On the Rocks (Last Call #1)(70)

“Seriously?” I ask in disbelief.

Sasha walks toward me and says in a whisper, “Gee… I’m sorry, Gabby. I heard some noise out here and came out to investigate. I never in a million years thought you’d be standing out here.”

“Seriously?” I ask again.

She just smiles at me in a simpering sort of way, and actually twirls a lock of her wet hair around her finger. “This is a little awkward, huh? Maybe you should go ahead and just leave. I think Hunter’s made his choice.”

“Seriously?” I ask one last time, acting like I’m in disbelief at what is going on here, but on the contrary, I know damn well what is going on here, and this bitch just met her match.

“You step out of Hunter’s bedroom, and you want me to believe that you were in there doing what? Having sex with him? You want me to believe you slept in there last night?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” she purrs, and I don’t miss the fact that she’s still trying to whisper.

Okay, time to put an end to this charade.

I step past Sasha and make my way to Hunter’s door, relishing that she gasps and makes a grab at my arm. “What are you doing?”

“Exposing you,” I tell her.

Pushing the door open, the hall light bathes Hunter’s bed in a warm glow. He’s lying on his side, the covers pulled up tight over him. It’s clear by the way the covers are smooth on the other side that he slept there alone, but that’s exactly what I expected to see.

I make a glance behind me and see Sasha standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her stomach and a sick look on her face. And in that moment, I have a brief flash of pity for her fill me. I don’t know what her motivation for doing this was, but I suspect it stems from the fact that she loved him at one point, and I know how mighty fine that feels.

Turning, I face Sasha and stare at her a moment. Then I softly shut the door on her, enclosing me in the room alone with Hunter, relishing the look of fear on her face because she knows not what I’m going to do.

I crawl onto the bed and fit my body up to his back, wrapping my arm around the lump that is him under the covers. He’s breathing deeply in his slumber and I just hold onto him a while, basking in the love I feel. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before, and I realize what a lucky woman I am. To have been given the love of her life… the one I have wanted forever.

Leaning up on an elbow, I bend over and kiss the side of his neck, just below his ear. “Morning, baby.”

He gives a slight groan from the touch, and then he turns over, pulling his arms out from under the covers to wrap around me. “Gabby?”

“Now, who else would it be?” I tease, all the while thinking to myself… just a few minutes ago, Sasha was in here.

I made a split-second decision when I closed the door on Sasha’s face not to tell Hunter about this. She and John are heading out early this afternoon for an evening flight out of Raleigh. I don’t want to make waves, and I certainly don’t want to do anything that can potentially come in between John and Hunter’s relationship. Sasha will be Sasha and, maybe one day, I’ll tell Hunter what she did, but for now, it doesn’t serve any purpose other than to get everyone riled up.

When I saw her walk out of his room, there was not even a second of doubt in my mind that she was staging this. I knew… without a doubt… that she must have heard my message on the answering machine, and knew I was coming over. I didn’t need to see the smoothness of the covers of Hunter’s bed to know she hadn’t been in it, and I bet if I walked in his bathroom right now, the shower would be bone dry, even though she made it look like she had just come out of there.

Hunter has my absolute trust and loyalty. There was never a moment that I felt he would betray me with another woman. That is how secure I am in my love for him, and in his love for me.

And f*ck if this high road doesn’t feel good.

Hunter pushes the covers down so he can pull my body in closer to his, and the heat emanating off him burns through my clothes. He snuggles in deep, pulling my face into the crook of his neck, and wrapping both arms and legs around me.

“You feel good,” he murmurs sleepily, squeezing me tight.

“And you smell good,” he adds as he takes a deep sniff of my hair.

One of his hands drifts down my back and over my butt, grasping me tightly there.

“I bet you taste f*cking divine, too,” he says, his voice now a little less groggy and a whole lot more alert.

Giggling, I hug him tight. “Bad man, and while I’d love to let you find out exactly how I taste, I don’t have time. I just wanted to drop off some donuts for you, John, and Sasha, and give you a good morning kiss before I started work.”

He makes a sound of disgruntlement deep in his throat, but then he pulls away slightly to grin at me. “You sure you don’t have like five minutes to spare? No, wait… ten minutes to spare?”

Pushing out of his hold, I swing my legs off the bed. “Sorry, babe. Duty calls.”

When I turn back to look at him, my breath catches in my lungs. He’s beautiful… lying on his back with his hands propped behind his head. His smile is magnificent, showing me all the kind and lovely things I know to be deep inside this man. He looks so happy, and that makes me happy.

Leaning over, I sweep the hair off his forehead and give him a kiss. “See you later.”