When Chemistry Wins (The Dark Horse Trilogy Book 1) (6 page)

“Good. Because I need a man who isn’t all talk. Especially if dating him is the craziest idea possible.”

Chapter 4

When I said I would go on a date with him, I didn’t think it would be like this.

Kerri lowered her sunglasses enough to see the world in front of her. An empty café on the backstreet of some busy intersection in the next state over. Before her, Hunter settled into a seat on the other side of the table. He did not take off his baseball cap – which did nothing to enhance his handsome features – but did remove his sunglasses. Kerri was also not excited by the prospect of taking off her sunhat. She needed everything she could get to keep her identity a secret to the locals.

They ordered coffee and nothing more. Kerri liked hers black, but Hunter loaded his up with enough sugar to send someone into a diabetic coma. He caught Kerri staring at the sugar packets and said, “You’re only young once.”

Kerri did not reply.
We all have our vices.
Apparently hers was going out on dates with guys she should stay far away from.

“Have I offended you?”

That’s when Kerri decided to start drinking her coffee, even though it burned her lips and tongue. “If you had, do you think I would be here with you?” Her eyes searched the café to make sure no one paid too much attention to them. Who knew who could be a reporter or someone looking to sell a story? “Sorry. I’m a bit antsy about this.”

“If you’re so antsy, then why did you come?”

Because I wanted to see you.
Kerri peered at Hunter over her sunglasses as if to convey this thought with all her muster. “If I’m risking my reputation to see you like this, then it must be because there’s something about you I like.”

“Oh?”
Look at him puff up like a peacock.
“Funny. I asked you out because there’s something I like about you.”

“So you’ve said. Although how do I know that’s not a front for another reason?”

“Huh?” At first Hunter stared at her as he sipped his coffee, but then he almost choked on it, his hand slapping over his mouth and nose as the coffee cup clattered against the table. “Oh. You think I like you because…”

“Because of how easy I was.” Kerri wasn’t afraid to say it.

“No.” The look Hunter gave her was not one of a man trying to absolve himself of guilt.
So he does think that a little.
Kerri couldn’t fault him for it, if only because she rather thought the same thing about him.

She often thought of how different this date would be if he were not the son of her father’s competition. They could walk in the open, for if they were caught together it would not be as big of a deal. Her father may not have liked the timing, but at least Hunter would not be someone so scandalous.

They would also be free to talk about what they wanted without Kerri wondering if this were some sort of trap. The man she met and made love to the other night was someone she wanted to know intellectually as well as carnally. Looking at Hunter’s simple yet stylish ensemble of a sweater and slacks made her want to rip them off and have a round two.

Kerri didn’t doubt that Hunter was thinking the same thing about her.

Their attempt at a proper date shortly went up in flames. Unable to have a heart to heart in a public café, they went to the nearest movie theater but couldn’t agree on a movie to see. The park was too public. Hunter brought his car but there was nowhere to drive that appealed to the both of them. As they stood in a well-lit alley with no one else around, Kerri pulled her hat firmly over her face, crossed her arms, and faced the inevitable.

“If we want to be alone, we need to get a room.”

Hunter looked askance at her, but said nothing. Instead he motioned for Kerri to get in his car, a black compact. She didn’t have the seatbelt on before Hunter pulled out of the movie theater parking lot and went to the nearest decent hotel.

Decent was relative, of course. Kerri was sure that the place was nice for most people, but she was used to the five-stars and the occasional four-star if it was out in the middle of nowhere. She liked bellhops, free drinks, and thick walls so nobody could hear her phone conversations or television. To that end, the chain hotel Hunter took her to was barely decent. She remained in the car while he got them a room under a pseudonym. Kerri didn’t even know that was still possible those days.

The halls were narrow, but clean. The room was in the middle of a floor, with no view, yet it too was clean. Kerri was disappointed by the lack of amenities, the quaintness, the stiff bed… she had to remind herself that this was a date and not a vacation in the Hamptons.

“All right.” Hunter said, locking the door five times over. “Privacy. What do you want to talk about?”

Kerri picked a scratchy chair to perch in. “Why do you like me?”

That smile finally fell of Hunter’s face. “Are you sure
you’re
not the journalist, Miss Mitchell?” He sat on the loveseat adjacent to Kerri’s chair. “Because that’s one hard-hitting question.”

“I don’t think it’s an unreasonable one to ask. After all, I don’t want to be wasting my time on a risky relationship if it means you only like me for my body.”

Hunter caught a sound in his throat. “As I told you the other night, I think you’re an interesting woman. My only wish is to get to know you better.”

Kerri crossed her legs, careful to watch Hunter’s reaction as his eyes followed the movement of her limbs.
I bet it is.

“Besides, such a question could go back to you as well. You must like something about me if you agreed to go on this date. What is it about me that
you
like?”

“No way. You first.”

Although he rolled his eyes, Hunter explained anyway.

He told Kerri that he found her fascinating for multiple reasons, and only half of them were related to her being the governor’s daughter. “I admit there is a forbidden draw, but that wasn’t all.” Of course Kerri was beautiful, and Hunter would not deny their explosive chemistry in her bedroom. How could he when it was still so fresh in his mind? “There’s a sharp wit to you that I don’t see often,” he continued. “Even when you were chastising me for holding back my identity, you still made me laugh when I thought about it later. How many women will I meet that are a great combination of funny, beautiful, and smart? Granted, I don’t know your opinions about things yet, but I am more than willing to learn.”

Kerri had to hide her surprise.
No man has flattered me like that.
Hunter could also be a smooth talker. “Now I feel kind of bad, because I mostly like you because you’re hot.”

“To be fair, you don’t know me that well. But thanks for the compliment.”

Shifting in her seat, Kerri slipped off her heels and ran her fingers through her hair. That empty space next to Hunter on the loveseat called to her like a siren’s song. She answered it by standing up and sinking next to her unconventional date.

The fire between them stoked again.

“I’m not opposed to getting to know you better,” Kerri said, taking Hunter’s hand into hers. “You seem to know what you’re about, and God knows I haven’t had a guy who stimulated my brain in quite a long time. But at this moment you really only stimulate one thing.”

His hand squeezed her fingers. “The feeling is rather mutual.”

“Then what in the world are you waiting for? Kiss me.” The words were out of her mouth before she knew what she was about to say.

Hunter picked up on them quickly. With their hands still holding fast on top of his knee, Hunter placed his other hand on Kerri’s cheek and brought her in for a kiss.

At first Kerri resisted how much she enjoyed his lips upon hers, especially now that they were no longer strangers to each other’s bodies. She also worried that inviting him to love on her again would only stir up more trouble in the future.
I can’t afford to fall for him.
And yet, as he sucked on her skin and his hands roamed across her back and down to her hips, Kerri could not deny that this man did something to fill her with ardor.

As she contemplated whether or not it was the forbidden nature of their union that turned her into a slave to her desires, Hunter pressed her against the couch, one hand up her blouse. So much for propriety.

Kerri was pulled into the world of lusty debauchery one piece of clothing and one kiss at a time. Hunter could be attentive and the master of his own whims depending on the second: sometimes he kissed every inch of a patch of skin, and sometimes he ripped at Kerri’s clothing as if they poisoned her.
I want to know both sides of him.
Difficult when they spent more time having sex than talking.

For now, however, Kerri was fine with that.

She got up and went to the bed, Hunter right behind her as he rubbed his hands upon her body, kissed her ear, and lifted her blouse over her head. Kerri fell forward onto the bed, her feet still touching the floor as Hunter lifted her skirt and grabbed her rear. The neatly laid comforter crumpled in Kerri’s hands as she bit her lip and spread her legs. The tell-tale sound of Hunter’s zipper dropping snapped her back to reality for one second. “Let’s not be hasty like last time,” she said. She kicked over her bag on the floor and pulled it up. While Hunter rubbed her cleft, still clad in silk lingerie, Kerri showed him how prepared she was for this date via the contents of her bag.
Besides, any man who can look at everything else I carry and not lose an erection can stay a few seconds longer.
She figured Hunter would stay much longer than a few seconds.

“Do you like it like this?” Hunter bent over her to whisper in her ear. His cock was fully erect, pushing against Kerri’s bare thigh. Calculated. Like he knew that sort of touch would arouse her. His finger searched for the dip in her lingerie and swirled into it. Kerri moved forward along the bed, her breasts, still contained in her bra, dragging across it how she liked. “I like a lot of things,” she said with a guttural groan.

“And this?” Hunter’s cock pressed against her silk undergarments, the only thing keeping him from entering her.

Kerri tossed her hair to the side and stretched her arms along the bed. “Do your worst.”

Naturally, Hunter’s worst was actually his best. But that’s what Kerri counted on as he ripped her lingerie down and lined himself up with her center.

At first Kerri thought that moan she heard was Hunter’s, his body joining with hers after only a few seconds.
No, it’s mine.
Her voice was creating that sound of gratification as Hunter gently rocked into her. Dangerous. That’s how good it felt. Too good to be anything but dangerous. Kerri may have been smarter in some areas this time, but with every slow thrust she could feel another piece of her become more comfortable with having Hunter in her life.

Once they were sure Kerri was ready, Hunter eased on the tenderness. She groaned again, this time well aware that it was her mouth releasing those sounds as her forbidden lover thrust into her with more passion than she anticipated.

The other night he was able to find her core easily, and today was no exception. As Kerri clutched the comforter in her hands and groaned as loudly as she dared, Hunter held her at the hips and brought her down onto his cock with every thrust. Kerri could feel her stomach tightening up at this blissful intrusion, pounding into her over and over again while the rest of her accommodated this position. One of Hunter’s hands reached between her thighs. The jolt of pleasure zipping through her as he touched her clit made her release the comforter and push up onto her hands. “That’s it,” she cried, pulling down her bra so her breasts could be stimulated by the bed. Now her whole body was in on this plan – and what a great plan it was.

Hunter removed his hands and grabbed her by the shoulders instead. He pulled her up halfway off the bed, his cock pushing into her as she steadied herself and reached between her legs. Her fingers delighted in how wet she was, but not as much as she enjoyed running them along the place where her body joined with his. Hunter grunted into her ear when her fingers stroked his cock as it eased in and out of her. Kerri quickly fell again, her hands catching her against the bed – Hunter resumed his long, steady thrusts.

It didn’t take much longer for him to lose himself in the moment and climax within her. Kerri held her breath so she could hear her lover groan in satisfaction. The whole thing was over long before she was ready for it to be.

But Hunter was not a selfish partner. After a few minutes of relaxing on the bed, his clothing now discarded on the floor, he eased Kerri onto her back and disappeared between her legs. His lips and fingers returned to their first experiences with her body, and she was glad to have them enter her while her toes curled in the air from orgasm. By the end of her climax, Hunter was hard again, so Kerri kept her legs up and bent so he could enter her. Her only regret was that she didn’t get to feel the same warmth; instead, she took pleasure in watching his cock slide in and out of her. His hands squeezed her breasts while hers went back to exploring their union.

This time when Hunter climaxed it was longer, slower. He didn’t have the same sexual urgency as a man who had gone without for however long. Now he was able to savor his orgasm – and hers, as it so happened. One pinch to her nipple and she fell over the edge of sanity.