Page 13 of Smoke and Mirrors
I half expected to see him here, maybe running his tattooed fingers over the array of sharp metal blades. Maybe with a girl or two on his arms as he showed off his skills for them, a preview before showing them what he could do with that split tongue.
I could still taste how that kiss felt, and thought about it more than I’d ever admit. He kissed me onstage in front of everyone on our opening night. The gentle caress on my lips from both sides of his tongue was unlike anything I ever felt before. And then it was over before I could blink. The crowd loved it, seeing it as part of his bad boy charm. But he cheated on his girlfriend by kissing me.
Maybe it was hypocritical of me, seeing as I was essentially dating HunterandConnor, but I could never be with a man who kept other girls on the side. At least with my two guys, I felt like they valued me enough not to kiss anyone behind my back. And I wanted to make damn sure they knew I cared about them just as much.
The afternoon shadows grew long as we wrapped up our window shopping. Hunter kept his arm around me as we walked together, with the occasional squeeze of my shoulder or caress of my neck. I snuggled happily into his side with my arm around his waist. His long, lean muscles moved fluidly with each step and damn, he smelled good.
“What do you think, one last ride?” he suggested, looking up at the Ferris wheel.
I couldn’t believe how late it had gotten already. The day flew by and I never wanted it to end.
“Okay,” I said wistfully. “As long as it’s a slow ride.”
The moment we sat in the capsule and began the gentle ascent upward, Hunter wasted no time in getting cozy.
“No one can interrupt us now,” he whispered against my hair, pulling me closer.
My heart crashing against my sternum, I turned to face him but found his eyes looking straight ahead.
Colorful lights, tents, and flags stood out against the dense, dark forest. Organ music and joyful voices echoed through the grounds, floating up to us as gentle background noise. Hunter’s eyes remained fixated on the dense trees in the distance, far away from people and lights.
“Don’t blame yourself,” I told him, placing a hand on his knee. “If you could have saved all of them, I’m sure you would have.”
“I know,” he sighed. “It’s a decision I made peace with a long time ago, then buried it in the past. I had to move on for Roo and Rinna. Now it just feels like all that progress is undone.”
“I’m so sorry!” I took one of his hands and squeezed it as if my newfound shaman powers could take away all his suffering. “I shouldn’t have kept it from you but I was so torn on telling you for exactly that reason.”
“It’s okay, Mel. Really. It sucks, but it has been a long time. It’s nowhere near as painful as when losing her was fresh. All I can do is let the feeling pass.”
The Ferris wheel paused as we reached the top. His arm around me felt snug and secure, holding me close to him like this date had no hiccups at all. Our temples leaned against each other as we quietly watched the carnival from our place in the sky. We were untouchable here. Despite everything trying to pull us back down, this quiet place, high and alone, gave us a sense of serenity.
“In a weird way,” Hunter said softly. “I’m notglad, but I can appreciate everything that’s happened. Losing her. Getting captured, all of it.”
“How can you say that?” I turned to face him, my nose brushing his cheek.
He faced me, his mouth hovering within an inch of mine.
“Because it all led me to this moment with you.”
I don’t know who leaned in first. All I knew was our lips met— gently but with intention. Our kiss unfolded like a slow, partnered dance. Hunter threaded his fingers through my hair with one hand, cupping my face sweetly with the other. He tasted warm, comforting, and oh-so-delicious. It felt like everything you’d imagine from kissing a romantic Disney prince.
But in his kiss, I also felt a hot undercurrent of raw masculinity and alpha confidence. Somehow I knew it was his wolf, the animal in him feeling the urge to claim a mate, to dominate and possess. This confidence was quiet and primal, not brash and showing off. I felt it in the way he held the back of my neck as he explored my mouth further. I felt it in the way my whole body shivered when he ran a hand down my thigh.
“Ride’s over. Two bucks if you want to stay on.”
The bored attendant’s voice barely registered in my mind. Hunter shifted in his seat to pull out some bills and tossed them to the attendant. His lips never fully separated from mine, not even when we smiled and giggled as we began another ride up.
I don’t know how many times we went around, only that I couldn’t get enough of Hunter’s lips and tongue. Kissing him was so intoxicating, a light soreness tingled through my lips once we parted for a breath. I opened my eyes to find daylight quickly fading, giving way to a brilliant pink and purple sky.
“So much for just one ride,” Hunter chuckled with a kiss to my cheek.
“How long have we been up here?” I giggled, curling my legs under me on the seat.
“No idea. I think I threw twenty bucks at him.” His eyes flickered from my lips across my face, as if debating kissing me again. “I should probably get you back to Connor soon,” he added.
“Connor is not my dad,” I giggled, laying my head against his shoulder. “But you should probably get back to Roo and Rinna.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, sweeping the lightest of kisses across my mouth before standing and pulling me to my feet.
