Sex, Not Love(72)

I jerked my arm from his grip and whirled back around so fast, he had to retreat to avoid crashing into me.

“Or did you come for a quick fuck? Is that what you came for?” I started fumbling, undoing the buttons on my shirt. “That’s all it was to begin with anyway, right?”

“Stop it.”

I didn’t. I kept right on going. The third button, then the fourth…

“You deserve more than I can give you.”

That wasn’t an explanation; it was a cop-out. But he’d finally said something that was right. I did deserve better.

“When my parents were splitting up, my father told my mother he’d always cared about her, but he’d never deeply loved her the way he loved Margie. He basically admitted that he’d settled. And let’s not even talk about my choice of Garrett. You’re absolutely right. I do deserve more. I deserve someone who wants to be with me the way I want to be with them. And maybe it’s my own fault for growing feelings for you when you never promised anything more than a physical relationship. But you know what…” I searched his eyes. “I didn’t think I was in this alone. I was foolish enough to think you were right there with me, breaking your dumb rule about keeping things to sex only.”

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the floor.

I pulled my unbuttoned shirt closed. “You should go.”

“Natalia…”

His calm, level tone made me snap. I was riding an emotional rollercoaster, and he was floating through the lazy river. Screw this.

“Get out! Go find your new fuck of the month. Oh, wait. It’s fuck of the quarter, isn’t it?”

I spun around and marched toward the front door, flinging it open without another word. Hunter stayed put for a few long moments and then came toward the door. Only, he didn’t walk through it; he slammed it shut. With him still inside.

“I am right there with you. I just…”

“Just what?”

“I can’t promise more. But I also can’t seem to walk out that fucking door.”

I was sad and angry. So, how did I respond?

I kissed him.

Probably not the smartest move I’ve ever made. Yet I couldn’t help myself.

It took about one second for Hunter to stop fighting it. He cupped both hands around my ass and lifted me up against the door. My legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck, and all of my angry energy poured into the kiss.

I couldn’t get close enough. And this time, I was positive I wasn’t the only one. Hunter wound his fingers into my hair, tilted my head to deepen the kiss, and pressed his body into mine as he let out a groan. Our hearts pounded against each other. We began tearing away our clothes without ungluing our mouths. Engrossed in the furies of passion, I hadn’t even noticed we were moving until I felt Hunter’s foot push open the door to my bedroom.

Ever so gently, he set me down on the bed, our tongues still intertwined. I was lost—we were lost—in the moment. It wasn’t until our kiss broke, and Hunter stood to remove the rest of his clothes, that either one of us had a chance to sober up from the high of arousal.

Our gazes locked, and he froze, his hand on his zipper. “Do you want me to stop? Tell me now.”

Ten minutes ago I’d been kicking him out. Now I wanted him inside of me more than my next breath. Of course, in the moment, I could justify anything. What difference would two more weeks make? I already had feelings for him. It wasn’t like depriving myself of sexual gratification was going to change that. My eyes dropped to the thick bulge straining for release from Hunter’s pants.

Nope. Two more weeks isn’t going to make one lick of a difference.

“No,” I whispered. “I don’t want you to stop.”

Heat pushed the hesitancy out of Hunter’s eyes. He pulled a condom from his wallet, tossed the billfold on the floor, and made quick work of shedding the rest of my clothes. Hovering over me, he rubbed his thick erection up and down my center before looking into my eyes one last time for confirmation.

I nodded, but as he dipped his head to take my mouth again, I changed my mind. “Wait.”

Hunter froze with our noses a centimeter apart.

If I was going to do this, I wanted to be in control as much as I could. “I want to be on top,” I said.

A flash of relief crossed his gorgeous face. In one swift move, he rolled to his back, putting me on top. “Ride me, baby,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Ride me hard.”

I rose to my knees and took him in my hand. He was so thick, my fingers couldn’t wrap around his width. Hunter’s hands pressed into my hips, and he lifted me to hover high enough to line up his crown at my entrance. The scent of sex wafted in the air, permeating everything.