Chapter Twenty-One
Hunter wanted to punch whoever had upset Jade.
When her phone rang, he had watched her walk off—more like stomp off—and grown increasingly worried as she’d flailed her arms out and kicked at the sand while talking. He needed to make sure she was all right.
He approached her hesitantly. “Jade? You okay?”
He took in her red face and marks on her lower lip where she’d been digging her teeth into it. He had never seen her so flustered.
And he didn’t like it one little bit.
She blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just family drama. Everyone has it, right?”
He wasn’t convinced. Whatever was going on, it sounded more serious than that. She’d once mentioned not getting along with her stepmother and stepbrother. Had the phone call been from them?
“You want to talk about it?” he asked softly.
Her gaze shot to him, then immediately darted away. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to hear the bullshit.”
Wrong. He wanted to hear everything about her life. “Don’t be so sure. I’m a really good listener.”
When she shifted around on her feet, poking her toe into the sand, he had a sudden urge to take her into his arms and help her release some of her frustration. That little bikini she had been wearing all afternoon was about to drive him out of his damn mind. Trying to play football with her bouncing breasts in his face had been an enormous challenge.
Yep. He was officially a jackass. She needed an understanding ear, not a horny boyfriend angling to get into her pants.
For a second, he froze. And hit rewind.
Boyfriend?
Was that what he was? Her boyfriend?
He shook off the thought. A relationship debate was not what she needed right now.
“Come on,” he said, gently guiding her farther away from the group gathered around the fire pit. “There’s a place I want to show you. You can tell me the whole story on the way.”
So she did. As they walked along the surf, shielding their eyes from the setting sun’s bright reflection off the water, she opened up about everything.
And his heart broke for her all over again.
He couldn’t understand how anyone could treat such a sweet, kind, loving person like Jade with such menace. It made him hurt for her and want to wrap her up in a tight, safe cocoon forever so no one could ever again cause her pain.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that,” he said, wanting so badly to reach down and hold her hand. He wasn’t sure how she would react to that in public, though. Not to mention if word got back to Rebecca about their blossoming relationship.
He had still not heard anything from Seaside Properties about the condo contract—they were really dragging their feet choosing which bid they were going with. He had a sinking feeling his ex had something to do with that delay. Probably pissed off about him shutting her down at the bar the other night. After that incident, the last thing he needed was for her to hear about him hanging out with Jade and go postal, killing his chances. Again.
So, he kept his hand at his side. “My family’s got its issues, but I can’t imagine having a family that nasty and dysfunctional.”
“I didn’t used to,” she replied softly. “My father was wonderful. Since I was young when my mother died, he and I were really close. My aunt and uncle were always good to me, too, but I lost them years before my father passed.” And now I’m alone was the unspoken part of that statement.
“Are you ever going back to Connecticut?” he asked carefully. “I mean, to sign the paperwork for the trust? That has to be signed before you can receive the bulk of the trust, right?”
He watched as tendrils of her red hair whipped around her face in the breeze. The sun’s glare had softened as it descended in the sky, casting orange beams across her skin. Her hair looked like fire. He wanted to wrap it around his fist and pull hard. So badly.
“Yeah. I’d have to go back up there to sign the documents in person, even though the payout won’t be for another three years. And the longer I wait, the longer I have to put up with Cassandra’s and Lane’s harassment. They’d do anything to get their hands on that money.”
Anger poured through Hunter at the thought of anyone harassing Jade. He could put an end to that real quick, if she’d let him.
“So why don’t you just go up and sign?” he asked.
She pursed her lips. “They’d get wind of it and be sure to turn up. And I just…don’t know if I can face them.” She shook her head, her gaze cast downward. “Honestly, I don’t want to see them again. Ever.”
“I’d go with you.” He’d said it before he even realized the words were on his tongue.
Her head snapped up. “Up to Connecticut?” Her expression was a mask of shock.
He nodded. “If it would help. You know, to make sure they don’t mess with you. I could be your hired muscle. I’d scare them off before they could get anywhere near you.” He playfully flexed his biceps, feeling pleased when her gaze zeroed in on them and widened.
She swallowed slowly. “I’ll, um, keep that in mind.” There was a slight tremble in her words.
Satisfied, he continued to stroll with her down the beach. Hues of pink and gold streaked across the twilight sky. When they reached a grass-covered dune, he pulled her over to a narrow wooden walkway that led over it, and indicated she follow him. The walkway was mostly hidden behind overgrown sea oats and was easy to miss if you didn’t already know where it was.
“I knew I should have put on bug spray,” she grumbled behind him, making him smile. “Do you realize how many bugs are hiding in this damn grass? My legs are going to be covered in bites. Do you not feel them crawling all over your skin as we speak?”
When they reached the other side of the dune, he glanced over his shoulder to see her gingerly stepping along the sandy path, peeling aside the tall grass as she went.
“You get used to it,” he answered. “Growing up here, I think I’ve become immune. I don’t even get bitten that much anymore.”
She bent down and started slapping at her legs, hopping around like she was being attacked. He couldn’t help it. Laughter bubbled out of him before he could stop it.
“Not funny!” she yelled.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you should see it from my end.” He walked over and scooped her up into a bridal carry, making her gasp. “How about this? Better?”
He felt her breath quicken against his neck. “Yeah,” she murmured. “This is good.”
He continued along the path. “Good. Can’t have those pretty legs covered in bites. They’re much too precious, and I have plans for them.”
She chuckled, the sound sending blood rushing down to his dick. “Is that right?”
He nodded, fighting to keep his growing erection from punching through his swim trunks. “Absolutely.”
Carrying her may have been a bad idea. Having all of her bare flesh rubbing against his, seeing those delicate strings that kept her breasts covered…
There was a word for situations like this. “Torture.”
He finally reached a clearing in the grass and stepped out onto a narrow crescent of white sand bordering a rocky tide pool that hardly anyone knew about. “Here we are.”
Her breath caught. “Oh wow. Hunter, this is…beautiful.”
He followed her gaze along the white sandy beach visible from where they were standing, the rolling dunes, and the two giant rocks jutting out into the water that curved around and formed the tide pools.
“This is sort of my spot. No one else really knows it’s here.” That he knew of, anyway. “Every now and then I come out here to find some peace. Someone’s always showing up at my house or calling me when I’m trying to relax. This is the only place I can really get away.”
It was his little slice of paradise.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered.
He carried her over to one of the big rocks and carefully set her down on top. The surface that jutted out into the ocean was fairly flat, so you could stretch out on it, which he often did at night to look up at the stars.
God, he sounded like those movies Maggie and Mia liked to watch so much. The kind with sappy dialogue and mushy endings.
Admittedly, the setting, the gorgeous woman, and his growing feelings for her were not lost on him. His life was turning into one of those movies.
“Somehow, I’ve been able to keep this place a secret from everyone,” he said as he sat down beside her on the rock. “Even Maggie. So, let’s keep it to ourselves. Okay?”
“’Kay.” She laid her head on his shoulder when he slid his arm around her.
That felt good.
It felt right.
“You’re lucky to have people like your family around you,” she said wistfully, stretching out her legs on the rock. “Everyone loves each other so much, and they’re all so loyal. It’s nice to see.”
The note of melancholy he heard pierced his heart. “My parents did a good job of raising us, even though we didn’t have much growing up,” he said. “I just hope I can give more to my own kids. Make things easier for them, you know?”
She looked up at him quizzically. “Easier?”
He realized his family’s financial status had never come up in any of their conversations before. That his parents still didn’t have a dime. And that every single thing Hunter owned, he’d gotten the hard way—by earning it with his own sweat and determination.
But none of that had impressed the women he’d been involved with in the past.
“Let’s just say, you grew up rich and I grew up dirt poor,” he said, dropping his arm from her. He picked up a rock and threw it into the ocean to cover the movement, and as an excuse to avoid eye contact with her. “Things weren’t always easy, but we made do.”
He felt her studying him. “Well, if I’ve learned one thing in my life,” she said, “it’s that money doesn’t make the man. I mean, look at Cassandra and Lane. They’ve lived on piles of money their whole lives, and they’re two of the most miserable people on the planet. Your family might not be wealthy, but they seem fine with that. They all seem happy.”
“Because we’ve had to be,” he replied philosophically. He laid back on the warm rock and stacked his hands beneath his head, gazing up at the clouds floating by. “We couldn’t change our situation, so there was no point in being depressed about it. Mia and I just ignored our hand-me-downs as best we could. But I definitely want more than that for my own family.”
“How so?” she asked, resting back on the rock, too.
“I want my wife and kids to have the best of everything,” he said. “It’s why I work as hard as I do. I want them to live in a nice home and go on family vacations to exotic places. I don’t ever want my kids to wonder why their friends have new clothes and they’ve worn the same stuff for years. Or why their daddy never has enough time to play with them because he works so much in order to barely scrape by.”
Damn. That was more than he’d meant to say.
“Still, it doesn’t sound like you and Mia had a bad childhood,” she said, turning toward him and resting her head on a palm. She lightly ran her fingers along his arm and goose bumps shivered over his skin. “But I get it. You want to provide for your kids and take care of your family. That’s commendable, Hunter. I just wonder…” She trailed off and pressed her lips together. “Never mind.”
“No, what?”
She met his eyes. “All right. For a guy who’s so keen on making a ton of money, you’ve been awful adamant about not taking the job at my store.” She held up a hand. “I know it wouldn’t pay a lot. But it’s something. And I know you finished your Harperville job last week.”
Instantly, guilt slammed into him. He still hadn’t been able to find anyone to take her job. It was the beginning of the summer rush and everyone he knew was busy with big commercial projects or long-term residential work.
He’d been trying to pull in favors left and right…but still nothing.
“I’ve already told you that was a timing error,” he said, feeling like a total jerk that he wasn’t being completely honest with her. “But now that I’m done in Harperville, I could probably do some side work for you at the store.” As long as a certain bitch never finds out about it…
He sensed her mood perk up. “You’d have time?” she asked hopefully.
He couldn’t look at her. “Well, it might be a little sporadic. But yeah, I think I can squeeze some stuff in. Evenings. Maybe weekends. Most of what you want done isn’t that time-consuming. Besides, I owe you.”
“Yes, you do.”
He snapped his head around to see a warm smile on her face. “But I owe you, too,” she added.
He frowned. “For what?”
She waved her hand at the beach. “For bringing me out here today. For introducing me to your family. I’ve had a really great time.”
He felt his chest swell with pride. “Well, that makes me happy to hear.”
“Why is that?” she asked, clearly holding back a smile.
He captured her gaze, letting her know how serious he was. “Because I plan on keeping you around for a while.”
They both stilled as his words sank in. The air around them crackled, and he could feel the mood shift.
Turning intense.
Having her around his family today, seeing how easily she fit in, had changed something in him. It made him seriously think about how much more there could be between them, relationship-wise. How a future with her might be more possible than he’d initially thought.
And if he wasn’t mistaken, she’d been thinking about it, too.
He’d seen how quickly she’d fallen in love with his family and sensed how desperately she craved that kind of closeness and belonging in her life.
The crashing waves slammed against the base of the rocks, the spray sprinkling her cheeks as he gazed at her. Her long hair blew around her arm, back-dropped by the blue of the ocean, making her look like a gorgeous mermaid come to shore to tempt him.
He scooted a little closer and lifted a hand to brush the strands out of her face so he could take in the way she was looking at him. Her creamy white skin had a tinge of pink on it from the sun’s rays. Her nose had a sprinkling of freckles that gave her a sweet, angelic appearance. Almost innocent.
But the desire he saw in her eyes, that was definitely not angelic.
And the way she licked her lips as she studied his mouth, that was so not innocent.
“Ah, Jesus,” he said on a groan. “I’m going to fuck you right here on this rock, aren’t I?”
She reached for him. “I certainly hope so.”
He leaned over and covered her mouth with his.
She fell back against the rock, showing no protest when he canted over her, taking control of the situation. He covered her body with his, grinding against her, dominating her. Hell, yeah.
He’d been building up to this, holding himself back all afternoon, but the leash on his control was now gone.
He pulled back and yanked his shirt over his head as her frantic fingers worked to lower his shorts and get his cock out. When he saw the way her eyes glazed over as she freed him, he could have come all over her bare thighs right then. The way she was taking in his body, from his wide shoulders, to the muscles of his arms as he held himself over her, to his hard, straining cock—seeing her expression of need kicked up his arousal about ten thousand volts.
Getting her out of her bikini took nothing more than a flick of his wrist. And soon their naked bodies were sliding together on the sun-warmed rock as the sunset sky cast a warm orange glow over their glistening skin.
As he pushed both of her breasts together, bringing her nipples to his hungry mouth, he knew that taking her there on that rock, after the day they’d shared and the conversation they’d just had, was a critical move. Deep down, he knew there was no better time to make his intentions known and to brand her as his own. He felt if he didn’t do it right then, it was never going to happen.
He didn’t give a shit about Rebecca and her stupid ultimatums. This was his life, and he could do whatever the hell he wanted, with whomever the hell he wanted.
And he wanted Jade. He wanted her like crazy.
For more than just sex. He wanted to make a go of this…whatever this thing was between them.
But did she want him, too? Did she truly not care that he wasn’t rich like she was? Would she stay with him even if he didn’t get that lucrative condo contract and his business fizzled?
He had to know for sure.
Which was what drove him as he brought his cock to her slick entrance, prepared to claim her for his own.
He halted just in time.
Fucking hell. He didn’t have protection.
The condoms were in his wallet, along with the rest of his stuff…back with his family.
That was a huge problem.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to him, reading his mind. “I’m covered. You can be inside me like this.”
The sweetest words he’d ever heard in his life.
He pushed into her, bottoming out immediately as her wet heat welcomed his invasion. His desire for her exploded through him, driving him to grind against her with jarring thrusts. He kept one hand under her backside to keep the rock from cutting into her soft skin as he pumped in and out of her.
“You’re mine, Jade,” he growled, an edge to his voice. “Do you hear me? This is all mine. No other man is going to touch you like this. I’m the only one who gets to have you from here on out.”
They panted into each other’s mouths. Not kissing or licking, but simply breathing hard together. He inhaled her sweet, musky essence as he drove her toward a powerful climax. He could tell she was getting close when her head tipped up and her eyes squeezed shut.
“Tell me you understand, baby.”
“I…understand,” she said between breaths.
“Say the words, Jade. I need to hear the words.”
He rammed himself in deeper, emphasizing the seriousness of his statement.
“Oh God!” Her hands gripped his waist in a tight grasp. “I’m about to—”
He brought his other hand to her head and pulled her face down to look at him. “Give me the words, baby, and I’ll give you your pleasure.”
She didn’t take her eyes from his when she said, “I’m yours, Hunter. Only yours. You have me now.”
A growl ripped from his throat as he slammed in, plowing deep into her. “Come, baby. Now!”
Her inner walls tightened around him at the same time he spilled inside her, coating her. Marking her.
There was no greater intimacy than what they just shared. Knowing she was going to go back to his family with his seed dripping down her thighs made all of his primal, possessive instincts amp up to full force. He loved knowing she carried evidence of their fucking. Loved knowing she could feel it—him—as she walked or sat down.
But what they had just done was more than mindless fucking.
They’d solidified a connection. Despite the roadblocks, that connection had been strengthening ever since their first night in the hotel. They had made whatever it was between them real. Without saying the words, they’d brought their emotions out into the open.
There was no going back.
Not now.
And he didn’t want to go back.
Not ever.