s Harrison.”

  “Is it serious?” She grilled me.

  “It could be.” I confessed. “It’s still pretty new.” I could feel my face blush as I spoke.

  “You really like him don’t you?” I could hear the smile in her voice.

  “How’d you know?”

  “I can feel you blushing from here.” She laughed. “And your voice goes all breathy when you talk about him.”

  “Shut up. It does not.”

  “Whatever you say sister.” She giggled.

  Damn her. Lexie was always right on the mark.

  “How’d you meet him?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “Ummm…”

  “Quinn…?” She warned.

  “He’s… Colt’s… brother.”

  The line went silent and I had to check the screen to see if she’d hung up on me.

  “Lex?”

  “Holy. Fucking. Shit!” She yelled down the phone. “Is that even legal?”

  “He’s not my bloody brother Lexie. Of course it legal.” I snapped.

  She exploded into laughter.

  “He’d know. He’s a lawyer.” I added, trying not to laugh, yet again, at the disaster that was my love life.

  “How’s Colt taking it?” She asked when she calmed herself down.

  Lexie hadn’t met Colt. She hadn’t been able to get off work for our girls weekend or Law and El’s wedding reception. She’d actually only met Lawson once, when we’d all gone to Jemma’s wedding-we-got-married-in-Vegas party, but I knew she thought the world of him already.

  “Not so good.” I sighed, feeling guilty again. “But he’s said he won’t stand in our way at all.”

  “Huh.” She mused. “That’s really mature of him… I’m impressed.”

  I was impressed too, if I was being honest. He didn’t have to be as good about this as he was, but then Colt always had been a good guy, just not the right guy for me.

  “Yeah… it’s really big of him.” I agreed.

  “I want to meet him.” She announced.

  “Who? Colt?”

  I must have sounded shocked because
she laughed at me.

  “No you silly bitch, your boyfriend.”

  “I’m not sure he’s my boyfriend yet…”

  “He took you for a dirty weekend away didn’t he?” She asked. “Trust me, he’s your boyfriend.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fly down for a week when you get a shift off.” I suggested, liking the idea already. “It’d be so fun. We can party and relax and hang out… we haven’t hung out in forever.”

  “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard in a long time.”

  Hell yes!

  “Oh you can meet Stella!”

  I was buzzing with excitement about this and it wasn’t even official.

  “I’ll book a flight in the next couple of months.” She promised.

  “I’m so excited.” I gushed.

  “Me too Q.” I heard voices in the background. “Gotta go hun, I’m up next.”

  “Love you Lex.”

  “Love you too.”

  I missed that girl like crazy. Having her around for a week would be a blast.

  “He watched her take off her makeup and wondered why she ever put it on.”

  - Author unknown

  21. Harrison

  “Who was on the phone babe?” I asked as she strolled into the bathroom, a missive grin on her face.

  She smiled bigger.

  “Should I be jealous?” I smirked.

  She slipped her ass onto the countertop, leaving her legs dangling over the edge. “It was Lexie. She’s gonna come out for a week sometime soon.”

  It was easy to see that Quinn was ecstatic about this. She’d told me all about Lexie and I knew she was missing her.

  “She wants to meet you.” She nudged my arm, her eyes dancing with mischief.

  God she’s so beautiful.

  “Talking about me were you?” I probed.

  “Of course I was.” She winked, leaning back against the mirror.

  I didn’t ask what she had said, I didn’t care, just the fact that she was telling her friend about me was enough to boost my ego.

  She settled back and pulled her legs up and tucked them underneath herself, watching me.

  I paused, the wet razor in my hand and shaving cream on my face.

  “Why do you do that?” I asked her.

  It’d become a habit, whenever I shaved – always at night since I didn’t like to start a day completely clean shaven, Quinn would perch herself up on the countertop and just watch me, stroke after stroke. She’d sat in my bathroom at home countless times and done just that.

  “I like to watch.” She replied.

  I glanced back in the mirror and shaved another strip of facial hair.

  “It’s the sound.” She added. “It’s manly.”

  I laughed. “The sound?”

  “Yeah.” She insisted, bobbing her head. “Watching you shave is one hell of a turn on.” She smiled a wide, beautiful smile.

  I laughed again. Quinn was always straight up. It was one of my favorite things about her.

  “You know what turns me on?” I asked her as I wiped my face off with a wet wash cloth.

  “What?” She asked, still not looking away from my jaw.

  “When you take your makeup off.”

  “What?” She spluttered, meeting my eyes. “You’re joking right?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why?” She asked in disbelief.

  “You don’t need that shit.” I pointed at all the little bottles that had taken over the countertop. “You cover up those sexy as fuck freckles.”

  “Sexy as fuck freckles…” She repeated back to me in slow motion. “You must be the only person in the history of the universe that thinks freckles are sexy.”

  I moved in between her legs and dragged her towards my body.

  “They’re sexy on you.”

  She blushed.

  “Give me those.” I told her, pointing to her makeup wipes.

  She widened her eyes slightly but didn’t say a word and she reached for them and handed them to me.

  I wiped her face gently with one of the wipes, just like I’d watch her do.

  She closed her eyes and relaxed, enjoying the moment.

  I traced every line and feature of her face, committing it all to memory. Her soft, perfect lips called to me as I ran my fingertips gently around them.

  It might sound crazy, but this was one of the most intimate moments of my life.

  Quinn must have sensed it too, her lids fluttered open and our eyes locked on each other.

  I sat the wipe on the bench, my eyes never leaving hers.

  “You’re so beautiful.” I murmured.

  Her lips parted slightly and I leaned in to kiss them.

  She kissed me back softly, almost timidly, like it was our first time.

  “Quinn.” I whispered against her mouth.

  “Harrison.” She breathed back.

  I gently eased her into my arms and carried her to the bedroom, laying her onto the bed.

  Her eyes were soft and trusting.

  “So beautiful.” I murmured again.

  The connection between us was at a whole new level. I’d never experienced anything like this.

  I’m falling for her.

  I had a deep desire to do something I’d never bothered to do before.

  I gazed down at the precious woman beneath me before taking her in my arms and making love to her soft and sweet.

  ***

  “Dance with me.” She coaxed from the centre of the room. She was sitting there, wearing those kind of tights that girls liked to pretend counted for pants and one of my white t-shirts which she had tied in a knot at the front. She should have looked ridiculous, but because she was Quinn, she looked smoking hot.

  I chuckled and shook my head. “I don’t dance.”

  She virtually floated over to the sound system and I knew I was in trouble. She moved like an angel.

  “It’s only me.” She argued as she searched through the music library on my phone for a song.

  Exactly… it’s you.

  I wasn’t dancing with her – there was no way. I only danced when I had to. Formal events, weddings… shit like that. Not Sunday afternoons in the middle of a living room, that was for damn sure.

  No fucking way.

  “Dance with me.” She pleaded, sticking her lip out in a pout.

  I shook my head. “This isn’t one of those girly, lady porn novels. It’s not happening. I don’t dance.”

  “But I dance.” She stated, disappointment written all over her face.

  Shit.

  I almost caved.

  “Then dance for me.”

  She flicked her gaze to mine and I sat down slowly in an armchair, not taking my eyes off her. I nodded at her once.

  She sat the phone down and ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ by John Mayer filled the room.

  She shut her eyes, swaying only slightly to the rhythm of the music at first, before her movements grew and evolved.

  I watched her body, her long fluid limbs as she began to really move. She stepped, skipped almost, and danced unlike anything I’d ever seen.

  She was making it up on the spot – she had to be… but she could have fooled me into believing she’d been doing this exact routine for years. I didn’t know much about dance, but I would have thought she’d look completely at home on a major stage.

  Moving like that… I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

  Damn.

  She was the sexiest creature I’d ever encountered.

  Her eyes were in a trance, her focus absolute. She spun, dipped, bent, stretched and flew.

  I sat, completely fixated on the figure of the woman who had taken my whole world by storm.

  All too soon the music faded and ended.

  “Well that’s my kind of dancing Skippy.” I finally managed to choke out.

  Her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled. “Skippy?” She panted, out of breath as she sat down cross legged in the middle of the floor.
“What’s a Skippy?”

  “You are.” I grinned. “That little skip you did is my favorite.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me instantly. “It’s not called skipping Harrison. You can’t call me that.”

  I folded my arms defiantly across my chest. “Can’t I?” I taunted her.

  She threw daggers at me. She was a smart woman, and she knew the more fuss she made; the more I’d dig my toes in. It wouldn’t matter anyway, Skippy had already stuck.

  She rolled her eyes at me and gave up. “What do you mean, that’s your kind of dancing?”

  “Watching you.” I pointed at her. “You’re a dancer.” I stated dumbly. I had no idea. Truth be told, there was a lot that I still didn’t know about her.

  She nodded and smiled shyly. “What did you think?”

  “Come over here and I’ll show you.” I smirked at her.

  She raised her eyebrows in question, but rose gracefully to her feet anyway and closed the space between us.

  I grabbed her hand as soon as she was within my reach and pulled her down onto my lap so she was straddling me.

  She let out a surprised shriek and blushed a soft pink that I was becoming incredibly fond of.

  I lifted my hips slightly, pushing the hard bulge in my pants against her.

  “You feel that?” I asked her gruffly, looking into her lust filled eyes.

  She stared back at me and nodded slowly.

  “That is what I thought of your dancing.”

  22. Quinn

  I couldn’t imagine going back to the daily grind and not spending all my time with him, well, the reality was I could… but I didn’t want to.

  This weekend was everything I needed. A break… some time out… time alone with him. Something had changed between the two of us over these past couple of days; we had a new intensity… a new bond.

  When he first told me his plan to take me away, I’d thought he was having a laugh, but it turns out the joke was on me. This was the best weekend I’d had in a long time, if not, ever.

  I looked at his face, eyes on the road, and smiled.

  He caught sight of me from the corner of his eye and reached a hand out, searching for mine.

  I clasped his hand and relaxed back into the soft leather seats of his hot as hell car with a contented sigh.