Page 20 of X My Heart

Not saying anything, Hunter nods and licks his lips, his tongue piercing poking out. What would it feel like if we kissed? My stomach drops, and lightheadedness takes over. I stumble backwards. He quickly reaches out and grabs my waist but I keep falling, taking him down with me. The cold sand of the track hits my spine, and I pin his arm between my body and the sand. He hovers over me, a pained expression on his face.

He swears under his breath. “You okay?” he asks, sounding worried.

“Yeah, you?” I whisper.

He turns his head toward mine, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. “Give me a sec,” he says, his husky voice rolling over me.

His breath mingles with mine, and a shiver runs through me.

“Sure you’re okay?”

“I will be, damn I like it rough, but this is next level,” he says, leaning forward. Hunter places both his hands on either side of my face, holding me captive between the cold sand and his body. I can smell his sweat, and my mouth dries. Gazing into his blue eyes, I try to focus on my breathing. In and out. I still inhale his scent, my nerves making me shiver. I fist his shirt in my hands trying to give him a little push, but my hands betray me, the way I’m holding him in place so he can’t escape. I’mpathetic.

“Why are you here, Sky?” he whispers in my ear, his nose skimming my earlobe.

My head falls to the side, giving him fantastic access to my neck. His stubble scrapes over my feverish skin as he traces the line of my jaw with his lips.

“I…” He pulls me upright, and the rest of the sentence gets stuck in my throat.

“You were waiting here, to give me a piece of your mind, weren’t you?” he whispers in my ear. I pick up on the humor in his voice.

“I wasn’t. I’m here for Jay. Nothing else,” I tell him, my voice stern.

He traces the line of my jaw with his lips again, and says, “You’ll warm up to me eventually. They all do.” He hums, dragging his stubble over my jaw. I glance at my hands, still clutching his tank top. I quickly let him go.

He pokes my stomach with his finger. “Admit it, you do need a friend.” He bursts out laughing. He’s totally screwing with me and loving every minute of it.

I grit my teeth, my anger building to the point of combustion. “Do not touch me,” I bite out.

“Sure you don’t want me to? Might loosen that stick you’ve got up your ass, Shorty,” he says, teasingly. His eyes sparkle with mischief and a wild look that makes my heart skip a beat.

I blink a couple of times, and start counting to ten, balling my fists.

“Counting to ten?” he asks, his eyes gleaming.

“No,” I growl, pushing him away from me before making my way down the hill. I almost stumble again, but he grabs my arm, keeping me upright.

I shake his hand off. “Let me go,” I say, with a threat in my voice.

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice. I protected your pretty face from eating dirt,” he grunts.

Giving him one of my best fake smiles, I tell him, “Thank you so much.” There’s sarcasm underlying each word.

“Come on. That wasn’t so difficult. Now say my name.”

I turn around, walking backwards toward the house. “No.”

“Come on, you can do it. Say, ‘Thank you, Hunter.’ Scream it, so you can practice when I take you there,” he replies drily, and winks at me. I open and close my mouth, not knowing what to answer. He blows me a kiss and I flip him off. He laughs and I turn around, rubbing my hands over the goose bumps covering my arms.

Drew walks out of the garage, BMX bike in hand. “Hey,” he says to both of us.

“Is he always such a pain in the ass?” I ask him.

Drew nods. “Hunt, play nice man.”

Hunter puts his arm around Drew’s neck. Turning around I head to the porch. “See you at breakfast,” Hunter yells after me.

I stop in my tracks. “Breakfast?” I ask, turning on my heels. Hunter waves at me, a stupid two-finger wave, grinning from ear to ear. My cheeks heat up, and I basically run into the house and up the stairs to my room. I’m such a damn chicken. Leaning against the closed door, I try to catch my breath and not think about how his lips brushed over my jaw, just missing the corner of my mouth. The sooner I talk to Jay, the quicker I can go home and forget about the bad boy outside.

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