Believe: The Complete Channie Series (191 page)

Water sloshed in the tub.

Hunter lifted his eyelids just a little, just in time to catch Kassie staring at his crotch. Oh, yeah. She was enjoying it. Instead of removing his boxer briefs, he spun around on one foot, two and a half turns so he landed with his back to her. Her gasp sent a jolt of pleasure through his entire body.

The music was going to change tempo any second. Hunter lifted both arms above his head as he bounced his right knee and silently counted off the beats…
five, six, seven, eight.
Boom!

He jumped up and flipped over backwards as the music exploded.

Kassie squealed then laughed and clapped her hands. She continued to giggle as Hunter danced.

He spun on his back, his shoulders and even his head then kicked his legs out and hit a pose, supporting his weight with one hand. He did an entire routine he saw on MTV last week. By the time the song ended, Hunter was drenched in sweat. He found a playlist titled “Our Songs.” Why hadn’t Kassie shared this with him? Maybe she was too embarrassed to admit she’d created a playlist for the two of them, but Hunter thought it was damn sweet. It’d make great background music while they played in the bathtub. He set it on repeat and shuffle then hit the play button.

“Turn it off!” Kassie’s voice was shrill, panicky. Tears filled her eyes.

Hunter yanked the cord out of her iPod. The speakers popped then went silent. “What’s wrong?”

“I hate that song!”

Hunter’s heart sank as he realized the playlist must have been for Kassie and Eric, the father of her baby. “I’m…gonna go take a shower.”

“Hunter, don’t.”

“I’m too sweaty to get in the tub with you.” He scratched the back of his head, then dropped his hand, remembering how much Kassie hated it when he did that. “Room service’ll be here in about half an hour. You might want to finish up and at least get a robe on.”

“Wait!” Kassie stood up and swung one leg over the side of the tub. And slipped.

Hunter darted across the room and caught her just before her head would have smacked the tile floor. “Hey, you okay?”

She nodded then burst into tears.

Hunter carried her to the bed, bubbles and all, and laid her across the satiny bedspread. “Why are you crying? You didn’t hurt your back or pull anything? It’s not the baby, is it?”

“No. I’m fine.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “We’re both fine. Except, I don’t want you to take a shower right now.”

“But…you don’t like sweaty bodies.”

“Please, just hold me.”

Hunter scooted her over then laid down behind her and spooned her body against his. He kept a two inch buffer between his chest and her back so she wouldn’t feel the frantic beat of his heart. “Does that song bring up painful memories?”

She nodded.

“Are you still in love with Eric?”

“No.” She took a deep breath then let it out with a shudder. “I meant to delete every song on that list. I just never got around to it.”

“Want me to do it for you?”

“No. I’ll do it later, after I go home. I don’t want to think about
him
anymore, okay?”

“Sure.” Hunter didn’t want to think about him either, but he couldn’t help it. He lifted Kassie’s hair and kissed the nape of her neck. “Why don’t you dry off and put a robe on in case room service comes while I’m in the shower. We’ll start over after lunch.”

“Will you dance for me again?”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be horizontal dancing.”

Kassie giggled dispelling the remaining tension between them. “Okay, toss me a robe and then go take a shower, but hurry.”

Hunter smirked. “Afraid you’re gonna miss me?”

“I don’t want to get out of this nice warm bed to answer the door when our food gets here.”

After his shower, Hunter washed his boxer briefs in the sink then hung them next to his shirt, which was still damp. It wouldn’t take long to iron the shirt dry, but an iron would just melt his underwear. He might have to go to supper without them. Thankfully, he’d taken his jeans off before he started breakdancing, so they didn’t need to be washed. He could get away without wearing underwear, but not without wearing pants.

Hunter
dried off then wrapped himself up in the softest, fluffiest robe he’d ever seen. Kassie sat up when he came out of the bathroom. Her red-rimmed eyes meant she’d been crying while he was in the shower. He sat down beside her and pulled her head onto his shoulder. “Hey, now. This is supposed to be a happy time.”

“It’s just these damn pregnancy hormones. They make me so emotional.”

Someone rapped on the door three times. “Room Service.”

Hunter grabbed his wallet and gave the man a ten dollar tip. Ten dollars seemed like an awful lot of money since Josh had already paid for the food. All the fella had to do was wheel the cart onto an elevator and then transfer the food to the table in their room, but that’s what Josh said to give him, so that’s what he did. “Hey, Kassie, what would you think about me applying for a job here as a food delivery man?”

“Ugh.”

Hunter pulled a chair out for Kassie then slid it under her as she sat down. “I know you don’t like me working at your school as a janitor. This seems like it would be a step up.”

“Can we
not
talk about menial labor while we eat?”

Hunter didn’t understand Kassie’s attitude about good, honest work. But he didn’t want to upset her again, so he let it go. He picked up a cracker decorated with little black balls and sniffed it. “Dang! What is this stuff?”

“Caviar.”

“Well, it smells like fish bait.”

“I agree. Why did you order it?”

“I let Josh pick out the food.” He’d let him pay for it, too, but he planned to pay him back as soon as he had enough money.

Kassie laughed then blotted her mouth with a napkin. “It’s a joke. Josh doesn’t like it either.”

Hunter didn’t like wasting food, so he held his nose and ate the caviar. He nearly gagged, but managed to swallow it. He grabbed a dark blue bottle labeled ‘sparkling spring water’ and took a big swig. The bubbles surprised him, making him cough. “This water’s fizzy.”

“Yeah, it’s sparkling water.”

“I saw that, but I assumed that meant it came from a sparkling, clean well.”

“It came from a factory.”

Hunter set the bottle back on the table. “I like root beer better.”

“Me too. You want to me call room service and have them bring us some?”

“No! I mean…I don’t want to be disturbed again.” He didn’t want to spend another ten bucks to have it delivered either. “If you really want a root beer I’ll get dressed and go see if I can find one of those dispenser machines.”

“I’d rather have you.” Kassie gave him a smoldering look.

“Now you’re talkin’.” Hunter picked up their plates and carried them to the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Multi-tasking. Satisfying two appetites at the same time. Come here, woman.”

Kassie grabbed their bottles of sparkling factory water and crawled onto the bed. “Lay down and close your eyes.”

Hunter grinned and obeyed.

“Open your mouth.”

He smelled chocolate and strawberries before he tasted it. “Mmm…delicious. Why do I have to shut my eyes?”

“It heightens your other senses.”

“Then maybe I need to blindfold you after we’re done eating.”

Kassie giggled but didn’t say anything.

Hunter opened his eyes and sucked in a breath at the sight of Kassie leaning over him with a chocolate strawberry between her teeth. Her breasts full and heavy and
so close
. He ignored the strawberry.

“Ow!” Kassie jerked away from him and smacked his chest. “That hurt!”

“It did? I thought you liked it.” That shouldn’t have hurt.

“They’re sore.” She grabbed her robe and covered her body.

“Really?” A few of the women Hunter had been with back home liked to play rough so he knew exactly what it took to make his niblets sore. He was always gentle with Kassie, so she must have been playing rough with someone else. “Why are you sore?”

“I’m pregnant. Duh.” She rolled her eyes.

Hunter was relieved that Kassie had a good, believable excuse, but he hated it when she talked down to him. He’d had to quit school in the sixth grade when his daddy yanked him out of the classroom and shoved him into the woods to hunt. They both knew she was smarter than he was. She didn’t need to keep reminding him.

“Come on, Hunter. Don’t pout.”

“I’m not pouting.” He rolled onto his side and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t ever want to hurt you. Maybe we should just cuddle.”

“Nooo….” She dragged the word out with a whine that rivaled the trips’. “I wanna have sex. Just, be careful with my boobs.”

“Alright.” Hunter set the dishes on the floor next to the bed. He was tempted to take a bite out of the fancy sandwich while he was at it, but decided Kassie would prefer the taste of chocolate and strawberries on his lips instead of chicken salad. He rolled onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head.

“What are you doing?” Kassie frowned, puckering the skin between her eyebrows. She was so damn cute when she did that.

“I’m all yours. Do whatever you want.”

“But, don’t you want on top?”

“Not this time.” Hunter was pretty sure Kassie’s reluctance to take the lead in bed was just a lack of experience. She was plenty bossy everywhere else. The only other man she’d been with was Eric and it was obvious he didn’t know squat about pleasing any woman, much less Kassie. Hunter hadn’t known her very long, but it didn’t take a sexual genius to figure out she had a domineering personality. “I’m giving you all the control.”

Sure enough, her eyes lit up. She tightened the belt on her robe, then undid Hunter’s.

He arched his back so she could yank it off.

She wound the end of it around her hand, but didn’t say anything.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. Maybe he should explain the purpose of a ‘safe word’ before this went too far. The robe’s belt was okay, but he’d worn a leather belt with his jeans. Hunter didn’t mind a little aggression in bed, but he wouldn’t put up with being whipped. As long as Kassie didn’t go for the leather, he’d keep his mouth shut.

“What should I do with you?” Kassie used a sing-song voice and tapped her lips with her index finger. “I think I’ll start by just looking at you. Is that okay?”

Hunter smirked at her. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re an exhibitionist and you’re going to enjoy it just as much as I am.” She pushed the robe off his shoulders. “Sit up. And drop your hands.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hunter knew the rules of the game but Kassie didn’t so he went ahead and grinned at her.

She pushed his robe down to his waist. “Take your arms out.”

“You like being in charge, don’t you?” He took his arms out of the sleeves then folded them across his chest.

“Shut up.” She smiled when she said it, but there was no doubt she meant it. Her chest rose and fell faster with each breath. Her pulse throbbed at the base of her neck as a delicious strawberry pink flush cast a glow on her creamy skin. Seeing the obvious signs of her increasing desire heightened Hunter’s.

“Now lay down.” She put her hands on his chest and pushed. But she did it gently, and stopped to adjust the pillows before his skull hit the headboard. She slid her hands over his pecs then ran her fingers over the ridges of his stomach muscles. “You are so ripped. I love your eight-pack abs.”

“And I love you.” He’d told her that before and they said ‘love ya’ to each other on the phone instead of good bye. But this time, he felt his heart-of-hearts crack open. This time, he wasn’t just trying to get laid. This time, he really meant it.

Kassie sighed and dropped her chin. “I know.”

Hunter propped himself up on his elbows. “That’s all I get?”

She unwrapped the robe from his lower body and smirked as she straddled him. “You get me. What more could any man want?”

Hunter wasn’t in the mood for her lighthearted teasing. “I want all of you, Kassie. Not just your body. I want your heart.”