Unauthorized Affair (Unauthorized #1)(43)

Her tongue touched his, hesitantly at first, then ardently. His taste drove her wild. She pulled up his shirt and ran her hands over his hard chest muscles, wanting to touch all of him. Wanting to run her tongue over every inch of him.

And just like that he was gone. Jen uttered a protest and opened her eyes. He’d twisted out from underneath her and stood up. “Jen, stop, we can’t.”

Jen stood up too and pulled him to her. “We can Hunter. Please. I want to. I want you.”

“No Jen, look, your body is just wanting your brain to forget. It isn’t real. You’ll regret it tomorrow. I don’t want you to regret anything.” He held her firmly away from him.

Jen twisted in his grip and tried to get closer. “I won’t regret it. I’ve wanted this for weeks. I’ve wanted you for weeks.”


Hunter groaned in passion and surrender and his grip loosened. She pushed up next to his body again and kissed his chest, tried to take his shirt off. He stood still and let her rain kisses on any bare skin she could find, just for a minute, then gathered himself and tried again.

“Jen, I’m still your boss. There are rules. I could lose my job. You could lose your job.”

Jen kissed his neck and pulled at his shirt, her breath coming faster, her mind clear and focused. “I won’t tell anyone. I’ll take it to my grave. Please Hunter, please. I want this. Do you want me? Even a little?” He groaned again and dropped backwards a step. Jen chanced a look at his face. It writhed in masculine indecision. Jen stood on tiptoe and kissed him again, trying to tip him the way she wanted him. She crept a hand downward, and felt him through his pants. His cock was fully erect and pushed hugely against his zipper. She fumbled with his top button, wanting to cut through his resistance the most direct way she knew how.

He pushed her back again and sat her on the couch. Jen looked at him, her chest heaving, fire in her eyes. “Jen, I want you. You don’t know how badly I want you. But right now is not the time. As wonderful as it would be, it would also be tainted. I don’t want to have that hanging over us. If you really do want me, you can have me when I’m not your boss anymore. And then it can be perfect. And you deserve perfect.”

Jen threw herself backwards against the couch and looked up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. God Damn him for being so noble. And God Bless him for being so noble. She wanted him even more, if that was possible. He stood before her, regret clearly on his face, but integrity also stamped there.

“Can you just hold me then?” she asked, thinking that maybe she could sleep if he held her.

“Gladly.” He bent and took her shoes off gently, smiling lightly into her eyes. Then he gathered her into his arms on one of the beds, and they slept spoons for five hours. Jen deeply, and blessedly without nightmares.





Chapter 22





Jen woke all at once, her eyes flying open, the images back, taunting her. And then she felt Hunter’s arms around her. She relaxed into them, willing the blood and brains to fade again. Hunter must have realized she was awake. He pulled away from her. She could feel embarrassment trickling off him in waves. She could hear it in his movements behind her. Tears threatened. She didn’t want that. She couldn't stand it if he distanced himself from her.

She sat up and looked at him, her brain refusing to allow her to be subtle. “Hunter, I still want you. Please tell me you still want me.”

He swung around to face her, relief on his face. He sat down next to her and hugged her. “Good morning, beautiful. I do want you.” He put his face in her hair and breathed deeply. “You’re amazing, you know that?” The images broke apart, receded. Jen sighed with relief. She could do this. She could do it with or without Hunter, but it would be so much better with him.

He pulled her to him one last time, then stood up. “We need to get started on our day. The hospital should be ready to release Ivy. I want to get everyone together and go over what happened last night.”

“OK. Let me go tell my brother and see what his plans are.”

Jen bounced into Jerry’s room, feeling almost like her old self for an instant. Jerry and Sara were wrapped in each other’s arms, still sleeping. Jerry opened one eye and smiled at her. “Jen, how you feeling?”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Good Jer, we are going to head out to the hospital. Text me when you guys are up and moving, OK?”

“OK. I would tell you to be careful, but I think you’ve proved you can take care of yourself.”

Jen waited for the images to crowd out her brother’s face, but they didn’t come. She kissed him again and snuck out, although she sensed Sara was awake.

“Your phone is buzzing,” Hunter told her as she entered the room.

Jen grabbed it up. Coleton. Oh God. I need to see you. I have something to give you.

“Coleton wants to give me something.”

“What is it?”

What is it? And thank you.

Welcome. I don’t want to say. But it’s important. Bring your boss. 1 hour. Where we had second date.

“He won’t say what it is, but he wants you to come. He wants to meet us at the place where we surfed.”

Hunter looked thoughtful. “Part of me still wonders how safe that guy is.”

“Hunter, he saved me! He broke in my door and wrestled with the guy who was going to shoot me!”