Warriors,Winners & Wicked Lies: 13 Book Excite Spice Military, Sports & Secret Baby Mega Bundle (Excite Spice Boxed Sets)

by Selena Kitt

  “She wanted to text me her number, so I told her I left my phone back at the condo. I figured she’s pick up on the hint, but she wrote her number down for me.”

  “Persistence. If only she were so persistent about learning the material for the tour.” I say and roll my eyes.

  “What?” Hunter asks confused.

  “I’ll tell you later. Let’s get some tacos.”

  We find a taco truck parked near the beach, and order one of everything. Hunter can eat like a football player, but so can I. I find one particular taco I like the best. It’s braised beef with chimichurri sauce on a soft corn tortilla, and I decide I’m going to try and recreated it when I get home. Wherever home is after this vacation.

  “I have to figure out where I’m going to go after this vacation.” I say to Hunter.

  “You’re not going back to Paris?” He says hopefully.

  “Well, I have to go back to Paris either way, but I’ve been offered jobs at a few different restaurants. London is a big no, it’s to gloomy there for me. I’ve got offers in Paris, New York, and Atlanta.”

  “Atlanta?” He says and cocks his head to the side.

  “Yep, there’s a Cajun restaurant looking for a sous chef to train with the head chef who is retiring in a year. They are very interested in working with me because I trained in Paris, and they want to start offering more French food on the menu.”

  “Are you thinking about taking it?”

  “I haven’t seriously considered it until now. I have friends in Paris, but I have family here.”

  Chapter 8

  Allison

  I’m tired after the jungle tour, and I feel like I need a shower. Hunter and I go back to the condo and find a note from our parents telling us not to wait up. I take a shower and get dressed for the beach again. I plan on spending as much time in the ocean as I can while I’m here. Rip tides be damned, I love the ocean and I won’t be scared away.

  I sit on my bed and read while Hunter takes his shower, and when he get’s out, he dresses for the beach too. He says he’s not letting me go in the water alone, and I agree. I’m letting him get too close, but I don’t know how to stop it.

  He checks his phone before we leave, and sees that he’s missed a call that he has to return. Hunter says he’ll probably be on the phone for at least an hour and asks me to wait.

  “I can go to the beach alone, Hunter. I’m a grown woman, and there are lifeguards.” I say as I slip on my shoes.

  “Please, sweetie. Please wait, or at least stay out of the ocean until I’m done. For me?”

  “Fine. But, I’m going for a walk.”

  “Where will you be?” He asks as he dials his phone.

  “Oh my god, dad. I hear there’s a lagoon nearby. Maybe I’ll go check that out.” I say and stick my tongue out at him.

  I hear him say something else, but I’m already out the door. I stop in the condo office and as the guy behind the desk if he knows where the lagoon is. He gets a tourist map for me and circles the lagoon and the office. It’s not far, so I decide to walk to it while I wait for Hunter.

  The walk isn’t far, but the lagoon isn’t exactly easy to find. It’s worth it, though, when I do finally make it. The water is crystal clear and surrounded by dense tropical plants and flowers. The sun is starting to go down, and the big white blooms around the edge of the water are practically glowing in the sunset.

  The area is abandoned, and I have the whole lagoon to myself. It’s supposed to be a full moon tonight, so I’m not worried about being out here in the dark. There are large, smooth rocks leading down into the pool, so I put my bag and towel down and make my way into the cool water. I’m swimming around for a little while and watching little fish dart in and out between my feet when I hear a rustling in the foliage near the path. Hunter’s voice is loud and clear, and I almost call out to him. Then, I hear her voice. ‘

  Kimber.

  I move behind a large rock out of sight of anyone on the path. At first I’m worried that my bag and towel will give it away that I’m here, but then I remember that I stuck them between a couple of rocks and you’d have to be looking for them to find them. I’m seething, and I can’t believe he brought her here. Especially when I told him that I was thinking of visiting the lagoon. He probably wasn’t even listening. I should get out of the water and give him a piece of my mind, but I decide to listen for a few minutes before I tell him I’m done being his fool.

  “Ohhh, Hunter this place is sexy. I’ve been on the island for months, and I’ve never been here before.” She coos at him, and I want to strangle her all over again.

  “Listen Kimber, You’re a gorgeous woman and all, but I’m not interested in you. I didn’t intend to bring you to this lagoon. I am looking for Allison. I’m sure that’s not something you hear very often, but it’s true.” He says to her firmly.

  “Awe, baby. I’m not looking to get married. We could just have some fun in this lagoon, and then you can find your precious Allison.”

  I’m going to break that bitch in half.

  “No. Kimber, listen to me closely because you seem to be struggling to comprehend what I’m saying. I don’t want you. I don’t want anything to do with you. Please, go away.”

  “Your loss, asshole. I’m sure you’re a terrible football player anyway. You’ll be a washed up has been in five years.” She says and I hear the bushes rustling as she stops away.

  “You can come out now.” Hunter says with a laugh.

  “You knew I was here the whole time?” I say as I step out from behind the rock.

  “Of course I did. You said you were coming here. Oh, and your bag is right there.” He says and points to my stuff.

  “So, did you mean any of what you said, or did you just say it because you knew I was listening?” I say and walk towards where he’s standing.

  “Allison, I thought you’d have figured out by now that I don’t want anybody but you. Kimber is an attractive woman on the outside, but she’s ugly where it counts. Besides, she’s pretty, but you’re beautiful.” He says as he steps down the rocks and joins me in the water.

  “That sounds like a line.” I say and splash him playfully.

  “That’s because it is, but did it work?”

  “Maybe.”

  My head is telling me not to do this, but my heart is pounding. I love him so much that I can’t fathom my life without him, but at the same time, I constantly think about life without Hunter. I’m convinced that he’ll leave me someday and break my heart, so I keep breaking my own heart.

  The surprising thing is he always comes after me. I push him away, and he pushes right back. I fall, and Hunter catches me. He says he’s loved me since we were kids, and now here we are as adults in the same situation as we were in high school. I regretted leaving him back then, and now it seems like I have another chance at a life with the man I love.

  He swims towards me and takes my hand. We make our way out to the middle of the lagoon, and the moonlight illuminates his face. He’s smiling at me, and it’s almost like seeing him for the first time. No matter how close we’ve gotten in the past, I’ve always felt like I was on the outside looking in at him. Right now, it feels like we’re one in the same. He looks like my oldest friend, and his gorgeous face has taken on a familiarity that’s hard to describe.

  He’s mine.

  Hunter

  I can feel her relent. I haven’t felt this close to her since high school. If she were my prey, I’d need to strike now while she’s vulnerable and exposed. I wrap her up in my arms and press my forehead to hers.

  Her skin against mine makes my pulse quicken. My skin tingles everywhere we are touching and the sensation shoots down my spine. No one has ever made him feel so alive. I tilt my head up when she kisses my throat, and my eyes are filled with the stars in the sky above.

  This is heaven, and she is my angel. I pull her body even closer to me and pick her up so she can wrap her legs around my waist. After I carry her to the
edge of the lagoon, I set her down in the soft grass surrounding the pool.

  I claim her body and we make love in a desperate attempt to become one. I want to hold on to her, but no matter how much I tighten my grip, it feels like she's slipping away. Right now, though, she has never been more mine. I can hold her and hope that this moment goes on forever.

  Chapter 9

  Hunter

  I’m very quickly coming to the realization that not only do I not want to live without Allison, there is no way that I could. It’s not that I’d physically die without her, but she’s the other half of my soul. I didn’t even think I had a soul until I loved Allison. I was a diehard atheist, but now I believe.

  The rest of our vacation goes by too quickly. Our parents aren’t around much since they had their entire vacation packed with activities. While they’re out windsurfing and kayaking, Allison and I spend our days exploring the little towns on the island and eating in a variety of restaurants. Sometimes I spend the afternoon just watching Allison cook with local chefs. She’s got such an amazing personality that most of them welcome her into their kitchens with open arms.

  Of course, I also take her windsurfing and kayaking too. One of my favorite afternoons was snorkeling and then swimming with the dolphins. I wanted to squeeze as much out of this vacation as I could because I knew when we got back, I’d spend most of my time on football. Chefs work crazy hours too, but I know we can make it work.

  On the last day of our vacation, our parents pack up and leave a few hours before us. With the oil prince and his entourage flying out on the same day, Allison and I have to take a later flight. We’re leaving pretty late, but we’re lucky because some people have been bumped off their flights completely.

  Allison cooks us dinner, and it smells amazing. We eat and then play a round of hot tub gymnastics before snuggling up on the couch to watch half of a move. We haven’t talked about when she’s going to move to Atlanta or where we’re going from here, so I bring it up. That turns out to be a mistake.

  “Sweetie.” I say and lace my fingers through hers.

  “Yeah, Hunter.”

  “I want to talk about what’s next.” I say and hold my breath.

  “I supposed we do have to figure that out.” She says and squeezes my hand.

  I relax, but I shouldn’t have.

  “I was thinking you could meet me in Atlanta next week and we could find a house.” I say after I’ve take a deep breath.

  “Oh.” The way she says it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just that I didn’t expect to move that fast. Okay, it’s not that I didn’t expect to move that fast, but it’s that I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “Well, I’d like to think about it now, if we could.”

  “Hunter, we’re about to get on a plane and then get on two separate planes and go to opposite sides of the world. I’m not sure if this is the time for heavy discussions.”

  “You’re not moving to Atlanta are you? When were you going to tell me?” I am having trouble controlling my anger at this point. I don’t want to lose my cool, but part of me is terrified she’s going to bail again.

  “It’s nothing like that. I just don’t know if we should move in together that quickly.”

  “Allison, it’s not quickly. We’ve been working on this for years.”

  “I just want a little more time, please don’t push me.” She says.

  “Push you?”

  “Yeah, I mean, please just give me some space.”

  “We’re going to opposite sides of the planet, Allison. How much more space do you need?” I’m struggling to keep my voice down at this point.

  “That’s not the same. You want me to move in with you as soon as I can get back to the U.S.” She says as the volume of her voice starts to rise.

  I know at this point I should just end the conversation, but for some reason I can’t. It’s like the argument is starting to take over and have us instead of us having it. There is no good reason for me to not let her answer my question later or to at least let her sleep on it. I have no reason to believe that she’ll abandon me again.

  “I do. I want to be with you, Allison. I’m starting to think you don’t want to be with me.” I shouldn’t have said that.

  “I’ve asked you not to pressure me, and you’re pressuring me more.”

  “Well, I think I deserve and answer from you.” I practically snarl, and immediately realize I am screwing up.

  “Oh, you deserve an answer from me do you? Because I’m your subordinate? Do you have any idea how controlling you sound when you say things like that?” She raises her voice even louder.

  “I’m not trying to control you, Allison. It would be nice to know that you want to be with me, though.”

  “You know that I want to be with you. I’ve told you a hundred times. You’re being extremely insecure and it’s not attractive.” The venom in her voice is rising.

  “At least Kimber made it perfectly clear that she wanted me. I never had to guess with her, or any of the other women who throw themselves at me.” That was the wrong thing to say. I am an idiot.

  “Well then, Hunter, you can have Kimber and all of the other women who throw themselves at you because I’m done with YOU!” She screams and storms into our room.

  I hear the door lock, and my heart falls to my feet. I’ve probably lost her for good this time. I have to be the stupidest man alive. I’m not sure how I’m going to fix this, but now is probably the time to give her space.

  When it’s time to leave for the airport, she still hasn’t come out of our room. I go to the door and knock gently after I load my luggage into the cab.

  “Allison, sweetie, the cab is here to take us to the airport.”

  “I’ve switched to a flight tomorrow morning. I have the condo for the rest of the night. Just go.” She says back through the door in an eerily calm voice that makes me more afraid than if she was yelling at me.

  Something in me tells me to stay, but I ignore that voice because I don’t make good decisions when it comes to Allison.

  “Fine.” I say through the bedroom door, and I slam the front door to the condo on my way out.

  By the time my plane is taking off, I’m realizing what a huge asshole I was being. I am so terrified that she’ll leave me forever that I ensured that she’ll leave me forever. Maybe if I just give her some time and then reach out to her, I’ll be able to fix this.

  I have to be able to fix this.

  Allison

  I can’t believe he said that to me. It’s like he knows exactly what will get to me, and then he uses that to piss me off as much as he can. The other thing that pisses me off is that he’s completely right. I was pushing him away again. I did panic when he said he wanted to move in together.

  When I told him that I’m not good enough for him, that’s not exactly what I meant. I don’t have low self-esteem, so it’s not that I don’t think I’m good enough for him, but it’s more like I don’t think I’ll be enough for him.

  I wasn’t sure how to put that in a way that didn’t insult him because it’s not that I don’t think I’m enough. It’s more like I think Hunter has an appetite for women that one woman will never satisfy. Of course, none of this is based on anything I know about him. It’s more like my fears combined with the football star stereotypes.

  He’s really good, and really gorgeous. I’m sure he’ll be famous soon and that means tons of beautiful women will be throwing themselves at him. Even more women than he’s already got chasing after him will be lining up for a chance to go to bed with him, and he’ll have a monster ego to go with it.

  Listen to me. I’m assuming the absolute worst about the man I love, and I’m pretty sure that makes me the asshole. The only one of us who even remotely resembles a snake is me. I’m the one slithering off into the bushes to hide.

  I can’t keep doing this to him, but I can�
��t seem to let my guard down either. The best thing for both of us is for me to let him go once and for all. Hunter deserves better than what I’m giving him, and I don’t think I can break out of the headspace that’s causing me to hurt him.

  The plane takes off and I start to feel a little queasy. That’s strange because I never get airsick. I push the call button as soon as we’re at cruising altitude, and I ask the flight attendant if I can have a pillow and ginger ale.