He watched as she swallowed hard before nodding.
It was all the encouragement he needed.
Taking one of her hands in his, he first walked over and locked the front door. Next, he turned off the living room light. It wasn’t until they were in his bedroom with the door closed that he let go of her hand and faced her.
“You’re so beautiful.”
There was that blush again as she shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“No. Not crazy. I know exactly what I’m saying and what I’m seeing.”
“Hunter…”
He guided her over to the bed and sat beside her. “I’m being presumptuous that you would want to come directly to bed. If you want to sit back and watch some TV or have something for dessert, then we can totally do that.”
She seemed to consider his words for a moment before she spoke. “Do you want to know one of the most attractive things about you?”
And for some reason, that made him nervous. “Um…I don’t know. Do I?”
With a soft chuckle, she took one of his hands in hers. “I’ve never met a man who always puts my needs and my comfort first.” Smiling, she continued. “You always ask if it’s what I want even when you know I’m ready to climb you like a tree. And the fact that you refuse to put your own needs and wants before my own is seriously the sexiest thing about you.”
He had no idea what to say or how to respond.
Luckily, Violet wasn’t looking for his words. She gracefully moved until her hands were braced on his shoulders and she was straddling his lap. It was his turn to swallow hard.
“I want you to know something, Hunter. It means a lot to me that you trust me enough to let me be here with you while Eli’s home. If at any time you change your mind, I need you to promise me you’ll say something and I’ll go, no questions asked.”
“I would never do that…”
“Promise me, Hunter,” she quietly demanded.
So he nodded, even though he knew he’d never ask her to leave. If anything, he needed to find the words to ask her to stay beyond tonight.
But he’d deal with that later because right now, as his hands skimmed down her back before gently kneading her ass, the only thought in his mind was of all the things he wanted to do to her.
“This is where I want to be,” she said as if reading his mind. “And I want all the things you want, Hunter.”
“We’ll have to be quiet,” he said because…well…he wasn’t that far gone yet.
She made a sassy little zipping motion over her lips before winking at him. Leaning in, she whispered in his ear, “Although, I don’t think I’m the noisy one here.”
Pulling back, he grinned. “Is that a challenge?”
“It is. You up for it?”
And yeah, he didn’t miss the double meaning there.
“I’m up for all of it, Violet. All of you, all night.”
She pulled back before unbuttoning the sleeveless blouse she was wearing. When the hot pink lace beneath was on full display, she said, “It’s all yours. Take what you want.”
And he did.
Repeatedly.
Twelve
Violet squinted sleepily in the darkness until she spotted Hunter’s bedside clock. It was a little after five in the morning and she knew it would be best for her to leave before Hunter woke up.
Not that she particularly wanted to. It was positively decadent to be in this bed with him wrapped around her. It was weird how she found herself sleeping better than she ever had–and not just while staying at Katie’s, but ever.
Like…ever, ever.
But still, she felt uncomfortable about Eli finding her here. She adored that little boy more than she thought possible, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset him. So the smart thing to do was leave.
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Hunter’s arm tightened around her, and she promised she’d just enjoy the feel of his warm body pressed up against her from head to toe for a few more minutes.
Five tops.
The next time she opened her eyes, there was sunlight streaming in from behind the window blinds, and Hunter was trailing kisses along her shoulder.
Damn the man. He knows that’s one of my weaknesses…
“Good morning,” he murmured between kisses.
“Good morning.” And yeah, she may have snuggled a little closer.
Who am I??
“I have to admit, I was afraid I’d wake up and find you gone.”
Swallowing hard, Violet looked over her shoulder at him. “You almost did.”
There was a flash of something in his expression that might have been hurt, but it was gone in the blink of an eye.
“What changed your mind?”
Okay, don’t be flippant, and don’t say something stupid.
Rolling over so she could face him–and good lord, he felt even better like this–Violet felt their legs tangle together and tried to not let it distract her.
“I know I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t think it was okay,” she said quietly. “But I’m not going to lie to you; I’m mildly uncomfortable.”
He immediately began putting some space between them and apologizing, but Violet quickly pulled him back in close.
“Not physically uncomfortable, Hunter,” she clarified. “I don’t want to upset or confuse Eli. His life has already been turned upside-down recently, and I don’t want to add to any issues he may be having.”
“Trust me, you’re not. If anything, you’ve helped him.”
That was brand new information. “I have?”
Nodding, he hugged her close, his chin resting on top of her head. “We’re a pretty loud family and I think we overwhelm Eli at times. He sits and listens, and he’ll answer questions if you ask him, but something about you…” He placed a soft kiss on her head before continuing. “It’s like you drew him out of his shell. That day when you first tumbled in the yard with him will forever be burned into my brain because it’s the first time I saw him being so carefree. He talks about you nonstop and tells everyone about the flips that you do and how you taught him to stand on his head.”
Her heart squeezed hard in her chest and it felt…foreign… like nothing she’d ever felt before. Whatever it was…it was threatening to overwhelm her, and she was starting to panic.
“Um…”
Hunter gently pulled back and smiled down at her with such affection and gratitude that she swore she was about to cry. “You’ve made a difference in his life, Violet, and I want you to know that.” He paused. “You’ve made a difference in both of our lives, so…thank you.”
Oh, God…she really was going to cry. Tears stung her eyes and all she could do was nod before burying her face against his chest. Luckily, Hunter must have known she needed a minute because one strong hand gently cradled her head while the other slowly smoothed up and down her back.
After several moments, he kissed her before saying, “Eli’s going to be up soon. We usually make some breakfast together and have a lazy morning. I’d really love it if you joined us, but if you’d rather not…”