Before You

Chapter Twenty Three.

            "Wait, you what?" I choked out, my mouth going dry as my head spun from the lack of oxygen and the overabundance of Hunter's lips with mine.

"I've never said that to anyone, and I wanted you to know the truth." He professed and he kissed me again, taking what little breath I had left away with how tender he was. When he pulled back, his smile was blinding and I melted at the sight. "I got scared." He laughed shyly.

"You?" I asked. "Scared of what?"

My heart was pounding and my whole body felt electric as he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and sighed a second, still holding me firmly to him. "Yeah, Kit." He muttered, glancing slightly at his watch on his wrist. "I don't know how this all..." He was searching for words. "I don't let people in." He finally said.

"I know." I nodded. As much of a people person as Hunter is, and as much as everyone loves him, no one really actually truly knows the Hunter that he hides.

He pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know you do." He whispered. "I don't know when you did it, but you wiggled yourself under my skin. You know me like no one else does." He smiled. "I've spent years building walls and keeping everyone at a safe enough distance that I would never..."

"You didn't want to care about anyone so that no one could hurt you like your brother dying and your parents did." I nodded for him, knowing what he meant. I think I've done a lot of the same thing with keeping my heart under close watch so that no one else could break it like Seth had. "You got under my skin too." I whispered, too shy now to look him in the eyes.

"I tried so hard to be your friend." He laughed, the sound warming me from the inside out. "I thought you were going to be a great friend, sure, but I thought we were going to be just friends, not...I don't even know because I don't do this. I didn't even notice how attached to you I'd gotten until I found myself drinking to try to keep you out of my head. That didn't work, and I called you, and you showed up for me." He smiled and I remembered how easily I had agreed to come see him that night, knowing I shouldn't, but I just wanted to be near him.

My confidence built a little as I roamed my hand up his body and clung tightly to his shirt at his chest. "I-I wanted to see you. Even if I knew it was wrong, I just had to do it." I admitted.

"God, Tayler." He pressed his body against mine and pinned me closer to the wall, his weight on me driving me crazy in the best sort of way. "That night in the kitchen, I wanted to...oh, man, I wanted to so bad. Then those dudes walked in and then later you were in my room on my fucking bed and you were so drunk." He laughed at the memory while I groaned. "That's when I knew." He told me, leaning down to look me in the eyes. "You are so hot, and beautiful, and perfect and you were in my bed, your eyes practically begging me to kiss you, and I couldn't do it." He sighed. "I tried to tell myself that the reason I didn't was because you were too drunk or that I didn't want to make our friendship weird, but that wasn't why..."

"Then why?" I whispered, the breathiness of my voice making him groan as he held me.

"Because while you were there in my bed, I wasn't thinking about how hot you'd be naked, or if the sex would be any good." My face flamed at his honesty. "I was thinking how I loved the way your hair was falling over one shoulder, and I was wondering what kind of breakfast you'd like in the morning, or what your lips were going to taste like. It was all this shit I'd never even had cross my mind before in that kind of situation and as I looked at you I realized I didn't just want to have sex with you and then you go home or whatever. I wanted to..." He paused, pinching the bridge of his nose for a spilt second. "I wanted to love you, Tayler. I wanted to have you, and then I wanted to hold you all night and talk to you and hear you laugh at my lame attempts to be smooth. I wanted to ask you questions and know you more and I wanted to have you hold me and know me and be with me." He sighed as I brought my hands to either side of his face. "It terrified me, Kit. I didn't know what to do with feelings like that so I freaked out."