Текст книги "Protecting Her"

Автор книги: Alexis Noelle

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 10 страниц)

Chapter Nineteen

Hunter

As the guard unlocks the cell door, I say a silent thank you that I’m getting out of this shithole. Ryan is waiting for me at the desk where you sign out. How the hell did he know I was here?

“I would say I was surprised when Jules called, but my momma taught me not to tell a lie. You are a stupid fucker for punching that detective.” He laughs as he tosses a clear bag full of my stuff at me.

“Asshole deserved it. You know he is treating me like I’m the fucking criminal. Not only that, but he had his hands all over Sam right in front of me. He antagonized me and fucking enjoyed doing it.” When I think about him touching her, I get pissed off all over again. Sitting in that damn cell all night while Sam was on her own tore me apart. Ryan told me that she went to Brian’s house and it makes me feel good that she knew she could depend on them, but I wanted her with me. I won’t be okay until I can hold her. Until I can make sure that she’s okay.

“I think you might be over exaggerating a little bit brother.” Ryan and I walk out towards his car.

On the drive to Brian’s, I can’t shake the feeling I have that something is up. We pull into the driveway and I turn to Ryan. “Can you check into him for me?”

“Who? The detective? Are you out of your fucking mind? He outranks me, Hunter. I can’t just go asking around about him and expect no repercussions.” He shakes his head at me and seems pissed that I even asked.

“Ryan, I don’t ask you for shit. I know something is wrong. I can feel it in my fucking bones. Just have someone check into him for me, see if there is anything fishy. If I need to pay for someone to do it, I will.” I’m pleading with him at this point.

“Fuck!” His fist slams on the steering wheel before he turns to face me. “You are putting me in a really shitty position, Hunter. I can’t promise anything. I’ll ask around.”

I nod my head at him, silently thanking him. “I owe you one.”

“Yeah, you fucking do. Now get the hell out of my car.” I run up Brian’s steps, knocking on the door, anxious to see Sam.

Brian answers the door. “Well, look at the jailbird. You flew the coop already?”

“Yeah, real funny.” I push past him and walk inside.

“She is still asleep upstairs. I’m sure it has to do with the fact that she went through a shit storm yesterday; also that Jules turned the house into Margaritaville. I swear that girl just might be the death of me. I panicked when she called me last night, drove here in less than half the time. With all of this stalker mess, I was scared that they weren’t safe here alone.”

We walk into the living room, sitting down on his couch. “Bri, I don’t know what to fucking do. I am so goddamn scared that something will happen to her. It consumes my every thought, and everywhere we go, I’m paranoid. I can’t lose her.”

“I know how you feel. I lived in hell the six years I was separated from Jules. I couldn’t imagine feeling like I might lose her for good. When you love some—“

“Love? I didn’t go that far, brother. I don’t…I can’t.” I scrub my hands over my face. The mere mention of that word cuts me to the core. Loving someone gives them the power to crush you, to destroy every inch of your being. I know that Sam loves me. She said it the other night, but I can’t. “I’m not made for it. I’m not good at it. I am too selfish, and too self-absorbed to put someone else before myself.”

“Really? So throwing yourself on top of her when you heard the gunshot. That was you putting yourself first? Helping her out with her she devil mother. That’s you being selfish? Stressing yourself out about how to keep her safe. That sounds self-absorbed to me. You are none of those things, but you are scared. If you spend your life running from shit that might be, you will never have anything happen.” He looks at me dead in the eye. Brian is never one to bullshit you, so I know that he means what he is saying.

I look up at him. I get what he is saying. I know he’s right. “If I let myself go and stop holding back. If I love her, I won’t be able to handle losing her. I barely survived losing Amy, Bri. I can’t lose someone else I love.” Did I just admit I loved her? Do I? I think back over our time together. About the way I feel whenever she is close to me. The way I feel when I’m away from her.

“Go get your girl. I’ll take Jules out to lunch.” Brian stands up and starts to walk out of the room before turning around. “You know, I didn’t peg you to be the next one of us to settle down. I thought it would be Ryan.”

“Yeah, I was probably at the bottom of your list.” I think back to the way I have lived my life, bouncing from one meaningless girl to the next, never once caring about anyone.

“Nope, Mason would be last on my list. He is more fucked up than you by far.” He shakes his head at me before leaving. After a few minutes, I hear the front door shut.

Sam is upstairs. I want to go to her. I want to tell her how I feel but I can’t make my legs move.

The last time she saw me, I was in the back of a cop car, and I ignored her. I couldn’t even look at her. I was ashamed that I let that asshole get to me. I reacted just as he thought I would. Since they were taking me away, Sam was left unprotected and I hated myself for that. I wasn’t mad at her. I was pissed off at myself but I know she probably didn’t know that. I shouldn’t have just dismissed her the way I did but I was fighting to keep what little control of myself I had. If I would have looked at her and saw the panic and fear, I would have lost it. I feel like I failed her yesterday. When Ryan came back to see me, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew Sam had gotten in touch with one of the guys or Jules. I also knew they wouldn’t just leave her to be an easy target.

I stand up, willing myself to go upstairs and to see her. When I open the door to the guest room, she is under the covers sleeping. She looks like an angel. I walk over to the bed, trying my best not to wake her. I quietly undress before slipping under the covers next to her. My arms wrap around her, pulling her body against mine. I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of her pressed against me. I still can’t believe that she wants me. That she thinks I’m good enough for her.

“Hunter?” Her sleepy voice whispers in shock.

“Hey, cupcake, I’m back.” She turns to face me, a smile gracing her beautiful face. “I’m so sorry for yesterday. For losing my temper, for taking it out on you.”

“I didn’t know what I did that made you mad. I didn’t know what you wanted me to do.”

My hand strokes her face. “I know. You didn’t do anything baby. I was pissed at myself for playing into his hands. I couldn’t face you.”

“What happened? Did the detective charge you?” Her face is full of worry and I can see the love shining through her eyes.

“No, he isn’t charging me. Apparently, they can hold you for twenty four hours without charging you and the asshole took full advantage of that.” It pisses me off that I had to spend the night in there just for Marks to show some level of superiority.

She kisses me and I pull her closer to me. “I was so scared. I didn’t have anyone’s phone number. Luckily, I remembered where this house was and I had Joe bring me here. I hope I wasn’t a bother to Brian or Jules.”

“No, trust me Jules loved having you here.”

She smiles. “I really liked spending time with her. Your friends have all so readily accepted me. I haven’t had anyone close to me in such a long time. Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?” Her arms move up to wrap around my neck.

“Thank you for introducing me to your friends. Thank you for all the times you made me laugh when I wanted to cry. Thank you for making me feel like I’m not alone.” I take in what she says, knowing what I want my reply to be but trying to work up the nerve to say it.

“I love you, Samantha Baker.” I am so full of nerves. My hands are shaking like a little bitch as I open myself up to her after I swore I would never let anyone in again.

The shock on her face is evident; she never expected those words from me, at least not right now. “I love you, Hunter Stone.”

She kisses me once again and I try to let go of all the fear and paranoia.

I just passed the point of no return.

Now that I have her.

Now that I love her.

I will die before anyone takes her from me.

Chapter Twenty

Samantha

It’s been a week since Hunter told me he loved me and I still get chills every time he says it. Detective Marks decided not to press charges against Hunter, thank God.

My stalker is still around. I received another note yesterday. With each one I am getting more and more nervous. The police have no leads at all, which is even scarier. I thought by now they would have at least found some DNA on the notes or the flowers. I feel like a sitting duck. The only solace I have is Hunter. He makes me feel like everything isn’t falling apart around me.

He doesn’t trust Detective Marks at all and has been trying to make Ryan look into the case. Sometimes I see a fleeting look of panic pass his face and it scares me even more. Today is my day off and we are spending it together. A part of me wants to mention to him what today is but I don’t know how to bring it up.

Hey Hunter, today is my birthday!

So you know how you were born? I was born today!

You know what my mom was doing this time twenty four years ago?

I decide to just let it go. I don’t expect him to know because I’ve never mentioned it but either way, we get to spend it together. I’m actually surprised that I have today off. The past few years I have hosted club parties on my birthday. I wonder if she forgot it was today. I shrug my shoulders before slipping on my shoes and walking out to meet Hunter.

He is standing in his living room, wearing a tight black t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I smile as he turns toward me. “Hey, gorgeous.” Hunter walks over to me, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off the ground so I’m eye level with him.

“Hey, I’m all ready. Are you going to tell me where we are going yet?” Usually when I had a few days off I would stay in LA at my house, but being here is so much better. I have never lived in a small town and Hunter only lives a few blocks from Jules and Brian, so we spend time there too. The other huge plus is that my mother is in LA and I’m not. Since she found out about Hunter and me, things have been worse than ever, not that they were good before.

“Nope, sorry cupcake. There is one thing I can tell you about today though…” I raise my eyebrow at him in question. “You’re all mine.” He kisses me before lowering me to the floor and leading me out of the house. We climb into Hunter’s car and I can’t help but be mesmerized by the smile on his face.

As we drive, we fall into an easy conversation. There isn’t any awkward silence, no need to think of topics to talk about; it just flows. “Here, put this on over your eyes.” He hands me a bandana.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, woman, can’t a man have a little bit of mystery?” He laughs at my expression as he referred to me as woman. “Please?”

I hesitantly comply. What the hell is up with this? After a few more minutes, the car stops and I reach for my blindfold but Hunter’s hands grab mine. “Wait.” Anxiety and excitement course through my veins as I imagine where we are.

I hear a door open and close, assuming he must have gotten out of the car. The door opens next to me and Hunter takes my hand to guide me out of the car. I lean against the car, my back to it as the anticipation builds inside of me. I can feel him close to me before his voice sounds in my ear. “Today is your day. It’s a day that we will do everything you always wanted to do but never really did.” I hear people screaming in the background and try to figure out what we are doing. “I want to give you everything and experience it all with you too. So today will be a day of firsts.” I feel him put something on my head; I’m guessing it’s a hat.

He takes the bandana off my eyes and I see that we are standing in front of a theme park. My mouth drops open in shock. “This is where we are going?” He nods and I wrap my arms around his neck. Last week we had been talking and he was telling me different things about his childhood, things that he and his family used to do, places they used to go. His shock was evident when I didn’t have most of the experiences he did. I look at the huge theme park in front of us in awe of the man here with me. “What if someone recognizes me?”

“Hence the baseball hat; I even have one too since I’m a celebrity and all now.” He smiles at me and I smack the rim of his hat.

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re amazing, Hunter Stone?”

“Well, this one chick told me she loved me but she was a total clinger, I had to ditch her.” He laughs as he pulls me closer to him. “Let’s go, cupcake, we have a busy day.” He pulls me toward the entrance. I let him get a few steps ahead of me before I run up behind him, jumping on his back. His hands quickly grab the back of my thighs, holding me in place.

I lay my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being so incredible.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet, babe.” His promise sends a rush of chills through me.

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Once inside, I’m dragging Hunter from ride to ride, practically running with excitement. We walk up to one and I look at him in question. I can’t figure out what it is because it is completely enclosed. “What is this one?”

“This is one I have been looking forward to all day, watching you run around here and having you pressed against me on each of these rides.” I am completely confused by his statement but before I can ask what he means, he leads me toward the door. He greets the worker, shaking his hand and I follow him up the steps and into the ride. The door closes immediately and I look around. The inside is just a huge circle with separate panels that line the wall and an empty DJ booth in the middle.

“Hunter, what is this?”

He leads me toward a wall. “This babe, is called the Graviton and it’s about to become your favorite ride. Just hold on.”

The room starts to spin and Hunter presses himself against me. He grinds into me as he kisses me, his tongue slipping into my mouth, coaxing a moan to slip out of me. I scream when I am suddenly moving upward. I try to lift my hand and reach Hunter, who is standing in front of me, pressed against my legs, but it’s like I’m glued to the wall. There is a force stopping me from moving. The music inside the ride is blaring, the vibration moving through me with each beat. I feel his hands on the waistband of my shorts, sliding them down. I look down, amazed that he can move but seeing that he is struggling. His muscles ripple with each small movement, straining against the lack of gravity.

“Hunter!” I yell, but if he hears me he doesn’t show it.

What the hell is he…Oh my God. His hand cups me while he inserts a finger into me, the force of the ride increasing the pressure he is putting on me. I feel his mouth starting to kiss my inner thigh, he is going slowly and I know it’s partly because he can’t move either. He wouldn’t do this here.

When his tongue darts out and flicks my clit, I scream. His fingers leave me, replaced quickly by his mouth, his thumb now pressing down on my clit. My hands move just enough to grip his hair. Thank God the music is so loud because I can’t control the sounds coming from my mouth. Hunter is always good in this area but in this situation, with him being pushed so hard onto me, and the pulsing music, I’m already starting to lose it. His teeth nip at me as his fingers go to work again; I feel like he is deeper than he has ever been. I scream his name as an explosion erupts inside me, causing aftershocks throughout my entire body.

I open my eyes to see Hunter next to me on the wall. The smile on his face tells me that he had planned this whole thing. The panel lowers me back to the ground and I am able to move enough to pull my shorts back up. Hunter is in front of me once again. “Didn’t I tell you it would be your favorite ride?” He leans down and kisses me.

“I can’t believe you did that! What if the ride stopped in the middle of that and people caught us!”

He laughs at me. The music has stopped letting me know the doors are about to open. “Baby, I would never let anyone see you like that. I went to school with Ben the operator. I may have slipped him a twenty to give us an extra-long ride.” He slaps my ass before the door opens and we walk toward the exit. My legs are so shaky I feel like Bambi taking his first steps. As we go down the steps, I hold the railing really tight, trying not to fall.

“Mommy, that ride makes you dizzy; let’s go on that!” I hear a little boy yell from the line.

A blush spreads across my face, thinking of what really made me dizzy. I can’t believe we just defiled a child’s amusement park ride.

I’m going to hell.

The rest of the rides are much less eventful. Thank God. By late afternoon, I am absolutely exhausted and starving. I was pleasantly surprised that no one noticed who I was. It was great to be able to have a day where I was just a nobody. A day where I could blend into the crowd instead of creating one.

“You ready to go have dinner?”

I nod and lean against him, his hand curling around my waist as we walk toward the exit. “Where are we going?” I look up at him and he shakes his head. I groan in frustration. “Did I mention I am totally OCD and the unknown drives me bat shit crazy?”

He laughs as he opens the door to his car. “Babe, nothing can drive you crazy when you’ve been there for years.”

He shocks me speechless and closes the door before I can respond.

Ass.

Chapter Twenty One

Samantha

We pull up to a building but I didn’t really see anything on it telling me where we are. “Please tell me there is food here because I’m starving.”

Hunter looks over at me and smiles. “You don’t know how fucking happy it makes me to hear you say shit like that.” I look at him in confusion. “To hear you saying you want to eat. It scared the shit out of me when you were in the hospital. I’m glad that was a wakeup call for you.” His hand strokes my cheek and I lean into it.

I think back to that night. To feeling like I was on top of the world then feeling as if I couldn’t even hold myself up. Between my hospital scare and Hunter’s constant support, I have worked to overcome the issues I had. I also think the decreased interaction with my mother has been a great help too. There are times that he offers me junk food that he is eating and I cringe at the thought of it, I hear her voice judging me. Then I remember that night we stood in front of the mirror, the night when he made me feel like I was good enough just the way I was.

I kiss him, trying to express how grateful I am that he came into my life. He has made me see that there are people who actually care. That not everyone wants something from me. He showed me, contrary to everyone else in my life, that someone could love me. That I was worth loving.

“We need to get out of this car before I say fuck dinner and take you home. Unless that’s what you want.” I’m about to say he would get no objections from me when my growling stomach interrupts me. We both break out in laughter. “Come on.”

We walk into the building holding hands. Hunter gives the hostess his name and she walks toward the back of the restaurant and then turns down a hallway. As she slides a door open, I see a room filled with all of Hunter’s friends. There is a happy birthday banner hanging on the wall and they all yell surprise. How did he know?

I look at Hunter in shock, a tear falling down my cheek. “How did you know?”

He turns toward me. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I found out last night when Joe asked if you needed him for any special plans today. Jules helped me plan dinner while I had you out today.” I pull him to me, hugging him and trying to express how much this means to me. We walk into the room and I am greeted and embraced by all of these amazing people. A few more tears fall as I take in how drastically things have changed for the better since Hunter came into my life. My heart is about to burst from all the love it has received from these people. They took me into their lives without hesitation, and made me a part of their family.

“Hey, birthday girl!” Jules hugs me.

“Thank you for helping him with this, for doing this for me.”

“Please, it wasn’t even a question. I was happy to.” I give her another hug before turning back to Hunter.

“I love you, Hunter Stone.”

“I love you, Samantha Baker.”

“Fuck!” I hear Mason shout and we all turn to face him.

“Haha yes! Pay up, motherfucker!” Brian yells back at him. Mason hands Brian some money.

“What are you two idiots yelling about?” Hunter says, shaking his head.

“I told Mase you were pussy whipped and he bet me that you wouldn’t admit it for at least another month; he never thought you would utter the dreaded L word.” Brian has a smile as big as The Cheshire Cat as he waves Mason’s money around.

“Well, what the fuck? I mean this shit was like night and day. One week he is screwing anything with a goddamn hole and the next he strapped on a ball and chain. I need a damn drink. Another brother down.” He turns away from the group and starts to talk to the waitress.

“What was that all about?” I ask Hunter, semi-confused.

“Mason being Mason. Anti-love; girls, relationships, and anything other than booze, work, and us.” He shakes his head as he watches Mason.

The waitress comes up to us to take our order and before I can say anything Jules shouts, “She’ll have a margarita!”

I can’t help but laugh and nod at the waitress letting her know that’s fine. We sit down and I notice the table isn’t a normal table. “Is this a hibachi?”

Hunter nods. “Another first for you, cupcake.”

Jules sits next to me and we start talking about how Hunter called her in a panic this morning and tried to plan stuff before I came out of the room. “Did you give him the ideas for today?”

“Oh no, girl. He knew exactly what he wanted he just needed me to orchestrate getting everyone here. I don’t know what the hell you did, but he is like a completely different person.”

I take in what she says. He has changed a lot, but so have I and that is because of him. My confidence has improved so much since I met Hunter. He showed me that I don’t need to change for anyone.

Dinner is amazing and we spend the whole night laughing and talking. I turn to Hunter as they are clearing the table. “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. Thank you for everything you did today.” I kiss him, needing him to feel me.

Ryan comes up behind us and whispers something into Hunter’s ear. He nods at him before turning back to me. “When we leave here, we are going to meet Ryan at my house. He says he found some stuff he wants to talk to us about.”

My stomach drops. Ryan has been looking into my stalker. Did he find something? I’m lost in my own thoughts when I hear clapping and everyone starts to sing Happy Birthday. I look over and the waitress is walking in with a cake full of candles. As I glance around the room at everyone singing, I can’t help but smile. I have a family now; they may not be blood, but that doesn’t matter. They are my family.

The waitress places the cake in front of me and I blow out the candles. Everyone cheers and I start to remove the candles.

“What the hell kind of cake is that?” Brian says from behind me.

“It’s a cupcake cake.” Hunter replies, his eyes on me the whole time. I blush, thinking of the significance that no one else knows.

We all eat cake and then Hunter and I say our goodbyes. We walk out of the restaurant hand in hand and when we get to the car, I stop and wrap my arms around his waist. “Thank you for being so amazing. I will never forget this day and how special you made me feel.”

I think back to our relationship the first few days he worked for me and how far both of us have come. He has shown me such a different side to him. He smiles down at me. “You can thank me later,” he says with a wink before pinching my butt and walking around to the other side of the car.

And he ruined it.

I laugh as I climb into the car. “You just had to kill the moment, huh?”

“Hey babe, I can’t be soft all the time. I have a rep to protect, you know.” He smirks at me as he pulls out of the restaurant.

“A rep? What are you, the Godfather?”

“No, but you can call me a God if you want. I’m sure that’s what you’ll be screaming  later.” He reaches over and trails his hand up and down my thigh, sending sparks through my body.

“You are so full of yourself.”

“You’re about to be so full of me.”

“Oh my God! Do you ever not have a comeback?” I nudge his shoulder with my hand.

“No, but if you want, later I can come on your back.”

“Enough!” I raise my hands in surrender. “I give up. You win. Just please no more.”

He laughs as we pull into his driveway. I see a car pull behind us, realizing it’s probably Ryan. My mind races thinking about what he could have found. We all walk into the house silently, before heading into the living room. I sit down on the couch; Hunter sits next to me, and Ryan sits across from us.

“Alright, sorry to do this tonight, I know it’s a shitty day for this kind of news. I had a guy I know look into a few things that I had suspicions about. I know who has been harassing you and how. I haven’t reported it yet because I wanted to bring it to you first.” Ryan stops talking. He rubs the back of his neck with one hand while avoiding eye contact with either of us.

“Ry just say it.” Hunter’s voice has a slight tinge of annoyance mixed with anxiousness.

Ryan looks up at me and seems to take a deep breath. “It’s your mother.”