Lip Service - GOOGLE Page 8

  He’s never done or said anything less than complimentary about my body, yet I continue to be insecure around him. It pisses me off, even as it worries me, because I know where my insecurity really stems from—it stems from the knowledge that Hunter Kiss can hurt me, in a way that I’ve never let anyone close enough to hurt me before. Part of me senses that, so I search for ways he’ll find me less than perfect.

  It has to stop. I need to maintain my confidence with Hunter.

  I need to remember that as much power as he holds over me, I hold power over him, too. Power that even now I’m wielding to give him pleasure.

  I slide my mouth up and down his cock. I want him to fill me. I want to drink him in.

  He rocks his hips. “Oh, that’s good, Dani,” he moans. “Let me fuck that mouth.”

  Fuck it, Hunter, I want to tell him, but I don’t want to let him go long enough to utter the words.

  He grows harder against my tongue and against the back of my throat, and I know he’s working himself closer and closer to orgasm. I revel in how quickly I can bring him to the edge of his control.

  “Swallow me,” he pants.

  I brace myself with my hands against his legs, and he tightens his grip on my head. Then my mouth is filled with his thick, warm, salty flavor. I suck every last drop from him, relishing the taste.

  Relishing even more the feeling of intimacy that warms me when he pulls me to my feet, kisses me, cups my chin so I’m looking into his eyes, and says, “You are fucking beautiful, Dani. Don’t ever doubt it. Don’t ever try to hide from me again. Understood?”

  Still breathing hard from having him in my mouth, I swallow hard, then whisper, “Understood.”

  * * *

  Hunter

  After our shower, Dani is quiet. Contemplative. I can practically see the gears turning in her head, but what she’s thinking exactly, I’m not quite sure. All I know is I saw her vulnerable in the bathroom, and as much as I like seeing the softer side of her, I didn’t like seeing her doubt herself. Her body is banging; fucking her does it for me every single time, and I never want her to doubt it ever again.

  The Chinese food I ordered is delivered, and we eat while watching TV. Eventually, Dani yawns. “Shall we get some sleep?” I ask her, and she looks up at me, smiling sleepily.

  She hesitates for several beats, making me wonder if she’s actually going to kick me out, before she quietly says, “Sure.”

  We head into the bedroom and several minutes later, we’re settled in her bed. I wrap my arms around her, then kiss her temple. “Good night, Dani.”

  “Good night, Hunter.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dani

  Chad’s right beside me as we make our way up the long, winding driveway of Thomas and Angela Clarkson’s gargantuan mansion. We make our way up the asphalt landing, and as the directions described in the E-invite, we make our way around a path that leads out back. Once we arrive there, it’s a bustling scene with about fifty or so guests. Somehow, it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

  “I’m going to pass out,” Chad mutters.

  I smirk. “Seriously? You need to act cool.”

  “That’s a little difficult, you know.” He rubs his hands nervously together. “I think I just need a drink or two to calm my nerves.”

  “You and me both.”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  I smile tightly, then lie through my teeth. “Just anxious about meeting a bunch of strangers.”

  The truth is that after Hunter stayed the other night, with his arms wrapped around me and holding me tight, I’m feeling things for him that scare me more than ever. I’m afraid seeing him today will bring all those feelings to the surface.

  “This place is amazing. Check out that pool,” Chad says. Just behind the exterior of the mansion is a huge pool, with a sectioned off hot tub on the far end. There are just a few people in the pool, splashing around in the water.

  “There you are,” Hunter yells and heads toward us. I plaster a polite smile on my face, expecting him to act friendly but distant. Instead, he throws his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. Behind him, Chad’s eyes widen. Finally, Hunter pulls away and shakes Chad’s hand. “You guys are welcome to help yourself to anything. Food, amenities, facilities, whatever. Don’t be shy. And remember, Chad, this could all be yours someday.”

  I frown slightly, but don’t say anything. After all, I promised Chad signing with Hunter was his decision.

  “Speaking of which, there’s someone here who’s really interested in meeting you,” Hunter says to Chad.

  Chad smiles nervously and pats his hands across his jeans. “I’m afraid I’m going to look like an idiot.”

  “Trust me, Thomas is a very personable guy and you’ll be over your nervousness in seconds.”

  “Okay.”

  Hunter puts his hand on my lower back as if to guide me along with them, but I shake my head. “I’ll see you around,” I say, waving my hand in the air. “I’ll just hang back and let you guys do your thing.”

  This will give me a little while longer to collect my thoughts and to figure out my next move.

  Hunter frowns, as if he’s going to object. Then with a very subtle caress to my back, he says, “I’ll be right back, Dani.”

  * * *

  Some time later, I’m dozing by the pool when a shadow passes over my closed eyes. When I open them, Hunter is standing above me.

  “Are you just going to lie there all day and be a party pooper?”

  I stretch. “I wasn’t planning on it, but now that you bring it up, it certainly sounds like a possibility.”

  “Nope.” He shakes his head and grabs my hand in his. “Come on. You’re going to be social, even if it kills you.”

  “Really?” I purse my lips. “You’d wish me dead?”

  “Stop being dramatic.” He tugs me to my feet.

  I let out a fake huff. “Fine.”

  I follow him as he navigates around the pool. “The only difference between these people and you and your brother are they happen to have more money.”

  “Oh?” I raise a brow. “Is that all?”

  “For sure.” He eyes me. “You and Chad are good people. Thomas and his family and friends are good people. In the end, that’s all that matters.”

  I come to an abrupt halt. “Am I missing something?” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

  He swivels to face me. “What do you mean?”

  “You just seem different today.”

  He leans in close and whispers, “There’s more to me than a steel chest and amazing sex.”

  The thing is, I totally believe that’s true.

  Just then, a kid, maybe about four or five years old, runs up to Hunter. “Uncle Hunter,” the little boy yells as Hunter bends down to scoop him up into his arms. The kid laughs as Hunter spins him in a complete circle.

  “Hey, buddy, how are you?” He places the boy back on his own feet.

  The kid points at me. “Is she your girlfriend?”

  “Girlfriend?” Hunter ruffles his hand through the boy’s hair. “What do you know about girlfriends?”

  “Well?” he questions shyly. “Is she?”

  Hunter looks back at me, almost as if he’s asking the same question. My eyes widen. I’m at a complete loss for words, but Hunter looks back at the boy. “This is Dani, and she’s a friend of mine.”

  “Danny’s a boy’s name!” the kid says with wide eyes.

  I can’t help it; I giggle then I drop down into a squatting position in front of the boy. “What’s your name?”

  He smiles widely before saying, “Hunter!”

  I look up at the other Hunter, my Hunter.

  “Hunter is Thomas’s brother’s kid,” he explains. “They decided to name him after me…for some reason.”

  “For some reason, huh?” I rise back to my feet with a smile. “This family obviously loves you. It’s like you’re one of them.”

  “Nah. I’m just a
friend.”

  “A friend who made Thomas the millionaire he is today. A friend who made his dreams come true. It’s what you do every day of your life, isn’t it? Help others fulfill their dreams.”

  “What’s your dream?”

  My plan isn’t all that grand. I want to open up my own shop one day. I’m about to tell him that when—

  “Hunter!”

  A woman begins to approach from the near distance, cradling a newborn baby in her arms. As she gets closer, she begins to rush.

  “Hey,” she says to Hunter, “have you seen Andrew around?”

  “Actually, I haven’t.” Hunter responds. “What’s up?”

  “I really have to pee,” the woman says as she passes the newborn baby to Hunter. “Can you hold him and I’ll be right back?”

  “Sure thing, Mary.” Hunter handles the newborn with ease as Mary smiles at us, then rushes toward the house to take care of business. There’s just something so damn sexy, so damn charming about a man holding a baby. Even if it always reminds me of what I will never have.

  He looks up to me to find me gazing at them. “You like kids?”

  “I don’t have a lot of experience with them.”

  “Here,” he says, passing me the baby. I start to protest, but before I know what’s happening, I’m cradling the baby in my arms.

  “Be gentle now,” he cautions.

  “I know how to hold a baby,” I scoff at him, and then drop my eyes to gaze at the precious child. His eyes are open, full of wonder and intrigue. Dark eyes that are somehow soft. His lips are curled into an irresistible smile; just the cutest damn little guy in the world. I look back to Hunter. “I’m terrible with kids.”

  “You look like a natural.”

  “You’re a natural. I’m…” I don’t know what I am, but I’m not a natural.

  “I can’t wait to have kids of my own,” he murmurs, and I almost wonder if it was meant to be a private thought. “I can’t wait for the day I come home to someone that is and will always be mine.”

  “You want to be a father?” I question.

  He shrugs. “To be honest, I’ve always had a hard time imagining myself with one woman for the rest of my life, but babies have always been on my mind.” He reaches across the short span of distance between us and brushes the baby’s cheek lightly with his finger. “I’m close to my brothers but my dad, even though we know he loves us, he was always a bit distant. We were rich growing up, he gave us everything we ever needed, but he wasn’t exactly the type of guy to play ball in the yard with us. He’s still not. When I have kids, I’ll do it differently.”

  That’s it. The tears come, slow at first but I’m unable to wipe them away because my hands are tied holding the baby. “Take him,” I say softly, choking on emotion.

  “What?”

  “Take him, please.”

  He takes the baby boy back into his hands and I swipe quickly at my eyes.

  “Dani, what—”

  “I have to go. Can you make sure Chad gets a ride home?”

  “What the hell is going on? Dani!”

  I rush away from him. From the party. From the knowledge that no matter how much I’ve enjoyed getting to know Hunter lately, he’s the type of man I can never have.

  The type of man who deserves a whole woman, and that’s something I’m not.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hunter

  What the hell just happened?

  Had she been pissed by me saying I’ve never been able to picture my life with only one woman? Because if I’m being honest, I’m not sure that’s true anymore. It’s not something I can explain to myself, much less her, but there’s something changing inside me.

  The baby—Patrick—begins to fuss, so I cradle him against my chest and rock him, but it’s not enough to settle him. He begins to scream. I wince and bow my head to him. “It’s okay, Patrick. Your mom’s going to be back soon.”

  I continue rocking him until Mary returns to relieve me from babysitting duty.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she says as she scoops him out of my arms. “He’s a lot more fussy than Hunter ever was.”

  “It’s okay,” I assure her.

  “Where is your friend?” she questions innocently.

  I force a smile and lie, “She had to go to work.”

  “Such a shame,” she laments as she manages to quiet Patrick almost immediately; that’s the touch of a mother’s love. “Nobody should have to work on a day as beautiful as this.”

  * * *

  I pound a shot of tequila at the bar by the pool and order another round. My mind is spinning, and I’m replaying our conversation trying to figure out what exactly caused Dani to bolt.

  Chad takes the open stool beside me and leans against the top of the bar. “Have you seen my sister?”

  “She left. Asked me to make sure you found a ride home.”

  “What the hell did you do?”

  I try for an outraged expression but can’t manage it. I shrug. “To be honest, I’m still trying to figure it out. You pissed she took your car?”

  Chad shakes his head. “How can I be. Even as she was leaving, she was still looking out for me.”

  “You almost say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “It’s not bad. It’s just a lot to deal with. The knowledge that she’s always looking out for me, yet she doesn’t let me or anyone else help her out nearly as much as she should.”

  “Your sister is strong. Independent. Those are admirable traits.”

  “Sure. But the reason she was forced to be those things so young? Not so much.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Chad spins on the stool so that he’s facing me completely. “Our father wasn’t exactly around growing up. He was constantly leaving to be with other women, and occasionally would come back to shack up with our mom, who took whatever she could get from him because for whatever reason, she could never stop loving him. Eventually, Mom died, forcing Dani to fend for the both of us, and we never saw our father again.”

  Shit, that sucks. I hate that she had to deal with that. But maybe that's it. Maybe me talking about my slightly absentee father and being a father one day reminded her of her own dad, a man who could never settle down with just one woman. Honestly, I never even thought about it, but what if I did end up being like that, like Chad's useless excuse for a father?

  “I’m sorry, man.”

  Chad shrugs. “It’s a part of who we are, and it changed us, but luckily I was young and didn’t have to do the things she had to do. We ended up couch surfing for a while and even stayed in a few shelters. Now and again, I would watch helplessly as Dani got into relationships with men who promised to help but basically just took advantage of her. There was this one guy, and she loved him so damn much and she really thought he was the one until she found him cheating on her.”

  “Taylor?”

  “She told you about him?” Chad looks surprised.

  “He was hanging around her place the other day. Drunk. She says he stops by a lot.”

  Chad cringes. “What did he do?”

  “Nothing until he took a swing at me. Then I knocked that motherfucker on his ass. Twice.”

  Laughing, Chad just shakes his head. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

  “Yeah, well sometimes I’m not sure your sister does. Or that she trusts me yet.”

  “You want her to trust you? To allow me to sign with you, right?”

  I lie, because I don't want to mention that I'm sleeping with his sister. “I want her to feel good about you signing with me. Even if she says it's okay to do what you want, I'd like your family to be on board with the decision - and to trust me to do right by you.”

  Chad nods, taking a drink. “I know how you can get her to trust you. I know my sister better than anyone else, after all.”

  I look over at him, almost afraid to ask. “How?”

  He shrugs. “Simple. Be the kind of man she can trust.”
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  Chapter Fifteen

  Hunter

  Two nights after Thomas’s barbecue, I don’t walk into Skyn Ink via the front door. Instead, I try the rear door, which is fortunately unlocked. It feels a little weird just walking in like I own the place, but I’ve rarely let convention hold me back from going after what I want. Right now, I want to talk to Dani and for some reason, I feel like I need the upper hand. In some ways, I’ve felt that way from the moment we’ve met. She certainly threw me when she left the barbecue so abruptly. With any other woman, I’d let her keep her distance, yet I can’t seem to get enough of her.

  There’s nobody in their work spaces, nobody piercing holes into flesh or drawing fantastical designs on skin. It’s quiet and eerie. Someone must be out front, I think to myself. The other option is that the shop is closed and somebody forgot to lock up.

  I peel back the curtains that separate the work space from the lobby, and see Dani standing behind the counter with her head tilted down going over some kind of documents. I watch her intently, my eyes shifting from the curves of her hips to the punk-rock aesthetics of her pink highlights.

  “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a woman,” she says suddenly. “How do you know we don’t keep a gun behind the counter?”

  So much for having the upper hand. “Do you?”

  She just turns and looks at me, crossing her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to take you on a date.”

  For a moment, she looks startled. And pleased? But then she seems to gather her armor.

  “Maybe I’m busy.”

  “Are you?”

  “Depends on what you have in mind.”

  “I was thinking dinner and a movie.”

  She bursts out laughing.

  “What?”

  “That just doesn’t seem very Hunter Kiss-ish.”