Page 105 of Pinkie Promise

I add that to my mental list of things to Google and then snuggle down into Hunter’s chest, deciding to stop pestering him about his protective streak when I’m secretly enamoured by it. Honestly, I wouldn’t want him to behave in any other way.

“Thank you for letting me stay in your future home last night,” I whisper up to him, smiling when he looks down at me, a sexy crease dimpling in the middle of his cheek.

“It’s never felt more like home than when I got you through the front door,” he replies, the hand on my thigh giving me another firm squeeze. “Besides, it’s gonna beourhome as soon as you finish up at Carter U.”

I roll my eyes playfully although my heart feels like it’s about to burst.

“Do you know when you’re gonna hear back about your grant?” he asks, burying his face in my hair and groaning quietly after he takes a deep inhale.

“Just before summer break,” I admit, wincing inwardly. “I know it’s crazy far away and it means that I’ll have no time to give myself a Plan B if I don’t get the outcome that I want, hence why I took the job at that cute diner. You know, so that I won’t have to take out any loans that are too crazy, if needs be.”

Hunter chokes briefly and then rasps, “Uh, yeah. The diner.”

“Yeah,” I continue. “I mean, it’s just really good to be able to do something for myself, you know? Not owing anyone anything, standing on my own two feet. That kind of thing is really important to me.”

Hunter takes a long pull on his water bottle, his cheeks bright red. His eyes are looking at anywhere but mine.

“Uh…” I laugh nervously as he tosses the water bottle next to him and tugs a hand roughly through his hair. “Are you okay?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He grunts and nods. “Just dehydrated, sorry.” He glances down at me and pulls me tighter against his chest. “You liked your pancakes?” he asks.

I nod up at him and he smiles, his chest swelling contentedly.

“Good,” he says. “Now tell me that you can stay over at the hockey house tonight.”

“Hunter,” I say, unable to stop myself from smiling.

Who knew that being so wanted would feel so good?

“Say it,” he whispers, tickling at my ribs to make me squeal and squirm. He grins against my neck and suddenly sinks his teeth into my skin.

Before I gasp and capture the attention of every man in this vehicle Hunter presses one of his palms over my mouth and then he bites down even harder.

My eyes practically roll into the back of my head. I shift on his lap and his arousal digs into the softest part of my thigh.

“Fallon,” he rasps, keeping his hand over my mouth. “I want to have you in my bed tonight, tomorrow, and every day after. Then I want you over the kitchen table and up against the shower wall. So I’m gonna need you to stay over, okay?”

My pupils have blacked out, showing Hunter exactly how much I want that too, but I shake my head anyway, determined to keep at least a small semblance of self-control.

“Cheer,” I mumble against his hand. “My thesis. And m-my shift at the diner.”

He drops his head forward and groans, removing his hand from my mouth but nodding anyway as he closes his eyes.

I lean up to kiss at his jaw and his cut cheekbone twitches slightly with pleasure.

“And you have that secret manuscript that you’re writing,” he reminds me, opening one eye to gauge my reaction.

I try not to look too shocked that he remembered about my secret little dream, but whatever he sees in my face makes him laugh out loud.

“You really don’t know what you’d do if you didn’t get that grant?” he asks me quietly, his palms roaming down so that he can hold me by my waist.

I frown and shake my head, unsure at what he’s getting at.

“Interesting,” he says dryly. Then he compresses me against his pecs with a hard squish from his pumped forearms.

Just before I close my eyes he asks in a low rasp, “Do you wanna come by the rink next week so we can skate together again? I, uh… I kinda loved it, having you on the ice with me.”

Hunter Wilde, you are so darn cute.

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