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Even lying on a hard, uncomfortable mattress, I never wanted this moment to end. I was consumed by Hunter Wolfe, and to be frank, I was terrified for that moment after the first kiss. When we finally opened our eyes, and he stared into my soul, what would be the thoughts running through his head?

Would he think it was awful?

Would he lie straight to my face just to get through the night?

What would happen next?

And why the fuck was I suddenly so insecure when it came to this man?

The first night we were together, I held every bit of control in the palm of my hand. Now, it was as if he was sucking it right out of me, and I was at his mercy, perfectly fine giving up my need to control.

“Fuck, are you okay?” His lips tore away from mine all too quickly. “This mattress is hard as a rock,” he added with concern.

I didn’t care how hard my body thumped against the damn mattress. I just wanted his tongue to remain tangled with mine.

But instead of pulling his lips back toward mine, my mouth couldn’t help itself when it curved into a smile, and within seconds, we both broke out in simultaneous laughter.

“Damnit, Hunter,” I choked out.

“What did I do?” he asked, his laughter stopping altogether.

My stomach ached from the uncontrollable glee running rapidly through my body. Tears dripped from the corner of my eyes, a sign of pure bliss escaping. Once I finally got my laughter under control, I found a stone-cold Hunter watching me with his brows furrowed.

“Andi, be serious right now … was the kiss that bad? Did it give off a friendly vibe? Put me out of my misery here.” He panicked, and suddenly, all his confidence was slipping away.

Lifting myself off the bed, I rolled Hunter over, so he was the one now taking a spring to the back as I straddled his hips.

With my legs gripped around him, I fanned my face and wiped away the tears. It wasn’t often that I got the uncontrollable giggles—usually only with my girls and a bottle of wine—but for the first time, a man was responsible for making me feel just about every emotion under the sun in a span of thirty minutes.

Placing my hands on his chest, I answered his question bluntly.

“You didn’t do anything. I was so caught up in my head about what the moment would be like after we stopped kissing. I figured we’d break it off because it was going too far; we needed air or a drink of water or something. Then you were so concerned if you’d hurt me because of this stupid mattress, and I don’t know…” I chuckled once more. “It was almost like you took away all of my crazy and insecure thoughts unintentionally, and I couldn’t help but laugh out all of my anxiety and relief at the same time.”

“So, it wasn’t bad then? You’re not going to put me in the friend zone?” He searched for reassurance.

Bending down, with my confidence fully back, I pressed my lips against his cheek, worked my way down to his jaw, then neck, until I made my way back up to his lips for a subtle brush of mine locking against his. “It was the best kiss I’ve ever experienced—and no, I’m not saying that to stroke your ego. It was truly more than I could have ever expected. And the last place you belong is in the friend zone.”

“Are you saying I broke through that damn wall of rules, Andi?” Hunter traced circles along my collarbone, and if I had to guess, for the first time, I was losing my cool around a guy as my cheeks burned pink.

“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.” I rolled my lips together, tasting the memory of our kiss.

“Well, I’ll take that. It’s not a no. Plus, I have something I’d like to get off my chest.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Should we both sit up for this or…?” I fidgeted in his lap.

“Nah, Trouble. You’re perfectly fine sitting where you are. Just don’t go moving your hips like that again or we may have a problem.” Hunter ran a hand over his clean-cut jaw and tucked the other behind his head, allowing his bicep to bulge, and the image of him felt like torture to tear my eyes away from.

Tugging down on my lip, I tried to ignore the feel of his hard cock below me. “Well then, spill it. I’m listening.”

“You mentioned you hadn’t kissed anyone in years, and what’s on my mind might not be the same, but I can kind of relate.”

“Yeah, how so?” I rolled off his lap, even though he’d said I was fine sitting where I was. It felt more respectful to our conversation to adjust my position, laying on his chest instead.

I also couldn’t remember the last time I cuddled with someone.

“Since I lost my wife, I’ve kissed a lot of women. But they never made me feel anything. Kissing someone was always a gateway into bed with them. It never meant anything. Just a means to an end. I also haven’t been in a relationship in well … almost twenty years.” He sighed, and I remained silent, waiting for him to spit out the rest of the chaos whirling around in his head.

“Today, though … you weren’t wrong about a kiss being intimate as hell. It was the first time I have ever felt anything for anyone through a kiss alone.” His heartbeat picked up where my cheek rested against his strong chest. Admitting news like that felt just as heavy, if not more, than what I divulged earlier.