Thrust (9 page)

“You look really . . . hot.” I shake my head and laugh at my admission. “Sorry.” I hold up my drink. “I’ve been wanting to say that for a long time, and I guess this pretty purple drink helped with that.”

He lets out a little chuckle before pulling out the stool next to me and taking a seat. His lips pull up into a cocky smile as he waves Dane over, while still watching me. “Hey, Dane. I’ll take one of what she’s having. Might as well just go ahead and make three now and save some time.”

Dane leans over the bar giving us both a strange look. “Sure thing, Hunter.”

“So . . .” He leans over and takes a sip of my drink, smiling when he’s done. “That’s actually not too bad. A little fruity, but you know . . . it works.”

“Yeah,” I say. “Just a little bit, but fruity is what I asked for, so Dane is doing an awesome job. Plus, it’s kind of embarrassing sitting at the bar, getting drunk alone. I’m not prepared to be on the receiving end of laughter tonight.”

Dane quickly places our drinks in front of us, says enjoy, and scurries off to help a few girls calling him over.

“I agree,” he says with a laugh.

I wanted so badly to talk to Hunter back in high school, but having him here in front of me now, I’m unsure of what to say. I’ve seriously dreamt of moments like this with him, so now is not the time to sound like a huge loser. “So . . . you live here?” I ask.

Please say yes. Please say yes.

He takes a swig of his drink while nodding his head. “On the tenth floor.”

My heart stops at the mention of the tenth floor. It immediately brings my thoughts back to Kyan. A small part of me feels guilty that I’m sitting here all flustered, talking to Hunter, but the other part quickly reminds me that Kyan wants no attachments. He’s made that clear more than once. Talking to Hunter is probably good for the both of us.

“You?” He questions, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I pull my lips away from my straw as I point up. “On the sixth floor.” I smile. “Just moved in last week and I absolutely love it here. It’s beautiful.”

His eyes widen as he looks me up and down, making my cheeks flush red. “Glad to hear that. That means we’ll definitely run in to each other again. I definitely don’t mind that.”

“This is weird,” I admit.

“Why’s that?” He leans in close and pulls my chin up to look at him. My eyes set on his full lips as he speaks again. “That we live in the same building?”

I let out a small laugh, not even believing what I’m finally about to admit. I’ve kept this from him for six years. “I kind of had this small crush on you in high school. Okay, so maybe a
huge
crush, but I was always too chicken shit to approach you.”

He smiles big, making my heart speed up. “I had no idea.” He releases my chin and takes another drink, watching me over the rim. “I had a thing for you too.”

I look up at him, eyebrows scrunched in disbelief. He’s messing with me now. Either that or I’ve had one too many purple drinks. “You don’t have to say that to make me feel better, you know?”

He shakes his head and laughs as if he’s surprised that I think he’s joking. “I’m not. I seriously thought you were incredibly
hot.
I almost asked you to dance with me at a party once, but I saw you with some guy so I didn’t bother.”

I feel my heart crush at the mention of Jordan. That’s something that I don’t want to think about. It’s been over two years since I have let his name even cross my thoughts. I need to steer this in a different direction and fast, before I lose my shit.

“Yeah . . . well you should have asked anyways.”

He watches me closely as I unknowingly start to down my drink faster. “Maybe I should have,” he says. “Someone a little thirsty tonight?”

I look down at my drink, with my straw hanging between my lips. It’s already halfway gone and I had just ordered it right before Hunter showed up. I release my straw and sit up straight. “Just a little bit. It’s been a long day.” I smile and bite my bottom lip as he watches me. “What?”

He leans in closer and brushes my hair behind my ear, before leaning in and whispering, “I was thinking maybe I should dance with you now to make up for it.”

I feel his thumb brush below my ear, and without thinking, I lean my head back and close my eyes, leaning into his touch. “Oh yeah,” I say softly.

I feel the slight brush of his lips below my ear before he speaks again. “Yeah. You look so sexy right now, and since no one is
supposed
to call you . . .” He grabs my hand and helps me to my feet. “Then I think it’s up to me to show you a good time.”

Releasing my drink, I let him walk me out to the dance floor where there’s a small group of people dancing. A few eyes land on us, but no one says a word as we find a spacious area.

Without hesitation, he links an arm around my waist and pulls me against him. His body grinds against mine in a way that sends a shiver throughout my body. He definitely knows how to work his hips, and I have to admit that it turns me on.

I feel a small breath escape me at the realization that I would have died to be this close to him in high school and now here I am, up close and very personal.

Being in his arms right now gives me a small rush, and I have to admit that I like that he doesn’t seem shy with me. He moves my body in ways that he wants without hesitation, not worrying if it’s crossing a line or not. It’s intoxicating.

“Is this weird?” He whispers next to my ear. “The way I move your body with mine . . . because I’ve honestly wanted to do this for years.”

Spreading my legs with his knee, he places his leg between mine and grips the back of my neck, slightly dipping me backwards. He grinds his hips a few times, causing my heart to skip a beat from our closeness.

I grip onto the front of his shirt and move my hips with his when I feel one of his hands squeeze the bottom of my left ass cheek. Our bodies are as close as possible and I can feel the thickness of his erection poking me, driving me insanely mad.

All I can keep thinking is
Hunter James. This is the Hunter from high school.
Feeling his hardness against me is something I never thought would happen. I feel like a blushing little schoolgirl right now.

His hand squeezes my ass tighter, causing me to let out a small moan as his lips slowly caress my neck. “I want to taste your lips so fucking bad, Calla.” He shamelessly grinds his hips into me, making his erection very clear. “See what being close to you does to me?”

I let out a nervous breath when he grabs the back of my head and without hesitation, presses his lips to mine, tasting me as if he’s been waiting forever for this moment.

When his tongue slips into my mouth to swirl around mine, I moan into his mouth and grip onto his shirt for support. His sudden kiss steals my breath away. No joke. I actually couldn’t breathe for a second when I felt the brush of his tongue on my bottom lip. My heart is beating insanely fast and my thoughts are going fucking crazy as I stand here kissing him back.

It feels so damn good to finally be kissing Hunter, but at the same time has me thinking about how I was just kissing Kyan yesterday, and not to mention, having the best sex of my life.

We both pull away from the kiss, breathing heavily, and a satisfied smile forms on Hunter’s lips as he watches my expression. “Fuck . . . that felt nice; better than I’d imagined.”

“Yeah,” I admit, before licking my lips. “Really . . . really nice.”

We stand here for a moment before Hunter pulls his phone from his pocket. “Shit. My brother has been texting me.” He presses his lips to mine one more time before reaching down into my pocket and pulling out my phone. He punches his number into it and hands it back to me. “I was supposed to be at my brother’s over an hour ago and he’s definitely not happy with my ass right now. The fucker is blowing up my phone.” He points down at my cell. “Save my number. I want to hang out soon.”

Swallowing, I look down at my phone before smiling up at him. “I think we can make that happen.”

He smiles and starts backing away toward the bar. “I sure hope so, considering we only live four floors apart. Text me so I have your number.” He turns away and whistles to get Dane’s attention before tossing some money down onto the bar and rushing out of the bar.

Dane holds up the money and smiles over at me, letting me know that once again, my drinks are free.

Hunter James.
The Hunter James. This is crazy . . . Oh wow.

HUNTER BURSTS THROUGH MY DOOR wearing the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen on him. Apparently his ass was with a girl,
of course,
so he decided that catching up on his work wasn’t as important. It’s always the same with him.

He automatically goes to my fridge and pulls out a beer. “Damn. I really need to change my number.” He tosses the cap in the garbage and leans against the kitchen island. “I could have been getting my dick sucked and you really would have ruined the mood with your texts.”

I pull out a stool and straddle it. “And I could have been giving your job to someone more responsible than your ass.” I lift a brow as he shrugs his shoulders. “Your dick can fucking wait until after business.”

Hunter rolls his eyes while taking a swig of beer. “You really need to loosen up a bit and stop working so damn hard. Ever since that bitch fucked you over with Bryant, you’ve dedicated all your time to this fucking place and the gym. You’re not even thirty yet and you do nothing but work your ass off. Both places are extremely well run, but you always want more. It’s as if you’re looking for ways to bury yourself in work and forget about everything else around you.”

I flex my jaw at his words and reach into the fridge for my own beer now. I didn’t call his ass to my apartment to discuss this shit. “Running both of these places are at the top of my priority list. What the fuck do you expect from me?” I toss my beer cap at him as he opens his mouth to speak. “Don’t even fucking answer that, brother.”

We both sit here in silence, sipping on our beers as I let his words repeat in my head. It’s been three years, and every day my heart still feels as if it’s being ripped from my chest repeatedly. Burying myself in work and not letting any attachments form has been my life since then.

That’s exactly why I’ll do anything I can to avoid falling for Calla. She’s the most beautiful woman I have ever lain eyes on, and I can’t even manage to be in the same room with her without wanting my hands all over her and pleasing her in every way that her body deserves.

Hunter smiles beside me as he pulls his phone from his pocket and punches in a quick text.

I nod down at his phone in his hand. “Your new girl for the week?”

He lets out a small groan and adjusts the crotch of his jeans. “This girl is
gorgeous.
She might just be the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on.” He stands up and grabs two more beers out of the fridge. “I went downstairs for a few drinks and saw her sitting alone at the bar. When I approached her, I realized that she was a girl that I’d desperately wanted to sleep with in high school. She just seemed too good for me, plus she had a boyfriend at the time.”

I let out a small laugh while finishing off my beer. “Too good for you? Nah. I doubt that, playboy.”

He holds up his phone as it vibrates. “Yeah. You’re right.” He chuckles. “She’s single now and apparently is open to unattached sex. It’s a good opportunity for me to finally get to show her a good time and not have to worry about hurting her or getting tied up. Her body just screams sex, bro. I need to have her at least once, or a few times . . . you know.”

I continue to drink my beer as my little brother’s mouth
continues
to work as if I care about his endless fuck fests.

“And to make things better . . . she lives here.” He jumps to his feet and runs a hand through his hair. “She just moved in on the sixth floor. Calla Reynolds. Fuck, she’s so beautiful.”

What the fuck did he just say?

My heart skips a beat and I spit out the drink of beer I’ve just taken. Well shit.

Hunter watches me carefully as I set my beer down onto the black marble. “Holy fuck. You’re the one that’s not
supposed
to call, aren’t you?”