dreamlike.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered back.
“I need you,” he said. His lips kissed her neck, as his hands started to roam again, touching her there, and there, and there.
She moaned. The heat was rising again. She wanted the flames to burn brighter than ever. She turned as his hand wrapped itself in her hair and his lips met her lips.
The fire was raging once more, an inferno, and she was loving it, knowing that in Hunter’s arms she would always be safe.
***
The next morning, Kallie told Hunter she needed to get back to work. She’d been texting with Nicole and there was more to be done at the house to prepare for baby Riley’s arrival.
“I’ve got a lot to get to myself,” Hunter told her, as they got inside his car with plastic cups filled with coffee. “My work’s been suffering since I met you.”
Kallie smiled, glad that to know what she wasn’t the only one making sacrifices in this relationship.
The drive home was nice. The morning had become quite sunny, with very few clouds in the sky. It was one of those days that made you feel like it had been rendered by an artist, that made you think there actually was a purpose to everything, that there was a plan—because how else could things be so beautiful?
They had the windows rolled down and Kallie sipped her coffee while the scenery rolled by and Hunter turned on the radio. It was enough right then to just be together and enjoy one another’s company—no conversation was required.
But the drive took a strange turn when Hunter suddenly swore under his breath and sharply applied the breaks. The car came to a sudden halt, and Kallie’s seatbelt tightened against her chest and some of the coffee sloshed out of her cup and over the side.
She looked up to see that Hunter had stopped the car to let someone cross the street. It was an old man in a wheelchair being pushed by a heavyset black woman. The woman gave them a slight wave for stopping the car and then continued pushing the old man across the street.
Kallie glanced at Hunter to see what was the matter, because she sensed instantly that something was wrong. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were flat and motionless as he stared straight ahead. She saw that his knuckles were totally white on the steering wheel.
She wanted to ask what was wrong, but knew better. No personal questions allowed, especially nothing about his psychological state of mind.
It took the woman some time to get the old man in the wheelchair across to the other side of the street, but finally she did. There were now a few cars waiting behind them and someone honked two short, blaring bursts.
Hunter turned around in his seat and glared out the back window. The honk came again, louder and longer this time. And then another. This time the driver practically laid on the horn.
“Oh, is that a problem?” Hunter shouted, pulling off his seatbelt in an instant and opening the driver’s side door faster than Kallie would have thought possible.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Hunter was out of the car and staring at the impatient driver, a younger man in a hoodie who looked like a deer in the headlights.
The guy in the car shrank in his seat and refused to even look at Hunter, while Hunter continued to stand and look at him, as if daring him to do something.
Kallie was shocked and horrified, worried that the police would be called—
worried that Hunter had lost his mind.
A moment later, he was back in the car, slamming the door, and driving again.
Kallie didn’t dare say a word.
After a minute or two went by, Hunter seemed to relax just a little. “People have no sense of decency.” He breathed hard through his nostrils, shifting in his seat as he drove. “There was a disabled person crossing the street. That guy couldn’t even walk.
Someone had to push him in his wheelchair, Kallie.”
She looked at Hunter, seeing the pain in his eyes. Her mind flashed back to the picture she’d
“Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered back.
“I need you,” he said. His lips kissed her neck, as his hands started to roam again, touching her there, and there, and there.
She moaned. The heat was rising again. She wanted the flames to burn brighter than ever. She turned as his hand wrapped itself in her hair and his lips met her lips.
The fire was raging once more, an inferno, and she was loving it, knowing that in Hunter’s arms she would always be safe.
***
The next morning, Kallie told Hunter she needed to get back to work. She’d been texting with Nicole and there was more to be done at the house to prepare for baby Riley’s arrival.
“I’ve got a lot to get to myself,” Hunter told her, as they got inside his car with plastic cups filled with coffee. “My work’s been suffering since I met you.”
Kallie smiled, glad that to know what she wasn’t the only one making sacrifices in this relationship.
The drive home was nice. The morning had become quite sunny, with very few clouds in the sky. It was one of those days that made you feel like it had been rendered by an artist, that made you think there actually was a purpose to everything, that there was a plan—because how else could things be so beautiful?
They had the windows rolled down and Kallie sipped her coffee while the scenery rolled by and Hunter turned on the radio. It was enough right then to just be together and enjoy one another’s company—no conversation was required.
But the drive took a strange turn when Hunter suddenly swore under his breath and sharply applied the breaks. The car came to a sudden halt, and Kallie’s seatbelt tightened against her chest and some of the coffee sloshed out of her cup and over the side.
She looked up to see that Hunter had stopped the car to let someone cross the street. It was an old man in a wheelchair being pushed by a heavyset black woman. The woman gave them a slight wave for stopping the car and then continued pushing the old man across the street.
Kallie glanced at Hunter to see what was the matter, because she sensed instantly that something was wrong. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were flat and motionless as he stared straight ahead. She saw that his knuckles were totally white on the steering wheel.
She wanted to ask what was wrong, but knew better. No personal questions allowed, especially nothing about his psychological state of mind.
It took the woman some time to get the old man in the wheelchair across to the other side of the street, but finally she did. There were now a few cars waiting behind them and someone honked two short, blaring bursts.
Hunter turned around in his seat and glared out the back window. The honk came again, louder and longer this time. And then another. This time the driver practically laid on the horn.
“Oh, is that a problem?” Hunter shouted, pulling off his seatbelt in an instant and opening the driver’s side door faster than Kallie would have thought possible.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Hunter was out of the car and staring at the impatient driver, a younger man in a hoodie who looked like a deer in the headlights.
The guy in the car shrank in his seat and refused to even look at Hunter, while Hunter continued to stand and look at him, as if daring him to do something.
Kallie was shocked and horrified, worried that the police would be called—
worried that Hunter had lost his mind.
A moment later, he was back in the car, slamming the door, and driving again.
Kallie didn’t dare say a word.
After a minute or two went by, Hunter seemed to relax just a little. “People have no sense of decency.” He breathed hard through his nostrils, shifting in his seat as he drove. “There was a disabled person crossing the street. That guy couldn’t even walk.
Someone had to push him in his wheelchair, Kallie.”
She looked at Hunter, seeing the pain in his eyes. Her mind flashed back to the picture she’d
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