Page 39 of Crossed Wires: The Complete Series

“Was it everything you wanted?” he asked.

“And more,” she whispered. Her voice was hoarse from screaming. Thank God his mother had gone away. Otherwise she would have beat down the door, thinking Annie was being murdered.

“My turn.” He nudged her legs apart once more. “My way.”

She remembered his desire to make love to her. He slowly pushed his cock back into her body. Once he was seated to the hilt, he kissed her. Deep, drugging, soul-stealing kisses.

Her subconscious mind had convinced her to ask for the dirty fantasy. Had she really thought the request for rough sex would protect her from this? She’d thought the bondage, the hard claiming would keep her heart safe. She’d been a fool.

Hunter could have insisted on complete celibacy and she’d still be right here. Looking into the bright green eyes of the only man she’d ever loved.

He must have noticed something change in her face. What did he see? Sadness, fear, excitement, joy? They were all there.

He gave her one more quick kiss. “It’ll be all right, Annie.”

The words soaked into her skin like a balm. She nodded. Then she gave herself up to his embrace, the moment, as he slowly made love to her.

When her climax came again, Hunter was with her. And when he pulled her into his arms, spooning her as they drifted off to nap, it was his last words that granted her peace.

It’ll be all right.

Chapter8

Annie sat behind the wheel of Hunter’s ute. She’d parked at the edge of the landing pad as Hunter expertly brought the helicopter to rest in the field.

Dylan was home.

He’d called out of the blue twenty-four hours earlier to say he was coming back to Farpoint. Annie wasn’t sure what had happened between him and Monet, but his hasty return indicated it hadn’t ended well.

Since making love to her, Hunter had taken their relationship from zero to sixty. He’d made her breakfast in bed, placing a bunch of acacia, what he called “wattle”, in a vase on the tray. Yesterday he took her for another picnic by the billabong. This time, she’d accepted his invitation to skinny dip and they’d had sex in the cool water—twice.

Hazel had decided to stay with Aunt Joyce for a couple of days, only returning earlier this morning. Annie wasn’t sure if Hunter had asked his mother to stay away or if the woman had a sixth sense about their budding relationship. Either answer was completely plausible.

Hunter had invited her to come with him to pick up Dylan at Sydney International, but Annie wasn’t willing to depart Eden, not even for a few hours. She’d gotten spoiled by the absence of paparazzi. She’d turned him down, more than happy to use her fear of flying as the excuse.

She rubbed her palms against her jeans nervously. Hunter said he’d explained things to his brother. In their haste to get into each other’s pants, Annie had failed to nail down exactly what those things were. What had Hunter said? That they were dating? Fucking? Friends with benefits?

Regardless of Hunter’s romantic gestures, neither of them had ventured into thefeelingsrealm and, because of that, Annie had dismissed his declaration of love the other night as a slip of the tongue. It was a common enough thing to say when in the midst of sex.

She suddenly wished she and Hunter had talked about what was happening between them. It would be a difficult discussion on its own, but with Dylan at the station, it would be even more awkward.

She watched the propellers slow to a stop then Hunter climbed out. Her breath caught. He’d only been gone ten hours and yet, she’d missed him terribly. She stepped out of the ute and waved, smiling from ear to ear. He looked good enough to eat. She started to walk toward him, but stopped as Dylan came around the helicopter.

Mutt, spotting his owner, leapt out of the truck bed and ran over to Dylan, barking loudly. Dylan stopped to pet the dog. Annie wondered how he managed to stay upright when the huge dog jumped up, placing his enormous paws against Dylan’s chest. Dylan laughed as he rubbed the dog’s ears affectionately.

Hunter made a comment she was too far away to hear and Dylan laughed. She knew they were identical, but seeing them side-by-side drove home just how much so.

Both men looked at her as they crossed the field.

She and Dylan stared at each other for a moment before she broke the silence. “Hi, Dylan.”

“Annie?”

She nodded. No doubt he’d expected to glimpse the American girl he’d seen through Skype. In one short week, that pale woman had disappeared, replaced by the tan one standing before him in tatty jeans and boots, an Akubra on her head. Her nervousness grew worse. Hunter, God bless him, must have noticed. He stepped away from Dylan, closer to her. She struggled to read the look on his face, and again she was struck by the likeness between him and Dylan.

“You look like your brother.”

Dylan grinned. “Nah, I’m the good-looking one.”