Obsession

Chapter 9

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and a soft, warm breeze. At first, I didn’t remember where I was. Rolling onto my side, I willed my eyes open and for my fuzzy brain to work.

Bright sunlight spilled in through the open glass doors. Lacy, white curtains hung in the air, rolling playfully in the breeze. I blinked once and then twice.

Oh crap.

Jerking up, I clutched the comforter to my pounding heart.

Last night came back to me in a rush—running off, the other Arum, and then Hunter, saving me once more…and his kiss. He had kissed me and I hadn’t stopped him. Hadn’t wanted to when he’d licked the tiny pieces of chocolate off my lips.

Stopping him had been the last thing in my mind, and when he’d deepened the kiss, a deep fierce ache had woken inside me.

My cheeks burned at the memory of him pressing down, rocking his hips in a way that twisted pleasure inside me. There were so many things wrong with that, I didn’t have time to write down the stupid list. But that wasn’t all. I was sure he had fed off me again last… wait. Had that even been last night? Had I’d been out of it for days again, like last time?

I scanned the room again, my gaze landing near the dresser. There were several shopping bags next to it. I frowned, knowing they weren’t there before.

“Are you going to come out here?” Hunter’s deep voice intruded on my thoughts and startled me. “The coffee is getting cold. So is the food.”

My heart tripped up. Hunter was out on my balcony, which meant he had to have gone through my bedroom while I slept. Okay, technically it wasn’t my bedroom or balcony, but he’d been in here while I’d been sleeping. What if I’d been drooling or something?

“I know you’re awake.” Dry humor laced his voice. “I can hear the change in your breathing.”

Jesus, was that an alien super sense?

I debated ignoring him, but that was stupid. Throwing off the comforter, I made a quick dash to the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth and splashed water over my face.

Hesitant to join him, I peered around the open balcony doors.

Hunter was sitting on one of the reclining chairs, legs crossed at the ankles. He was dressed in jeans and he was wearing a shirt, but it wasn’t buttoned up. Maybe he got bored with it? He also had a pair of dark sunglasses on, and somehow they made him even sexier, which I didn’t think was possible. There was a large, white mug in his hand, and there was something entirely intimate seeing him there.

A brow arched above the shades. “There’re a lot of chairs out here. You can pick any of them, or you can stand.”

Crimson swept across my cheeks as I forced my legs forward. Hurrying around him, I sat in the chair on the other side of a small table, sinking into the soft cushion. I should’ve made time to brush my hair. And why in the hell was I even worrying about my hair? I think Hunter had fried my brain cells.

“Coffee,” he reminded me.

I took the black mug, surprised to find that the cup was still warm. “Thank you.”

“I added milk and sugar—you don’t strike me as a cream type.”

I wasn’t.

Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I knew he watched from his reclined position.

The way he was sprawled in that chair was a complete picture of lazy arrogance. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Yes. I slept well.”

His lips tipped up. “I am thrilled to hear that.”

For some reason, I wasn’t quite sure if I believed him. “How about you?”

Hunter shrugged. “I had some trouble falling asleep.”

I started to squirm. How in the world could his stare be so intense without me even seeing his eyes? I turned my attention to the bacon. Extra crispy. My favorite.

“Eat,” he said.

My stomach grumbled in response, but I couldn’t stand his commanding tone. So I ignored him. “About last night…”

“You want to talk about it? Which part? The one where you didn’t listen to what I told you?” Hunter tipped his head back. The shirt he wore gaped, revealing a bigger glimpse of his rock-hard chest and abs. “Eat.”

My hand tightened on the cup as I took a deep, slow breath. “No. You…we…”

God, this was awkward. “I mean, I don’t normally let guys…or whatever…kiss me.”

“That’s good to know.” Hunter slowly lowered his head and looked at me. “Eat.”

“Is there ever a moment when you’re not bossing someone around?” I asked.

“Probably not.”

“And do you realize how rude and annoying it is?”

A half smile appeared. “Yes. And before you ask, I don’t give a shit if it’s annoying and rude. Eat, Serena.”

Well, he got points for being honest, but I was half tempted to throw my mug in his face.

“We really didn’t kiss,” he said. “I kissed you.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “But it was more than that.”

One eyebrow arched over the dark shades. “Well, I was on top of you for a few very enjoyable moments.”

“That’s not what I was getting at,” I snapped. “Did you feed off me again?”

Hunter said nothing.

Anger flooded me. “Damn it, you can’t keep doing that!”

“You’re fine, but you should probably eat.”

“It’s not okay. How long have I been out of it?”

He didn’t answer for a long moment. “It was a day ago.”

My brain didn’t fully register that for a minute and when it did, I was stuck between anger and panic. “I…I lost another day?”

“You slept through another day.”

I gaped at him. “Slept? I slept through another day because of what you did to me.

You can’t do that and—”

“I know,” he cut in. A muscle flexed along his jaw. “I stopped when I realized what I was doing.”

I started, unsure if I should believe him. “You didn’t mean to?”

“No.”

“Then why—”

“Eat, Serena.” He turned back, giving me his profile. “Feeding is in my nature.

Sometimes it just happens. I didn’t want to—okay. That’s a lie. I did want to, but I shouldn’t have. That’s why I stopped.”

I glanced away, biting down on my lip. I didn’t know what to say about that. The fact he fed on me twice pissed me off. It couldn’t be healthy and it wasn’t right. Even if he hadn’t meant to and stopped, I wasn’t okay with it.

“Don’t do it again,” I said, looking at him.

“I won’t.” He paused. “While you were sleeping, I had some clothing picked up for you.”

I remembered the bags in the room and I didn’t know what to say, but words came out. “Thank you.”

Hunter stiffened like I’d insulted him.

“What are you doing on my balcony anyway?” I asked after a few moments, changing the subject.

“I’m out on my balcony, which happens to be outside my guest bedroom that you’re borrowing, because I like the view out here.”

I looked up. There was another deck, most likely attached to the loft upstairs. “Your bedroom is the loft?”

“It is.”

“Then the view there has to be much better.”

He tilted his head to the side. “I also like the view inside my guest bedroom.”

Heat infused my face.

A grin played across his cheeks, almost teasing in nature. “Not that I was watching you. That would be creepy.”

“Yes. Yes that would be.”

“Eat, Serena.”

Back to that again. I set my cup down, but didn’t move toward the bacon. His commanding attitude sparked a rebellious nature I never knew I had. “Did you make them?”

He nodded. “I can cook.”

“What else can you do?”

Hunter’s grin spread. “There are a lot of things I can do. I’m more than willing to give a detailed breakdown of them, or I’d gladly show you.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m sure you would.”

A deep, infectious laugh rumbled out of Hunter, and I felt my lips start to spread in response. “Eat,” he said.

“I wasn’t talking about those things, by the way.”

“I know.”

I did smile then, only a little, because there was something about his unapologetic nature that was humorous—irritating, but definitely humorous.

He sighed. “I can hear your stomach growling, so it seems pointless that you would fight me on this. And you don’t look like one of those women who starve themselves to have the body of a pubescent girl.”

I gaped at him. Should I be offended or not? Hell, I was a woman, so I was going to go with offended. “You’re an asshole.”

He chuckled deeply. “Look, no man—human or other—wants a woman that is straight up and straight down. Men like curves. Men like softness.”

Well, I had plenty of that. “Good to know aliens appreciate hips on a woman,” I muttered, picking up a piece of bacon.

“We also like a nice heart-shaped ass, in case you’re wondering.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

In a low, sexy voice, he said, “You do that.”

I cleared my throat. Another change of topic was needed. “I didn’t realize I was fighting you on anything. I just don’t like to be bossed around.”

Setting his mug down, he folded his hands across his chest…and waited.

“Oh, for the love of God,” I griped, shoving the bacon into my mouth. “Happy?”

“Very.”

I shot him a dirty look as I picked up another slice of bacon. Arrogance aside, he made a mean cup of coffee and some damn good bacon. It was sweet with a hint of spice.

“Look, things will be easier for you here if you get used to the way it needs to be.”

This was going to be a dandy. “And how is that?”

“You do as I say. It’s that simple.”

I stared at him a moment and then burst into laughter.

He frowned. “I didn’t say anything funny.”

“Oh, but you did.” I giggled. He couldn’t be serious. “Just because you’re supposed to be protecting me doesn’t give you the power to tell me what to do.”

“Protecting you has nothing to do with the power I have over you.”

Nibbling on the last of the bacon, I snickered. “Whatever.”

“We’ll see.”

Without a napkin in sight, I sucked off the leftover grease and salt on my forefinger.

“God, arrogant doesn’t even cover what you are.”

“No. It doesn’t.”

Without any warning, Hunter leaned over the table and grasped my wrist. Startled, I let out a little squeak. “And you’re never going to find any words that accurately describe me.” Hunter pulled my hand toward his mouth, and my eyes widened.

“Hunter—” A moment later, his lips closed around my finger, sucking the salt and grease right off. The tugging motion shot straight through my body like lightning. Another gasp escaped my parted lips as his tongue got involved, tracing upward. A flood of moist heat surged between my legs.

When he lifted his head, he was smiling slightly. “I was feeling left out.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My body ached now, my breasts heavy and full. I watched him let go of my wrist and back away.

“You taste good,” he murmured.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said finally, cradling my hand to my chest.

“Why not?” He stood and stretched his arms over his head, back bowing.

“Why not?” I sputtered. Anger rushed through me, partly due to his audacity and my response to him. “I can’t believe you’re asking me why not.”

“Explain,” he said.

“Because…because you don’t know me and—”

“I want to,” he said, as if that was enough of a reason—just because he wanted to.

I shook my head. “But you can’t do things just because you want to.”

“I can’t?” He laughed then, and it sent a heady shiver down my spine. “I think I just did, and I also know you enjoyed it.”

I shot to my feet. “How dare—?”

“Don’t even deny it.” He smirked. “I can tell.”

“What?” My knees felt weak. “Please enlighten me and tell me how you can tell.”

“I can.” He was right in front of me in an instant.

Standing beside him, his enormous size and strength overwhelming, I wanted to step back, but there was nowhere for me to go. And there was also that part of me that didn’t want to back away, that wanted to see what he was going to do next.

Hunter captured a piece of my hair, untangling it from the rest. Twirling the strand around his finger, he tugged me forward and onto the tips of my toes. To keep my balance, I placed my hands out, onto the cool skin of his chest. His skin… I never felt anything like it. Satin stretched over steely muscles.

He lowered his head so that his breath danced along my brow. “You are most definitely aroused.”

“No, I’m not.”

His dark brows rose above the sunglasses. “You’re not?”

Before I could shake my head or take the next breath, his free hand slipped between our bodies and his thumb brushed across the tightened bud. I gasped as the touch shot straight from my breast to my core.

Hunter smiled. “I think we both can agree now that you’re aroused.”

Then he let go and took a step back. I wobbled to the side, dazed. “That…that was really not proper,” I said.

“By your standards, not mine, but I was just proving a point.”

I wished I had thicker clothing. “My standards? How about human standards?”

Hunter laughed again. “Exactly.”

“Just because you’re not human doesn’t mean you don’t have to abide by human standards.”

His eyes narrowed. “Is that so? Why won’t you admit you’re aroused? Because I’m an Arum and not human?”

“What?” Was that it? Sure, it weirded me out that he wasn’t human, but honestly, I forgot what he was half of the time. Like when he wasn’t feeding off me it was easy to think he was human. “No. That’s not it.”

The smirk that graced his lips as he strode past me was a work of art. I wanted to smack it off his face, and maybe that was a bitchy thing to think, but he did suck on my fingers, and then some.

Hunter said nothing as he disappeared back into the room I was staying in. Though tempted to follow him, I remained on the deck. He probably expected me to trail after him like a good puppy dog.

Screw that.

I placed my hands on the railing and closed my eyes, letting the warm breeze wash over my flaming face. I was positive that my stay here was going to turn into something completely insane and out of control.

Because Hunter had been right, twice now.

I had been aroused—I was still aroused. Several parts of my body were all tingly and warm. I was attracted to him on a base, primal level. And the second thing Hunter had been right about?

Even knowing the truth behind everything, I still really had no idea what kind of shit I’d stepped in.