My Mom's Ex-Husband (The Forbidden Fun)

I pout a bit.

“Yeah, but I need to work order to make my rent.”

Fortunately, I was able to pay this month’s rent on time. Between Hunter’s tip and a few others cobbled together, I just made it, but next month is going to be another struggle. I press my lips together. I refuse to think about that now. I’m on a date with a gorgeous man, and nothing’s going to ruin my mood. With a bright smile, I turn to my man.

“How about you?” I ask, changing the subject. “Did you have a nice week?”

He snorts jovially.

“Yeah, I spent most of it unpacking.”

“Are you all moved in now?”

Hunter laughs. “Not even close. I’m making progress, though. I just keep getting distracted, which makes it take longer. I had a very pretty girl stop by, you see, and that threw me off for a good long while.”

I giggle happily.

“If you ever need any help, I’m happy to come by again.”

He snorts and squeezes my hand.

“Let’s be honest, sweetheart: we won’t be unpacking if you come over. We’ll be a mess, if anything.”

I flush. I’ve been hoping for another booty call like last week, but it hasn’t come up yet, and I’m dying for it. I really want to feel Hunter inside me again because it’s as if I’ve been empty all week and only he can fill me up. But I try to act normal and bounce happily in my seat when we pass by a deli halfway on the drive to the mountain.

“You want to go?” Hunter asks.

I turn to him with a bright smile.

“Yeah definitely! This is where my friend Bella and I used to come a lot in summer. We’d get sandwiches and then hike the mountain, and it was kind of like our place.”

Hunter grins, pulling the truck into the parking lot.

“Well, I hope she doesn’t mind we’re coming here today.”

I laugh. “Not even a little. Trust me, Bella is thrilled about us.”

He cocks an eyebrow at me.

“You told her about us already?”

I giggle.

“Yeah, because Bella and I are besties! Don’t worry though, her own romance is just as scandalous as ours, so she’s totally open and non-judgmental. She thinks you sound amazing,” I tease.

Hunter merely grins, turning off the engine.

“In that case, your friend sounds great and I’d love to meet her some day.”

My stomach flutters. This is the exact opposite of how it went with Jimmy. My ex was staunchly against ever meeting my friends or family, saying something about “too much, too soon,” and other such bullshit. By contrast, Hunter and I have only known each other a week, and he’s already interested in meeting my friends. A warm feeling makes my heart sing as we walk up to the counter inside. Once we’ve place our orders, we take seats at the counter to wait.

“Actually, my dad and I used to come to Mt. Samson too,” I say conversationally. “I guess it’s one of the few family-friendly things to do nearby. Whenever we got sick of Medina, we’d drive here for a quick hike.”

Hunter nods thoughtfully.

“That’s how I got into skiing. My parents got sick of me being bored around the house all day, so they took me to a nearby mountain when I was three. I loved it, and I’ve been skiing ever since. I guess it was inevitable since I grew up in Colorado, but still. I credit my parents for instilling in me a love of the outdoors.”

“You’ve even made a career out of it,” I smile.

He nods.

“Yep. My parents didn’t expect that, but they’re thrilled. They come to pretty much all of my ski events now, no matter where in the world I am.”

I nod thoughtfully.

“Oh, do you travel a lot?”

Hunter sighs a bit.

“Yeah, more than I like, to be honest. In this sport, it’s definitely ‘the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, so Mohammed must go to the mountain.’”

I giggle a bit.

“Well, I can see how that’s true. Literally, even.”

Hunter nods.

“Yeah. But I’ve been traveling pretty much non-stop since I started my professional career. You name it, and I’ve been there. Europe, Asia, Australia, and even the South Pole. Did you know they host competitions there?”

I gasp.

“Really? Isn’t it way too cold?”

“You’d think, right?” he says with a quirk of a smile. “But the event organizers wanted to have an exhibition, so the sponsor flew a bunch of us to Antarctica. There were literally penguins watching as we did our thing.”

I giggle.

“Did they get it on camera?”

He snorts.

“You bet they did! And they made a huge commercial from it too, with penguins on skis.”

I giggle.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that one.”

He laughs. “Because you don’t want to, honey. It’s more along the lines of the Geico Gecko, rather than something sexy and adventurous.”

Then, our names are called and we get up to grab our sandwiches.