A Step Two Close

  I pulled away, dipping in some more chocolate, but this time I went down on my knees. His cock was hard and throbbing. I rubbed some of the chocolate around the tip and started licking it all up.

  Hunter grabbed my head. “Fuck, AJ.” I was there for a while giving him all the attention until Hunter suddenly stood up and grabbed my arm. “Bedroom. Now.”

  Hunter scooped me up in his arms, making me squeal like a little girl. He then threw me on the bed, climbed on top, and pushed my legs out of the way. “Two can play that game.”

  His head suddenly dove between my legs, swirling his tongue around my clit. I immediately stiffened, throwing my head back into the pillow. “Oh fuck!” I grabbed the ends of the sheets for dear life, moaning with every pleasurable lick.

  Once I got to the point of no return, I stopped him. “Hunter, no.”

  He looked up, a frown on his face. “What’s the matter?”

  “I want to come with you inside me,” I answered, breathlessly. Hunter smiled with a nod and went to get off the bed. I knew what he was going for.

  I stopped him again. “There’s no need for them anymore.”

  Hunter’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?” I nodded. “Fucking hell, AJ. I think I’ve already shot my load.”

  I started laughing, and Hunter lowered himself onto me for a kiss. Once he pulled away, he placed his cock at my entrance and started pushing his way inside.

  “Fuck, this feels incredible.”

  I scratched his back as he pushed his way fully inside of me. “I didn’t know it could feel like this.”

  “Shit, AJ! Why didn’t we do this sooner? I thought it couldn’t get any better with you, but by fuck, somehow it has.” He started moving inside me, groaning as he went.

  The sound of him coupled with the way he felt inside of me had my orgasm rising pretty quickly again. “Hunter, you feel amazing. Oh God!”

  Hunter picked up his pace—thrusting harder and faster until I couldn’t take much more. “Hunter, I’m going to come.” My body went rigid just before tremendous relief hit me. I started trembling and tingling all over as the orgasm went on and on. It was the most spellbinding orgasm I had ever had. It was almost as if I was having an out of body experience.

  “Fuck, AJ. I can’t hold on any longer. Fuck, you feel incredible.” With that, he came and I felt his warm liquid shoot inside of me.

  “Whoa... Hunter, I felt that.”

  Hunter started laughing, his breathing harsh against my neck. “You did? What did it feel like?” He pulled his head up to look at me.

  “It felt really good. It was almost like we were connecting properly for the very first time.” I frowned a little. “That sounds so lame.”

  Hunter laughed and bent down to kiss me. “I have my come inside of you. Do you realise how fucking sexy that is? When I walk around, and see other men look at you, that’s what I’ll be thinking.”

  I laughed out loud. “Hunter, that’s so cavemanish.”

  “‘Cavemanish’ isn’t even a word.”

  “Neither is ‘wazzock,’ but hey.” I poked my tongue out at him.

  Hunter nuzzled his nose against mine. “You are going to be in so much trouble these next few days. Do you know that? Just the thought of a part of me constantly inside of you is going to keep me hard.”

  I laughed it off thinking he was nuts, but he lived up to his word—it was a hard few days.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The day after we got home, Laura’s funeral took place. Hunter asked me to go with him, since nobody else would be in attendance. Mason and my mother were still on their honeymoon, and they weren’t due back until a couple of days later.

  The ceremony itself was short, and everything went as well as could be expected. Hunter didn’t cry. He just remained quiet and aloof all day. At the end of it all, we went back home, and Hunter became insatiable; we had sex at every possible opportunity. I knew this was his way of coping, so I went along with it. Sex with Hunter was amazing anyway, so who was I to complain?

  The following morning, Hunter was back to being his same old, jovial, pain-in-the-arse self. It was almost as if burying his mum ended a chapter in his life. I knew he wasn’t close to her, but I was sure there would be times when he would grieve. And when he did, I would be there for him.

  It was the day before Mason and my mum were due back. I was out shopping as Hunter had to deal with something for his dad at Davenport and Son.

  I must admit, I had a spring in my step. Things with Hunter were great... brilliant in fact. I never knew being in love could make you feel as alive as I felt. I was practically humming. The only thing that placed a real downer on it was the fact that Hunter wanted to be honest with Mason and my mum about our relationship. He had it all planned out. As soon as we told them, we would move into the penthouse. I told Hunter I didn’t want to sleep where he had had other girls, so he said we could move into the smaller bedroom until we found something else. I wasn’t sure at first, but Hunter won me over. He always managed to win me over. He only had to bat those green eyes at me, and I would cave.

  “Ayden, hey!”

  I jumped, looking in the direction of the voice. It was Robert. “Robert, what are you doing here?”

  Robert looked hurt. “I’m shopping—just like you.”

  I looked and saw no shopping bags. “You haven’t bought anything.”

  He shrugged. “It’s more like window shopping.”

  I pursed my lips, but didn’t say anything. I was having a perfectly good day until he showed up. “Okay, well, enjoy the rest of your shopping.” I walked away, but his voice startled me.

  “Did you enjoy your holiday?”

  I stopped still, cringed, and closed my eyes. “Yes, thank you.”

  I heard his footsteps behind me as he caught up. “I hear Spain is very nice this time of year.”

  The way he said it made my skin crawl. It was like there was an undertone to it. “Yes, it was very nice. I really have to go.” I started walking, but Robert wasn’t getting the hint.

  “Did your brother enjoy you—I mean it as well?”

  I snapped my head to him. “What are you talking about?”

  Robert shrugged. “I just wanted to know if he enjoyed the holiday.”

  I was really starting to panic. “Yes, he did. Now I really need to get home.”

  I walked off, but Robert’s voice echoed in the distance. “I wonder what Daddy would have to say if he knew you two went away together like that.”

  I stopped still again, my heart beating wildly. I couldn’t let him see how much what he said affected me, so instead I turned around and shouted, “He already knows,” as I walked off. I caught an evil smile spread across Robert’s lips just before I turned, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  It was stupid, I know. Pretty soon they would be here, and Hunter and I would explain everything to them anyway. Robert was just being a fucking arse, and I had to ignore him.

  The only thing was that I couldn’t get that evil smirk out of my head. Robert was up to something, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

  *****

  The following morning, Hunter and I got ready for their return. I was going to stay to await their arrival, but Mandy called me in a blind panic. Hunter told me not to worry and to go see my friend. He dropped me off and told me to let him know when I was ready to come home.

  When I got to the front door, Mandy opened it up before I could knock. “Ayden, come in. I’m going fucking nuts here.”

  I started panicking. “What the hell’s going on, Mandy?” I shut the door behind me and followed Mandy up to her room. “Where are your parents?”

  Mandy turned once we got inside. “They’re out. That’s why I had to call you now. I don’t want them in the house when I tell you this.”

  I threw my hands up. “Tell me what?”

  Mandy started waving her hands about. “Oh God... I can’t believe this.”
r />   “What?!” I shouted.

  She stopped dead still and looked at me. “I’m late, Ayden. I’m never fucking late!”

  My eyes widened. “Oh shit.”

  She nodded, her eyes still wide. “Yes, oh shit. It’s definitely fucking ‘oh shit.’”

  “By how long?”

  She bit her lip. “Five days.”

  Well, I suppose it answered my question about whether her and this Charlie boy at work had bumped uglies yet.

  “Have you done a test?” She shook her head. “Have you got one?” She shook her head again. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Mandy!” I threw my hands up in the air and started making my way downstairs.

  “Where are you going?”

  I opened the front door. “To get you a pregnancy test. Be back in five.” I walked towards the pharmacy, which was luckily only a very short distance away. I picked up what was available, paid for it, and went marching towards Mandy’s house.

  When she opened the door, I shoved it in her hand and told her to go pee. She did as instructed, and I sat, waiting on her bed. It felt like an age before she finally appeared at the door.

  “So?” I asked. I couldn’t gauge her reaction so far.

  She suddenly squealed. “It’s negative!” She jumped up and down and so did I.

  “Don’t ever do that to me again, Mandy. You gave me a fucking heart attack. My mum and Mason are coming back today.” I looked at my watch. “In fact, they should have arrived around half an hour ago.” The thought of it made my stomach drop. Hunter wanted to tell them over dinner tonight.

  “I’m so sorry, Ayden. You should go.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what friends are for, eh?”

  She asked me about the holiday, so I told her. She then went on to tell me a little bit about Charlie. She seemed practically giddy, which was great.

  When I thought it was time to go, I tried ringing Hunter, but it went straight to voicemail. I tried again several times—to no avail. In the end, I gave up and rang for a cab. After ten minutes, it arrived. I said goodbye to Mandy, and I was soon on my way. The whole way there, I was fidgeting with my fingers. I was worried sick about the outcome of Hunter and me coming out together. I just hoped and prayed I would be able to get away before my mum decided to teach me a lesson for being such a tramp.

  As the taxi dropped me off, I let myself in through the security gates. Mason’s Porsche was out front, so I knew they were home. I took a few deep breaths as I reached the front door... and one last one before I opened it.

  When I walked inside to the living room, the three of them were standing there. Mum was crying, Mason looked as sick as hell, and Hunter looked about ready to punch someone.

  “What’s happened?” I looked around at them all, and at first, no one said anything. My mum just howled more tears, and Hunter stood there clenching his fists.

  Eventually, Hunter turned to me. “Say it isn’t true, AJ.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  My throat became suddenly dry. I tried hard to swallow, but it just made my throat hurt. “What are you talking about, Hunter?”

  Hunter stepped forward, his fists to his sides. He looked ready for a fight. “You and my dad—say it isn’t true, AJ!”

  My mouth opened in shock. I started shaking and looked toward Mason for help. He looked back at me timidly.

  “Don’t fucking look at him. Answer me!”

  The tears welled in my eyes as I frantically scrambled to figure out how they could have known. What had happened since I went to visit Mandy? What the fuck could have possibly happened?!

  I licked my lips and looked back at Hunter. I could see the tears starting in his eyes at my silence. He already knew what the truth was before I even opened my mouth.

  “It was well before you and me. It was well before anything. It happened over a year ago.”

  Hunter turned around and punched a wall. “Fuck!” I jumped at the sound, feeling the tears come down my face.

  “Son, calm down. It was a very long time ago. We weren’t to know.”

  Hunter glared at his father. “You weren’t to know... you weren’t to know?! How could you, Dad? How the fuck could you do this? You shouldn’t have married Kat knowing that you had fucked her daughter. How sick is that?”

  I cringed when he spoke about me like that. He just made the whole thing sound so sordid. “Hunter, please.”

  Hunter looked back at me. “I trusted you. I told you things about me, and all the time you were laughing behind my back.”

  I shook my head through the tears. “Hunter, that’s not true. What happened was so long ago now. Mason and I thought it best to just forget about it.”

  Hunter looked stunned. “Just forget about it? How can any fucking sane person forget about this? You fucked my dad a year ago and then you went crawling into my bed knowing that?”

  “What?” Mason gasped.

  Hunter looked up to him. “Yeah, that’s right, Dad. Isn’t this just fucking peachy? It seems we all like to keep it in the family, huh?”

  My mother wailed and ran off towards her bedroom. Things were just going from bad to worse.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Mason looked from me to Hunter.

  “We were going to. Weren’t we, sweetheart? Until that fucker Robert stuck a note through the door revealing a blow-by-blow conversation that you two had at the gates right on the day of your fucking wedding, Dad!”

  I wiped my tears away and tried getting closer to Hunter, but he backed away. “Hunter, you have to understand. I didn’t know. I swear. I met your dad in a hotel on my eighteenth birthday. By some strange fucked up coincidence, I met you almost a year later at a different hotel. I never knew who both of you were. Not until the day you turned up at the house to announce we were going to be a family.” I stepped forward a little more trying to get closer to Hunter. “Knowing what I knew, I tried so hard to stay away from you, Hunter. I swear I did, but I liked you too much. Then, the more I got to know you, the more I fell in love with you.”

  “You’re in love with him?”

  I snapped my head to Mason and nodded my head. “Yes, Mason. I’m in love with your son. I didn’t plan on this. I swear.”

  Hunter stood rigid, but he closed his eyes. He was in pain. I could see it. I wanted to take that away from him, but I didn’t know whether he would let me. I took a few steps towards him and lifted my hand to touch him. “Hunter, I ... ”

  He pulled away from me. “Get away from me, AJ. Don’t touch me.” He looked at me in the eyes. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” He walked towards the door. “We’re done.”

  I grabbed my chest with my fist. All my breath seemed to come out of me at once. As the tears streamed, I looked across at Mason’s dejected face. “How could this have happened?”

  Mason went to open his mouth, but then closed it shut. What was the point in saying anything? What was the point in anything anymore period?

  Knowing I had to move fast, I raced out the door without another word and went to my room. I grabbed the suitcase Hunter bought for me and started packing as much of my stuff as possible. There was no way I was going to be able to live here after this revelation. I wouldn’t be welcome here anymore.

  Once I was packed, I timidly opened my door and went outside into the hallway. All was eerily quiet, so I made my way down to the bottom of the stairs and quietly opened the door. Once outside, I called a cab and asked to be taken to Christian’s house. The whole time I was racing around, I knew my shot at happiness had come to its end. I knew I had failed, and I knew I had lost the one true person who had ever meant the world to me—my best friend.

  Chapter Thirty

  I had been staying at Christian’s for the past two weeks, and for the past two weeks I hadn’t heard from anybody. All text messages, calls, and visits ceased the moment Hunter found out about his dad and me.

  I should have seen it coming, but how could I have? I should have known Robert
was spying on me, but I never knew it was to the level he took it to. Of course he was there—on their wedding day—listening to our conversation. How stupid was I?!

  For two whole weeks, I never went out. I never spoke to anyone apart from Christian or Mandy. They were my rocks through all of this, and they knew what I was going through. Christian was supportive, offering me a shoulder to cry on whenever I needed. In fact, we were sitting, talking about what we were going to do next with our lives when my phone started ringing.

  When I looked, my heart went into my mouth. It was a call from home, which could only mean one of three things. One, it was from my mother, two from Mason, or three, and this is what I hoped beyond imagination... Hunter.

  When I answered hello, my mother’s voice came over the line. “Ayden, how are you?”

  At first I couldn’t move. Was this really my mother? It sounded awfully like her. Why was she being so civil? Oh wait, maybe she’s just reeling me in.

  “To be honest, I’ve been better. How about you?” I frowned towards Christian and mouthed the word Mum to him. All he did was pretend to strangle someone then stab them. Yeah, he was a little over dramatic, our Christian.

  “I must admit, I’ve been better, too. Where have you been staying?”

  I sighed. “At Christian’s. Listen, Mum, I want you to know that I never intended—”

  “I know,” she interrupted. “To be honest, all this has made me think about our relationship. How I should be putting you first for a change.”

  My jaw dropped and all I could mutter was, “Okay.”

  “I know you’re staying at Christian’s and I can appreciate that under the circumstances, but I would like you to come round for a chat. Maybe I can cook you dinner. What do you say?” At first I hesitated. My mum being nice wasn’t something I was used to.

  When I didn’t answer, she sighed. “Look, I can appreciate you’re wary of me, but all I want is a chat. A chance to clear the air so to speak. I really need to get a lot of things off of my chest, and I don’t want to do it over the phone.”