Page 16 of Between Hate and Desire

“Keep that up, baby, and I’m hauling your ass to bed right now,” he growls against my lips, arching his hips against mine to show me how hard and thick he is for me.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I moan loudly so he knows that’s exactly what I want.

“Mmm. I like the sound of that,” I admit as the front door swings open.

My legs drop from his waist, and Brandon sits up, pulling me up with him. We look at Hunter with guilty faces, though mine is mostly filled with annoyance. He stares at us like he’s disgusted, which seems to be his normal look anyway, so I pay no attention to him at all. I should be mad, considering I’m all worked up now and he barged in at the worst fucking time possible.

“What’s up, B?” Hunter asks Brandon and gives him one of those manly head nods, completely ignoring my existence. He looks like he just ran a marathon by the amount of sweat covering his body.

“Just watching TV,” Brandon answers, which makes Hunter scoff. He knows damn well we weren’t. “There are leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

Hunter acknowledges it with a shrug, then walks away.

I pull Brandon back to my mouth, wanting to pick up right where we left off before we were rudely interrupted.

The sound of dishes crashing in the kitchen and the fridge opening and closing echoes throughout the apartment. Hunter comes into the living room and sits on the love seat with a bowl of cereal. He smells like he ran a marathon too.

“Valentine’s Day is this weekend,” Brandon reminds me. “I have something special planned for us, so clear your schedule.” He leans forward and places a sweet, lingering kiss on my lips, not caring that Hunter is eating as loudly as possible. My heart flutters at the mention of Valentine’s Day, knowing he’ll make it special for us.

“Oh God.” Hunter snorts, ruining our moment once again.

I let out a sigh. Sometimes I just want to slap him. No,mostof the time.

Brandon turns to him. “Do you have any plans? Gonna find a lucky lady maybe?” Brandon’s tone is filled with hope and encouragement.

With an eye roll, Hunter shakes his head. “Nah. Valentine’s Day is lame as fuck. Unless Lennon wants to share her Valentine with me, I’m riding solo.” He forces a wide, giddy smile at us, clearly making fun of the whole concept.

I let out a fake yawn and stand. “I’m tired. I think I’m going to call it a night,” I announce, hoping Brandon gets the message. He lifts an eyebrow and smirks, and that’s all I need to know he does.

Because Hunter’s always trying to get a rise out of me, I look directly at him and say, “Make sure you soak that bowl, okay? That means add water to it. Think you can manage that, or should I draw you a diagram with little stick figures?” I taunt in a high-pitched voice, purposely talking to him like one of my five-year-old students. Of course he doesn’t appreciate it, scowling and narrowing his eyes. If he wants to be treated with respect, he’s gonna have to show some respect first.

“I wouldn’t quit your day job if I were you. Jokes are pretty stale,” he retorts with a mouthful.

“Sadly, for you, that wasn’t a joke, considering you don’t actually know how to soak a bowl.” I flash him a go-to-hell grin, then walk out.

Once I’m in the bedroom, I light a few of my favorite scented candles I keep on the dresser. The ambiance of the warm glow reflecting off the wall sets the right mood. A few moments later, Brandon enters and gravitates toward me. Our mouths crash together, and I instantly melt into his warm body. Without missing a beat, we greedily remove our clothes. His strong hands memorize my body, every curve, every inch that’s his. Moments later, he’s lifting me in the air, and my legs instinctively wrap around him. His skin feels hot against mine as we stumble to the bed, and he takes me,all of me. I need him more than I need air, feeling as if I can never get enough.

“I love you, Lennon,” he murmurs, trailing kisses combined with bites over my heated skin that’s burning for more of his touch.

“I love you too. So damn much,” I whisper.

We get lost in each other, and I never want to be found.

CHAPTER FOUR

HUNTER

Work was a total shitshow today.After going through bids for the pool added by the owner yesterday, I realized the project might go over budget, which he didn’t like hearing. Because of the tantrum he threw, I was late for two different meetings and didn’t have a chance to eat lunch. Thank God I keep shitty protein bars in my truck as backup because, without them, I would’ve starved today. Though it might’ve been better than eating what tasted like play dough mixed with rubber chocolate chips.

I drive across town, sit in traffic for nearly forty-five minutes, and by the time I make it home, I’m so damn irritated that I find it hard to concentrate on anything.

After parking, I grab my laptop and head to the apartment. Brandon’s sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, drinking a beer and playing on his phone. He always leaves early on Fridays. He gives me a head nod and a smile when I enter.

“Hey, how was work?”

“Sucked,” I admit. “I need a drink…or ten.” I go to the fridge and pull out a beer, then join him on the sofa. Though I know I should eat first, I don’t care at this point.

“Where’s your other half?” I ask, wondering where Lennon is because it’s nearly dark.

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