I whisper his name into the darkness, “Hunter.”
“Yeah.”
“Is cuddling against the rules?”
“No, Reese. Cuddling is definitely not against the rules. Come here.” I feel the blanket lift and move over to rest my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me and sighs. “I could get used to this.”
“Yeah,” I agree. Not because I could get used to it. I was used to it. Just not with him. Only with Cooper.I’ve been lying here awake for I don’t know how long. Hunter has his front to my back and is sleeping peacefully. I can’t find it in myself to move, partly because I feel guilty. When I woke up, I thought he was Cooper. Just for a fleeting moment… until last night came crashing back to me. I’m terrible, but not because I thought it was Cooper. That’s the only guy I’ve slept in the same bed with, that’s a normal reaction. No, the horrible part is, for a split second, a tiny minute slither of time, I wanted it to be Cooper. That’s why I’m going to hell. That’s why I’m lying still in Hunter’s arms, not disturbing him, even though my bladder is screaming for relief.
“Morning.” Hunter’s groggy voice greets me.
“Morning. I’ll be right back.” I wiggle out of his arms and slide out of bed.
“Where are you going, Reese?” he asks, his voice more alert.
“I have to pee,” I call out as I rush to the bathroom. I take care of business, brush my teeth, and leave out one of the extra toothbrushes I get from the dentist on the sink for Hunter to use. When I open the bathroom door, he’s standing there. “Hey, there’s a toothbrush on the counter for you.”’
“Thank you.” He bends to kiss my cheek and slides past me and closes the bathroom door.
Not really knowing what to do with myself, I head back to my bedroom. It’s not even seven in the morning. It’s way too early to be awake on a Saturday. I climb back in bed, and pull the covers up to my chin to ward off the chill of the air conditioning. Not two minutes later, Hunter is sliding in next to me. He pulls me into his arms and presses his lips against mine.
“I think I could get used to this.”
“Kisses in the morning.”
“Well, that too. I was meaning you. Waking up with you.” He kisses me again.
“You think so? I mean, you didn’t get a whiff of my morning breath,” I tease.
“What are we doing today?” he asks, avoiding my question.
“I was thinking about a couple of more hours of sleep.”
“Yeah?” he asks, sliding his hand over my hip. We’re on our sides facing each other. “Sleep is what you want?” he says, his voice husky.
“Umm… were you not here for last night’s conversation?” I ask.
“I said I wasn’t having sex until I was married, not that I wasn’t ever going to touch a woman’s body,” he explains as his hand slides under my shirt. The feel of his warm skin on my back causes a shiver to race up my spine.
I mimic him and slide my hand over his chest. “Who would have known you were hiding all of this underneath your clothes,” I say teasingly. But for real, he’s toned. Not that I thought he wasn’t in shape, but I guess he never talks about working out or anything, so I just didn’t know what to expect.
His reply is to press his lips against mine. All talking ceases as we explore one another. This is a new concept for me. I’m not exactly the most experienced, and I admit, it’s nice to know that sex isn’t the end game with us. That we’re just learning each other and taking our time. There’s no pressure. I’m not ready to take that step with anyone. Not right now. That ship sailed a few months ago when pieces of my heart were thrown overboard.
“I need to go home and shower,” Hunter says a few hours later. We’re sitting on my couch eating cereal. “What do you want to do today?”
“I was thinking about going to the outlet malls. I need some new clothes.”
He points to my room. “You mean all the clothes that are stuffed into your closet aren’t enough?” He grins, letting me know he’s teasing.
“Fine, I want new clothes.”
He chuckles. “I’ll go with you. Why don’t you get ready, then we’ll swing by my place so I can shower and then we’ll go?”
“You want to go shopping with me?”
“Sure, why not?”
“I don’t know. I mean, the only guy that’s ever done that is Coop.”
“Well, now you can add me to the list of guys who want to see you happy.” Something passes in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can define it.
My phone rings, and Hunter reaches out for it where it sits on the table and hands it to me. Cooper’s smiling face greets me. I rush to hit the answer button. “Hey, you,” I greet him.