Page 31 of In The Dark
We turn the corner to a hallway tucked away at the back of the bar. There’s no one else around, and I let out a deep breath, grateful for the break in the noise.
“How’s this?” he murmurs, rubbing his hand up and down my back. “We can go outside if it would make you more comfortable.”
“No, this is great. Let me send Skyler a quick text so she doesn’t think I’ve been abducted, then you’ll have my full attention.”
“Take your time. We can’t have her not liking me right off the bat. Or think I’m responsible for your disappearance.”
I dig my phone out of my purse and smile, a new message from Skyler displayed on my screen.
Skyler
It is way too crowded in here. Are you okay? I’m hanging out in the back of the main room with some people from the show. Come over here when you read this! xoxo
Hunter doesn’t rush me, letting me fire off a quick response.
Me
Hi! We do we keep getting separated when we’re together?! I ran into someone I know and we’re catching up. I’m close by, so I’ll come find you in a bit!
“Okay. We’re all set.” Tucking my phone away, I look up at him. “I don’t know why more people aren’t back here. It’s so quiet and lovely. How do you handle being in the haunted house? There’s so much screaming.”
“Earplugs help. And after twelve years, I’m used to it.”
“Twelve years? So that makes you?—”
“An old man of thirty-five. How old are you, Max?”
“Twenty-eight. What was The Great Depression like?” I tease, and he surprises me by pulling me close. By tickling my ribs and making me squeal, a laugh whooshing out of me. “I take it back!”
“It’s rude to insult your elders,” he whispers, bending his head to kiss my neck. “How are you going to make it up to me?”
“How do you want me to make it up to you?” I put a hand on his stomach, relishing in the soft hiss he lets out when I play with the hem of his shirt. “I’d like to repent for my sins.”
“You might be dressed like a devil, but I doubt you’ve ever sinned in your life. We could change that if you wanted to.” Hunter folds his hand over mine, nudging my fingers to the waistband of his jeans. “Would you think I’m an absolute asshole if I told you I’ve been dreaming about fucking you?”
“No, because I’ve thought about it too.” I swallow and fumble with the button on his pants, but I stop abruptly when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I crane my neck and spot a couple up ahead, huddled close together. “We’re not alone.”
“We’re not?” Hunter looks over his shoulder and hums. He moves my hand, sliding behind me. The light from the sconce above them casts them in almost a spotlight. Her skirt is pushed up to her waist and his hands are in her underwear, pulling them to the side. “That’s Shea and Polly. I worked with them in a house a couple years ago. Polly loves being watched.”
I wonder how he knows that, but I don’t have time to weigh his answer because she’s lifting her head away from the wall. Polly catches me staring at them and my cheeks turn bright red. I try to look away, but she opens her legs wider. Moves her partner—Shea—to the left so I have a less obstructed view and lets out a groan.
“I’ve never…” I trail off, licking my lips. I squeeze my thighs together, turned on in a way that’s new to me. “That’s so hot.”
“Do you like watching?” Hunter snakes his arm around my waist and my back presses flush against his chest. There’s no one else around, so it doesn’t feel wrong when I give him a small nod. When I admit one of the desires I keep locked away.
“I read a lot of books,” I say softly. “To find out what I like. In, um, the bedroom,” I add, waiting for him to make fun of me like Brian did. When he stays quiet, listening, I keep talking. “I’ve read a few where the characters watch other people together. I also like the ones when someone comes by the house and catches them in the act, but they keep going because she likes to be the one being watched.”
“Exhibitionism,” he says lowly, moving the hair away from my neck so he can kiss me there again. “It’s a popular kink. Is that something you’d like to try?”
“I don’t know.” My entire body is alight with nerves, and the brush of his cock against my ass makes my nipples harden. “Yes. If the person I was with made me feel comfortable.”
“That’s the most important part of kink exploration. You never want to feel silly while you do it. It needs to be a safe space. Do you see how Shea is talking to her?” Hunter gestures in the direction of the couple, and I let myself look at them again without feeling like I’m intruding.
He still has his fingers buried inside her, but he’s whispering to her too, a private conversation we’ll never hear. He’s stroking her cheek and nodding along when she answers, focused on her and her alone.
“Yeah,” I say, mesmerized.
“He’s checking in with her. Making sure she’s okay with us being here. If not, he’ll tell us to leave, because she comes first.”
