More, Please (Please Series Book 3) Page 13

  A hiccup interrupted my babbling. I sniffled and wiped my hand across my face. “I just remembered today. I was thinking about all the boxes behind me and then…”

  I looked up through my lashes. Hunter stood motionless, staring at me with a straight face and rigid body. This was the expression and stance he used to distance himself from what was going on around him. Still he didn’t speak.

  I let my shoulders slump as I swallowed back a sob. “You trusted me. I know that. I broke that trust. But please believe me, Hunter, I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t. I honestly don’t know how I could forget. I never forget about that kind of stuff. Not even when I’m not sexually active—I’ve never forgotten before.”

  A sob racked my body as I withered within his stare. I threw up my hands helplessly. “I don’t know what I can do right now. What’s done is done. And I accept it if you—”

  “Is it mine—would it be mine?”

  “Wh-what?” I managed.

  “If you did get pregnant. Would it be mine?”

  My face dropped. I was incredulous. “What do you mean, would it be yours? Who else’s would it be?”

  “That’s what I’m asking.”

  “Of course it would be yours. I don’t think God plants babies in women like me.”

  In a flash of memory, I realized why he was asking. The last time he thought he might be a father, it had actually been his dad’s baby. He’d been lied to, and it had killed him.

  “Sorry—when you ask a question like that, it sounds like you’re accusing me of cheating. I mean…you are, but…I get why.” I wiped away another tear. “Yes, you’re the only man I’ve been with since the beginning. And before that I was on a dry spell, so if the worst happens, it’ll have your DNA.”

  “I have your word? I trust you, Olivia, but I need to hear you say it.”

  I huffed, fresh tears springing to my eyes. “You did trust me, yes. And look where it got you. But yeah, it’d be yours.”

  I heard Hunter exhale before he gathered me up into his strong arms. “Okay.”

  “What do you mean, ‘okay’?” I mumbled, curling up in his arms. I needed love right now. I needed support and encouragement, because I was terrified what might happen. What it would mean in my life.

  “I mean that this is okay.” He pulled his upper body back and ran his fingers along my jaw line, applying pressure to make me look up. His eyes were soft and deep. “I love you. I didn’t think I’d ever love again, but since I first saw you, you pulled at me. You sucked me in. I can’t live without you, Olivia Jonston. I’ve found in you what I’ve always wanted in a woman. You turned me from a heartless bastard, living in a colorless world, into someone who sees the beauty in everyday life. You’ve taught me to feel again. I’ve never been this happy, in my life.”

  More tears rolled down my cheeks, and not from fear this time.

  He smiled and leaned down, kissing the trails of moisture. “My mother loves you, too. It took her the same amount of time to see in you what I do. She knew you had a hold on me from the first, and she knows I’ll never let you go.”

  “I thought you were just waiting for me to realize you were awful and take off?” I huffed out a laugh.

  He laid his hand against my cheek. “I’m afraid I’d follow you. I can’t let you go—it isn’t in me. You have me wrapped around your finger, and I’d bend whichever way I needed to make you happy.” He wiped my cheek with his thumb.

  I took a deep, shuddering breath. “But what about the lack of protection issue?”

  “I’m ready. I’ve always wanted kids—why not start now?”

  I shook my head a fraction, the fear from a few moments before still coursing through me, but now love and joy were fighting it. “You’re supposed to be angry.”

  He smiled and pulled me into his chest. “I’m not. Not at all. You’ve been stressed, busy—plus, you did ask me to help you get the box out. I knew what you were looking for, and I forgot all about it. So you see, it’s not just your fault.”

  I tucked my face into his chest. “I’m not really ready yet, Hunter.”

  “We’ll use protection from now on, and just see what happens, okay? But let’s not worry about what we can’t control. There’s no point in it.”

  I closed my eyes and took a big breath, soaking in his heat and assurance that everything would work out. “Okay.”

  “Now. Let’s get changed. I want to go shopping, and then we can go out for a late lunch or early dinner.”

  I reached up and gently grabbed his face, turning it down to me. He bent, knowing what I wanted, and captured my lips. I opened my mouth, moaning when he filled it with his tongue. One more time wouldn’t matter…

  Urgency overcame me. I stepped back, pulling him with me. My fingers tore at his shirt, popping a button open and pulling another off. Two more followed, skidding against the floor. I ripped at his pants, yanking them open and shoving them down.

  His hands slid under my shirt and pushed my bra up, cupping my breasts. His palms rubbed against my hard nipples and sent shooting sparks of pleasure through my body.

  “Take me, Hunter,” I begged, undoing my pants and pushing them down. I shimmied out of them, hooking a thigh high on his hip and pulling him closer.

  His erection hit off me. He grabbed the base of his cock and directed it to my opening, his lips greedy and insistent on mine. The tip pushed at my wetness. He thrust, sheathing himself to the hilt.

  “Hmm,” I moaned, clutching at his shoulders.

  He grabbed me by my thighs and hoisted me up, pinning me against the wall. He pulled back and thrust again, starting to build a hard and fast rhythm. I tilted my hips to meet his plunge, and then pulled back, stroking him.

  “Yes,” he said softly, our breath mingling. Heat blistered between our bodies and unfurled deep inside me.

  “I love you, Hunter,” I said, my heart thumping with intense emotion, my body reveling in the pleasure of having him inside me.

  “I love you,” he murmured.

  The feelings, both physical and emotional, shocked into me, taking me higher. I held on to his shoulders, moaning into his mouth. Soaking up the exquisite pleasure. Feeling something deep inside that I’d never felt before. Love, pure and sweet, spiraled outward, overcoming me. Flowering between us.

  “Hunter,” I groaned, kissing him passionately.

  His hands tightened on my hips, holding me in place while he plunged into me. I held on with everything I had, my body coiling. The pleasure coalescing. My breath came out in pants. My moans grew louder.

  Still the pleasure built.

  “Oh,” I breathed, rocking against him.

  Harder he strove, our bodies crashing together. The sensations tightened in my core. My toes curled.

  An orgasm blasted through me. “Oh!” I exalted, shuddering against him.

  His body shook against me with his own release. His arms snaked behind me, holding me tight. He buried his head into my neck as he shook again.

  I hooked my ankles around his back and draped myself onto him as the last of the pleasure washed through my body.

  “Now it’s my fault, too.” He lightly sucked at the hot skin on my neck. “But really, what’s one more day?”

  “I think I will blame you for that, just because it makes me feel better. A little.”

  “Good. Let’s shower, and then get going.”

  “Always in a hurry.”

  Hunter stepped away from the wall and put me down gently. His expression had turned serious. “We may not have a baby yet, but I’m hoping eventually that we will, Livy. And when that day comes, we can’t work this much. Neither of us can. Not if we want to raise a child right. I want to be a good father. I don’t want to raise a child like I was raised. So when we do eventually cross that road, God willing, we’re going to need to compromise on our work commitment. Promise me that.”

  “But…you’re the one with the high-powered job, Hunter. I work this much because you say I have to.�
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  “You are working two jobs right now.”

  “Well…yeah. But that’s more of a hobby. I don’t have to do that.”

  Doubt flickered across Hunter’s features. “Just promise me.”

  “Sure,” I said. “Of course. I’m not going to pass up a man saying he wants to be a good dad.”

  He kissed me on my forehead and took my hand, ignoring the clothes left on the floor. As we entered the bathroom and Hunter stripped the rest of the way, I couldn’t help but wonder. “What are you going to do if you have to scale back working? Something always comes up.”

  “Change jobs, probably. Maybe start my own company. We’ll see.”

  My eyebrows rose as he turned on the water. “I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but having your own company is often ten times the work.”

  “That’s if they don’t know what they’re doing.”

  “Um…” I let the word linger in a way that said, “I don’t think that’s accurate…”

  He obviously caught my drift, because he said, “We’ll cross that path when we come to it.”

  “Bridge.” I stripped and followed him into the shower.

  “What’s that?”

  “Bridge. Cross that bridge—never mind.”

  With Hunter driving, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and drove into the heart of Marin. I’d asked Hunter repeatedly what we were shopping for, but he hadn’t said. It wasn’t until we were pulling into the car lot that I finally figured it out.

  “No way. I told you I didn’t need a car.”

  “You’re living in a part of the city where a car is essential. You don’t have one. Therefore, you need one.”

  A salesman looked up from a couple he was helping out on the lot. His gaze took in Hunter’s expensive ride, and then Hunter himself when he stepped out of the car. I had made him wear jeans, but he wouldn’t fool anyone. The Rolex, the Prada sunglasses, the way he wore those jeans—he had money, and this salesman could see it from across the car lot.

  Unfortunately for that salesman, though, someone in the building we were parked next to could see it as well. A man in his twenties came out of the glass doors with greased-back hair, a tacky gold watch, and a dress shirt that fit him too loosely. He was the epitome of what I’d imagine a used car salesman to look like, if a bit young, and I didn’t expect to find someone like him on a luxury car lot.

  “Hello!” The younger man gave Hunter a smile before smiling at me next. “How are you today?”

  Hunter looked at the man and, without answering, turned toward the glass building. He’d slipped into his business persona, which could be considered rude at the best of times. Since it also meant power and money, though, people like these salesmen ate it up.

  “I certainly don’t need a car like this,” I told Hunter in a quiet tone as we wandered toward the shiny Range Rovers on the showroom floor.

  “Being that you haven’t driven much in the last four or five years, I think safety is key.” Hunter sauntered up to the nearest model.

  “This is an extremely safe car,” the salesman said, shadowing us.

  Hunter turned with a quirked eyebrow. He gave the salesman a hard look. “We need some time.”

  “Of course. No problem.” The man gave a serious-looking nod. “Just let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be right over there.”

  Hunter’s arm slid around my middle. “It’s safe, it’s reliable, it’ll get you out of the desert or mountains, and it is supposed to be extremely comfortable.”

  “I live in San Francisco, so deserts and mountains aren’t really my concern. Hondas are reliable and safe and inexpensive. If you are determined to buy me something, why not that?”

  “Do you not like the Range Rover?”

  “Hunter, I don’t need anything this extravagant!”

  “How about an Audi? Mercedes?”

  “I think you’re missing the point…”

  Hunter led me around the car and opened the driver’s-side door. He pushed me toward the seat. “Sit in it.”

  “A Mini. Now there’s a good idea. Small, fits in parking places, built well…” I peered into the sea of leather, inhaling the new car smell.

  “I will not curl up into a ball to fit in a car.”

  “Who said you’d get to ride in my new car?” I stepped up into the car and wiggled into the seat. “Oh man.” The leather molded to my butt.

  “It is really big, though,” I muttered as I looked behind me. The car seemed to stretch back to infinity.

  “Let’s look at the other models and see what you think. Then, if you want something to compare it to, we can look at other manufacturers. I want you to be comfortable.”

  “I’d be comfortable in a Mini.” I took Hunter’s hand as I climbed out of the car.

  “Within reason,” Hunter amended, leading me to the other vehicles.

  We didn’t look at other manufacturers. We didn’t even leave the showroom. What we did was look at all the models, each as awesome as the last, and then my involvement dropped away as Hunter decided to order one custom built. I had no idea why. I couldn’t tell the differences between any of the models beside the appearance, and every one of them had more than enough whirlies and buttons for my needs.

  After Hunter chose the features I “needed,” the haggling began. The young salesman soon realized that he was out of his league and called in the manager. Two against one, and still Hunter dominated. It was pretty awesome, I had to say.

  It wasn’t until the end, when both men were staring at each other with hard eyes, that Hunter dropped the bomb. “I’ll be paying cash.”

  A greedy sparkle lit up the manager’s eyes. “Yes, sir. I’ll see what I can do.”

  In the end, Hunter got nearly what he wanted, the salespeople weren’t completely moping, and I was terrified I would crash this new and shiny automobile in the first month.

  “What do you want to do now?” I asked as we left the dealership.

  “Go home, order in, and make love to you.”

  I smiled like an idiot. “Sounds good.”

  * * *

  Wednesday morning and I was looking around the office with shifty eyes. Hunter had indeed made love to me on Saturday, and then Sunday, and then Monday and Tuesday, too. He woke up and reached for me. He brought me in for nooners, and he tried to get some in the evening. It would be great, except he kept trying to finish without protection. He wanted to try for a baby.

  Actually, he was trying for a baby. He was trying to make me lose my mind enough to forget about protection. Half the time it worked.

  I should’ve been mad about that, probably. I’d said I wasn’t ready, and he should respect that. The thing was, though…I kept thinking about how I’d forgotten the pill. My mind always went back to his mother’s conversation, and about Hunter wanting kids. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d lodged that information in the recesses of my brain as code for the time is now, because I wasn’t mad at Hunter. Not at all. I kept up my resistance, but I let him break me down on occasion. I let myself forget, and then reveled in his tender kisses and embraces.

  I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. Apart from Hunter, obviously. I wanted him with a passion that couldn’t be natural. If love potions were a real thing, I’d look around his house for a cauldron and a pointy black hat, because that was what it felt like. Every time he came into a room I felt a smile bud, even if I was completely focused on something else. I sighed when he touched me and hung on his every word when he spoke.

  I was annoying myself, but I couldn’t help it. I was lovesick. It was ridiculous. But holy moly I did love that man.

  “Stop thinking about the boss and get that report done,” Brenda said as she set a cup of coffee on my desk.

  Brenda looked down at me with a grin. “If you checked out any more, you’d have drool running down your chin.”

  I wiped my chin with the back of my hand, just in case, then reached for the coffee cup. “Sorry. He’s just
… Things are just weird right now.”

  Brenda huffed and went to her desk. “I don’t know about weird, but I’ve never seen that man so happy. I don’t even know him anymore. It’s stressing me out a little.”

  “Maybe you’ll take it as a hint to lighten up.”

  “Nah. Being grumpy works for me. Someone in this office has to scare visitors.”

  “Fair enough,” I said, and with a flip-flopping stomach, I walked into Hunter’s office. I’d decided that today would be the day of “no.” I needed to get better at saying it. Since that first yes I’d been hopeless at standing my ground. Not so now. I would reclaim my ability to deny him.

  “Hey, baby,” Hunter said as he leaned back in his chair. He turned his body to face me.

  “It still weirds me out that you say baby. I feel like saying please should come before pet names.”

  “Saying please has no effect on you. Saying baby makes you blush and your eyes sparkle.” He watched me put his coffee on the corner of his desk before he reached out to me. “Come here.”

  “No.” I got a zing of adrenaline. That was weird.

  His brow furrowed for a moment and his eyes hardened. He hated when a flat no was thrown at him. I almost wanted to giggle.

  “Come here…please,” he said.

  “No.” I wrestled with my mad urge to laugh manically and run from the room.

  He clasped his hands in his lap. His face closed down into a business mask, but his sexy eyes started to burn. “I want to kiss you, Olivia. Come here.”

  “No.” I lifted my chin, unable to help a smile working at my lips. I turned and walked from the room. When I got back to my desk, I said to Brenda, “Sorry in advance.”

  Brenda glanced over. “Why? What did you do? You better not have quit, young lady, because I’ve never had it so easy in this office, and I don’t know that I have it in me to go back to working hard.”