Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
I watched him for a few moments as he stared off into space. He looked deep in thought, almost troubled. Eventually I walked to the door and slid it open. He turned at the sound.
“Hey. What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“Just getting some fresh air.”
I pulled the sheet tighter around me. “It’s freaking cold.”
“Didn’t even notice.”
“You looked lost in thought. Anything you want to talk about?”
Hunter’s eyes met mine. He seemed to deliberate for a moment, but then he shook his head and looked away as he spoke.
“No. Just couldn’t sleep.” He stood. “Come on. Let’s get you back to bed.”
He was quiet as we walked back to the bedroom and even quieter as we slipped back into bed. Just like last night, he lay on his back and pulled me to him so my head rested on his chest. I listened to his heartbeat for a while, and even though I found it soothing, I still had an unsettled feeling.
Turning over from my side to my belly, I put two hands on Hunter’s chest and used them to prop up my head so I could see his face while I spoke.
“Do you have trouble sleeping often?”
“Sometimes.”
“Is it trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?”
“Both.”
“Is it because you have a lot on your mind?”
“Maybe.”
“You know what I heard helps with that?”
“What?”
“Giving more than a one-word answer,” I said sarcastically.
Hunter’s lip twitched. “You know what I heard helps?”
“What?”
He did some ninja-like move that flipped me onto my back, and suddenly he was hovering over me. “Strenuous physical activity.”
“Umm…how often do you wake up? Because if that’s the case, I might not be able to walk by Monday.”
The cloud that had shadowed his eyes only a few moments earlier seemed to lift. “Would you think I was a total dick if I admitted I’d love for you to burn every time you sit down on Monday?”
“You want me in pain?”
“No, I want you to remember what it felt like for me to be inside you.”
I was certain that wouldn’t be a problem. I raised my hands over my head and arched my back, hoisting my breasts toward his face. “Do your best, Mr. Delucia.”
***
Hunter had a few hours of work he needed to do, so I went down to the Italian grocery store I’d spotted at the corner to pick up something for lunch. We’d stayed up until after the sun rose and finally fallen back asleep until after ten. I’d woken to Hunter’s erection prodding me from behind as we spooned. The man had an insatiable appetite for sex.
I picked out all of my favorite finger foods to snack on for lunch—black olives, stuffed grape leaves, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes with basil, marinated mushrooms—rather than just a boring sandwich or something. By the time I got to the cash register, my handheld basket weighed a ton, and I’d managed to ring up eighty dollars worth of crap.
Hunter had given me a key to get back in, but my hands were too full, so I used my foot to knock. He came to the door with a pencil behind his ear, a pair of low-hanging sweatpants, and no shirt. Damn. All these good Italian snacks—and him.
“Sorry. I didn’t want to put everything down to use the key because one of the bags is starting to break. I think the olive container spilled because my hand is holding the groceries in.”
Hunter grabbed the two bags from my left arm and attempted to take the other.
“No, I got this one. I don’t want it to break.”
In the kitchen, Hunter peeked into the bags. “What is all this stuff? I thought you were going to the deli to get lunch?”
“This is lunch.”
He furrowed his brow and reached into one bag. “Cannolis?”
“It’s dairy. One of the four main food groups.”
Pulling another item from the bag, he held up a container of rainbow cookies.
I pointed. “That falls into breads and cereals.”
He lifted a brow.
“What? It has the same ingredients. Flour, salt, eggs…”
He set it down and pulled out a package of stuffed grape leaves. My mouth watered. “Fruits and vegetables.”
He shook his head. “It’s the leaf of a fruit. Not quite sure it counts as a fruit or vegetable itself.”
I took them from his hand. “Semantics.”
Chuckling, he reached in again. This time, he came up with a large jar of Nutella. “This one I know.”
“You do?”
He ignored me and opened the jar, peeling back the silver freshness seal before sticking his finger in and scooping out some of the heavenly creamy stuff inside. I knew from the cheeky grin on his face when he looked up that his interest had nothing to do with the deliciousness of the spread. Leaning in, he ran his finger along my exposed collarbone before bending to suck the hazelnut off.
“Body paint. This goes in the bedroom for later.”