Page 47 of Sweet Silver Bells
Olivia pulled her hands down to her sides, bringing his with her as she came into him, no more space separating them, her chest pressing against his, her chin raising to his. Huntersuccumbed to how she felt against him, how he was putty in her hands. He surrendered. There was no going back after this. Hunter placed his lips on hers. This kiss was something new. It felt like electricity zapping him as he stood in a puddle.
She’s yours.
It was as if it were the very first, a kiss that confirmed he was choosing to be a different man, a different person. This kiss would ensure that he needed to take action, be proactive, and take care of the beautiful, strange creature that trusted him enough to follow him into a world that was not hers.
She baited him, staring at him with those longing, thick, wet eyelashes, inviting him in. She wanted that kiss, too. She wanted him. She saw something in him. Olivia saw something that he himself could not see. Whatever it was, he could learn, change, and become better. He could bring that out of himself and let the entire world see that he got a second chance, that Hunter was worthy of life.
You can do this. You can move on.
Their lips pulled apart. Hunter smiled, his cheeks heated, his heart open as he stared into the danger he could not escape.
She needed him.
He needed her.
It was that simple.
“I’m not sure that filled me.” Olivia smirked.
Hunter wasted no time. He needed no more of an invitation as his hand moved to the back of her head, her wet hair still silky but tangling at his aggressive movement. He crushed his lips to her as their momentum built, as their mouths moved together, a tango that was desperate, dark, but so fulfilling that Hunter might never be able to come back up for air again.
A light moan came out of Olivia which sent Hunter into a spiral, a frenzy as he worried that he might devour hers right there in the middle of the street, in the puddle that they stood inas neighbors peered through their windows and watched as for the first time in years, Hunter came alive, found himself once more, found himself in her.
Honk Honk Honk
Olivia jumped up while still entangled in their kiss, and he held her tighter, closer, protectively as their lips broke. Hunter looked to the left to see an angry elderly woman sitting in her car, unable to get around his vehicle in the single-lane residential street.
“You’re bothering people.” She rolled her window down, shouting through heavy rain. “Move your car.”
Olivia giggled, and Hunter could breathe, breaking free from the moment that had wrapped around them.
“I'm sorry,” he said, holding a hand up to her. “Come sit in the car with me; I have to park.”
The two marched through pools of water on the pavement, Hunter sitting in the driver's seat just in time to watch Olivia’s surprised face as she nearly stepped on the box of Danishes on the floor.
Hunter grabbed the box, holding it with his right hand over the center console so she could sit, and began to pull the car into his driveway. The rain had melted away most of the snow as the unhappy woman sped by unnecessarily fast.
“Look at these pots,” Olivia said, her face lighting up. “You got these for me?”
“Yes, and that’s not all,” Hunter said, opening the Danish box. “I got some nutrients. Well, health bloggers will argue that these aren’t nutrients, but I hope you like them anyway.”
"Health bloggers?" She blinked at them, a bit confused, but there was no denying the elation beaming through her, as if she were trying to summon the sun.
13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
Olivia hummed softly as she cradled the oversized poinsettia, gently teasing its roots apart before settling it into the soil Hunter poured into the oversized planter pot in the living room. The haze that crept into Hunter’s mind was less and less intrusive, as if it recognized him as a friend and was no longer looking for its next victim.
He was sore from carrying multiple forty-pound planter pots and a few bags of loose soil from the car. He successfully held his breath so Olivia didn't see evidence of his lack of gym time.
You’re getting there in age. People throw their backs out doing this kind of work, Hunter.
The rich scent of earth surrounded him, mingling with the light bite of herbs coming from the mistletoe hung throughout the living room, draping as if it had a personality, determined to be elegant and dramatic. His entire house now had her scent wafting through as if she had touched every fabric and piece of furniture. It smelled like forest. It smelled like trees. It smelled like her body was pressed against him. Her body pressed so close, without rain to wash her away, and him desperate to hold on.
Hunter blushed and looked down into the fresh dirt sitting like a bowl inside the three feet of shiny porcelain pot in front of his main living room window. The bag that once held the soil lay crumpled against the front door, making a mess he would have to clean up later.
The thought of Olivia rolling around, rolling around with him, was now all he could think about.
