Deep Focus (12 page)

“Neither am I.” Then he leaned forward and gave her shoulders a shove.

“Ah!” She wobbled precariously, then gave up and fell backward onto the bed with a bounce.

Not a position she liked to be in, but he moved over her so quickly she didn’t have time to be embarrassed or protest or artfully arrange herself. Hunter jerked her shorts and panties off from where they were still caught on her ankles and tossed them onto the tile floor. She expected him to move over her and enter her, but that was not what he did. He dropped down and drove into her with his tongue.

Given how ready she already was, his action nearly had her bolting off the bed.

“Oh, my,” she cried out, wanting to add a nasty swearword but stopping herself at the last minute.

“Open your legs wider,” he urged.

Not a problem. She could do that.

After she obeyed, he paused again in working her over to say, “Yell for me, Melly. Scream my name. So loud the neighbors hear.”

What? She couldn’t do that. There was no way she could do that. Could she?

When he hooked his finger inside her as his tongue slid over her clitoris, she realized that, yes, she could in fact scream loud enough to disturb the neighbors. Her orgasm swept over her with such intensity she almost knocked him off her. But Hunter held on to her thighs, hard, and didn’t let her break his rhythm. At that moment she cared about nothing but the way Hunter made her feel.

As the throes of ecstasy settled down into shuddery aftershocks, she swallowed hard, moistening her lips with her tongue. “Oh, Hunter.”

“Oh, Melly,” he said with a victorious grin. “Now, that was hot.” He had moved over her and gave her a quick kiss before positioning himself between her thighs.

She didn’t know if she could take any more stimulation, but then he teased his erection over her, and she was suddenly sure she could take a whole lot more. “Hunter,” she urged, when it was clear he wasn’t going to do anything other than torture.

“Melanie,” he said, mocking her whiny voice in a lighthearted tease.

Okay, his self-restraint might be admirable in other circumstances, but at the moment it was just frustrating. So if he was going to tease, she could do it right back. With a grin, she clamped her legs shut, forcing him back a little.

His head tilted as he realized what she had just done. “Oh, someone is looking for trouble.”

Melanie reached out and stroked his penis. “Did I find it?” she asked, feeling flirty and sassy.

“Definitely.” He gripped her knee and paused, as if he was gauging her response to an aggressive move. “Let me show you how much fun trouble can be.”

“Please do.” It was the first time in the history of her sexuality that she had effectively turned the tables on a man without him realizing it. She was getting exactly what she wanted.

He understood that she was giving him permission to shove her leg to the side, and that was exactly what he did. He sheathed himself with a condom, and then he was inside her. Hunter had a determined look of concentration on his face that she found absolutely charming and sexy all at once. He was Bond again, all studied and carefully calculated moves. She wanted to see him lose control the way she had, but it wasn’t going to happen now, that was clear to her. He was enjoying himself, but keeping the lid on tightly.

She was willing to accept that since it felt so damn good. He had serious skill, and the intensity of his focus on her made her feel like the hottest thing since a Southern summer. When he gritted his teeth and exploded, she gripped his back and watched in total satisfaction. With a groan he collapsed on the bed, pulling her onto him.

“Damn, you are sexy as hell,” he said.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Very possibly the best she’d ever had, but she didn’t want his head to swell. Well. Not for another ten minutes, at least.

Outside the room they heard a giant splash from the dolphin grotto.

“Victory all around,” Hunter said. “That dolphin and I both managed to score. I feel proud.”

Melanie laughed. “Forced confinement does funny things to a girl.”

“Great. That’s really ego boosting.”

That made her laugh even harder. “I meant let down our guard, not be talked into something we don’t want to do.”

“Just stop talking before I cry.”

That was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. She was giggling so hard she was vibrating both of their bodies. “Can’t. Breathe.”

Hunter flipped her on her back so suddenly and unexpectedly that the air was robbed from her lungs. Not only did she stop laughing, she felt desire spark all over again at the determined look on his face.

“Don’t talk. Just feel,” he told her, before he descended down on her again with his tongue.

She definitely had no words. Only moans of pleasure.

11

H
UNTER
WAS
IN
a whole hell of a lot better mood for their zip line excursion than he had been for the horseback riding the day before. Not only had he enjoyed a lengthy sex session with Melanie the night before, he’d woken up with an erection, and this time she had indulged him in getting rid of it. Not that he thought it was a particular hardship for her. Melanie was definitely loosening up. It was damn hot to watch her letting go, and he was enjoying himself more than he had in a long-ass time.

They were at the adventure park with a bunch of other tourists, listening to the instructions of the staff. Two guys who gave their names as Celso and Gil were entertaining everyone with their humorous safety spiel, but Hunter was only half listening. He kept stealing glances at Melanie sitting next to him. The harness they had clipped her into outlined some of his favorite spots on her body. Her thighs were crisscrossed by the straps, which repeatedly drew his attention to the apex of her legs, and when she shifted slightly in front of him, he could see that the straps also served to push her butt up in a perky manner that was driving him nuts. He would have thought he’d be sexually satisfied at least for a few hours, but it seemed that the more of Melanie he had, the more he wanted.

But when she glanced over at him, he forgot about his lust. She was chewing on her bottom lip. Hunter already recognized that as a sign that she was nervous and worried. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if I can do this. It looks so...free falling.”

“Babe, it’s on a steel cable. You’re clipped onto it. Everything is safe. They do this every day with hundreds of people.” He pulled off one of the gloves he had been given to wear and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s going to be fun.”

“Maybe I should just stay down here.” She stepped backward, away from the ladder leading up to the first line. Her backside hit his thighs. “Oh!”

Hunter steadied her. “Careful,” he murmured near her ear. He couldn’t quite get next to it, since she was wearing a safety helmet. Wishing they were alone, he resolutely shoved away thoughts of how soft and warm and deliciously close to him she was and dropped his hands. “You paid good money to do this. We rode a bus here, you signed a waiver, you put your purse in a locker. You will always regret it if you don’t just go for it.”

She took a shuddering breath and glanced back at him. “You’re right. You’re totally right.”

He tried not to be amused when she climbed the ladder to the first launching dock as if she was ascending to her own hanging. “Are you afraid of heights?” he asked her when he got to the top behind her. She was clinging to the railing with a death grip.

“No. I don’t think so.” She glanced over the side. “Maybe.”

As the instructor clipped Melanie into the safety gear and had her stand on a platform, he squeezed her gloved hand with his. “It’s about letting go, remember? And Celso has you all locked and loaded, right, Celso? Everything is safe.”

“We’ve never lost a single tourist,” he assured her.

“There’s a first time for everything,” she muttered. Her cheeks were flushed.

“Sit down,” Celso told her.

Melanie looked at him blankly. “What?”

“Sit down. Just lift your feet and let the rope hold you.”

She gave a squeak when she obeyed, and her butt swung back and forth, the harness keeping her dangling there.

“See?” Hunter said. “Going across is no different. You’re already letting the rope do all the work. It’s the same thing.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Not exactly. Should I close my eyes?”

“No. Eyes wide-open.” Then impulsively he leaned over and kissed her. “Have fun.”

The instructor gave Melanie a shove, and she took off, screaming at the top of her lungs as she sailed across to the next platform. Hunter winced and shook his head at Celso. “I don’t know, man. She may not do the next one.”

“She’ll be fine,” he told him. “Your turn.”

It was a fairly tame crossing, and Hunter enjoyed the view of the treetops and the breeze on his face. He dropped onto the other platform and waited for Gil to unhook him so he could gauge Melanie’s reaction. She was grinning. Relieved, he told her, “You did it. I knew you could handle it.”

“It was scary, but pretty amazing,” she said. “To have to trust the rope is hard, but then it was like flying through the air. It was awesome.”

“Good.” He felt a ridiculous amount of pride that she was enjoying herself. It had nothing to do with him at all, but he wanted her to be happy and to let go. Given that he had encouraged her not to bail, he felt somewhat responsible for her current pleasure.

Speaking of pleasure... He got a great shot of her ass as she stepped up onto the block just a few feet in front of him. He wanted to cup both of those perky cheeks and kiss the back of her neck. An erection started to swell in his cargo shorts, which was not good considering his junk was outlined by the harness. When he glanced up, Gil gave him a knowing glance. Busted. Hunter grinned at the instructor and shrugged his shoulders. The guy gave him a grin back.

Melanie was set to go to the next platform, dangling again. She looked nervous, making an
uh-oh
sound, but at least this time her face had color. When Gil shoved her off the edge she only gave a brief scream before settling into the run. For his turn, Hunter purposely made himself spin, craving a touch more excitement. And a distraction from his hard-on.

She reprimanded him when he landed and was unhooked by Celso, who apparently had run like the wind to get from the previous platform. Hunter was impressed. He was also amused by the dressing-down Melanie gave him.

“Don’t do that! You could fall!” She looked indignant and a bit ridiculous, the chin strap on her helmet slightly askew. Her finger came out, the glove too big on her hand. “Don’t do that again.”

He was touched that she cared enough to be worried he might plunge to his death, especially since he was 100 percent certain there was no way that was going to happen. “Babe, I am not in danger. Trust me.” He looked to Celso for confirmation. “Right?”

“Not from the zip line. But anything else, who knows?” was Celso’s opinion as he hooked Melanie into the next line.

“Very reassuring,” she said.

Hunter reached over and gave her a quick kiss, their helmets knocking a little. “I survived combat. It’s all good.”

“Is she clear?” he asked Celso.

“Yep. Send her off.”

“Don’t—”

Melanie looked alarmed, but Hunter just gave her a gentle push, and off she went. Her eyes were wide but then as she settled in she shook her head and gave him a smile. Even better, she started laughing.

Man pride made him grin back at her.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

Z
IP
-
LINING
HAD
BEEN
way more fun than Melanie expected. She was pretty damn sure that without Hunter there she would have chickened out entirely. But he’d encouraged and reassured her, and it had been exciting and freeing to sail through the air. She had felt...weightless.

Both physically and emotionally.

Sure, she had been aware that she was wound a little tight. But she hadn’t realized how tense she had been, trying to control her life and her relationship with Ian. The pressure of keeping it a secret and constantly worrying how he felt about her had left her anxious and inflexible. She was pretty sure it had something to do with her failed relationship at seventeen, where she had dived in headfirst with no emotional walls up with a prelaw student her freshman year in college. It had ended in disaster, and she had approached subsequent relationships determined to control them.

Look how well that had turned out.

But a little Mexican sunshine, a sexy bodyguard and a steel cable to dangle from had allowed her to release that anxiety bit by bit, and she felt better than she had in a good long while. Maybe since college and before the heinous breakup, frankly.

After the bus dropped them back in town, she and Hunter wandered around the souvenir shops fingering blankets, dresses, odd trinkets. Hunter pulled on a Mexican wrestling mask, making her laugh hysterically.

“What?” he asked from behind the yellow-and-black-striped rubber. It was too small for his head, so the mouth hole rested on his upper lip, and his chin was exposed. He looked more than a little silly. “I feel like a superhero.”

“You really shouldn’t.” On impulse, she rolled up the bottom of the mask and kissed him full-on. “I prefer you as my bodyguard.”

Hunter tore the mask off and tossed it back on the table. “I’m doing a lousy job watching over you from a distance,” he said, his voice husky. He pulled her into his arms, her chest brushing against his. “I prefer a more hands-on method, which isn’t proper protocol. You should probably fire me.”

The now-familiar sensation of arousal washed over her as Hunter brushed his lips over her temple. “I didn’t hire you, so I can’t fire you.”

“Then I quit.”

She shivered as he kissed her eyelids, first one then the other. “Is that really necessary?”

“What, you don’t want me to quit? You like fraternizing with the help?” He tipped her chin up and kissed her. “Is it exciting?”

She was suddenly overly warm, and it wasn’t from the sun beating down on them. “You make me feel exciting,” she confessed.

She instantly worried that there was something pathetic about admitting that. As if she were boring and dull and needed him to make her into something interesting.

But Hunter read her emotions and smoothed out her furrowed brow with his fingers. “You are exciting, Melly. You’re the most fascinating creature I’ve ever met because you’re sweet and sexy, kind and yet kick-ass. You’re everything a man could want.”

That was the most wonderful thing any man had ever said to her. It was better than any vow of love or gushing praise for her looks or skills in bed that she’d gotten in the heat of certain moments from boyfriends in the past. This was genuine, matter-of-fact and came from a man who had nothing to gain by flattering her. She was already sleeping with him, and there was a clear understanding between them that it would be nothing more than a vacation fling.

She knew not to read anything into it in terms of a future, but it was enough to know that he appreciated her. Respected her.

“Thank you, Hunter. That means a lot to me.” She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, wanting to grip him solidly, feel his muscles beneath her hands. “You saved this week for me, you know. If you weren’t here I would be binge eating and crying. Maybe even drunk texting.”

“Well, I’m glad I could save you from that. Nothing worse than an indignant drunk text to make you regret rum the next day.”

“No kidding.” The thought of sending some kind of “how could you do this to me?” message to Ian was mortifying. But she didn’t want to make a joke out of it. “Seriously, thank you.”

He fingered the dolphin necklace resting on her chest. “You’re welcome.” For a second she thought he was going to say something, but then his eyes shuttered. “Anytime.”

Was there something there in the way he said that? Melanie wasn’t sure, but what she was sure of was that she was having a relaxing vacation, and she owed it to Hunter. She wasn’t going to worry about what was happening back in Chicago or about having to return to work. Right now it was impossible to imagine that biting wind and icy sidewalks were waiting for her, and the uncomfortable reality of working for her douchebag ex-boyfriend.

Here it was just warm breezes, hot kisses and living in the moment.

If only she could get Hunter to let go the same way, it would be a perfect vacation.

There was a mariachi band playing in the square, and the lively beat made her want to swivel her hips and send her skirt twirling. She grabbed his hand. “Dance with me, Hunter.”

He winced. “I don’t think so.”

She laughed. “Come on. I went zip-lining, even though I was scared.”

“I’m not scared. I just don’t want to.” Then he added, “There’s not a lot I’m scared of, Melly.”

“Okay, macho man, duly noted.” It was practically a full-time job dodging his testosterone. It was ridiculous. “What are you scared of, just for future reference?”

She expected him to say snakes or dying or losing his legs. But his eyes darkened.

“Never mind.”

“You can’t
never mind
me,” she murmured, intrigued by his expression. He looked so intense as he stared down at her. “Either tell me or you have to salsa dance with me.”

“I wasn’t aware we were playing truth or dare.”

If that was what it took. “I think we are. Truth or dare, Hunter?”

“Dare,” he said without hesitation.

She wasn’t surprised, but she was slightly disappointed. “Then I guess you’re dancing.”

“I think
we’re
dancing,” he said.

That they were. They were dancing around their feelings about past relationships and about discussing the future. They were attempting to live in the now, which wasn’t all that easy for the majority of human beings. Melanie wasn’t sure she knew the steps to this routine, but she was determined just to close her eyes and follow the beat and enjoy it as best she could.

When they got to the square, she put her arms around Hunter’s neck and murmured in his ear, “Move your hips.”

“I am.”

He was slightly less rigid than a California redwood. “You’re barely moving, Hunter.”

“Just think of me as a pole, and you can do whatever you want on and around me.”

She laughed. “No! That doesn’t qualify. And I’m not pole dancing in public.”

His eyebrows shot up. “But you will in private?”

About to say no as an automatic response, she paused. “I don’t know. Maybe. Depends on the circumstances.”

“Figure out those parameters, and I’ll make them happen,” he said with such sincerity that she laughed again.

But then she realized she wouldn’t be seeing him back in Chicago and that he was just teasing her. She would take it as flattery and nothing more. “Be serious,” she reprimanded softly. “Distracting me won’t get you out of attempting to dance. Here, take my hands.”