Page 41 of Sunshine with You
“That’s part of it.”
“And what’s the other part?”
He smirks. “I don’t want you to leave yet…”
“Aww, Hunter, I’m touched,” I say sarcastically, slipping my palm over my chest.
“I mean, yeah. I’d say you’ve beensufficientlytouched tonight.” He chuckles as I swat his shoulder.
“You’re so irritating.” I laugh, tipping my head to his chest. He lifts my chin, looking into my eyes with an intensity that makes my insides flutter. The light humor we just shared has burnt to a crisp in the heat of his gaze. I clear my throat, breaking the hold. “I’m just going to the bathroom.”
“And then back here.” He isn’t asking, which puts a little hitch in my attitude at him telling me what to do.
“If you’re lucky.” I slide out of bed and pad across the darkened hallway. When I get to the bathroom, I flip on the light and wrap a towel around myself. Doing all the things we just did in the dark is one thing, but I’m not ready to face my naked self in the mirror tonight. I’ll save all of that, plus a quick panic session, for the morning.
I hesitate before leaving the bathroom. It would be the easiest thing to spring past Hunter’s door, up the stairs, and back to the reality waiting for me in my room. That would be a surefire way to draw a line in the sand with him about tonight. Make it crystal clear that this is one and done. I enjoyed every bit of our time together, but it can’t ever happen again. We want different things;we’retoo different. Hopefully, he’ll be out of my system for good after tonight.
Fluffing my curls, I take one last look in the mirror and smile at the hickey he left on me. I brush my fingers across the sensitive spot under my collarbone—placed just low enough that I’ll easily be able to cover it with a shirt in the morning.He’s learned a thing or two. There’s no doubt in my mind he remembered from last time and purposefully left his mark where I could hide it.
I smile at the thought, unable to ignore the curiosity inside that wants to see tonight through.Tonight, and then no more. The towel stays, though. I may not have the sense to draw the line right now, but I’m putting some caution cones around the perimeter of my body, for sure.
When I walk back into Hunter’s room, towel tied tightly under my arms, he’s sitting against the headboard, boxer briefs on, with my bonnet in his hands. All I can do is gape, frozen mid-step.He went upstairs for that?
“I, uh”—he clears his throat—“didn’t want you to leave again…so I grabbed it for you.” He fidgets with the ruffled edge, but his eyes don’t leave mine.
It takes a second before I snap out of my surprise, eventually grabbing my phone off the floor. “…Thanks….” I saunter around the bed like this is completely normal and reach over him to put it on his charger. He fingers the edge of the towel as I drop next to him, shaking his head and letting out a soft laugh. But he says nothing as his eyes meet mine. Instead, his thumb brushes my cheek, and he presses the sweetest kiss to my lips. Tingles scatter through me, and I melt.Only tonight?
He lingers on my lips for a lifetime before whispering, “Patti was wrong…”
My brows knit while I wait for him to explain.
“Back then, I didn’t look at you like you hung the moon… I looked at you like you were the sun. You lit up my world in a way I didn’t know was possible.”
My jaw drops, and a timid smile slides across his lips. He pushes a finger under my chin to close my mouth, then slips my bonnet over my hair, taking care to tuck in the stray curls.
“There’s another thing we can forget in the morning, honey bear.” He turns me away from him and nuzzles into my neck. Molding his body to mine, his breath grows deep, leaving me to deal with that bombshell confession on my own.
Morning comes too fast,the sun waking me slowly as it streams through the window. Blinking a few times, the room comes into focus while soft, slow kisses land on my bare shoulder. A quiet moan eases from my lips, a surprising calm washing over me with each tender brush of his. All through the night, I seemed to be aware of his roughened fingers caressing my stomach in his sleep, his musky cologne easing me into a hazy comfort. I could get used to feeling his skin on mine, and I sleepily wonder if we could work in the light of day.Maybe we could.
“Good morning, honey bear,” Hunter’s gruff voice whispers in my ear from behind. His arm is draped lazily over my hip, the same as it was when he fell asleep last night. He kisses my shoulder one last time and tugs me closer with a sigh. The mattress shifts, and then he’s gone, feet padding against the hardwood as he walks out into the hallway.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. When I tap the screen, I get an eyeful of a scantily clad Ava before I realize it isn’t my phone in my hand. A lump forms in my throat as reality slaps me in the face, waking me up completely. Slipping Hunter’s phone back on the small wooden table, I use the sobering realization crashing down around me to find my resolve.He’s still talking to Ava.
Last night was earthshaking and devastating, all at once. He was true to his word and took his time, thoroughly enjoying every inch of me. By the end of the night, I felt like an untouchable goddess. But seeing that message on his phone is a stark reminder that we’re no different from who we were before. Nothing will come of this—nothing can. We’re still, after the most amazing night together, complete opposites who want different things.
All of that aside; this was the arrangement. We pretend to be who we’re not for one night, and then we forget it. We go back to life as normal. Random women throwing themselves at his feetisa normal occurrence for him. And I don’t want to look like the unhinged codependent who went through his phone after sex. It’s none of my business who he’s talking to, anyway. That text was the splash of cold water I needed to snap out of the passionate haze I succumbed to last night.It ends here.
I jump up, snatchmyphone off the nightstand, and retighten the gaping towel I fell asleep in as I search the room for my scattered clothes. Gathering them in one arm, I slide off my bonnet and clutch the towel to my body with the other, scanning the floor for my panties.
“Looking for this?” Hunter asks, dangling my thong from the tip of his finger. He leans against the door frame, all brown taught muscles in their glory, wearing nothing more than his boxer briefs and a smart-ass smirk.
“Give. Them. Back.” I glare at him, punctuating each word. He’s playing games with me—games that I don’t have the patience for this morning.
“Come get them…”
“No. Bring them here. And stop looking at me like that!” I snap back at him.
“Like what?”
