18 ✓

THIRTY-SIX

Was it safe for millions of butterflies to flutter throughout your body from head to toe?

If it wasn't, I couldn't have cared any less at that moment.

It felt amazing - breathtaking.

Every rush of heat that flushed my cheeks and burned my skin made me crave his dangerous kisses. Whenever he flashed a charming, cheeky smile, my heart swelled. And every whisper of "I love you" made me yearn for him all that much harder.

"Can you keep your hands to yourself for five minutes?"

"I can try, Angel," Hunter whispered, pressing his lips to my neck. "But I make no promises."

It was a struggle to keep us away from each other. But to my surprise, we managed to make it out of the bedroom with our clothes still on. The rush of heat was clouding our vision - finally acting on impulses we had suppressed all this time being around one another. Our relationship was built on much more than just sex; however, there was no denying how good we were together. And within the first thirty seconds last night, I was reminded of just how good it was.

That was the difference when someone knew exactly what you liked and how you liked it. Hunter made me feel confident and sexy, and from that, I learned more about myself; what I liked, didn't like, and quite honestly, what I'd never try again. We had a level of trust that stayed throughout all these years. Maybe it was common to feel that way with someone you shared a deep, trusting love with. But he was the only one I felt that way about, so he was my only example. There had been guys before him and guys after. But nothing compared to intimate moments shared with someone who knew you well.

A twist in the pit of my stomach formed as we walked out of the garage and across the lawn. I knew I didn't regret sleeping with him. That couldn't be it.

"Are you alright, Angel?" Hunter asked, securing his arm around my waist.

I enjoyed last night - I was allowed to enjoy having sex.

I enjoyed last night.

I was allowed to enjoy it.

I didn't regret it.

"Do you think we'll be able to get all this set up in time before the birthday Princess gets back?"

Looking over the pile of decorations we had to hang, I almost wished we had hurried up and gotten out of my bedroom a tad bit faster. But as my eyes fell to him and I watched him dig through the pile with a serious, concentrated look on his face, I couldn't help feeling like my heart was about to skip a beat.

Hunter pointed to the crown on his head. "How does it look?"

"You're going to be the most beautiful princess at the ball."

"Oh, stop it." He stepped towards me and leaned forward. As our lips brushed, he whispered, "you've got everyone beaten by a longshot," before kissing me.

With reddened cheeks and tingling lips, I slowly trailed behind him. Maybe if my head were screwed on the right way, I would've told him to stop kissing me now; that it would only lead to trouble. But my heart was willing to betray what was right so that I could savour more moments with him.

Would it be so wrong never to end these moments?

Surely we could keep up the lie. How hard could it be? We could spend Christmas and every birthday in the house, pretending as if we barely knew one another, to escape back to our home on a private island or across the ocean and return to our life together.

Certainly, that was manageable. And realistic. Right?

"Does that look alright?"

I blinked, forcing my head back into reality and looked ahead. Hunter had begun hanging the Happy Birthday Lily banner on the side of the house.