Chapter 7: Skye

Once I've showered and changed into a tank top and panties, I grab my phone and curl up in bed. Even though I try to distract myself by scrolling through social media, people are posting tons of photos from the bonfire, and it only serves as a painful reminder of what I stumbled across.

Hunter has called at least a dozen times, but I refuse to pick up. He's the last person I want to talk to. Instead, I open the app on my cell and try to lose myself in a good story. When that doesn't do the trick, I decide to go to bed. As I set my phone on the nightstand, a tap on the window breaks the silence of the room. I bite back a yelp as I stare at the face that looms on the other side of the glass.

Hunter.

His expression darkens when I don't immediately jump from the bed, and he raps his knuckles even louder. With a wince, I glance at the bedroom door and hope that Dad and Brandi didn't hear the noise. He's been sneaking into my room since freshman year, and they've never been the wiser. Now that I'm graduating from high school, I'd like to keep it that way.

I fold my arms across my chest and shake my head.

Hopefully, he'll get the point and take off.

Instead, he lifts his hand, threatening to do it again. With no other choice, I climb from the bed and pad carefully across the room before sliding the window upward and scowling.

"What do you want?" I grumble.

"To talk. Now let me in."

"I'm tired and want to go to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

"No fucking way. We're going to hash this out right now. If you think I'm going to waste one precious second of the time we have left together with you being pissed off at me, you're crazy."

My brows rise. "What's there to talk about? It seems like you're getting an early start on screwing around behind my back." That's not something I ever thought would come out of my mouth. Releasing those words hurts my heart. It's tempting to lift my hand and rub at the flesh that covers the area.

Eyes widening, he stills. "How can you say that to me?" There's a pause as his voice drops, sounding like it's been scraped from the bottom of the ocean. "After everything we've been through, do you really think I'd fuck around on you?"

A flicker of doubt fills me as I suck the corner of my lower lip into my mouth before chewing on it. Not once have I ever considered the possibility that Hunter would cheat. And I wouldn't think it now if I hadn't caught the two of them together.

"I saw you," I say in a small voice.

"Let me in so I can explain." When I don't budge from the spot, he growls, "Come on, Skye. You know me better than that."

I always thought so, but now I'm not so sure. And I hate that. I hate that our time together is slowly slipping away and something that has me questioning our entire relationship has popped up between us.

An internal struggle is waged before I finally mutter, "Fine." Then, after he's given me his so-called explanation, he can get the hell out.

I remove the screen so he can climb through the window from the tree branch he's crouched on. Hunter has done this so many times that I've lost count. He's probably slept in my bed more in the last couple of years than his own.

He's wearing the same T-shirt and boardshorts from earlier today. His dark hair is windswept as the smoky scent of the bonfire clings to him. My heart constricts and I have to fight the urge to step into his arms.

"I'm not sure what you saw, but nothing happened with Hannah."

I arch a brow and tighten my arms beneath my breasts. The movement makes them swell and his attention drops to my chest. The moment his hot gaze lands on my tank top, my nipples tighten. It feels more like a physical caress than anything else. All he has to do is look at me and my body instinctively reacts.

Even when I'm angry.

"Fuck, baby," he groans, taking a step toward me.

"Hunter," I snap, throwing up a hand to ward him off. I know exactly what will happen if he touches me, and that's crumble like a cheap house of cards. "You said you would explain, so do it."

"All right," he grumbles, jaw clenching. "When I took off to get our drinks, I noticed Hannah talking with Clay. I didn't like the way he had his hand wrapped around her arm, so I stepped in and asked if there was a problem. After he opened his yap and spouted some bullshit, I threatened to give him a beat down. He did the right thing and walked away. Hannah, unfortunately, mistook the situation and kissed me. Once the shock wore off, I pushed her away and told her that I love my girlfriend." He throws his arms wide. "End of story."

Even though I try holding onto my anger, it melts away. "You really told her that you love me?"

"Of course I did, because it's the truth. You know that, baby. I love you more than life itself and tell you all the time."

That's one of the things I adore about him. He's always been so open with his affection. He's never played games with me or with my heart.

When I remain silent, he continues. "You were right about Hannah." Guilt flickers across his expression as he mutters, "I should have listened to you. Maybe if I had, this wouldn't have happened and totally ruined our night. I'm really sorry."

"You didn't ruin anything." I huff out a breath as my shoulders loosen. "Maybe I should have stuck around to talk to you instead of jumping to conclusions."

He takes another step toward me as his eyes darken. "I get why you were upset. If I saw another guy kissing you, even touching you, I'd be pissed. So, yeah...I get it."

Needing to change the way this night has ended, my fingers settle at the hem of my tank top, dragging it up my body and over my head before dropping it to the carpet at my feet.

A groan slips free as his gaze drops to my breasts. Ever since we've gotten together, Hunter has been obsessed with my boobs. I consider them a secret weapon as far as he's concerned.

In the blink of an eye, he swallows up the distance between us before scooping me up into his arms and crossing the room until he can reach the bed. Gently, he sets me down before straightening to his full height.

"You're so fucking beautiful. I don't ever want to lose you."

"You won't," I say automatically.

As soon as his lips crash onto mine, I open so his tongue can delve inside to tangle with my own. He toys with my mouth until I'm breathless and squirming, ready to come unraveled. There are times when Hunter kisses me and it feels like he's trying to consume every single ounce of my being.

This is one of them.

"I can't believe you would ever think I'd look at another girl," he murmurs, licking and nipping a fiery trail over the curve of my chin and down the column of my throat until he arrives at my chest.

He's right. I was being stupid and jealous. I know that he loves me. He tells me all the time. More than that, he shows me with everything he does and every decision he makes.

Hunter is always thinking about me.

About us.

And our future.

Every thought swirling through my head dissolves as his mouth settles over one breast before sucking the stiff peak into his mouth. His fingers rise to stroke the other little bud. The way he touches my body drives me crazy.

Even though we were each other's firsts, he knows exactly what he's doing. He understands how to elicit the most pleasure. I can't imagine anyone else making me feel the way he does.

My fingers tunnel through his short, thick hair, attempting to pull him closer. Just when it feels like I'll lose it, he releases me with a soft pop before sliding to the other one and giving it the same ardent attention until I'm twisting beneath him.

"Hunter, please," I whimper.

He lifts his head to meet my heavy-lidded gaze. "What do you need, baby?"

"You. I need you."

"Want me to take off the panties?"

"Yes." The moment I agree, his hand trails along my ribcage and belly, sinking lower until he can stroke the seam of my lips through the thin cotton.

"You're fucking soaked."

Heat blooms in my cheeks as he points out my arousal. "Because of you."

"Better only be because of me," he growls.

"You know it is." He's the only guy I've ever looked at, thought of, or dreamed about.

He grunts before slipping his fingers inside the elastic band and lowering my underwear down my hips, then my thighs until I'm completely bared to him.

His gaze locks on mine. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you."

The sentiment arrows through the very heart of me. We've been together for so long. He's my everything. The reason I breathe.

The need to feel him deep inside, filling me up, pounds through me as I allow my legs to fall open. His gaze settles on my core and a groan rumbles up from within his chest. The mattress shifts as he maneuvers his way between my thighs, spreading them further apart. As his hands brush across me, his thumbs rest against the outer edges of my pussy. Seconds and then minutes trickle by, and he doesn't move a muscle. He simply eats up my naked body with his hot gaze.

Unable to bear the thick tension radiating through me, my teeth sink into my lower lip, attempting to trap the groan that's trying to break free.

It doesn't work.

With a smirk, his gaze darts to my face. "Hungry for my touch?"

"Always."

The heat that flares in his eyes makes me feel like I'm being singed alive. "Good answer."

With that, his mouth descends. A thick shudder of anticipation slides through me as he takes a long, leisurely lap of my pussy before circling my clit with his tongue. That's all it takes for sensation to explode inside me. It starts in my core before rippling outward until it reaches the tips of my fingers and toes.

When he does it for a second time, I can't stop myself from twisting beneath him. His hands tighten around my thighs, pinning me to the mattress and rendering me powerless. It's both heaven and hell. It only intensifies the pleasure rushing through my veins.

"Hunter," I gasp.

His tongue turns demanding, stroking over me before dipping inside. Seconds later, he circles my clit, sucking it gently into his mouth until I have no other choice but to come undone. I slap a hand over my mouth to stifle the sound from escaping as an orgasm streaks through me.

He doesn't stop licking at my soaked flesh until he's wrung every last drop. Only then does he press a kiss against me before rising to his feet and stripping off his clothing. The T-shirt and boardshorts get dropped to the floor before he crawls up my length and settles his weight between my spread thighs.

"I love you so much, Skye," he says, gaze locked on mine.

"I love you, too."

The head of his thick erection presses against my entrance and I shift my hips, encouraging him to slide deeper. I know how much he loves being inside my body, and I want to give him just as much pleasure as he showered upon me.

"Damn, baby. You feel so good."

Once he's buried to the hilt, his movements still. Instead of taking me hard and fast, he keeps the rhythm measured so it can build nice and slow. Even though I just came a handful of minutes ago, already I feel the stirrings of another orgasm as he carefully strokes me with his hard dick.

His gaze holds mine captive, never once relinquishing it.

"I want us to come together," he whispers into the darkness. "I want to feel you clench my cock, strangling the life out of it."

The growled-out words turn me on, pushing me closer to the edge as his hips drive into me. Every time he pulls out, I want to cry out and force him back inside where he belongs.

His teeth clench as the muscle in his shadowed jaw tics. The steady tempo of his thrusts continues to propel me to the precipice until I'm dancing on it.

"Please tell me you're close," he mutters, voice strung tight.

I nod, knowing I'm a few heartbeats away from shattering into a million jagged pieces.

"Thank fuck." Relief flashes across his handsome face. "Come for me now, baby."

With that, he thrusts inside me, hitting a spot deep within. That's all it takes for me to explode. My pussy spasms, squeezing his hard length. A long, guttural groan escapes from him as he throws his head back until I can see the corded muscles of his throat. My name is chanted repeatedly, breaking the silence of the room. It's the sweetest sound and only ratchets up the intensity of my own release. There's nothing better than the feel of his cock jerking, painting my womb with his cum. It's like he's leaving a little piece of himself inside my body each time we have sex.

Once his muscles loosen, he huffs out an exhausted breath and collapses on top of me. He buries his face against the delicate hollow of my throat. When his warm breath feathers against my skin, I tighten my arms around him and hold him close.

"I love you so much, baby," he whispers against my ear.

"I love you, too," I echo.

I've never loved anyone more than Hunter. Not even my parents. It's impossible to picture my life without him filling it. Nor can I imagine giving myself to another human being the way I do with him.

As our heart rates settle, Mason's words from the other day claw their way back inside my brain. No matter how many times I try to dismiss them, I can't. They continue to circle, making me question everything. My teeth sink into my lower lip as tears prick my eyes.

It's only now, in the quiet aftermath of our lovemaking that I wonder if it's possible to hold Hunter close forever, or if I'll have to do the unthinkable and set him free.