Blindsight: The Series (Complete Erotic Suspense STANDALONE) (29 page)

I unclenched my fists many miles later when the view turned from steel and concrete to evergreens and sparkling blue lake. I sucked in a breath and the tension eased from my shoulders when we pulled off the expressway and headed for the narrow dirt road and the cabin that would be our bunker indefinitely.
 

My phone rumbled moments later in my lap and I sighed when I saw the caller ID. ``My mom.'' I hit ``end call.'' Always calling at the worst possible times. ``I can't talk to her right now.''
 

Hunter didn't respond, his eyes focused on the road, his jaw still clenched.
 

``We'll get through this. We'll be okay.'' I reached a hand across the seat and grasped his thigh. Hunter only blinked, his focus on one thing and one thing only. I could see it throbbing through his veins and tensing his muscles. He was in white-knuckled survival mode.

twelve

We pulled up the dirt track that led to the secluded cabin less than an hour later and a world away. Hunter jumped out as soon as we arrived, and with his laptop under one arm, he headed up the steps to set up at the kitchen table. I sighed when I saw him get to work, clicking, scrolling, and reading. I licked my lips and pulled my small bag from the car before walking to the lakeshore and the sparkling blue waves that pulled me into cool numbness.
 

My silence was interrupted a minute later when my phone rattled again, signaling yet another call from my mother. I denied the call, unable to even form my own thoughts, much less able to speak to her. I put the phone on vibrate and shoved it deep into my bag, thinking how nice it would be if this place were really off the grid. No cells, no wifi. That was what Hunter and I really needed.
 

And then my mind wandered to a life in wit-pro. I had no idea what that would look like, where we would even be located, but the danger was so high, apparently it was worth pursuing. My stomach rolled with worry before I sat in the sand, right beneath the tree that Hunter had tied me to just the last time we were here. I ran my fingers through the soft dirt thinking about what a life with Hunter and Hunter alone would look like.
 

Just us. The three of us. My dusty fingertips trailed to my flat abdomen as I imagined it blooming out in a few short months. I should go to the doctor, schedule a prenatal and get vitamins, but I hadn't had time to think about any of that because I'd been running. Running at full speed into a bucket full of problems, when all I really wanted to do was run away.
 

But wasn't that what wit-pro would provide? My escape? And best of all I could still have Hunter, and we could live the life that suited us. Photography and shoots and an intimate, cozy home surrounded with love and laughter and creativity. That was my light at the end of the tunnel.
 

So maybe wit-pro was the right answer. Maybe it was the only answer. Maybe the fighting was best left up to the Feds, and Hunter could really be free. I trailed my fingertips in the dirt as the sun sparkled like diamonds off the clear water.
 

``Sorry I ran in, supervisor sent some files over he wanted me to look at.'' Hunter's resonant voice approached from behind.
 

And despite all the worry, despite the anxiety that enveloped us, I smiled.
 

I looked up at his crystal green gaze and grinned. ``That's okay. I was just thinking.'' I looked back out to the lake as I felt him sit down beside me. His big hand wove into mine, our fingers intertwined as we watched the water dance and glitter.
 

``What were you thinking about?'' He ducked and placed a soft kiss at the velvet corner of my neck.
 

``Wit-pro.'' My eyes cast to the ground. ``Maybe it's time.'' Long silent beats stretched between us where I felt only his hand clutched in mine.
 

He squeezed and then moved closer. ``It's safest. For all of us.'' His fingertips whispered across my waist before clasping my other hand in his and turning me to him. His piercing greens burned through mine. ``Anywhere you want.'' He placed soft kisses on my knuckles.
 

I nodded as water pricked at my eyelids before I launched myself into his arms, a torrent of tears raging down my cheeks. He held me as I sobbed, feeling emotions and hormones releasing the tension of my body. He was what I needed. If I had his arms to wrap around me and tell me it would be okay, I would be okay.
 

I pulled away, taking a deep breath and forcing a small smile on my face as I wiped at the tears. ``Thank you.'' I clutched his stubbled jawline, feeling the stiff whiskers scrape against my fingertips and send currents of electricity racing through me. ``Thank you so much,'' I murmured and pressed a kiss against his lips.
 

``Any time.'' He quirked a cocky grin that had my stomach twisting with laughter. We giggled in a fit for a minute before he ran a hand through my hair and his face softened. ``Let's go inside. My baby mama needs to eat.'' His face curved in a smile that lit fire in my toes. He looked so happy.
 

``I'm not a mom yet.''
 

``Minute I put a baby in you, you became a mama. Get used to it.'' He pulled me from my spot on the ground and swatted at my dust covered ass. The sweet sting landed before his smooth palm rubbed at the very place he'd probably left a faint red mark. His mark.
 

I tossed my bag on the table when we entered the cabin as Hunter headed to the fridge. I heard the faint sound of my cell vibrating deep in my bag and sighed, pushing the leather across the table, knowing exactly whose name the caller ID would read.
 

``Mom?'' Hunter asked.
 

``Yeah.'' I wiggled behind him and snaked my arms around his tight waistline.
 

``Gonna ignore her forever?'' He cast a sideways glance.
 

``Maybe.'' I shrugged and ran my fingers under the soft cotton of his shirt. My fingers danced around the rippled bulges of his abdomen. I could picture him in fatigues, hot and damp with sweat, working out in the desert, his dog tags gleaming on his bare chest. Jesus, he was an army god.
 

``Well, Ms. Warner, can't get enough lately, hmm?'' That devilish twinkle I loved lit his eyes.
 

I swatted his chest. ``It's the hormones! It makes me want to hump your leg all day,'' I grumbled and pulled away. His deep baritone laugh echoed through the small kitchen.
 

``Don't get pouty.'' He spun me in his arms. ``Wasn't complaining.'' He caught my lip between his teeth and tugged, sending fire-bolts shooting between my thighs, my clit buzzing. ``In fact...'' He trailed off as one hand dipped below my waistline and found its way to my panties. His thumb ran through the damp folds beneath the cotton before he slipped a finger in and ravaged my clit. He pinched and swirled and brought me to a swift orgasm against the kitchen counter, leaving me panting and more turned on.
 

``Mmm.'' He shoved his fingers covered in my pussy into his heavenly mouth. The sight alone nearly made me come again. ``Fuck, love your taste.'' He was lifting me on the kitchen counter before his hands were pushing the pants down my legs, and I was bare and open for him, laid out like a holiday platter. His eyes danced and gleamed before his hands were between my legs, his thick thumbs invading my entrance and fucking me with raw force.
 

I squirmed and moaned, desperate to feel his long, hard cock impaling me, but when his lips attacked my clit as his fingers thrust and I came again, I forgot about anything else other than the tornado of feeling racing through my body.
 

I slowly came back to reality on the kitchen counter, my eyes fluttering open to see Hunter shirtless at the end of the kitchen island between my legs, his jeans undone and hanging off his hips, his heavy cock stretching straight for me. I licked my lips and squirmed, feeling arousal flood my body and overwhelm me at the sight of him.
 

``You're beautiful,'' I whispered, free of the filter I usually carried.
 

``You're mine,'' he growled, and just like that, his hands were at my hips and his massive dick was splitting me. He rocked and fucked and found a rhythm that reminded me that sex wasn't just lovemaking, it was passionate and primal, raw fucking, and I couldn't imagine doing it any other way.

thirteen

Later that night, after we'd fucked furiously on the kitchen island and then made chicken salad for lunch, Hunter was napping peacefully on the couch and I was antsy. The hormones pulsing through my system had me on edge, living without all of my stuff had me on edge,
hiding out
had me on edge. I still wasn't convinced that we were as safe here as Hunter seemed to believe, but I followed his lead. He was the expert. And he said there was nothing that could be done until JW was found.
 

I sat on an Adirondack chair on the small wraparound porch that looked out over the water and sipped coffee. Hunter had hounded me about decaf, about too much sugar, about everything, but I'd negotiated him down to one cup a day. He then grumbled that I chose to have my one cup in the evening, but I craved the creamy warmth after a long day. Tea was my daily beverage; coffee was what I relaxed with.
 

I sighed and flipped through my phone, glancing over the dozen or so messages my mom had bombarded me with that day. I finally sucked in a deep breath, took another swallow of the bitter brew for strength, and dialed, feeling dread coil in my stomach. I listened to it ring exactly one and a half times before she picked up.
 

``Erin, where the hell are you?'' Her shriek hit my ears. ``I've been so worried -- how could you just leave without telling me?! You're so rude sometimes, Erin,'' she ended on a guilt-delivering pout.
 

``Mom, it's been so busy--''
 

``You have to come home. It's all over the news,'' she whispered the last word as if it were a dirty sin. It was, I guess. Having the dirty laundry aired was her worst fear. Little did she know how dark the situation was.
 

``It's just safer to be away right now; all that media coverage is tough.'' I sighed, feeling more beaten down than ever. Every time I picked up the phone with my mother, she found a way to play victim.
 

``No, come home. You're safe here,'' her smooth voice purred. ``You can stay with me.'' She was offering up my nightmare with a cloying smile, I could hear it in her voice. Like hell I would return to her house. I spent two decades crawling my way out of that pit she called a home. ``It's time for this game the two of you have been playing to end.''
 

``Mom, it's not a game. The last thing it is is a game. I wish it were that simple.'' I nearly collapsed into the chair. I was so sick of defending my emotions against her. ``I can't come now. Hopefully soon, we just have to let this die down.'' I knew it was a lie as it left my lips.
 

``I've got a bad feeling about this photographer, Erin. Why do you get yourself into these messes? You'd think you'd be a little more cautious considering you're still
married
. Do you even know who he is?''
 

``Mom, how could you say that?'' feeling the fight die before it'd even risen. ``How could you bring up Brant right now?'' I had someone new to worry about and that was changing me already. I needed to keep our baby safe. I suddenly realized what mattered, and it wasn't her endless criticisms and veiled insults. I had a little family of three that required my energy; I didn't need to burn it on running in circles with my mother.
 

``You've known this guy for what--a few months?'' She continued hurling barbs as if she hadn't even heard me.
 

``I'm sorry, Mom, I can't really get into this now, I just wanted to let you know I’m okay,'' I offered, desperate to end the call now that I'd done my due diligence as daughter.
 

``You sound awful,'' she replied.
 

``Thanks.'' I rolled my eyes. Exactly the reason I never returned her calls. Couldn't she see that? ``I'll call you soon.''
 

``Erin--''
 

``I love you, Mom. Stay safe.'' I rushed to hang up.
 

I swirled the coffee in my cup and took a sip, finding it'd gone cool while I was talking to her. I stood, intent on microwaving the dark drink when I thought better of it, dropped my cup in the sink, and then headed for the living room. I sank down on the soft couch next to Hunter and curled around his solid body, tucking myself in wherever I could fit.
 

In his sleep he turned, one arm wrapping me up with him before his soft snores were the only sound again. I sighed, my eyes searching his golden-stubbled face as he slept. ``I love you so, so much.'' I dusted one soft fingertip across the soft bow of his lips. ``I just hope we aren't in for any more surprises,'' I said, a haunted tone lacing my voice. I hoped desperately for no more surprises, for the sweet man curled up with me more than anyone else.
 

``Talk to your mom?'' Hunter mumbled a few moments later. I swear he slept with one eye open.
 

``Yeah,'' I paused before continuing. ``Just felt like saying goodbye. Like I won't see her again, or even talk to her.''
 

``It may just be for a while. We won't run forever.'' One of his thumbs traced patterns through my hair. ``You gonna be okay?'' His exhausted eyes caught mine.
 

``For now.'' I ran my hand across his chest and along the muscles that etched his physique.
 

``You feeling okay?'' His hand trailed to my tummy and I knew he meant the baby.
The baby.
 

``Yeah, I'm good. It's been a long day.'' I tucked myself under his arm. ``I could lie right here all night.'' I breathed in his smoky scent with a content sigh.