“Done.”
“Already?”
“Sure. I just needed to get close enough to clone his phone. We can leave if you want.”
“Oh, no. I want to dance with you. No way is that scumbag going to be the only man to hold you tonight.”
Hunter placed their flutes down and pulled Byte into his arms. Ignoring propriety, Byte laced her fingers behind his neck and let her head rest on his chest. Even with the three-inch heels, she was only shoulder high, not that she cared. Not while he was running his thumb against her exposed spine. Not while he softly sang Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.”
We go to a party
And everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady
That's walking around with me
And then she asks me, "Do you feel alright?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight"
No truer words,Hunter thought. Byte was wonderful. He just had to convince her he was worth the risk.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT
Byte stretched out after remembering her night with Hunter. He’d been chivalrous, attentive, and so dang handsome. She couldn’t remember if she’d told him that. She should have but her senses were all on overdrive. Nothing about that night was in her wheelhouse. She didn’t dress up. She didn’t date, and she definitely hadn’t kissed a boy. But like Hunter had said, he wasn’t a boy. The way he pulled her close, lowered his head, and told her how much he enjoyed spending the night with her, caused goosebumps to travel from his breath on her neck down to the tips of her fingers. It was a sensation she’d never experienced before, but hoped to again.
He forewarned her that he wanted to kiss her. He gave her the opportunity to step back and not let what was simmering between them boil over. But Byte wasn’t someone who backed away from trouble, and Hunter Higgins was the epitome of trouble. Initially, he ran his nose along her cheekbone, never losing contact. When his lips were near hers, he kissed the edges, driving her to want more. Instead of giving in, he moved his lips over the bow of her lips until he reached the other side and tenderly nipped, then kissed the skin.
She couldn’t remember who’d groaned or if they both had, but Hunter took it as encouragement and lowered his lips to hers. They were soft, tentative, and begging for more… only Byte wasn’t sure how to do more. It must have shown because Hunter didn’t try to deepen the kiss; instead, he let his lips wander along her jawline, up to the crown of her head, where he stopped and sucked in a breath. He wasn’t the only one starving for oxygen. She’d held her breath as he kissed along her face.
“Byte,” Hunter whispered. “Thank you for tonight.”
Unsure what he meant, she pulled back and glared. “Are you thanking me for letting you kiss me?”
“No, although I am thankful. I liked kissing you. What I meant was thank you for asking me to be your date.”
“Faux date, you mean.”
“No. I mean date.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Would you go out for another date tomorrow?”
Wasn’t that quick? she wondered. But before she could question him, she remembered what she was doing the following day.
“I can’t. I have to go see my mother.”
“I understand.”
“No, you probably don’t. I haven’t seen her since I was nine. It’s not going to be a happy family reunion, but it’s something I have to do.”
Understanding the tax this was going to take on her, Hunter pulled her back into his embrace and rested his chin on her head.
“Will you call me when you get home?”
“What for?”