“Hunter!” I screeched, hitting him as he laughed.
“I couldn’t help that one. Your face, AJ.”
I was busy shaking my head when I saw someone coming towards us in the corner of my eye. “Hunter the grunter, we’re so glad you could grace us with your presence.” Whoever he was patted Hunter on the back before looking at me. He did a quick leering sweep, landing on my legs a little bit longer than necessary before coming back up. For a preppy boy, he wasn’t bad looking. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He would have looked just like a surfer if it wasn’t for the fact that he was dressed to impress with a shirt and khaki trousers. Doesn’t he realise he’s on holiday?
“And this must be Ayden. Nice to meet you at last.” He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. “Hunter has been hiding you from us, and now I can see why.” He winked at me, and Hunter bashed his shoulder.
“Hey, do you seriously want me to beat the fucking shit out of you, Scott?”
Scott put his hands up in surrender. “Ooooh, a bit tetchy, big brother. I didn’t know you had already staked a protective claim over her.”
I could tell Hunter was really finding this difficult. If he was like this only five minutes after arriving, how was he going to cope the rest of the holiday?
“Yes, well, Ayden sticks with me this holiday, so no fucking touching.”
Hunter was distracted by the receptionist giving him the room key, and in that moment, Scott rolled his eyes. He then walked up to me and leaned in. “I can understand why he wants to keep you close, Ayden. He’ll certainly have a job on his hands this holiday, though. The sun is shining and men get a little too hot under the collar if you know what I mean.” He tapped his finger to his nose and winked.
I just shrugged with a smile. “I’m not interested in that here. I just want to relax and soak up some rays.”
“Are you ready, AJ?”
I nodded and looked at Scott. “Nice to meet you, Scott. No doubt we’ll be seeing each other soon.”
I walked off and heard him shout, “Oh, I sincerely hope so.”
I giggled and watched Hunter grimace a little as he carried our cases. “Do you want some help?”
Hunter shook his head. “No. What I want is for you to not flirt with my friends in front of me. Is that too much to ask?”
I gasped. “You think I was flirting with him?”
We got in the lift and he pressed the top button. “Oh, nice to meet you Scott. No doubt we’ll be seeing each other soon.” He then puffed out a bit of air.
I started laughing at the absurdity. “Hunter, I was just being nice.”
He looked at me a moment before the lift doors opened. “Well, be a bit less nice.”
I followed after him unable to comprehend how silly he was being. “Be less nice... be less nice?”
“Did you hear me stutter?”
I threw my hands up in the air as we reached a door. Hunter put the key card in and opened the door. He grabbed the bags and walked in. I walked in after. “You’re being a prick, Hunter. Do you know that?”
Great. The holiday hadn’t even started and already we were having a fight. I hadn’t even had time yet to take in how huge the place we were staying in was. I did manage to clock the Jacuzzi on the balcony though. Nice.
“I don’t think it’s a lot to ask considering I’m currently fucking you.”
I gasped again. “Hunter, where do you get off talking to me like that? I’m not some puppet you can pick up and use whenever you feel like it. Besides, I don’t recall you ever saying you wanted to be exclusive. That means I can flirt with whomever I want.”
Hunter closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Fine, you fucking flirt with whoever you want, and I’ll do the same then.”
I crossed my arms. “Fine!” Yes, we had regressed into childhood.
“Fine!” he growled back, but then he looked at me, and when he looked at me, I saw it. That fire—that spark—that was always guaranteed to be a panty-wetter.
Hunter was soon on his toes, racing towards me. He crushed his lips to mine and pushed me back into one of the bedrooms.
We had what I can only describe as angry sex. I had never had that before. I knew Hunter and I came close that time we argued in the car over Trey, and boy did I realise what I had missed. It was explosive.
Once we calmed, Hunter pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry I got mad. I just get so fucking angry at the thought of you with another guy. It’s stupid, I know, but it’s the truth. I can’t help the way I feel.”
I looked up, placing a hand on his chest and placing my chin on top of it. “Hunter, I’m not interested in any other guys. All I want is you. I swear I wasn’t flirting with Scott. I’m not interested in him. I’m not interested in anybody. You’ve put a stop to that.”
Hunter smiled. “Can’t get enough of my cock, huh?”
I nudged him. “It’s a bit more than that, and you know it.”
Hunter laughed. “I know. I was only kidding.” We smiled at each other as we fell silent for a moment. “Does this mean you forgive me?”
I nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I think so.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was day four into our holiday, and I was loving every minute of it. After the argument and make-up sex, we went in search of all his friends. We found them at the bar already half-cut by the looks of things. I was introduced one by one to them. Scott needed no introductions, but I met Jeffrey and his sister, Lindsay. Jeffrey was quite shy, but his sister was a little more outgoing. She was pretty with auburn hair and brown eyes. She was only a year younger than I, but she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. We got on with each other from the get-go, but Carly—not so much. She seemed too into David to care about anyone else. In fact, I would go so as far as to say that she didn’t want us around them. David was a different story, though. He was very friendly and spoke often within the group. Hunter’s other friends, Paul and Jacob, were both friendly as well, but were a little quieter than David, Darren, and Hunter were. You could definitely tell who the alpha males were in the group.
Hunter sat next to me on every occasion. At times, he would forget himself and put his arm around me. The others noticed, but never said anything about it. They probably thought he was just being affectionate. I know Hunter found it hard, though. The way he was in the lift back up to his room and the sex afterwards told me as much. He was like a man who had gone without food for the whole day. I certainly wasn’t complaining though.
“The guys were talking about going water skiing, but I’m not so keen. What about you?”
I turned to Lindsay and shook my head. “No, not really.”
Lindsay smiled. “Do you fancy staying on the beach with me then? The boys can go off and have their fun together.”
I nodded with a smile. “Yes, I would like that.”
Soon afterwards, Hunter also told me about the water skiing. “No thanks, Hunter. I would like to stay with Lindsay and soak up some more rays. You go and have some fun. I’ll see you back at the hotel later.”
Hunter looked unsure. I knew he wanted to argue with me, but he also knew how bad it would look if he did. It kind of made me smile.
“Okay... As long as you’re sure?”
I nodded. “I am.”
Hunter looked at his watch. “The booking is at six, so we should be back at the hotel at eight. Meet me there then?” I nodded, and he leaned forward to kiss me. He soon stopped and just waved. “See ya.” He ran off with the rest of them, leaving Lindsay and I on the beach together.
“I’m not sure if I’m being nosy here, but I could swear that you and Hunter have a bit more than just a step-sibling relationship. He’s all nervous around you when you’re with us. It’s almost like he has itching powder on his hands... He’s so desperate to touch you. Say if I’m out of order, but I just wanted you to know. I swear I won’t say anything if it’s true.”
I looked over at Lindsay in silence for a moment. I liked her and from what I c
ould tell from these last few days, she seemed trustworthy enough. Two days ago, I was talking with Darren, and I kept saying how fantastic and pretty Lindsay was, trying to get him to agree. I even started winding him up by saying how much the boys kept looking at her on the beach and in the clubs. I could tell Darren didn’t like it. I was pushing him, and he and Lindsay both knew it. I was determined that—before the holiday was out—Darren would at least give Lindsay a kiss. She deserved one from him.
Lindsay, of course, had been eternally grateful for my meddling, so I could hardly be angry at her for doing the same. Besides, it was so hard keeping me and Hunter a secret. I felt I might burst if I didn’t tell someone soon.
I sighed, giving myself away. “It’s true. We’ve been seeing each other.”
Lindsay gasped. “I knew it.”
“You can’t say anything, though.”
She shook her head. “No, of course not. You have my word.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“So how long has it been going on for?”
I bit my lip. “Well, you’re not going to believe this, but Hunter and I met before I knew who his dad was. We had already slept together by the time my mum and his dad made the announcement.”
Lindsay stared off towards the sea. “Wow. That just seems so unreal. I mean, what are the odds of that happening?”
I laughed sarcastically. “I know.”
“So what, you just carried on sleeping together as soon as he moved in?”
I laughed again. “No, it wasn’t like that. We tried to fight it, but in the end, it was no use. We only just started again about three weeks ago.”
“Wow, you must have been like animals once you eventually got together.”
I chuckled at that, but she was actually wrong. Our first time, the night before the wedding, was not just a hurried fuck. It seemed special somehow, though I knew I shouldn’t think like that.
“Oh my God, it must be so strange having a stepbrother who’s in love with you.”
At first it didn’t register, but then the word “love” kept ringing in my ears. “Wait, what?”
She looked at me and rolled her eyes. “I mean, come on. Do you not see it? I totally see it. He’s one hundred percent smitten with you, Ayden.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s wrong. Hunter is a player and has always told me there could never be anything more. I accepted that.”
Lindsay manoeuvred herself, so her back was facing the sun. She was nearer to me, so we could talk more privately. “You don’t think at some point this relationship you have is going to come to a head? It has to. Either one of you will break it off, which I personally think will end in tears, or you’re going to have to both face up to reality.”
I turned to my side to face her. “And that is?”
“That you love each other, and you’re going to have to come out. If that happens, then you’ll have to face the consequences at home.”
I cringed. The last thing on my mind was what my mum and his dad would think. That would be a whole other nightmare in and of itself. What was really bothering me the most was Lindsay saying that Hunter and I loved each other. I did enjoy his company, the sex was fantastic, and I did miss him when he wasn’t around, but did that really mean it was love?
Chapter Twenty-Five
I was on edge after the chat Lindsay and I had together. I kept going over the conversation in my head, and the more I did, the more paranoid I became.
“I don’t love Hunter. That’s ridiculous.”
No one answered, and no one would. I was sitting on our bed in the hotel room—the same bed in which Hunter and I must have gone through every Karma Sutra position known to man.
“It’s just the sex. The sex is good... mind-blowing in fact. The sex is really quite spectacular.” I nodded to myself. “Yeah, it’s just great sex. Hunter and I have great sex, and that is it.”
It was only then that I realised I was sitting there talking to myself. “Shit, what is wrong with me?”
Shaking myself out of it, I got up to get a shower and looked at the time. It was after eight, so Hunter should have been back a while ago. I was worried a little, but the prospect of Hunter coming in the shower with me spiked me into action. “Yeah, it’s just the sex.”
Once I was done showering, I turned it off, disappointed that Hunter never came in with me. “Hunter, are you back yet?”
I was met with silence. Maybe he was having a drink with the guys at the bar. I was hungry though, so I hoped he wouldn’t take too long.
I got myself dressed, put some light make-up on, and did my hair. By the time I was ready, it was eight forty-five.
“Where is he?”
As I asked this, a knock on the door came. I rushed over, thinking Hunter had forgotten his key, but it wasn’t Hunter. It was Jeffrey, and he didn’t look very happy.
“Jeffrey, what’s wrong?”
“Is Hunter here?”
I started panicking. “What do you mean ‘Is Hunter here?’ I thought he was with you guys?”
He ran his hands over his face. “Well, that’s the thing. We were out with him, and then he received a phone call. He took off after that, and no one knows where he is. We’ve all tried calling him, but it just goes straight to voicemail.”
I ran back into our room and dug in my bag for my phone. I had switched it off because roaming calls were so expensive. When it loaded up, I started getting stupid alerts about how much it would cost being Spain. But then I saw a voicemail message. I quickly connected and listened.
“Ayden, it’s Mason. Call me as soon as you get this.” He immediately hung up.
“Fuck!” I tried ringing Mason back, but his was going straight to voicemail too. I then tried Hunter’s phone. Exactly the same, so I texted him.
Me: Hunter, please tell me where you are? I’m going out of my mind here.
“What’s going on?”
I looked up, having forgotten that Jeffrey was still with me. “I don’t know. No one’s answering their damn fucking phones.”
Jeffrey came up to me and grabbed my shoulders. “It’s okay. Take deep breaths. Hunter does this sometimes when he’s pissed at something. He’ll eventually come round.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Mason is trying to call me, too. Something bad has happened. I can feel it.”
I felt the tears coming down my face as I tried to scramble in my mind as to what it could be. Maybe Mason had found out about us, and he’s really laid into Hunter about it. But then, why hasn’t he come back to me? Why hasn’t he rung me, texted me—anything to let me know what’s happened?
At first, I didn’t know what to do. I certainly couldn’t sit in this room all night. I needed to get out and find him.
“I’m going to look for him.”
Jeffrey nodded. “I’ll grab the boys, and we’ll help you.”
I snatched up my bag and placed my phone and key card inside. “I’ll meet you all in the foyer.”
Jeffrey nodded and rushed off. I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote Hunter a note.
Hunter,
If you see this, please call me. I’m worried about you.
AJ. xx
I placed it on our bed and rushed for the lift. It felt like an age before it came, and when it did, it felt like another age for it to get down to the ground floor. Once there, I looked in the bars and the swimming pool areas just in case, but Hunter wasn’t anywhere in sight. It was well after nine now, so people were out eating and drinking. Hunger was the last thing on my mind. All I cared about was where Hunter was.
“Ayden, are you ready?”
I turned and found everyone walking towards me. “Yep. Let’s get going. I’ve searched around the hotel, but couldn’t find him.”
Darren came forward. “If you’re going to find him anywhere, it will probably be at a bar where he’s copping a feel from some random bird.”
I cringed, and Lindsay elbowed him. Darren was about to argue back, but the
n he saw my expression. I didn’t know what he found, but suddenly it was if he knew. “Oh.” His face reddened, and he looked away.
I cleared my throat. “Let’s get going.”
We all walked out together, but decided to split up, so we could search faster. Lindsay came with me and Darren, David went off with Carly and Scott, and Jeffrey and Paul went their own way too. All said we would call if we found anything.
Once everyone disappeared, Lindsay, Darren and I made our way to the main strip of bars. “I think I put my foot in my mouth earlier. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know. I just thought Hunter was a little overprotective of you.”
I shook my head. “Don’t mention it, Darren. It’s fine.”
We mostly remained silent after that. I did notice, however, that Darren and Lindsay were getting rather touchy-feely. It was probably because they weren’t under the watchful eye of her brother. Whatever the reason, I never mentioned it. I was too busy worrying myself sick about Hunter.
On the way around the bars, I tried calling both Hunter and Mason. Both phones went straight to voicemail. By the time we had tried all of the bars, it was past eleven, and everyone was starting to get tired.
Admitting defeat, I suggested we start making our way back to the hotel. Everyone seemed happy about that, so I had no other choice. Hunter might have been back at our room by this point, so I would have to check there again anyway.
As we neared our hotel, the noise of people pricked my ears up. When I looked, I saw some people hanging around a beach bar. I frowned. “We haven’t tried that bar yet, have we?”
Everyone looked and shook their heads. “I’m going over to take a look. It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try.”
I walked onto the beach towards the bar with everyone following suit. It was dark with only the bar lights and the full moon illuminating the sea. If it had been any other night, I would have suggested a stroll along this beach with Hunter. It was simply magical.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the night.