Page 57 of Regret

Chapter 18

May 24, 2009

It had been a week since Hunter had made love to Blue for the first time. Now it seemed like whenever they were together, all they wanted to do was get lost in each other. All he could think about was being inside her, watching her beautiful face as she climaxed around him. The way her eyes fell closed, her mouth shaped in the perfect O while the most beautiful sounds of pleasure rolled over her lips, was fucking perfection. Her back would arch while her entire body trembled from the force of the orgasm that seemed to rip through her every time. All the while he could feel every pulse, every shudder, and every goddamn ounce of pleasure that possessed her. It was exquisite, euphoric, and just plain fucking awesome.

Hunter loved her. As simple as that. He loved her from the first moment he laid his eyes on her. But it was when he made love to her for the first time, moving inside her, feeling her warmth around him, that he realized just how deeply he felt for her.No pun intended.

Usually, Hunter wasted no time when it came to women. If the woman didn’t put out by the second time they saw each other, he would move on to the next conquest. That was what women were to him, conquests. A hunt. Aneasyhunt. He lived a fast life and didn’t have time for women with a moral compass. He was young, he was reckless, and he wanted to fuck. That was it. No ifs or buts about it.

That was until he met Blue. She changed everything. She changed him.

For some unexplainable reason, he didn’t have that uncontrollable urge to bend her over and fuck her senseless the first time he met her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. With her ice blue eyes, golden blonde hair, and pixie-shaped face, she was gorgeous, and something inside him—his soul maybe—felt more for her than just raw lust and desire. He wanted more than just her body. He wanted her mind, her soul, her heart. He wanted all of her. And it finally seemed like he had it. She loved him, and God knew he loved her.

On his way down from his crappy little apartment, Hunter passed the pawn shop on the corner of the building and his eye caught sight of something in the window. He stopped to get a better look at the weird silver, round charm. Inside of the circle were hearts linked together to form a maze-like image. It wasn’t something extremely beautiful, or even expensive. There was just something about it that reminded him of Blue.

For the first time since he moved into the apartment six months ago, passing the little junk shop two times a day, he walked into the tiny shop. The bell hanging over the door chimed loudly and the air inside felt stuffy—dusty. Everywhere he looked, all he saw was junk and more junk.

“Can I help you?” An old man with glasses and a bowtie came walking down the narrow aisle.

Hunter cleared his throat. “How much for the round charm in the window?”

“Which one?”

Hunter walked over and pointed at the trinket.

“Ah.” The old man reached out and took it from the display cabinet. “The symbol of eternal love.”

“The what?” Hunter cocked a brow.

The old man rubbed the silver trinket with his sleeve then held it out to Hunter. “It’s a Celtic symbol for eternal love.”

Hunter took a closer look at what seemed like nothing more than an old piece of metal.

“I take it’s for someone special in your life?” The old man smiled.

Hunter just glanced at him and then looked back down at the charm. “How much?”

“Twenty dollars.”

Fuck him. Twenty dollars for a secondhand piece of metal? Hunter didn’t make a lot of money being a mechanic. Twenty dollars wasn’t exactly an amount of money he could afford spending on something as futile as an ancient old whateverthing.

He looked up at the old man again. “I’ll take it.”

“Excellent. Your special girl will love it. Let’s get that all wrapped up for you.”

Hunter followed him to the cash register. “How do you know I’m buying it for someone special?”

The man took off his glasses. “Because only a man who is deeply in love will be able to spot this symbol in a shop filled with junk.” He wrapped the trinket in a box and then stepped in front of a glass cabinet with silver chains, removing one.

Hunter held up his hands. “I can’t afford the chain too.”

“It’s free. Call me a hopeless romantic.” The man winked, and Hunter just nodded his thanks. He didn’t know if he should like the old man or be creeped out by him.

Hunter reached for the box, but the old man didn’t let go of it when he said, “It’s an ugly world out there, son. When you’re lucky enough to find something beautiful, hold on to it and never let go.”

With narrowed eyes, Hunter took the box and thanked the old man before walking out of the shop.That wasn’t weird at all.

On his way around the corner to the spot where he always parked his motorcycle, Hunter thought about the old man’s words. Never in a million years did he ever think he would be the kind of man to find something beautiful to hold on to in this world. His entire life had been a struggle of piss-poor decisions and sucky consequences. Was it possible that the night he met Blue he had finally made the right decision for the first time in his life? That the wheel had turned and he had a real chance at happiness?

---