Addiction (The Hunted, #2)

by Ivy Smoak

"Does love always hurt this much?"

His breath lingered between my thighs. "I love you." He put his lips around my clit and gently sucked.

"I love you, Penny." "I love you, Professor Hunter,"

"Mom, Dad, hi."

Holy fuck. Did they hear him zippering his pants?

He was usually so collected. But my father was intimidating him. It was actually pretty entertaining to watch.

"She can come back to my place," Professor Hunter said. "If that's okay with both of you, of course." He looked at my parents.

Don't try to grow up so fast. There's no rush."

"You were so flustered. It was cute. And mortifying, of course."

"You love bossing me around." "I like when you listen to me."

He laughed again. "No, I wouldn't say that. But it is your lucky day, because you're dating a genius."

"Hey, stop trying to distract me." I cupped his chin in my hand.

"You're my fresh start. And I don't love teaching nearly as much as I love you."

"Well, Miss Taylor. That concept kind of flew out the window when I fell in love with you."

"I had you right where I wanted you."

"Did you use my toothbrush?" "Maybe?" For some reason he found that funny. "You are definitely making yourself at home.

"I'm running just as fast beside you."

"Hardly. You're very entertaining." He flashed me a smile.

"You must have noticed. Everyone drools over you. I mean, look at you." "I'm too busy looking at you."

"Did you want more intimate details? Because I could go on for days describing the blue of your eyes with the small flecks of green in the sunshine. Or the freckles on your shoulders. Or that birthmark on the inside of your ankle. Or how your ass jiggles just the right amount when you walk. Or how your breasts fit perfectly in my hands. Or how you get a cute little wrinkle in your forehead when you frown at me. Or how it makes me feel when you bite your lip when you look at me. Or the intoxicating smell of you. And the taste of you." He swallowed hard. "And the way you're looking at me right now...it's sexy as hell."

"So if you refuse to see how beautiful you are, you'll just have to accept the fact that I'm attracted to you. And for things that aren't physical." He paused and kissed my knuckles again. "I love that you're down to earth. I love that you're shy. It's refreshing that you don't seem to want to be the center of attention everywhere we go. I like that you just want to be beside me instead, captivating me alone. I love that you're open to second chances and quick to forgive. Yet you're extremely stubborn as well, and I love how that challenges me. I love how intelligent you are. I love that you like experiencing new things. And I love that you're a hopeless romantic, or else we wouldn't be sitting here right now."

know I've made mistakes. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for letting me back in." "Thank you for forgiving me."

"So, I have tickets to an art gallery opening on the Upper East Side. And you can wear that. We can go shopping for whatever else you want. I already have reservations at Eleven Madison Park." "What is Eleven Madison Park?" There was a twinkle in his eye from my question. "It's one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city. I want to treat you to a night as one of New York's elite." "New York's elite?" I laughed. He smiled at me. "Or you can wear exactly what you're wearing. And we can go to a comedy club that I love in East Village. We can walk through Central Park and we can eat at the Tavern on the Green before the show."

He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. "God I love you."

"Besides, I promised you an orgasm." He got off the bed and knelt beside it. "I'm a man of my word."

My breathing accelerated. I wanted him. I always wanted him.

"I want all of New York to know you're mine," he growled.

Fuck this is hot.

"You talk so easily about our future," I said. "That's because I already know that you're in my future."

"I don't want tonight to end." I put my hands in his hair and brought his lips back down to mine. There was a quiet groan in his throat as he pulled away. "I love you, Penny." "I love you, James."

"I'm happier when we're together. Everyone can see that."

I thought everyone could see my demons when they looked in my eyes. You never did. You just saw me. I didn't want that to change."

"I don't understand how you can keep choosing me. I'm..." "Perfect. Everything that you've been through has made you who you are. And I love the man I see in front of me. I love you so much."

"I like that you're bad."

"You're still here."

He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. "Well today can't go all that poorly because you just told me you want to be my wife. I'm certainly in a good mood."

I gave up everything to be with you. Stop pushing me away."

He was acting like he was starving and I was the only thing sustaining him.

"Because your cunt is delicious. I could do that forever."

"Fuck me. Oh God, please fuck me."

"I love you so much. I never knew what I was missing." "I'm so in love with you, James Hunter."

If you don't talk to me, I can't know what you're thinking.

"I'm not used to having someone on my side."

"Truth or dare?" he asked and looked at me. I looked into his eyes. He was giving me a challenging look. I didn't want to go back to his apartment. I didn't want to ever have to face reality. I wanted to get as far away from here as possible. "Dare."

"Unless my dad punches you in the face." James laughed and looked down at me. His expression grew cloudy. "Wait, do you seriously think that's going to happen?"

"I think it's more likely that your dad will punch me in the face than love me."

"If you need to make an emergency escape, please don't leave me in the crossfire." "I would never."

"Jane Eyre? Are you a fan of all the classic romances?" I laughed. "No, actually. I read it for my senior thesis. Jane and Mr. Rochester drove me crazy. Clearly they should have been together the whole time. It made me so mad."

"Sometimes it still feels like I made you up. Maybe this will make it feel more real."

My dad sighed and sat down. "James Hunter, the founder of Blive Tech International. I didn't realize you had taken a sudden career change into teaching." "I needed the change." "You know, I actually own stock in your company."