Fractured (7 page)

Amber

Amber wasn't sure why she was riding a bicycle down a lonely country road. In fact, the rational part of her brain told her that this was sheer nonsense, that she just had to concentrate more on getting over Hunter. Perhaps she should have allowed Madame Renaud to set her up on a date with one of her students. There was even a hot guy in her stained-glass art class that kept trying to get her attention.

But nobody else seemed remotely interesting compared to Hunter. Even the hot guy fell short of her expectations. Would she ever be attracted to someone as much as Hunter? In the end, her desire to see if she and Hunter still had a connection, if there was still that electricity between them after all these weeks apart, was what drove her to take a local train to the small village near Hunter's home in the country. Armed with a hand drawn map, she had rented a bicycle and set out to find Hunter's countryside home.

Part of her expected to cycle down the road, come upon a locked gate, and have to return right back to the train station. There was one final train headed back to the city later that evening and she fully planned on being on it. What were the odds that Hunter would still be there? She knew that he had selected today for his visit. Mrs. Webb had casually mentioned the fact the day before. She had also explained that she wouldn't be needing Amber for the day.

As Amber pedaled down the road, she grinned to herself. As much as the Webbs were making Hunter avoid pestering her, they had been dropping more than subtle hints that they hoped that she would give their son another chance. Well, this was more than a subtle hint, she thought with a giggle. Too bad this was probably not going to work. It wasn't like Hunter was going to be waiting for her to turn the corner.

Spotting another fork in the road, Amber stopped and consulted Mrs. Webb's small map. She needed to take a right at this corner and then follow the road until she reached the first gate. Mrs. Webb had insisted that it would probably be open. Feeling a bit foolish, Amber started pedaling again. As she made her way down the road, she saw someone sitting off to the side, leaning against a fence.

There he is
, her rational mind smirked.
Just sitting there waiting for you. Yeah, right! And I've got an oasis in the middle of the dessert that I'd love to sell you.

She pedaled closer and saw that it was a guy. He stood and brushed the dirt from his trousers.
The sun must be getting to me
, she thought.
That looks exactly like Hunter.
Yes, Hunter was supposed to be on the property today. But surely he wouldn't just be sitting there staring down the road. Had the Webbs tipped him off?

She got closer and realized that it was Hunter. She stopped several feet away when she saw his mouth hanging open. He looked as pale as though he had seen a ghost. Okay, so the Webbs had definitely not mentioned she might be dropping by.

"Hunter, are you okay?" she asked in concern as he wobbled on his feet.

"You're not a vision?" Hunter whispered. "This is real?"

Okay, now she was concerned. She got off the bike, letting it fall beside her, as she went to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's really me, Hunter," she said. "Are you sick?"

Hunter leaned against her and she had to brace her feet to hold him upright. But then he steadied himself and lightly stroked her cheek.

"I've been having flashbacks all day," he murmured. "And now you show up just when I need you the most."

Amber looked into his eyes, those gorgeous green gems that now glistened with tears. With a shock, she realized how much he clearly needed her. She was suddenly the strong one. Or maybe she had been strong all along? Was that possible? Had her insecurities blinded her to her own strengths?

As they stared at each other, Amber felt desire smoldering within her. Whatever their issues, she knew without a doubt that she and Hunter needed each other. If fate was a real thing, then perhaps they were even fated to be together.

Tilting her head up, she found his lips with her own, tugging gently until she heard him groan. She broke away with a small sigh.

"I love you, Hunter Webb," she said, her voice breathless. "We may end up driving each other insane, but I can't live without you."

"Oh, baby, I hope this isn't my imagination," Hunter muttered. "You feel real enough but I need to be sure."

Amber smiled wickedly. "Well, would your imagination do this?"

Reaching down and around, she roughly squeezed Hunter's ass until he groaned.

"Keep doing that and, imagination or not, you'll be undressed in a matter of minutes."

With the look on his face, Amber didn't think that Hunter was kidding.

"Do you know of a place where we can have a bit of privacy?" she asked, grinning up at him.

"Bring the bike and follow me," Hunter said, breaking away. "And try to keep up."

Once they were through the gate, Hunter took off running across the lawn with Amber in pursuit on the bicycle. On an even surface, she would have been able to easily pass him. But the lawn was thick and lush and made pedaling difficult. She had to half stand on the pedals to get enough power to make it to the large farmhouse Hunter headed for.

Amber didn't have time to admire the broad porch or any of the interior because Hunter was yanking her through the house and up the stairs at breakneck speed. Of course, Amber wasn't procrastinating herself. All she could think about was how much she needed his body clinging to hers.

Hunter opened a door in the middle of a hallway and poked his head inside.

"Perfect," he said, panting as he yanked a quilt off a bed, exposing pale yellow sheets.

"This was the guest room."

Amber didn't bother responding. She wriggled out of her jeans and thick sweater. Yanking her tee shirt over her head, she stood shivering as Hunter finished undressing.

Finally, he stood before her in only his snug black briefs. The fabric barely contained his massive erection.

She was the first to move, reaching out to run her fingers lightly down his chest. She lifted her head and found his lips again, moving her body against him hungrily until they both fell onto the bed. Amber's hands moved over his skin, wanting to touch every inch of him. 

Kissing her urgently, Hunter's  hands fumbled with the clasp on her bra. He ripped it away and threw it behind him. His hands slid down her back and caressed her ass through the silky fabric of her panties. His lips moved from her lips and traveled down her neck, devouring her with slow torturous kisses.

"I can't handle much foreplay, baby," he muttered. "It's been too damned long. I'm already feeling as though I'm going to explode."

In response, Amber pulled her panties down her legs, wanting only skin touching skin. She paused only long enough to let him feel how wet they were.

"I need you now, Hunter," she moaned, arching her back and thrusting her hips toward him.

Hunter shimmied out of his briefs. Then he looked horrified.

"Shit! I don't know if I have a condom," he muttered.

Amber dove for his pants on the floor.

"You better have one in your wallet," she panted.

A few seconds later, she triumphantly held up a single condom.

"Let the sex games begin!" she shouted.

Hunter's hands actually shook as he fumbled with the condom wrapper.

Amber finally took it from him, rolled the condom over his erection and shoved him back against the mattress.

"Sorry, but I can't wait any longer," she muttered, straddling him.

Amber's pent up tension drove her to abandon any inhibitions. She rocked against Hunter's body until they both moaned from sheer pleasure. Never before had she felt so reckless. When at last her body convulsed on top of his, she toppled onto his chest.

But Hunter wasn't there yet. He swung her over, still hard inside her, and began to rock with his own rhythm. Amber was stunned when she felt her body begin to quiver once again beneath him. She had heard of women having multiple orgasms but she thought that was just an urban myth. But she felt the familiar pressure building up within her again and started to shake her head, to protest that this was too much. When the next orgasm came, she found herself screaming Hunter's name over and over again as a tide of intense pleasure flattened her like a tidal wave.

When her breathing finally slowed, she softly stroked Hunter's back. He was heavy, but she didn't want him to move. She never wanted to be apart from him again. This was how it was supposed to be. No matter what, she and Hunter were designed to be together.

"I need to get up," Hunter whispered at last.

Amber felt crushed. "Why, what's wrong?"

Bloody hell! Had he not felt the intensity that she had felt? Was he realizing that they were not really meant for each other?

Hunter slid over her, pulled off the used condom and tied it shut before tossing it in the wastebasket. He quickly pulled his jeans and shirt back on while Amber watched with dismay. But then he turned and gave her a wide smile.

"I've got to send Pierre to the local drugstore for condoms before it closes. I have a feeling we're going to need several more before we head back tomorrow."

"You mean I'm going to play hooky from work?" Amber asked, grinning with relief.

"I'll send a nice excuse to your employer," Hunter said, grinning. "I happen to be on good terms with her."

"Then make sure Pierre gets back quickly," Amber said. "I want to make sure we get in every minute of sex we can."

Hunter laughed as he headed down the stairway.

But when Pierre returned less than thirty minutes later, both Hunter and Amber were fully dressed. Hunter led her around the house like an excited little boy showing off.

"Do you like it?" Hunter shyly asked after Pierre was sent out once again to find a takeout restaurant and bring back dinner.

Amber looked around in wonder.

"It's beautiful. Cozy and romantic. The kind of place you could raise a family," she said before thinking.

Amber flushed. "I mean, the kind of place that anyone would be happy raising a family," she sputtered.

But Hunter only smiled.

"What about the kitchen? Should I have someone come in replace the appliances?"

Amber considered. "Only if they could keep the integrity of the house. Like how your parents arranged their kitchen. I bet the stove still works. And those butcher block counters could just be sanded down."

Hunter nodded his head.

"Would you help with the design?" he asked, coming close to nuzzle her neck.

"I think I could arrange that," Amber said, trying to keep her voice light.

"So does this mean that I get a second chance?" Hunter asked.

Amber smiled at him cheekily.

"Let's take this conversation upstairs," she suggested. "I'd love to be persuaded a second time today."

"Oh, baby, I plan on persuading you most of the night," Hunter said, his gorgeous eyes sparkling like jewels.

"Shall we leave a note for Pierre?" Amber asked.

"Already take care of," Hunter said, his voice cautious.

"Why, Mr. Webb. Are your control freak tendencies appearing again?" Amber teased.

"If so, I would like to commend you for the excellent timing."

Hunter looked visibly relieved. "So it's okay to be a control freak from time to time?"

"Like all things, there is a time and a place for your control freak tendencies," Amber said, her voice serious. "But right now they are welcome if it means uninterrupted sex for the evening."

"Consider it done, gorgeous."

Amber took Hunter's hand and led him up the stairs. She couldn't guarantee where their relationship would be in six months, but for now she was content to give Hunter the chance to work through his issues. For the first time in a long time, she thought that they might have a chance at happily ever after.

**********************************

Do Hunter and Amber finally get their happily ever after? Stay tuned for Book 6 to find out.

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Amanda has a literary soul and has been in love with books since her early childhood. Some of the first books she ever read were from her aunt's collection of romance novels. The library was a special place for Amanda where she'd escape into the many worlds created by authors. Today, there is always a stack of books on her bedside table and loaded onto her Kindle.

Amanda loves the arts and has been writing stories for almost as long as she has been reading. She has taken many creative writing courses and has published numerous works in children's and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and now setting on her journey writing contemporary romance. Art courses that Amanda took in college provide the inspiration for creating a world of new adult romance in The Art Models Club series. Amanda lives in Texas with her husband, son, and their family dog.

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