Page 68 of Hunter

Hunter lies down on his side, facing me, the blue of his eyes surrounded by a pale ring of red.

I upset him. I worried him.

I need to be more careful of his heart.

As soon as he sat up, I recognized my mistake, and further still, its consequence: that if I left him again, choosing Beto’s feelings over his, there was no guaranteed third chance for us. I quickly realized that I’m not willing to risk the second chance we’ve been given. He means too much to me now.

Besides, spending more one-on-one time with Beto wouldn’t help or fix anything. Time apart to gain perspective and cool down will serve us best for now. September will be here soon enough.

I reach out to cup Hunter’s cheek. “I’m sorry I said that…about going home with Beto. I didn’t mean it. I was just thinking aloud.”

“I won’t try to keep you here if you want to go,” he says, rotating his head a touch so his lips press against my palm. “It’snot going to work unless youwantto stay…unless youwantto be with me.”

“I do,” I tell him. “I choose you.”

For now.The words slide through my mind, the inevitable end of the summer taunting me.What about then?

“Hey,” he says, the heaviness in his eyes abating, “what was that you said about falling in l—”

“You’re going to be impossible now, aren’t you?”

He grins at me. “Say it again.”

“No.”

“Please?” he begs.

“Falling in love…” I scoff. “I hate that expression so much.”

“I know,” he says, putting his arm around my waist to pull me closer. My breasts push against his chest, my nipples pebbling on contact. “Which makes it all the more awesome that you said it.”

“Don’t expect me to get all mushy now,” I warn him. “I’m not the lovey-dovey type.”

He brushes one of my errant curls off my forehead. “What type are you?”

“Honest,” I say, thinking of the traits I value most in myself. “Loyal.”

“Smart.”

“Ooo. I like that.”

“Sexy,” he says, rocking his hips into mine, his arousal hard against my thigh.

I can’t help smiling as he leans forward to kiss my throat. His lips are soft and hot against my skin. He turns me on like a light, and I immediately want more.

“And…dusty,” he grumbles.

“Dusty?”

“You’re covered in dust and dirt from your race,” he says, leaning away from me with a slow, sexy smile. “Wanna take a shower?”

“Mmm. We haven’t done that yet,” I say, rolling away from him to stand up and get naked. “Sounds perfect.”

***

The next morning, we sneak out of our hotel before we run into anyone from the show. We’re both anxious to get back to Skagway.

Our journey takes us from Nome to Anchorage to Juneau to Skagway, and it takes almost nine hours.

---