Hunter's Rose (First Draft)

Chapter Fourteen

Hunter was sitting on the bed when I came out of the bathroom. 

"I heard you kicked Jai's ass." He said with a proud smile on his face. 

"Maybe, just a little." I felt my cheeks warm under his gaze. He let out a small chuckle.

"That's not what his black eye showed." I winced slightly, guilt washing through me. "Don't feel bad darlin, from what I heard he deserved it." He shot me a reassuring smile.

I nodded and sent him a small shrug. "He made me mad." 

"Remind me to never do that." He teased with a wink. I rolled my eyes as I sat on the bed beside him. His hand reached out to grab one of my own, making my stomach flutter. "Lisa called, she should be here in two or three days." 

I felt my body perk up, yet deflate at the same time. I know I have to leave, and that it has only been a few days, but I would miss them. In the little bit that I had been here, they had each managed to worm their way into my heart. Even Jai. 

"What's that face for darling?" Hunter asked softly, his hand coming under my chin to push my eyes to meet his. "I thought you would be excited." I slowly nodded my head.

"I am, it's just...." I trailed off, unable to finish the rest of my sentence. He gave me a soft smile. 

"You know you don't have to leave, don't you?" His voice was soft. "The guys all enjoy having you around. We also have plenty of room here, you could stay as long as you wanted to." His thumb moved up to rub my cheek bone. My heart melted.  

"I wish I could." I started lightly, staring into his blue gaze. "I need to go though." He gave me an understanding smile with a small smile. My gaze dropped to his lips, my tongue coming out to wet my own.

"You do whatever you need, darlin. We'll still be here, if you need us for anything." I felt my body lean towards his.

"I could always come visit?" My voice dropped to whisper as I glanced up into his soft gaze.

"Of course, darlin." His gaze flickered down to my lips for a moment. I felt my heart rate pick up. "You're welcome here anytime." 

"We should, um, probably go to bed now." I whispered, my body betrayed my words as I continued to lean in. 

"We should." He repeated, giving me a soft, knowing, smile. My gaze dropped to his lips again before I shook my head lightly. 

I quickly pulled away from him and stood from the bed. Kissing him would be really bad, right? I was leaving soon. There was no point in pursuing anything romantic, no matter how badly I wanted to.

I gave him a weak smile as he stood up, and began walking around the bed. I made it two steps before his hand grabbed my own again and quickly turned me around. My mouth opened in confusion, before quickly shutting when his hands cupped my face. Back was the fast heart rate and butterflies. His blue eyes stared softly into my own, his forehead creased slightly.

"Darlin, I know you're leaving….but if I don't know it will haunt me for the rest of my life." He whispered softly. 

"Know what?" I asked breathlessly. My gaze darted between his eyes and lips, which had pulled up on one side. One of his hands moved from my jaw to my chin, his thumb caressing my bottom lip making my breath hitch.

"What your lips feel like. Can I kiss you?" His voice was so low I barely caught the question.

My eyes widened slightly when it registered, my gaze staying on his soft one. His hand on my chin dropped and wrapped around my waist, making my brain go fuzzy. I swallowed the cotton ball in my throat before nodding slowly. 

I held my breath as his face slowly descended towards mine. My eyes fluttered shut when his nose bumped against my own in a soft, playful way. When his lips brushed lightly against my own, the world stopped. A heat moved through my body and a dizziness washed over me. The butterflies in my stomach went into overdrive, making me lean into him. My hands moved up to his broad chest, clutching at the material of his shirt. His lips moved harder against my own as his hand on my waist tightened, causing a tingling sensation to move throughout my whole body. I was hooked. One kiss and he had completely wrecked me, our souls wound together. 

When he pulled away I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no words would come out. I glanced up, feeling my eyes narrow at his amused expression. 

"I'm definitely going to do that more." He mused, my gaze dropped as I felt my cheeks heat up. 

"Is that smart?" I questioned softly. He moved his thumb to rub my cheek again. 

"Maybe. Maybe not." He answered. "It won't change anything though. I'm not going to try and force you to stay. You need to do what is best for you. I will be here for you either way." 

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pushed my face into his chest, smiling softly when I felt his heart beating as fast as mine.