Page 23 of Ropers Can't Tie Knots
Hunter remains silent, and I think it might be too much, but he throws his head back in laughter.
“Hot dogs and roses.” He snort-laughs again, and I think that has to be a good thing. “I need to get out of this suit. Then we’ll talk.”
Hunter disappears up the stairs, and I watch him go, before finally taking the stairs to my room after I hear his door close.
I know I married Hunter Burke, but if today is any indication, he’s not the manhe appears to be.
Turns out the hot dog bar was a great idea. Not only did it make Hunter smile and laugh, but he opened up a little more, and we enjoyed conversation as friends.
I learned a little more about the mysterious man, but it’s time to get to some real talk.
After pouring myself a glass of amaretto on ice and Hunter kicks back with a beer, our easy, friendly conversation screeches to a halt when I turn the talk to business.
“I don’t know how long it will take for you to arrange an appointment with the lawyer, but just tell me when and I’ll shuffle anything I have going on. Really. This needs to get recorded so you can access the funds as soon as possible.”
Hunter swallows his beer and nods. “I appreciate you being so flexible about that. The sooner it’s taken care of, the sooner we can get back to our lives.” He sets his beer on the table and leans forward. “Speaking of our lives, we need to talk about how to conduct ourselves for the next year.”
My heart rate kicks up, and I turn away from him. Another titter-like laugh escapes past my lips. “Is this the part where you ask me to pretend the strange men I find here are just friends?”
Hunter’s dark gaze meets mine. “I don’t bring people here. Ever.” There’s a flicker of something in his eyes that has me swallowing hard.
“Okay…I don’t have to do that either. This is your home, and I’d never be that disrespectful.” Hunter watches me closely and licks his lips after I sip from my glass. My cock aches as my imagination runs wild, dreaming of what his tongue might feel like on my body.
“I don’t think we should risk being seen with other people.” Hunter’s voice is thick and raspy, and my mouth runs dry when I meet his gaze. We stare each other down and the room feels like it just had the air sucked out of it and I realize I haven’t addressed his concern.
“That’s probably wise. Hard to convince people you’re married if you’re out with someone else.”
He leans back again and grabs his beer. His thick fingers wrap around the bottle and I wonder what those fingers would feel like wrapped around my dick. His throat bobs as he swallows the beverage down, and I think I know where he’s going with this, but he has yet to come out and say it. When he remains quiet, I decide to take this where I want it.
Where I’ve wanted it since I first saw him on his horse over a year ago.
“I have a proposal.” My voice sounds like I’ve just woken from the longest nap. Hunter’s gaze shifts to me as I set my drink on the coffee table and move to sit next to him. Sitting this close to him, I catch his scent. A mix of horses and fabric softener that shouldn’t be sexy, but somehow still is. “I can’t go an entire year without sex, Hunter. Neither can you if I had to guess.” He remains quiet, but shifts slightly on the sofa, and our thighs touch. “What if we keep it between us? It’s convenient. We live together already.” My hand slides onto his thigh, and the heat through his pants sears my palm. A soft breath passes from his lips, and the malty aroma left fromhis beer makes me want to taste it from his lips. “Casual sex while we’re married.”
He has to want this. There’s no other way this could go.
“No feelings involved, and you sleep in your own bed at night,” he rasps as he shifts towards me. My hand on his thigh drifts upwards and ghosts over the tented fabric in his pants.
“I can do that.” Our chests rise and fall faster than a moment ago, and I lean in closer. “If we’re exclusive, do we need protection?”
He reaches over and tugs at me to come closer. I stand and straddle his lap. God, he’s beautiful, with flecks of gold in his brown eyes I never noticed before. I need him to wreck me…right now. My fingers curl into the soft fabric of his shirt, and his muscles jump under my touch.
“I’m on PrEP and my results are negative. If you’re okay without, so am I.” Hunter’s hands slide to my ass, squeezing me in the rough, urgent way I crave.
My eyes close with a shaky sigh. “Same,” I breathe.
When I open my eyes, Hunter’s gaze is what I imagine a lion sees before it pounces on its prey; dark, dialled in, and hungry.
“You sure about this, counsellor?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Hunter says nothing else. Instead, he pulls my head to his lips and steals my breath, just like he did in the courthouse. This time he doesn’t restrain himself, and neither do I. We come together like a lightning strike.
His tongue still holds the flavour of his beer, and I suck on it, revelling in the growl that rumbles in his chest.
Hunter’s hands are everywhere at once. My shirt comes off in record time and I’m scrambling to get him naked while still on his lap. His mouth on my neck bites down and I gasp.
“God, I want you,” he growls against my skin, and if I weren’t already sitting, I might melt in a puddle of goo.
