Page 15 of Chill’s Chance

I make the call and soon the monitor on my wall displays the image of our former commander sitting in his office. I don’t bother hiding my scorn for the man. Behind him is a collection of images organized to impress those who see them. Photos of him with notorious government congressional representatives, including a former President. All men who proudly wear their misogyny and bigotry. I’m not impressed. I let myself imagine what I’d do with those men if I had them in The Pit. Some of my thoughts must show on my face because I see the Colonel gulp and shift in his seat as his face pales. Good.

“Lieutenant.” He greets me and I smirk at his attempt to put me in my place.

“Chill.” I remind him coolly. “Lieutenant Bryson is here with me. What’s the offer?” I ask him. In my earlier call, I explained the options I would and would not accept from him. If he bucked me, he knew the price he’d pay, and I knew he wasn’t strong enough to pay it. I was right.

“Honorable discharge owing to the loss of your wife and your familial responsibility. Your date of discharge will be post-dated to the day you left your post.” Patterson says. “You’ll get full benefits.”

I feel Hunter’s eyes on me, but I don’t glance at him. “Good choice.” I reply. “Hunter?”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.” He replies. “I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem.” Patterson says with a bite in his tone, enough to convey the lie in his words. “I had someone box up your things. Do you have an address where I should send them?”

Hunter glances at me with a spark of panic, so I answer for him. “Send everything to the 1% Casino in Vegas, care of Chill. That should get everything to me.”

“Just Chill? They’ll know it’s for you?” He asks with skepticism.

“I’m Head of Security. They’ll know who I am.” I tell him with a smirk. “You can send all of Hunter’s correspondence here until further notice.”

I end the call and turn to face Hunter. “I don’t know what your plans are, but that should give you some time to make them.” Rising from my desk, he steps out of my way. “What are your plans?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I haven’t considered my options.” He huffs out a laugh. “Hell, I haven’t even figured out what my options are. I guess I can take Slade and return to San Diego. I could find a job.” He groans. “Although I don’t know what kind of job. I can’t imagine sitting in a cubicle or behind a desk.”

I smirk. “I know the feeling. Once I was out, I was at a loss. You could still prospect for the club.” I suggest, even though I really don’t want to make the offer. “They have a club in San Diego. I can ask my counterpart there to give you a look.”

“You want me to leave?” He asks, and I hear the pain in the question.

“We had an agreement.” I remind him.

“We did.” He admits, and I hear the sadness. “Fuck, Chill. Why won’t you forgive me? Why can’t you forgive me? I know I screwed up. I should have told you about Nicole. Believe me, I wish I had been strong enough to resist you until we divorced. Please believe me when I say that I never considered Nicole my wife. It isn’t an excuse, but it is the truth. She meant nothing more to me than a one-night stand. Her coming up pregnant was not something either of us wanted or planned, but I couldn’t turn my back on her and my child. I married her only to provide for them both. The only reason.”

“If I had known…” I started, and he nods in defeat.

“I know. You wouldn’t have let anything happen between us.” Hunter says. “I should have been stronger than I was. I should have listened to my friends. They tried to talk me out of it. Told me that one day I would meet someone who lit me on fire. Someone who made me realize that there is someone out there that I can’t imagine a life without. I never expected to find someone who made me feel that way. Then you walked in and I suddenly understood what they meant.”

I study him and I’m at a loss for what to say. Even though I want to stay mad at him, I also want to grab hold and never let go. I understand exactly what he’s saying, because I felt the same way the day we met. That I had found someone I didn’t even know I had been looking for. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Turning away to gather my thoughts, I struggle to find the right words. I guess he thought I was rejecting him again.

“I have a feeling there is more that I should apologize for, that I did more than hurt your feelings by not telling you about Nicole. I was angry when I returned to base and found you gone. Abbott and Billet told me you left when you learned I was married. But that wasn’t what drove you away, was it?” Hunter asks. “Your tour of duty wasn’t up yet. Something made you leave. Something that involved Colonel Patterson. I hope one day you’ll tell me the whole truth, but I realize I can’t expect you to trust me completely. Not yet. I have to earn it. I want to stay here and earn my place with the Demon Dawgs, but only if I know you’ll give me a chance to earn back your trust.”

Fighting my inner thoughts, I turn to study Hunter. I mean really study him. I see the strain this past week has had on him, the exhaustion in his eyes. The fear and anger in me wants to say no, wants to tell him to move on and find someone else. But the sharp pain at that thought, the thought of him holding someone else, has me nodding. “I’d like for us to try again.”

When he releases a long breath of relief, I realize he’d been holding his breath, waiting for my response. Knowing how strongly he wanted my acquiescence calms some of my fear. What happened in the past wasn’t a break in our relationship, it was just a bump in the road. Maybe a sinkhole that we had to detour around. Feeling his arms come around me as he leans his forehead against mine sends my body into overdrive. I need him. His touch makes me feel like I’ve come home. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until now.

His kiss is sweet at first, soft and exploring until I bite his lip. That bite of pain releases a torrent of emotions. Threading his fingers into my hair, he tugs my head back so he can plunder my mouth. Never in my life have I experienced a kiss so full of need and promise. So full of desire and possession. Shifting his assault from my lips to my jaw and then my neck. He releases me only when I slide his prospect kutte off his shoulders and down his arms before tossing it on the desk. He does the same with mine as I lift his t-shirt so I can run my hand over his hard abs and up to his pecs. All that smooth skin over muscles, mouthwatering.

After sliding off my shirt and bra, Hunter takes a step back to study me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he glides them down my arms before sliding them up my waist to capture my breasts. “My god, I’ve missed these.” He growls. “I’ve dreamt about them.” He whispers as he tweaks my nipples between his fingers before leaning forward to lathe his tongue over each.

When I reach for his jeans, he pushes my hands away. “Not yet. I want you naked first. I need to see you, all of you.”

“Why can’t I see you?” I ask him, impatience in my tone.

“Because I won’t last. I’ve jerked off to thoughts of you too often. I want to enjoy looking at you without embarrassing myself.” He says with a grin, causing me to chuckle.

Bending over at the waist, I remove my boots before turning around to shimmy down my jeans. I hear him suck in a breath when the jeans reveal my ass, making me grateful for the thong I put on this morning. After stepping out of my jeans, I turn to find Hunter kneeling at my feet. He stays my hands from removing my thong as he rubs his nose against the silk. I run my fingers through his hair as he takes a deep breath. He digs his fingers into my ass to pull me closer. The moan he emits sends goosebumps over every inch of my skin.

“Fuck, baby, I missed your scent.” He says, nuzzling the material out of the way to reach my pussy. When he can’t reach her, I open my mouth to offer to remove them when he uses his teeth to snap them off.

“God dammit, Hunter, I liked that pair.” I complain.

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