Some Like It Hot (29 page)

Hunter slowly opened his eyes when he felt Mallory stirring beside him. He groaned heavily and wondered if he’d ever be able to get his body into anything other than a bucking position again.

They had made love all through the night, nearly nonstop, and if the truth were told he would gladly, without much thought, make love to her again. He gazed over at her body, uncovered above the waist. Passion marks were everywhere and her nipples perked, as if ready to be licked and sucked.

He closed his eyes against his renewed desire, as if that would help, yet knowing that it wouldn’t. He reopened his eyes and gazed at Mallory. As he continued to watch her, another kind of sensation began taking over him and it had nothing to do with sex.

He shifted positions as he tried to rationalize what he was feeling, and the one question that had haunted him all last night returned. Each and every time he had made love to Mallory he inwardly questioned why he would settle for a commitment-free life when he could have this every night. It was clearly obvious that he cared about her, and it was also pretty damn blatant that he felt a connection to her that he hadn’t felt to another woman.

Mental images of what they had done over the past ten hours flitted through his mind. Every aspect of their night had been incredible, not just the physical releases they had shared but the emotional release as well. He had to be completely honest and admit that he’d been dealing with more than the desires of the flesh. He had to finally admit that he’d also been dealing with the desires of the heart.

His heart.

It was the heart he could now admit that Mallory possessed. The mere thought of not being able to share another night like this with her was too difficult to imagine.

He loved her.

His breath caught at the thought that Hunter Sloan could love any woman, but he knew he loved Mallory. What other reason could there for him not wanting another woman since their breakup? What other reason could there be for him desiring her with a desperation that bordered on obsession?

Reaching out, he gathered her close while she continued sleeping. His lips tilted into a smile. Mallory Standish had conquered the untamable Hunter Sloan and his body felt a satisfying warmth at the thought.

As he closed his eyes and snuggled her closer into his arms, he knew that the mighty Hunter had fallen and he had fallen hard.

Mallory opened her eyes and groaned softly into the hairy chest that cushioned her face, loving the manly scent of the man holding her in his arms.

She shifted her body and felt an ache everywhere, especially between her legs. She didn’t think she would ever be able to walk again and was glad it was Saturday; otherwise, she would not have made any of her appointments today.

Hunter had definitely proven to be an all-night man. He had the stamina of a bull and had literally driven her wild over and over again. At some point she had stopped counting how many orgasms she’d had and enjoyed each and every one he’d given her. She had wanted a night of passion and had gotten more than she’d bargained for.

She wondered what category last night would fall into. Since they had made love numerous times before, it probably wouldn’t be considered a one-night stand, especially since they weren’t really involved anymore. The first time they had made love, the night of his parents’ anniversary party, it had started out as a one-night stand and had ended up lasting for four months.

Mallory closed her eyes, knowing that would not be the case this time around. Hunter had made it pretty clear that he was not interested in anything beyond sex with any woman. She reopened her eyes and released a mental sigh when she thought of what had brought her and Hunter back together—even for a short while—which was her brother-in-law’s unfaithfulness. She didn’t care what Hunter said, those photographs he had taken of Lewis spoke volumes, and she had to deal with how she would break the news to Barbara.

She wondered why serious relationships, especially those between married people, always ended in pain. Maybe breaking up with Hunter had been the right thing to do six months ago. At the time she had been willing to take a chance and give her heart to a man, but now she realized that would have been the ultimate mistake, considering how the men the Standish women had a tendency to fall for seemed to let them down. First it had been her father and now Lewis.

She was intent on putting any thoughts of ever indulging in a serious involvement with a man out of her mind. Although she hated admitting it, it appeared that Hunter had the right attitude involving relationships—get physical but stay emotion-free. She hadn’t understood his attitude six months ago, but she understood it now.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

She glanced over at him and saw that he was awake. Without allowing her a chance to return his greeting, he leaned over and kissed her hard and deep. Moments later he pulled back and smiled at her. “How do you feel?”

How she was feeling could be summed up in one word. “Sore.”

He nodded. “Then it’s time for me to take care of you. I’ll be back in a second.”

She watched as he threw off the covers, got out of the bed, and walked naked into the adjoining bathroom. She slowly shifted her body when she heard the sound of water running and knew he was filling up the bathtub for her to soak in. He had done that very same thing the first time they had made love and he’d discovered she’d been a virgin. If the truth were known she would readily admit she had fallen in love with him that very night. There had been something about the tender and delicate way he had treated her both before and after their sexual encounter that had endeared him to her for life. Although she knew she still loved him, she would be satisfied with things not moving beyond this—the bedroom.

She should have listened to her coworker, Gail Turner, who used to brag about her sexual exploits and say you should take a man to bed but never let him go to your head.

She glanced up when she heard Hunter return. “Ready for a soak?” he asked coming over to the bed.

“Yes.”

Effortlessly, he brushed the covers aside, picked her up in his arms, and carried her into the bathroom. After placing her in the warm, sudsy water he knelt down and, using skillful hands and expert fingers, began massaging the soreness from her body.

Mallory closed her eyes and leaned back against the tub when he freed one hand to brush his fingers through the thickness of her hair, actually making her moan.

“How about if we get dressed and go somewhere for breakfast?” he asked, leaning down close to her ear.

Without opening her eyes, she smiled. “That would be wonderful if I had more clothes to put on, but all I have is what I wore over here yesterday.”

He nodded. “Then how about I go out and grab us something and bring it back?”

She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Or I could fix you something here,” she said softly.

Like a little kid, Hunter’s dark eyes widened. “Some of your mouth-watering pancakes?”

Mallory chuckled, glad he remembered the breakfasts they’d shared. “Umm, yes, there is that possibility. In fact, I—”

She never finished the rest of her sentence when he leaned over and captured her mouth in one hell of a mind-blowing kiss.

Hunter anxiously tapped his fingers on the kitchen table to a beat buried deep in his head while watching Mallory stack pancakes onto the platter. Merely watching her was turning him on big time and it wasn’t helping matters that all she was wearing was one of his T-shirts that hit her mid-thigh, and he knew for a fact she didn’t have a stitch of underwear on underneath.

Sexual hunger was riding him with the need to ride her once again. He was having anticipation attacks right and left, especially during those times when she would bend over to look into the oven to check on the sweet rolls she had decided to bake. Her behind was definitely a real nice piece to look at.

His heart was hammering in his chest at the thought of just how much he loved her and how he had finally admitted that fact to himself. She was exquisite, gorgeous, and everything he wanted in a woman. His aunt had been right. Mallory was the best thing to ever happen to him, and he couldn’t wait until she brought up the subject of where they would go from here now that they had gotten back together. When she did, he would tell her of his feelings for her and that he wanted them to move into a committed relationship.

“I hope you have an appetite, Hunter.”

Her comment recaptured his attention and he flashed her a quick grin. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe the appetite I have, sweetheart,” he said huskily, watching as she walked over to the table carrying the tray filled with pancakes in one hand and the container of syrup in the other.

She placed everything on the table and looked at him. “Why do I have a feeling that these pancakes aren’t the only thing on your mind?”

His gaze drifted over her body, then he stared intently into her eyes as he reached out and took hold of her hand. “Because they aren’t. But since I plan to give your body a rest, you’re safe for a while.”

She smiled as she leaned down and placed a feather-light kiss on his lips. “Thanks for being considerate.”

“For you, always.”

When she tried pulling her hand from his, he didn’t release it. Instead he pushed his chair back and pulled her down into his lap. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t taste my fill,” he murmured, threading his fingers through her hair and then capturing her lips with his. He kissed her long and hard, doing what he’d wanted to do ever since she had joined him in the kitchen.

Incredible,
he thought moments later, releasing her mouth. The taste of her was incredible and would remain with him for quite some time. It was amazing just how she affected him, how much she suddenly made him think of marriage and babies.

Marriage! Babies!

He swallowed hard. He’d never been able to formulate thoughts of either before, but now he did. And only with her. “I could kiss you all day,” he whispered against her moist lips.

“And I can kiss you all day as well,” she whispered softly. “But that won’t get rid of the sound of our stomachs growling. We need food.”

He chuckled as she slid off his lap. “That’s true.” He watched as she walked across the room to open the refrigerator to pull out a carton of orange juice, wondering when she would bring up the subject of them getting back together and decided to be patient.

A few moments later, as she sat across from him enjoying breakfast, he decided that he couldn’t wait any longer. Patience had never been one of his strong points. He leaned back in his chair looking at her after wolfing down all four of his pancakes and drinking a tall, cold glass of juice. “My mother and my aunt will be ecstatic to know we’re back together, Mallory.”

He watched as the fork she’d been using slipped from her fingers. She met his gaze. “We aren’t back together, Hunter,” she said softly.

He lifted a gaze wondering why she would think such a thing. “Sure we are. Last night we—”

“Had sex. Plenty of times but still it was sex. How many times have you said that you have sex with women, you do not make love?”

He frowned. “But that was before.”

Now it was her time to lift a brow. “Before what?”

“Before last night.”

Mallory slowly shook her head, confused. “What was so special about last night?”

Smiling, Hunter reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek. “I discovered that I’ve missed you and want you back in my life.”

Mallory shook her head again. “No, you want me back in your bed.”

“Yeah, that, too, but I want you in my life more than anything. I don’t want a woman who’ll just be available for me to sleep with. I want to have a committed relationship with you.”

Mallory’s eyes widened, clearly shocked. “A committed relationship? Since when? Have you forgotten why we broke up in the first place? I mentioned the word ‘commitment’ and you hauled ass so fast it left my head spinning.”

He shifted uneasily in his chair, remembering that night. “I’ve changed.”

“Yeah, right. And you want me to believe that all it took was several romps in bed for you to change your way of thinking? I’m not buying it, Hunter.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. This was clearly not going the way he had figured it would. Six months ago she was the one who was pushing for a committed relationship and now that he was ready it seemed she was no longer interested. “And what will it take for you to buy it?”

“Nothing, since I doubt that I will, especially with what’s going on with Lewis.”

Confusion settled in Hunter’s features. “What does Lewis have to do with us?”

Mallory stood and began gathering up the dishes. “He reminded me that relationships hurt, especially the committed kind. Men are all alike. They can’t be trusted.”

Her statement angered Hunter and he quickly stood. “Now wait just a damn minute. I don’t appreciate being grouped with other men that way. I make it clear with any woman I date what the score is. But with you things have always been different. Not once did I see other women while we dated, Mallory.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Hell, I wouldn’t have had energy to bed anyone other than you anyway. You were all the woman I needed. How can you even think that I was unfaithful to you while we were together?”

Mallory released a deep sigh. “I’m not accusing you of that, Hunter. All I’m staying is that at some point in a relationship things can happen, no matter how much the two people loved each other in the beginning. Loss of interest sets in. It happened with my parents and now it’s happening with Barbara and Lewis.”

He glared at her. “You don’t know that. You’re making assumptions and jumping to conclusions.”

She glared right back. “Maybe so, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve had a change of heart all of a sudden, Hunter. Six months ago a committed relationship was the last thing you wanted, and now I understand why. I’m buying into what you believe.”

“But I don’t want you to buy into it, because I don’t think that way anymore. Like I said, I’ve changed.” He could tell from her expression that she didn’t believe him. He also knew at that moment there was no point in telling her that he loved her since she probably wouldn’t believe that either. He sighed deeply, deciding to use another approach. “If you don’t want a serious relationship with me, then what is it that you do want?”