Hunter: A Reed Security Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “Well, I’m going to check out my room. It was nice to meet you.”

  “I’ll walk you. My room isn’t too far away, so you’ll be able to come to me with any questions.”

  “Thank you. That’s very nice of you.”

  He chuckled and shot me a sexy grin. “That’s the second time you’ve said that.”

  “Sorry. First day jitters.”

  He smiled knowingly at me and I ducked my head to keep from staring at his gorgeous eyes. I could definitely fall for this man. He was exactly the type of guy I needed. Sexy, charming, and not a total asshole. We walked down the hall to the elevator and took it up to the second floor. He pointed out the bathrooms and other teachers to stay away from if I didn’t want my ear talked off.

  “I’m two doors down on the left. If you need me, just swing by. My door is always open.”

  “Thank you so much. This has been great.”

  “Anytime, Ms. Grant.”

  I smiled as I walked into my assigned room, excited to have met someone so friendly on my first day. And not bad looking either. Screw that, he was gorgeous and if it weren’t for the fact that he was my coworker and I was new here, I might consider the fact that he was exactly what I was looking for.

  I spent half the day arranging my room just the way I wanted and then started going through the textbook for the course and planning my lesson plans for my first class. I was shocked at how much longer it took to plan than I thought it would. On top of that, I had lectures that I had to prepare. It was a little overwhelming and no amount of schooling could prepare me for just how much work I had ahead of me. The good thing was that I still had another month before school started, so I could spend every day here or at home preparing for school to start.

  When I left for the night, it was already seven and I hadn’t eaten anything since my measly lunch of a peanut butter sandwich and chips. My stomach was grumbling so loud that I was mortified when I passed another woman in the halls and she gave me a funny look. I was almost to my car when I saw Graham walking to his car also and carrying a briefcase. I looked down at the books and papers I carried in my own arms and considered that it might be a good idea to get some kind of messenger bag. Why hadn’t I thought of that? I put everything in my backseat and was startled when I turned around and saw Graham standing right behind me.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said when I jolted back.

  “It’s okay.”

  “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat. I could answer any questions you have.”

  “Sure, I’m actually starving.”

  “Good. There’s a diner on the other side of campus that has great food. I go there a lot during the school year.”

  “Sounds great.”

  I followed him in my car and walked into the diner with him. We sat in a window booth and I smiled at how easy it all felt around him. I was attracted to him, but I didn’t feel like sexual chemistry was all we had. There was an easiness that came from sharing similar interests. As we ordered and waited for our food to arrive, we discussed our different courses and what seemed to motivate the students best. After explaining that this was my first year teaching, he seemed a little shocked that I had gone right to teaching at a college level, but equally impressed.

  We ate in companionable silence and then he insisted on buying dinner as a welcome to the college. When I left the diner, I felt exhilarated for the first time in a long time. When I pulled up to my apartment a half hour later, I was angry to see Hunter idling by the curb. Grabbing my stuff, I got out and slammed the door to my car.

  “What are you doing here, Hunter?”

  “I just came by to check out the apartment. When I was here the other day, I noticed that your locks weren’t that good. I just wanted to make sure it was safe.”

  “Hunter, normally someone would call first.”

  “Well, I got off work and decided to swing by. I just got here. I swear, it’s not like I’ve been sitting outside waiting for you.”

  “Well, it was nice of you to think of me, but the landlord handles all that stuff. I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate you changing the locks without his permission.”

  “I got his permission. I talked to him this afternoon and cleared everything with him.”

  I could feel the anger turning to rage with every word he said. How dare he talk to my landlord, as if it was any of his business.

  “You shouldn’t have done that. When are you going to learn that it’s not okay to go behind my back and do things without my permission?”

  “Would you relax? It’s not like I changed your locks without telling you. I’m just trying to help you out.”

  “I understand that, but you should have talked to me first. You can’t just keep barging into my life and taking control of every situation that you think you could handle better.”

  “Name one thing that I’ve done that was overstepping.”

  I ticked off the list on my fingers. “You demanded I stay with you after the fire. You told me I was your woman instead of asking me out on a date. You got upset when I slept with someone else even though our relationship never went further than sex. And you talked to my landlord without my permission about my apartment.”

  He ran his hand along his jaw and sighed. “I said name one. Look, I’m not trying to piss you off. I see things that need to be taken care of and I want to do those things for you. I care about you.”

  I softened a little, even though I knew I shouldn’t. Hunter was naturally a dominant person and he was just trying to help. “Fine. You can come check out the locks, but next time ask.”

  He gave a slight nod and followed me upstairs. He took the keys from me as I attempted to juggle all my books and papers while trying to open the door.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled as I walked inside and set my books down on the floor in the living room. He looked around the room and I could see the judgement in his eyes. It wasn’t much to look at, but I was surprised when he didn’t say anything. He got right to work on changing my locks on the door while I got changed into something more comfortable for the night. By the time I finished washing the makeup off my face and getting ready for bed, Hunter was finished with the locks and putting away his tools.

  “Here are your new keys.”

  I took them from Hunter and tried to keep my eyes from roaming over his ripped body. It would be wrong to sleep with him, especially when I had already told him that we were over and couldn’t be anything more. But the sight of him in my apartment, in his shirt that showed off all his muscles and gorgeous tattoos had my body shooting into overdrive. This was always my problem with Hunter. He was just too damn delicious to walk away from.

  He stepped closer and I didn’t step away. He lifted his hand to caress my face and I didn’t tell him to stop. He took me in his arms and pressed his lips to mine and I thrust my tongue in his mouth, tasting every delicious morsel of his flavor. My hands took over when my brain should have shut this down. I ripped his shirt from his body and ran my fingertips over his impressive pecs, across the beautiful designs imprinted on his body. There was no denying that I craved Hunter like my next breath. I could give myself this time with him, but it could never be more.

  “Hunter,” I gasped as I pulled back. “I want you.”

  “I want you, too.” He grabbed me around the waist and thrust his erection against me.

  “This will never be more,” I whispered before his lips crashed down on mine. He didn’t respond, but the way his arms wrapped around me and held me close to him, I knew he didn’t think the same. He would make me his if it was the last thing he did. I just didn’t know if I was strong enough to stop it.

  He carried me into the bedroom and laid me down on the uncomfortable futon. I didn’t want gentle and I didn’t want him in charge tonight. This was pure lust and I didn’t want it confused with love or anything close to it. I stripped my clothes quickly, wanting to get him on the bed where I could take him,
but he had different plans. He pulled his shirt over his head slowly, letting me see every muscle flex and move in a way that got me wet and charged. My eyes trailed down to the line of hair under his belly button that led down to my favorite part of Hunter.

  His jeans hung loosely around his hips and showed just the top of his boxers. I couldn’t wait anymore, stepping into his space and flicking the button of his jeans. I shoved them down over his hips and pushed him backward to fall on the futon. I tore the jeans from him and then straddled his hips, feeling his length press against my wet core. His eyes burned into me as I ground my hips against him, rubbing my juices against his shorts.

  He took my nipple in his mouth, sucking the bud until it was rigid. I moved faster, needing the release that was so close. Hunter flipped me onto my back, taking away the power I held over him. He shoved his boxers down enough that I felt his cock spring free and press against my folds. He taunted me, entering me slightly and then pulling back, every time bringing me to the edge of insanity.

  “Hunter, get inside me now or get out of my apartment.”

  “Patience, Lucy. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

  “I don’t want you to build Rome. I want you to go on a sightseeing adventure,” I gasped as he thrust inside me fully, stretching my insides with his massive girth.

  “You can try to run from me, Lucy, but I’ll always get you.” He thrust in further over and over, slamming his balls against my ass. “You’ll always be mine.” He moved faster, my climax building to the point of explosion. “Mine, Lucy. Always mine.”

  One final thrust pushed me over as electricity coursed through my body leaving me convulsing from the pleasure. Hunter shattered on top of me, cursing as he emptied himself inside me. His muscles bulged from his arms as he remained above me, pressing kisses all over my face. They were tender kisses that were too reminiscent of love making and I couldn’t deal with that. He was trying to win me over, but it wouldn’t work. I already knew that Hunter wasn’t capable at this point in his life of having a relationship with someone without dominating them.

  I pushed against his chest and slipped out from underneath him. Grabbing my clothes off the floor, I went to the bathroom and quickly washed off in the shower. It almost felt wrong to wash away Hunter, but I couldn’t stand to be sticky before bedtime. When I came out again, Hunter was sitting on my bed, fully dressed with his elbows resting on his knees.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” I said as I stood in my doorway, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  He looked up at me with what looked like hurt on his face, but he didn’t say anything. He stood and gave a quirky smile before pulling me in for a steamy kiss. “I’ll wear you down, Lucy. You’re mine. You’ll always be mine,” he mumbled against my lips. I was sure he would if I kept giving into my desires for him. And even though I knew it was dangerous, I couldn’t help but wonder what it could be like if Hunter actually was able to give me what I needed.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  The next month passed quickly and before I knew it, school was starting and I was in the full swing of things. Hunter still stopped by, wearing me down more and more every time. He was trying to be nice, but there was still a commanding side to him that snuck out and tried to order me around. I did my best to ignore him and keep him at a distance. It was working, but I could feel his frustrations whenever he was with me.

  At school, Graham turned out to be a great friend and resource. He was there to answer all my questions and frequently asked me to join him for lunch or dinner to discuss what we would like to accomplish with our classes this year. I found him to be very charming and the nicest person I had met at the university so far.

  I was in my office after my classes were done for the day, trying to catch up on grading papers. The stack on my desk seemed to be growing by the minute and if I didn’t take stuff home with me, I would never finish. I worked for another hour before deciding to call it quits and bring everything home with me where I could work from the comfort of my futon. At least I could eat while I worked.

  Gathering up everything I needed, I shoved the papers into my messenger bag and turned to the door, only to jump back when a large, looming figure stood in my doorway. Seth Mackenrow. He was on the football team and one of their star players if I understood correctly. He had already missed several classes due to games, but he had always turned everything in on time. As far as I could tell, he was an exemplary student.

  Still, there was something unnerving about him. He was quiet and always seemed like he had bottled his rage and it would explode any second. It was probably what made him such a great football player.

  “Seth, what can I do for you?”

  “I have a game coming up.”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen the schedule. I’ll have your assignments for you tomorrow at the end of class.”

  He nodded, but stood there staring at me. I shifted from one foot to the other, unsure what I should do now. I didn’t want a student to think I was afraid of him, but I also didn’t want to be overly confident. I smiled at him and picked up my messenger bag.

  “I was just about to head out for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He still stood there, so I shoved past him to the hallway. My heart pounded when I realized that no one else was around as far as I could see. I was all alone with a student that was easily twice my size and was known for his powerful tackles. And I was in heels. Seth pulled the door closed behind me and watched as I locked my office. When I headed for the elevator, he followed me. He was like my shadow, but a very scary shadow that I didn’t want around.

  When the elevator doors opened, I thought briefly of taking the stairs. I didn’t want to be trapped in a steel cage with this guy, but I also was afraid of offending him. Strange that my senses were telling me to run, but I was afraid of him thinking I didn’t like him. I took a deep breath and stepped onto the elevator and cringed when I felt the elevator bounce with his weight. I watched wide eyed as his large finger pressed the number one and the doors slid closed. I was sure I would never see what the outside of this elevator looked like after this moment.

  All of the things Hunter had ever said to me about safety flashed in my head until I was on the verge of a panic attack. But just as I was sure Seth would turn around and slam me into the wall, the doors slid open and he stepped off, holding a hand out for me to walk ahead of him. I swallowed hard and focused on getting to my car. I could do this. I took out my keys and placed them between my knuckles so that I would have some form of defense. We walked through the dimming light to the parking lot. There were still a lot of cars here, teachers and students that were here for night classes, but it was the middle of the hour and nobody would be coming and going for at least another twenty minutes, too long for me to wait it out.

  Seth kept a steady pace beside me, his eyes flicking around the parking lot as if he was watching for anyone that might notice him. I tried to step further away, but every time he stepped closer to me. His body crowded against me to the point of discomfort. I thought if I said something, maybe it would break the tension, but I couldn’t find the words. The lump in my throat was too large and my throat was too tight.

  I was almost to my car. All I had to do was get inside and lock my doors. Then I would be free of Seth and I could get home to the safety and comfort of my tiny apartment. As I unlocked my car, Seth’s large hand clamped down on my shoulder.

  “You shouldn’t walk through the parking lot alone. It’s not safe,” he said in a dangerous tone that had me taking a step back. His hand tightened on my shoulder to the point of pain and I fought off the fear that was threatening to overwhelm me.

  “Lucy!” My eyes flicked around Seth’s large frame to see Graham walking toward me, his eyes running over us warily. “Hey, I was just going to grab a bite to eat. Would you like to come with me so we can talk about that conference?”

  What conference? My brows furrowed, but when his eyes narrowed slightly, I finally go
t that he was trying to help me out of an uncomfortable situation.

  “Uh, sure. That would be great. I have a lot of questions.” I was trying to sound fine, but I could hear my voice shaking with fear.

  Seth’s fingers tightened on my shoulder and I looked at him again, hoping he had gotten the hint and would leave. “It’s smart to hold your keys like that, but you should really think about getting some mace. You never know who’ll follow you out here in the dark.”

  I nodded slightly, not knowing what else to do. When he finally released me and took a step back, I sagged slightly against my car, relieved that I was finally away from him. Graham walked over to me, his face pinched in concern.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” I said, shaking the bad feelings running through me. For some reason, I didn’t want Graham to think badly of Seth. What if I was wrong about him and he really was just trying to help? I didn’t want to get Seth in trouble. This was insane. I was insane. “He was just making sure I got to my car safely.”

  “You’re sure? That looked intense.”

  “Positive,” I gave my best smile. He looked back and watched Seth’s retreating form, a strange look crossing his face. I wanted to ask what that was about, but then he turned back to me with a smile.

  “Do you still want to grab a bite to eat?”

  “Um, I have a lot to get done, but I could grab a quick bite.”

  “Great. Let’s try someplace different tonight.”

  “There’s a diner in my town that’s pretty good, but it’ll be out of your way.”

  “That’s alright. I don’t have anything going on tonight,” he said with a shrug.

  “Okay, it’s called Maggie’s Diner. Just follow me there.”

  “See you there.”

  He walked to his car and I made sure he was behind me as we pulled out. I noticed a third set of lights following behind and wondered if it was Seth and what the hell I was going to do about that. I didn’t want to report him because if I was wrong, I would cause a lot of trouble for him. But if I did nothing and he really was a creep, I could end up in a very uncomfortable situation.