I can’t believe this is happening, but it is.

“In the club, when I saw you, I nearly blew it,” Hunter says, cupping my face in his hands. “I wasn’t thinking about why I was there, or keeping you safe. I saw you, and everything else disappeared. I was so attracted to you and wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life. It completely overtook everything to the point where I could’ve gotten you killed, Hayley. That’s why I’ve been trying to stay away.”

“But?”

He slides his thumbs across my cheekbones and gives me a smile that’s so beautiful up close. “I can’t do it anymore.”

I have a long list of reasons why this isn’t a good idea for me, either. We’ve only known each other for a day, but there’s this underlying current of something more that I feel when I look at him, and it would be better for everyone involved if we just didn’t go there. But my hormones are firing on all cylinders, and desire is thrumming through every cell in my body. I’ve wanted this since I saw him, consequences and aftermath be damned.

I lean forward and kiss Hunter’s soft, soft lips. I memorize the noises he makes when I nip at his lip, when I sweep my tongue against his.

“This is probably a terrible idea,” I say as I gather the hem of his T-shirt between my fingers and lift it up.

“Probably is,” Hunter says. He’s impatient; he reaches behind him, grabbing a fistful of collar and pulls it clean off, tossing it on the floor beside the bed.

Next he goes to work on my shirt, his fingers dancing across my skin and along my ribs as he slides it up, up, up. “We probably shouldn’t do this,” I say breathlessly and halfheartedly as Hunter gets me naked.

“Probably not,” he says, licking his lips as he pulls the shirt over my head.

He zeroes in on my breasts, giving my nipples his full attention. He licks, sucks, and nips at them, taking his sweet time learning exactly what I like. Hunter is an incredibly quick study. A simple tug on his hair redirects him, and my moans and sighs have him doubling his efforts exactly where I want them.

I can’t touch him enough; his skin is warm and smooth, and I want to put my hands everywhere on him. He shifts up onto the bed so he’s kneeling, and he pulls me up along with him. I like this move; it gives us both better access.

He slips his hand into my panties, down between my legs, sliding his fingers against my wet flesh. I gasp, instinctively wrapping my arms around him before my knees give out. I rest my head against his shoulder as he slips his fingers inside, tightening my grip on him.

“That’s it,” he says in this low, filthy voice. “Hold on to me.”

I do as he says, so turned on and keyed up that I don’t even seem to have control of my own body anymore. Hunter thrusts his fingers, curling them enough to hit just the right spot as I rock against his hand. I move faster as the pleasure builds, practically mindless with it, when Hunter simultaneously pinches my nipple and sucks on that amazing spot just below my ear. I come with a rough shout, collapsing against Hunter as he holds me upright.

“Oh my god,” I whisper, absentmindedly kissing his neck.

“Feel good?” he asks, as he runs his palm up and down my back.

“Felt amazing,” I sigh. I press open-mouthed kisses across his collarbone, loving the soft noises he makes. I only stop when I hit a puckered patch of skin. I lean back to get a better look at him, and only then do I notice the scars smattered across his chest.

There aren’t a lot, really, but enough that it’s difficult not to notice.

I don’t want him to feel self-conscious about it, so I reverently trace the mottled skin with my fingers.

“Hazard of the job,” he says. But he looks a little unsure about what I think of them.

“I think they’re gorgeous,” I say honestly. They’re physical symbols of the kind of man he is—the type of guy who puts his life on the line day after day.

“Yeah?”

I nod and kiss what looks like a bullet wound on his shoulder.

“I got shot,” he says, voice raspy.

There’s a long gash along his ribcage, a jagged wound with raised pink skin. I press my palm along the length of it. “A mugger tried to stab me.”

I drag my lips along his shoulder, across his bicep as I move around to his back. There’s a large patch of mottled skin just below his left shoulder blade. I lean in and press my lips against it.

“Clipped the pavement when I was taking a sharp turn on my bike,” he says. “Wasn’t wearing a jacket like I should have been.”

I press my cheek against the scar and wrap my arms around his waist, holding him tight. He slides his hands across my arms until his hands are over mine, then he knits our fingers together. It’s a nice interlude, a minute to hold each other, but I want to get back to all of the wonderful touching and kissing.

So I slide my arm down his abdomen, beneath the waistband of his pants. He isn’t wearing any underwear, and that kicks up my pulse a few notches. With Hunter’s hand still on mine, I grip his cock, giving him a gentle tug as I bring our hands up the shaft. Hunter moans, relaxing into me a bit, his back pressed against my chest.

“Show me how you want me to touch you,” I whisper, skimming open-mouthed kisses beneath his shoulder blade.

His breath catches, but he does what I ask. He tightens his grip over mine as he guides me up and down. I move my other hand higher on his chest, just so I can hold on, and he brings our joined hands up to his lips, kissing my palm. His control is outstanding; I can tell I’m making him feel good by the way he tenses and relaxes, but he moves so slowly, like he’s trying to draw this out.

“Hayley,” he says, half whisper, half groan. His head lolls back as I suck and lick his skin wherever I can reach. When I swipe a bead of precum with my thumb on a downstroke, the control I was admiring earlier completely snaps.

He sucks in a breath, releasing my hand and turning in my arms so we’re facing each other, capturing my lips in a kiss that leaves me breathless. I lie back on the bed as he slides off my underwear, then lowers his body down onto mine. I’m lost in the scratch of his stubble as he kisses his way across my chest, then licks a stripe down my belly.

“C’mere,” I say, impatient to have his mouth on mine again. He does as I ask, grinding his hips against mine, which makes me realize he still has way too many clothes on. I hook my toes on the waistband of his sweats and drag them down as far as I can. Hunter kicks his way out of them, smiling against my lips.

“I didn’t want to stop kissing you,” I say.

Hunter laughs. “I’m glad.”

“We need condoms,” I tell him. “I have some in my purse on the floor. Pull them out.”

He does, then sits up on his knees as he rolls it on.

It’s the first chance I’ve gotten to really admire just how amazing his body is. Broad chest, muscular thighs. He’s gorgeous and aroused and grinning at me as he hastily rolls on the condom.

I crook my finger at him, and he comes eagerly, kissing me and then nuzzling my neck as he pushes inside. I close my eyes for just a second, taking a moment to adjust. The pressure inside me is perfect, and all I want is for him to move.

I cup his face in my hands, bringing him down for a long, slow kiss as he rocks with short, rhythmic strokes. He balances his weight on one elbow and explores my body with his free hand. He brushes the underside of my breast, gets a tight grip on my ass, then uses his thumb to rub maddening circles on my clit.

He latches on to that place on my neck that makes all my bells and whistles go off, and I give his hair a gentle tug every few strokes, because the short grunts that follow let me know he likes it.

“You feel so good,” he says, sliding his hand up my thigh where it’s wrapped around his waist.

He shifts us just a little bit, raising my hips so he can go deeper, his thrusts growing faster. That, along with the maddeningly perfect way he’s playing with my clit, makes me come almost immediately, my hips bucking up to get all the friction I can as I cry out.

Hunter pulls away from my neck as I ride out my orgasm, his eyes shut tight, his face tense with pleasure. Now that I’ve had two amazing, mind-blowing orgasms courtesy of him, all I want to do is return the favor. With all my focus on Hunter, I slide my fingers into his hair and rock my hips, driving him closer and closer to the edge, his frantic breaths hot against my skin where he’s buried his face into my neck.

“C’mon,” I whisper, then take his earlobe between my teeth and tug.

His body tenses with a long, low groan as his hips stutter against mine, completely losing all his rhythm. He drapes himself on me like a hot, sweaty blanket, and the weight is nice. I lightly scratch my nails up and down his back as Hunter lets out long, contented hums.

He rolls away from me too soon, bending down to give me a sweet kiss before he goes into the bathroom to clean up.

When he returns, he crawls into bed and wraps me up tight.

“We’re good at that,” I say with a smile, running my hand up and down his arm.

He grins, then plants a kiss on my forehead. “We’re great at that.”

* * *

Hunter and I doze on and off.

Around midnight I wake up to Hunter spooning me, kissing his way along the nape of my neck. I snuggle into him with a grin, wiggling my ass against his growing erection. He lets out a strangled noise, then says, “You’re awake.”

“I’m awake. How could I not be?”

He smiles against my skin, and I turn in his arms, anxious for his kisses.

He does not disappoint, melting against me as his tongue sweeps into my mouth.

We get carried away pretty quickly. “Ready for more?” he asks, teasing the edge of my earlobe with his tongue.

“Mmm-hmm.” I reach back for the condoms on the nightstand, dangling them in front of Hunter’s face. “It’d be a shame for these to go to waste.”

He laughs. “How much sex were you planning on having last night?”

I hook my leg around his waist, using everything I have in me to roll him on his back. His eyes are wide with surprise, then hooded with desire. I grind down on his cock, and he rests his hands on my hips, guiding my motions.

The condom packet rips easily between my teeth, and Hunter looks like he’s going to come out of his skin with desire when I roll it on.

I position him right where I want him, then sink down slowly. Hunter surges up, then kisses me fiercely.

“Guess you’re just gonna have to find out.”

* * *

I wake up surrounded by Hunter. His smell is on the sheets, his warm body is wrapped around me, making me feel safer than I have in a long, long time. The room is filled with the cool gray light that hits just before the sun peeks over the horizon. One hand is tucked under my pillow, and the other slides down Hunter’s arm, which is casually slung over my waist. He’s rubbing lazy circles with his thumb just below my belly button.

It’s been so long since I’ve woken up with someone that I’ve pretty much forgotten how nice it can be. I’m smiling into my pillow, my skin still buzzing from all the orgasms I had last night. Even though I didn’t sleep very long—Hunter made sure of that—I feel more rested than I have since I moved to D.C.

I don’t want to think about what that means.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch a slight flicker of light and realize that Hunter’s awake. I turn my head and see he has his head propped up on his elbow. He’s super engaged in whatever it is he’s looking at because it takes a while for him to notice that I’m looking at him.

“Good morning,” he says with a warm smile as he leans forward and presses his lips against mine.

I don’t even think about what I’m doing, I just melt into his kiss. I manage to turn toward him without losing that connection, and mold my body against his.

“Did I wake you?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No. Should you have?”

“I’ve been up for a while. Went outside for a little bit.”

That gets my attention. He hadn’t opened the door to this cabin since we first walked in the night before last. He was nervous about me even peeking out the window yesterday, and now he’s walking around outside?

I sit up, propping my head on my elbow, mirroring his position.

“Outside?” I ask.

Hunter’s already smiling, but his smile gets even bigger. It’s warm and brings out the dimple on his left cheek. I don’t even know what he’s smiling about, but I can’t help but grin, too.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s over,” he says proudly.

“What’s over?” I ask dumbly, ignoring the hammering in my chest and the way my nerves are firing on all cylinders in anticipation of what he’s going to say next.

“This, you being here. You don’t have to worry about Damien Hunt or Carson or anything like what happened the other night happening again.”

A bolt of horror shoots through me. “Is Carson…” I can’t even say it.

Hunter’s eyebrows furrow. “No. No, he’s alive. He’s going into rehab this morning.”

I sigh with relief. Even though Carson put me through so much shit, I still want him to get better. “One of my guys called in a favor with Damien,” he tells me.

“Must’ve been a big favor.”

“It was. He did it mostly for me.”

“Seems like you inspire a lot of loyalty in your employees,” I reply, reaching up and sweeping a lock of hair off his forehead.

He lowers his head, and I can almost make out the embarrassed blush in his cheeks in the early morning light.

He put his life on the line for me—a perfect stranger—because of a responsibility he felt he had toward a troubled friend of his brother’s. I’m glad that kind of responsibility is paid back to him ten-fold by the people who care about him.

“Carson’s persona non grata with that group now, so…at least he has one less channel available to him if he decides to start using again.”

“That’s good,” I say. I mean it, truly. “So…” I slide my finger along the ridge of his jaw, his stubble scratching the tip of my finger. “I can go outside now?”

Hunter nods, smiling. “You can go home now.”

Never in my life have I felt such excitement alongside such disappointment. This ordeal didn’t last very long, just like Hunter promised. I get to go home and see Alexa and get back to my life as normal. I’m happy for those things, really. But I can’t stop the wave of disappointment creeping in because I’m going to be leaving Hunter. Last night was it.

But…that’s what I wanted, isn’t it?

“Did you hear me?” Hunter asks, sliding his fingers through my hair. “I’m gonna take you home.”

I plaster on a smile so fake it almost hurts and try to stop my voice from shaking. I’m being ridiculous, I know I am.

“I heard you,” I tell him. “But I don’t want to talk anymore right now.” I kiss him long and slow, and Hunter rolls himself on top of me until he’s resting in the cradle of my hips. “I want to do other stuff.”

“Yeah?” he asks breathily. “Me too. I can think of a few things I’d like to do, actually.”

He kisses his way down my chest, his hands sliding up across my ribs until he’s cupping my breast, his thumb rubbing across my hardening nipple.

I know I shouldn’t do this, shouldn’t let myself toe this dangerous line. Hunter’s going to drop me off at my apartment, and I’m not going to see him again. But we have until then to be together, and what’s the matter with taking some pleasure where I can get it?

I let my fingertips dance along the ridges of his ridiculous abs as I suck on the spot on his neck that I learned last night makes him a little weak.

We have one condom left, might as well put it to good use. I pluck it off the nightstand, tear the foil between my teeth. Hunter distracts me from my mission, though, wrapping his mouth around my nipple and pulling it between his teeth, making me gasp.

I reach down between us to roll on the condom, giving him a little tug before I do. He moans, and the sound electrifies me. I’m becoming addicted to it, and that’s a dangerous, dangerous thing.