Page 49 of Fourth Base with the Alpha
“A little,” I confess and the next thing I know he’s sprinting away. I watch him go, open-mouthed, and turn back to my conversation with a woman who works on signing new acts. A moment later, he’s back, a soft-cashmere jumper in his hands.
“Here,” he says, sliding it straight over my head. It completely drowns me, the sleeves hanging off the ends of my arms and the hem reaching below my knees.
I stare back at him with a raised eyebrow. “It’s not very rock‘n’roll.”
“You look adorable, Cupcake,” he says, rolling the sleeves up my arms.
“Ahhh,” the woman says. “That’s so cute.”
Hunter hooks his arm around my waist with an I-told-you-so look.
“Come on. They’re lighting the fire.”
The sand is cool beneath my feet and I realize I lost my sandals at some point today. I’m too happy to care though. His sweater is so soft it tickles my skin and it’s bathed in his scent. His arm is strong and solid around my body and he holds me like he doesn’t want to let me go.
I’m imagining all this. It isn’t real. And neither was the look of lust I swear I saw swimming in his eyes when we talked about sharing a room, especially when I told him we could share the bed.
But, nevertheless, my skin buzzes with anticipation, my blood warm and my body pliant. All he’d have to do is whisper in my ear and tell me he wants me and I’d let him have every single piece.
We sink into the sand together and I lean my head on his shoulder and watch the flames dance. It’s captivating. The sound of the waves, the crackle of the burning wood, the thump thump of his heart.
So when I turn my head to look up at him and his lips come down to meet mine, it feels so natural, I don’t question it.
My hands tangle in his hair and I press his mouth harder to mine, wanting to taste him and feel him. I forget all about the contract and our agreement. I forget it so much, I moan as his hand brushes up and down my back.
I’m so stoked up. So wet. So ready if he wants me.
But then he’s pulling away.
I blink up at him. I’m sure my pupils are blown, my scent thick with my arousal. He must know what he’s doing to me.
“Sorry,” he whispers. “That woman over there,” he jerks his head in the direction of some leggy brunette, sitting the other side of the fire, “we used to date. She looked like she was coming over to talk to us so I …”
“Oh right,” I say, straightening in his arms. I force a giggle. “Good plan.”
He drags me close to his side again but I’m more wary now. Especially as I stare across at the beautiful woman on the other side of the fire. She’s the kind of woman Hunter should be dating. Glamorous, put-together. The kind of woman me and Maria would have followed on Instagram. The type of woman you expect to be the love interest in a romance story.
Someone hands around sticks and marshmallows and then a little while later, there’re calls forThe Packto perform. From nowhere instruments appear and Hunter’s moving to sit next to Ash and the others. Trey’s the only one who doesn’t have an instrument, but he finds the beat for the first song with slaps on his thighs. Then Hunter’s adding the bass and Ash’s strong voice pierces the night, soaring above the sounds of the fire and the ocean.
I sit on the sand, snuggling inside Hunter’s sweater, utterly entranced by the man and the movement of his fingers. His whole face changes when he plays, as if there’s nothing else in the world, only the bass cradled in his arms and the strings beneath his fingers. His eyes shine with emotion and every so often his eyelids drift shut and his entire body sways in time with the music drifting through the air. It’s magical. He is magical. And sitting here watching him play, listening to him play, feels like a privilege. For a moment I can forget that there’s anything bad in the world. That my sister will never experience this. That I’ll never be able to tell her all about it and watch as her face lights up.
Hunter’s eyes open but this time he’s not looking at his hands. He’s looking at me. And his eyes are so intense, so deeply blue. I hold his gaze and it’s as if he’s playing for me and me only.
I realize I’m more in danger of falling for him than I ever was.
* * *
It’s much laterby the time the party breaks up and people wander back to the house. Engines rev as some people drive away and doors slam from within the mansion.
I’m content where I am leaning against Hunter’s chest, chatting to the others but soon they’re scrambling to their feet too.
“You want me to drive you home, Cupcake?” Hunter whispers in my ear as we watch the fire die away and sparks light the ashes.
“You’ve had a drink though, haven’t you?”
“I can call a driver.”
I wriggle from his grasp and stand up, holding out my hand to him.
