Hunter (Stud Ranch 2)

When he and Janine had been going through their roughest patch yet, Hunter had researched techniques and ways to make the one thing that seemed to be still working for them—sex—more meaningful.

He read books and learned everything he could. But then when he’d approached Janine about trying out some of what he’d learned, she’d taken it as an insult. She thought he was implying she was bad in bed and who was he to think he could teach her anything and—

The whole thing had been a disaster. It blew up into a huge fight. That was when she’d started sleeping on the couch after sex. Using it as a weapon and never talking to him when all he’d been trying to do in the first place was just open the lines of communication. But she just wouldn’t—

He breathed out heavily, stopping his thoughts in their tracks. Going over and over all the things that had been broken in his relationship with Janine wouldn’t do anyone any good.

But then last night, when he’d tried out some of the same techniques with Isobel, she’d been so open to it. In some traditions, you used sex as a way to worship God.

The other person became your church. If you opened yourself up to them, you could connect in a way so much deeper than just at the physical level. Both to the other person and to the divine.

And it had worked. Isobel had felt it too, even if she didn’t know why he was doing everything he was doing. He could see it on her face—he watched barrier after barrier come down until she’d bared herself to him. While he was hard, deep inside her.

It was one of the most raw, intense, and spiritual moments of his life.

And then they’d just let loose—no holds barred. They’d fucked like animals. Or at least like two people with no inhibitions, who were truly naked and vulnerable to each other. He’d always heard the phrase ‘two become one’ but had never felt it so deeply until that moment. Not even with his wife. And with this virtual stranger. He knew he’d feel guilty about it later but in that second he hadn’t cared.

When he came inside her that first time, her body squeezed around him like a vice and his seed had shot from him like a geyser. Goddammit, he’d almost passed out or touched heaven or some kind of crazy shit because he’d never come so fucking hard in his entire life.

“Hunter,” Mel called, jerking his thoughts back from last night—just in time too because his jeans were starting to get tight and that was the last thing he needed in front of his best friend’s pregnant wife. “Good to see you.” She leaned in for a hug.

“You too, Mel.” He could barely get his arms around her with her giant stomach between them.

“Whoa.” He looked down. “I think I felt junior there knee me in the ribs. I don’t think he likes anyone but Xavier near Mom. Is it going to be another boy?”

Melanie’s hands went to her stomach even as her eyes looked heavenward. “Only if God hates me. And you don’t, do you, God? Please not another ten pounder?”

“You guys didn’t want to find out ahead of time?” Hunter asked, doing everything in his power to focus on Mel and not look behind her to see where Isobel was. Would she come out and talk to him? Or did she want to avoid him for some reason? Had last night not affected her like it did him?

Christ, listen to him. Carrying on like he was a school girl biting her nails while a note was passed to the boy she liked, does he like me, check yes or no. He shook his head at himself.

“Oh we tried, are you kidding?” Mel said. “I hate surprises. But the kid got all shy when we did the ultrasound so the ultrasound tech couldn’t tell.”

Oh right. The baby. Hunter forgot what he’d asked her for a second.

Mel shook her head. “I’ve never been religious but I’ve taken to saying hail Marys every night that it’s going to be a six-pound girl.” She patted her belly. “You hear that, Penelope? You’re going to be a petite little baby girl for mommy, aren’t you?”

Then Mel looked sharply up at Hunter. “Of course if it’s a boy, his name will be Peter, and we never had this conversation.” She arched an eyebrow in warning and Hunter held his hands up.

“Conversation? What conversation?”

Mel patted him on the shoulder. “Good. Oh,” she looked over her shoulder and Hunter finally permitted himself to look too. And there was Isobel. She’d changed into a little cotton dress that hugged her curves and perfectly showcased her round breasts and shapely hips. Her dark hair flew all around her in the wind. One of their sessions last night had been in the shower and he’d luxuriated in burying his hands in all that hair while he shampooed it. And then held fistfuls of it when she dropped to her knees and swallowed him deep—

“I’m being so rude,” Mel laughed. “I forgot why I ran out here in the first place. Hunter, this is Isobel, from New York.”

“New York?” Hunter echoed. And it was like a bucket of ice water was just dumped on his head. Isobel said she was from New Hampshire, he was certain. A small town in New Hampshire. She sure as hell hadn’t mentioned New York.

“And this is Hunter Dawkins.” Melanie beamed, missing the sudden chill in Hunter’s tone. “Hunter, Isobel is getting her veterinary degree from Cornell. Isn’t that impressive?”

She was studying to be a vet? How had it not come up last night that she was studying the same thing as he did for his job? This was too much shit coming at him at once. Hunter stared at her. “So do you just go to school in New York or do you live there too?”

Isobel swallowed, looking suddenly nervous. “Well, I just took a semester off from school and have been at home in the city for a little while.”

“New York City?” he clarified.

She nodded, quickly glancing away from him.

So she’d been lying to him last night.