Chapter Twenty-Two
Scran: noun, food. Pronounced: Sc-ran.
* * *
Eden
“It was wonderful from start to finish. He took us on his private jet. I’ve never been on one before. You should see, it’s so plush and luxurious. There was champagne as we boarded and he even organized some Disney movies for me to watch too. Annnndddd, I joined the mile high club, girls.” I laugh from a little nervousness.
This all so new to me, sharing my newfound sex life with the girls.
Believe me, it’s not just sex; it’s a supercharged connection on steroids.
“I think sex in the air heightens all your senses or something. It was extraordinary.”
“Is that jet his, then?” Eva asks me.
“Yes and no. He is part owner, along with another four or five golfer friends. Apparently, they all travel together if it’s a team tournament and stuff. I felt like a princess.”
“I’ve never met anyone who owns their own jet,” says Eva with a deep sigh.
“Hey, are you okay? You’ve been really quiet recently, and dancing classes aside, I’ve hardly seen you,” I ask.
Eva lowers her chin to her chest. Sensing Eva’s weariness, I walk over and give her a hug. “Is something wrong, Eva?” I give her a good squeeze.
“Ignore me. I’m just having a bad few weeks. Things aren’t right between Ewan and me. I don’t want to talk about it. You’ve had such a great time away. I want to hear everything.”
“We’ll chat later. Okay?” I whisper into her ear.
Pulling out of our hug, she weakly smiles at me. I don’t like Eva being sad. It’s not like her at all. She and Ewan are like couple goals to me.
Toni pipes up. “How was Disney, Eden? Was it just how you imagined?”
“Disney World was magical,” I say in awe. “I met Minnie at the breakfast table in the morning. She’s so cute. When I met Cinderella at the meet and greet with the princesses, she asked me if I traveled by pumpkin to get there. It was so funny and better than anything I could have imagined. I got new ears, and I made Hunter wear them too. I don’t think he was too impressed by that. There was the parade, and aww, it was a-ma-zing. The fireworks at night in Magic Kingdom were spectacular. I have never seen a fireworks show like it. Tink flies across the sky,” I squeal. “Hunter even took me swimming with dolphins too. We squeezed so much in. It was all so fantastical.” I bounce across the kitchen toward the kettle and flip the switch on.
“Sounds like hell; thank fuck you didn’t take me there. You have the mind of a five-year-old,” Beth drawls.
“Oh, be quiet. Stop being a stuffy CEO boss bitch. Eden’s excited. Let her tell you about her ultimate dream coming true. You’re never too old for Disney,” Toni says warmly.
The girls have come over for a quick cuppa because I haven’t seen them since I got back over a week ago. The week after Edinburgh, Hunter and I spent so much time together. We have so much in common and haven’t stopped chatting, laughing, and discovering everything about one other.
Going on vacation with Hunter—well, back to his home—it felt like we’ve been together forever. We are perfectly synchronized.
I also watched his photoshoot with his new sports sponsor too. Having never attended a professional brand photoshoot before, I was fascinated by everything, including Hunter’s delectable brawny abs. The way the stylist greased him up. Holy hell bags. I couldn’t take my eyes off him for one second. It was difficult keeping my hands off him. Well, that was until we went into his dressing room.
The man is a dream.
It’s only a couple of days now till The Cup starts and the town is getting really busy, but so have Toni and Beth’s jobs too. The town demands their attention during these four intense days.
“You don’t need to listen to me for long; Hunter and I are going out for some scran, anyway. He’s due here in about ten minutes,” I say, looking at the clock. “I need to go get ready. He’s taking me to Wee Oscars tonight.” I beam.
“I think I preferred you when you were depressed all the time. Now you’re too sparkly and shiny and bouncy and shit. You make me think my entire life is boring now compared to yours.” Beth leans back against her chair in my kitchen and folds her arms.
“Have you seen his Instagram? All the girls are asking who the girl is in the photos at Disney World and at the penguins. They’re all commenting on how cute you are.” Toni bounces her shoulder in excitement. “You're practically famous.”
“I thought Hunter was gonna barf at the penguins. The smell was horrendous. Did you see the comments on that photo? Some of them are mean. One of them called me a poison dwarf. Pffft,” I moan. That one hurt, I have to admit.
“Ignore them, they're just jealous. The sunflower field date Hunter took you on was insanely romantic, Eden. He’s so thoughtful,” swoons Eva.
I can’t help but smile. “I know. He’s everything, girls. I feel so lucky. That was a tremendous surprise. He had a little table set up with champagne and a cheese board, surrounded by sunflowers as we sat and watched the sunset. It was beautiful. He pays attention to everything I say, and he knows how important sunflowers are to me.”
Toni beams. “He posts pics of you guys all the time. He really likes you.”
“I don’t think I can take any more of this,” Beth grumbles.
“And you should see his house. It’s huge, like five times the size of mine, and he has a pool. We made love in his pool too.” I smile at that memory. “I’m ticking that off my skinny-dipping and sex in the sea items from my bucket list. I’m not doing it here in Castleview Cove—uh-uh, no way. It’s too bloody cold.” I continue. “You know, he even had a new bed arrive for his bedroom so I didn’t have to sleep in the same bed that his ex, Jess, did. He’s so thoughtful. He really looks after me,” I say dreamily.
“God, I think I’m going to throw up,” Beth mutters.
Toni swings around to Beth and whacks her on the shoulder. “Will you just bloody stop? For Christ’s sake, since you and Billy called it quits, you’ve been a cranky old trout. Now stop it and let Eden have her moment. Our girl is happy, Beth, happy.” She urges her to get on board.
I can’t help but smile. “I don’t care what you think, Beth. I am happy and so in lo…”
I stop myself.
“Love? Were you about to say love?” Eva quizzes me, wide-eyed, and the girls all stop what they're doing.
I move my eyes sideways, deep in thought. Shit. I don’t want to tell them. I want to tell him.
“You so are, you’re in love with Hunter!” Toni yells and it echoes loudly throughout my open-plan house.
Simultaneously, Hunter walks into the kitchen. Aw, hell.
I forgot I opened the sliding glass doors earlier as it’s been a super-hot day. With all the glass it was like a furnace in here. He must have come through them and not my squeaky front door, or I would have heard him.
Hunter stands there, hands in his pockets, staring at me in his white dress button-up shirt tucked into his charcoal-gray dress trousers. He looks so handsome with his endless deep tan.
“Annnnddddd… I think that’s our cue to leave, girls,” says Beth as she stands, gathers the mugs, and places them carefully in my Belfast sink.
“Lost for words, Hunter?” Toni teases as she walks out of the kitchen.
Hunter hasn’t taken his eyes off me.
Briefly Beth pats Hunter’s back twice. “See you in a few days, King.”
Eva waves and behind Hunter’s back, she silently mouths, “Oh my God.”
Then it’s just Hunter and me standing in the kitchen.
Bloody hell.
“Did you hear that?”
“You love me?” He frowns.
“Okay, so you heard that.” I crinkle my nose and clench my eyes shut.
“I’ll ask again, do you love me, Eden Wallace?”
“Eh, would it be alright if I did, or does it complicate your feelings or anything? You know, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, and hell, I never wanted you to find out like this. This is not how this is supposed to go. So. Not. Romantic,” I say abashedly, rubbing my elephant necklace as I look away.
“Say it,” he commands. “Look at me.” He’s so sexy when he’s bossy.
I slide my eyes to him.
“Say it, Eden.”
“I love you, Hunter,” I say almost inaudibly.
“Louder, baby,” he says with an I-dare-you grin.
Screw it, nothing we ever do together is conventional. I raise my hands in the air and give it my all. “I love you, Hunter.” My voice bounces around the open space.
Hunter dashes toward me, cups my face, and squeezes his face to mine as we lock in a hard kiss against one another. I think he’s trying to pull my neck out of its socket.
“I love you, Eden. More than anything in this world, I love you. I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks now.”
Oh my, I think my heart may burst, or I might faint, or both. He loves me.
Melting together as we share a long passionate kiss, we claw, scramble, and breathe against each other.
“I want to do this all night, but we have dinner reservations,” he mumbles against my mouth.
“We can continue this after.”
“I can’t stop, but you need to get dressed. You are not going out in a bright-pink bra top and cycling shorts to Wee Oscars.” He laughs into my mouth. “They’ll not let us in.”
“I think I look great.”
“You look better naked.”
I love the way he says naked and baby. It comes out like nay-kid and bay-bee and makes my tummy spin.
“We need to stop kissing, or I’ll never be ready in time.”
“Fuck it.” He picks me up and places me on the edge of the kitchen table.
“Someone might see; it’s not dark enough yet,” I squeal.
“Don’t care,” he says, undoing his dress pants quickly. “I need to be inside of you now. Shorts off.”
So this is happening fast. I whip my stretchy pink shorts off and just as I drop them to the floor, he glides his cock along my already wet, swollen folds. I moan and arch my back, begging him to do it again.
“This is gonna be quick, hard, and fucking wonderful. You ready?” he says with a broad grin, teasing his long, hard length at the entrance of my sex.
“Yeah, Hunter, I want you.” I pull him to me.
I can never get enough of this man.
I’m already throbbing.
In one swift move, he rams his dripping cock hard inside me.
Ouch.
But oh, so good.
I arch my back off the table.
“Give it to me, Hunter.”
Looking up, I take in this man who loves me. I feel so lucky to have him in my life. Nothing comes close to how he makes me feel. I feel stellar. I watch him as his eyes roll back in sheer pleasure, lost in us.
“Ah,” I gasp as Hunter pounds into me and shapes his hands on my tiny waist.
“My hands are carved for your curves.”
I love when he tells me how he’s feeling. He short-circuits my brain.
Like always, there’s that electricity thrumming between us, but I need closeness, so I reach up. “I want more.”
In one fluid movement, Hunter lifts me up, moves me so I’m now at the other end of the table on my back, then crawls on top and glides his thick cock back inside of me.
“Take your top off, Hunter. I want to feel you against me.”
“Take yours off too.”
Unrelentingly, he keeps thrusting into me as he leans back and pulls his shirt over his head, exposing his glorious body, then grabs my hips. I feel my orgasm weave its way up my spine, warming my thighs and sex.
“Kiss me, Hunter,” I beg.
He bows his head and licks my new tattoo between my cleavage, dragging his wet tongue up my body before landing on my lips. Urgently, we kiss as his naked chest melts into mine.
“Roll your dance hips for me, baby,” he mutters breathlessly.
I move in time, meeting his intense rhythmic thrusts. He moans out, “I can feel everything inside you. It’s like your magic spot is rubbing the head of my cock. Wrap your fucking legs around me, now,” he demands, rolling his eyes back.
I want him to go deeper. Tilting more, I loop my legs around his waist and hook my feet together, begging Hunter to drive into me deeper. He grabs the edge of the tabletop to get the anchor he needs.
I can’t think straight as our slapping skin and moans echo through my house. “Oh my God, that’s so good, Hunter.” I moan frantically, digging my nails into his muscular back.
I feel my orgasm coiling down my spine and into my hot, deep core. A tidal wave of sensations flow through my body as my orgasm surges.
Like a rocket discharging, a shower of golden stars flash behind my eyes.
Clenching hard around him, we both pant wildly as we photo finish climax together loudly, and he spills himself inside me. It’s beautiful and out of this world. Sinful and fuck hot. He’s my light in my darkness. I don’t care that this man now owns my heart. I want him to. I want him to own me and make me his. Forever.
“I love you, Eden. So, so much,” he pants uncontrollably.
Wrapped in glowing ecstasy, descending together, I lock eyes with him. My heart beats a thousand times faster as I’m consumed with emotions that feel alien to me.
“I love you too, Hunter. I’ve never loved anyone before until you. My heart’s been waiting for you,” I whisper.
Leaning up on his elbows, Hunter’s eyes darken, lost in our moment, then he kisses me with his delectable full lips.
He murmurs against my skin, “Mine’s been waiting for you too.”
“I don’t want you to go in a few days.” My heart saddens at this thought.
“I promise you, baby, we’re going to make this work. I know we will.”
I know we will.I know we can. But it hurts at the thought of him not being here all the time. I think this is going to be harder than I thought.
I pull in a breath.
“Now no more sad thoughts, Cupcake,” he says faintly, smoothing his thumb over my temple. “It’s a new beginning for us. A new part of our journey. We’re gonna be just fine. I promise.” We kiss our most delicate kiss, creating a wild butterfly flutter between my heart and throat. “Now, I hate to do this, because this kitchen table is becoming one of my favorite places to be with you, baby, but you have half an hour to get ready.” He points to the stairs as he slides out of me.
“Easy-peasy,” I say, jumping off the table before stealing a quick kiss. As I run to get ready, he swats a firm slap to my behind. I yelp and laugh at the unexpectedness of it.
I laid my navy and white spotty wrap jumpsuit out earlier and I’m putting my hair up tonight in this sexy bun thing I watched how to do on YouTube last night.
As I dash into the shower, I bathe in the feeling of being loved. He loves me.
Hunter King loves me. Little Eden Wallace of Castleview Cove.
I don’t think things could get any better.
But sometimes we can’t predict what's going to happen next, and it’s probably just as well I didn’t.
* * *
“Only two more days till The Cup then. Do you think you’re ready?” I ask Hunter as I finish the rest of my glass of prosecco.
We’ve had the most incredible meal. Wee Oscars is a traditional Scottish dish restaurant, owned by my dad’s friend, Oscar. It creates every dish with a twist. Selecting as many plates as you want, everything is dinky but bursting with flavor. I even managed to persuade Hunter to try haggis. I don’t think he’ll try it again. His nose flares gave him away as he proceeded to tell me it was nice, but he looked like he was chewing wasps.
“I hope so. My swing is great. Luke and Evan are happy with my form. I feel good. I got the girl; I’m in love.” He dreamily leans forward, puts his elbows on the table, and cups his face, gazing at me.
“You’re such a flirt, Mr. King.”
“I know, but it always gets me what I want.”
“Yeah, and what’s that?” I push my finger into my mouth, then lick and bite the tip openmouthed, teasing him.
“Stop doing that, naughty girl. Or I won’t be able to stand,” he moans. “I want you. Only you.”
I bat my eyelashes and grin.
“In all seriousness, are you going to be okay when I leave after the winner's ball? I hate having to leave so soon and I will hate not seeing you every day. But we have video calls. I’m looking forward to the phone sex you’ve promised me.” He winks.
My heart drops a little at this thought. I haven’t been able to think of anything other than him leaving in a few days. But it will be okay. We have a plan and I’ll see him again in eight weeks. Eight long weeks. He has back-to-back tournaments and I have the dance showcase coming up so eight weeks is when we can see each other next. It’s all booked and I’m flying out to Florida.
“I know I’m going to miss you too. You make me happy. So happy.” I lay my hand out for him to take it, which he does.
“Well, let’s not think about that now. Let’s focus on the fact we still have six days together. I know four are Cup days, but I’ll see you every night. I’ve arranged VIP escorts for you and the girls for the last day of the tournament. Come for a couple of hours here and there too throughout the other days if you want to. But on the last day, there’s always a huge buzz. I have also arranged access to the player tent. It’s free booze; I’m sure Ella and Beth will be all over that. My mum and stepdad will be here too.”
“They really will devour that drinks tent. I’m looking forward to meeting your parents.”
We’ve met over FaceTime and they seemed lovely.
“I want to be at every hole you play for the final,” I say confidently.
“Really, the final? Are you that confident I’m going to be in the final?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it. I want to be there with you when you win.”
“Do you?” he asks in awe. “You don’t want to be at every hole on the last day. You’ll be bored.”
“I know diddly squat about golf, but I’ll always support you, Hunter.”
He lifts my hand to his lips, and plants a soft kiss to my inner wrist. Each and every time he does that I get a little shiver down my spine.
“Thank you for letting me find you, Eden.”
“Thank you for finding me, Hunter.”
“I actually hunted you down. I’ve been hunting for someone like you all my life. I think I subconsciously willed you to crash that night,” he joshes.
“You sure did. I didn’t stand a chance.”
“Pah, you’re one to talk. Bloody pole-dancing tease. I want another one of those.” He raises his brows high.
“I can do that.”
“Yeah?”
“Absolutely. Can we go home now?”
“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
Hunter raises his hand to the server to get the check. “Shall we go get an ice cream? I only have eleven more to check off my list.”
“You’ve done better than me. Although I have a year to complete my bucket list,” I say. “C’mon, let’s get ice cream. ’Cause there’s always room for ice cream.”
As soon as we’re outside, the queue to get into the restaurant snakes down the narrow cobbled lane. I hate to tell the hopeful diners that they stand no chance of getting in. Luckily, my dad wangled tonight for us.
A few of the hopeful diners recognize Hunter and start chanting his name and wishing him well.
The town is packed tonight. I forgot how busy it gets during the tournament.
Hunter signs a few autographs and then wishes them well. He pulls me in close as we take a leisurely walk along the street to Castle Cones.
“We’ll be lucky to get a taxi tonight, you know,” I say lazily.
“We’ll be fine. There is no way I am letting you walk very far in those sky-high red heels. Although, I think you should keep them on when we get home. You look super sexy in them, and I quite like the idea of them wrapped around my ears tonight. How the hell do you walk in those, anyway?”
I giggle and I’m about to answer when someone calls to Hunter from behind. Turning around, Fraser is jogging toward us.
“Hey, guys. I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to see you. It’s been a crazy few weeks. You all set for the tournament?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I actually wanted to catch you too, Eden, and thank you for speaking to Ella for me. It meant a lot. Thank you.”
Ella got in touch with Fraser? Interesting. I’m going to put salt instead of sugar in her cup of tea when she visits next time; she never told me. She’s such an introvert sometimes.
“You’re welcome, Fraser. I hope you guys worked things out. It’s been a very long ti—”
“Sorry I’m late, Fraser. I couldn’t get the car parked, and it’s so busy.”
My blood drains from my body at the sound of that voice. I’d recognize it anywhere.
As if in slow motion, the town around me spins like I’m in a blender. With everything becoming a blur, my body shivers and shakes as I slowly turn toward the voice.
“Eden?”
“Jamie!”
“Fuck,” I hear Hunter mutter under his breath.