“Yeah, I tend to do that,” I admit.

Mila glances at her watch. “We need to get going, or we’ll be late for class.”

“Oh, shit!” I jump off the bed and run to the bathroom. “I still need to shower. I’ll catch up with you all later.”

I rush through my morning routine, and out of time, I leave my hair to air dry. It’s going to be a curly mess, but I couldn’t care less at this moment. I grab a hair tie and shove it onto my wrist, in case I need it later.

Dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers, I dart out of the room. Remembering it was chilly this morning, I quickly rush back and grab a sweater from the back of my chair before hightailing it out of the suite.

I’m late for my first class, and with an apologetic glance at the professor, I sink down in the first open chair I can find.

My whole morning feels rushed as I dart from one class to the next. When it’s time for lunch, I let out an exhausted sigh as I use the hair tie to tame my wild strands into a messy bun on top of my head.

An arm wraps around my waist, and I’m yanked against something solid. My eyes snap up, and it’s just in time to see Hunter’s face before he presses a kiss to my lips.

Students scurry around us, and for a moment, I think about the fact that we just went public with our relationship.

Like you ever cared what people thought.

I wrap my arms around Hunter’s neck and pressing my mouth to his, I kiss him as if he’s the air I need to breathe.

Because he is.

When I pull back, he gives me a sexy grin. “I could get used to that.”

“Better than the hugs?” I tease him.

“Oh, way better.” He takes hold of my hand and pulls me out of the building and into the sunlight.

“Please tell me we’re going to eat,” I say as I link my fingers with his.

“I asked the restaurant to prepare a basket for us.” He smiles at me, and when he sees the question on my face, he explains, “It’s a nice day out, and I thought we could have a picnic somewhere quiet so we can talk.”

Talk? About what?

I’m still recovering from all the talking we did last night.

I don’t say anything and let Hunter lead the way. We grab the basket, which I hope is filled with a lot of food, and begin to make our way down the trail I ran this morning.

I try to peek into the basket, but Hunter catches me and blocks my view with his body. “It’s a surprise.”

I pout at him, but then a smile wins out.

We reach the lookout point, and I sink to my butt, ready to eat.

Hunter sits down next to me and opening the basket, he unloads a world of goodness. He hands me a bottle of water, and I take a sip.

“We can talk after you’ve eaten. I’m scared you’ll beat me up to get to the food,” Hunter teases.

“Me? Never.” I reach for a sandwich and take a huge bite. “Mmhhh…” I groan. “So good.”

“Yeahhhhh.” My eyes dart to Hunter’s, and I see that he’s staring at my mouth.

Wiping over it in case I have some crumbs stuck, I say, “Sorry, but you know I eat like a pig. I’m not about to become a salad girl.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “I don’t expect you to.”

I shove the rest of the sandwich into my mouth and close my eyes as I savor the buttery goodness. Opening the water bottle, I take a sip and then look at Hunter.

There’s an intense expression tightening his features, his eyes locked on me.

“What?” I ask, placing the bottle on the grass.

“I wanted to talk first,” he growls, “but… fuck…” The next second, Hunter moves over me, forcing me to lie down with his body hovering over me, and his mouth collides with mine.

Okay, kiss whenever we want to… I guess Hunter wants to… and yeah, I’m all for it.

When his tongue slips into my mouth, my thoughts scatter away, and I bring my hands to his jaw. I kiss him back, matching his intensity until we’re both breathless.

When he breaks the kiss, he continues to lie half over me. His eyes drift over my face, and then he murmurs, “I wish you knew what you’re doing to me.”

Oh, shit. I thought we were in a good place?

Frowning, I ask, “Did I do something wrong?”

A slow smile spreads over his face as he shakes his head. “The opposite. You’re doing everything right.”

My frown only deepens as confusion sets in. “I’m not following. What am I doing to you, then?”

Hunter’s head lowers again, and he presses a tender kiss to my lips. Pulling back, he admits, “You’re driving me wild, Jade. It’s hard to not touch you… and Christ… I just want to kiss you all the time.”


Tags: Michelle Heard The Heirs Romance