🔥🚒🔥Fire alarm warning!🔥🚒🔥

🔥🔥This chapter gets mature in the spicy department! 🔥🔥

Chewing on my fingernails, I nervously pace up and down the beach. My eyes scan both the sea and the sky for any signs of a particular pirate ship.

I don't know why meeting him tonight feels so different than before. Maybe it's cause this time, even though we're meeting in our dreams, I know he's real. I know that whatever happens could affect how things will go in the real world when I wake up. Maybe it's because I now know what his lips truly taste like or how it feels to be pinned to a wall with those dark eyes looking at me as if they could consume me whole.

Man, having him so close yesterday has really done a number on me.

I glance at a hill not far away where the grass meets the golden sand and find Mia sitting right where I last saw her. She smiles and gives me an encouraging thumbs-up.

After taking god knows how long, I finally managed to find her stuck in some weird sexy nurse dream one of our male classmates was having earlier in the night. It took less time to get her out of there than it did to get there but we both saw way more than we wanted to. After that, I told her everything about my past with Hunter.

Despite her own rocky history with him, she listened and gave me words of kindness. I hope after this I can get him to lay off her. Maybe even apologize.

He better apologize to her if he wants anything to do with me.

I mentally slap myself for that thought. Not that I don't want him to fix things with Mia but because my mind keeps resorting back to the idea of letting him in again. I don't even know if that's what he wants let alone something he deserves. But even as I tell myself that, my heart still flutters the second I spot his ship appearing among the clouds.

I double-check the casual outfit I conjured for myself, leggings and a t-shirt with the added armor of a soft sweater. I figure it's best not to wear something that could be considered suggestive. This is just supposed to be us talking and getting things cleared up. That said, I still give my clothes another once over as the ship stops just above my head, blocking out the last rays of sunshine as the sky turns dark.

A rope falls from the side of the ship just like the last time Hunter and I were here together. But unlike last time, instead of him being pulled up, he slides down with a natural gracefulness and lands solidly on his feet in front of me.

My stupid fluttering heart nearly jumps right out of my chest as he pushes blue hair out of his face and offers me a smirk that makes me wanna run for the hills while I still can.

Instead, I wrap my arms around myself and try to act unfazed. "Blue?"

He shrugs. "You always liked it before."

He's not lying. It's one of the reasons I didn't recognize him with his back turned to me on that first day. He's always kept his hair, semi-shaggy strands that brush across his forehead and along the tops of his ears with a clean undercut, a pretty dark blue during the years we spent together here. I like his natural black now that I've seen it, but the blue is a nice touch too and the memories tied to it make my stomach flip.

Instead of telling him that though, I say, "I should try pink or purple sometime. I haven't done that yet."

"You could...I like the blonde though." He reaches out and softly touches a stray strand of my hair that hangs along the side of my face, his eyes holding mine with an intensity I can feel deep inside me.

Stepping away, I look out at the water as his ship sails from the clouds to the ocean's surface in the distance. "So...you wanted to talk?"

He nods. "Yeah, but not here."

"Then where?"

The second the words leave my mouth, the beach around us begins to shift. His ship on the waves and Mia on the hill fade away completely as the scene turns into some kind of luxury penthouse apartment. Within seconds we're standing in the middle of a sleek sitting area with dim lighting and an array of candles lit throughout the space. A wall of windows stretches along one side with a city I've never seen before sparkling with life under the night sky. Behind a set of black modern couches is a small table decorated with more candles.

"What is this?" I whisper, looking around with wide eyes.

Hunter steps closer. "Somewhere more private for us to talk."

With a racing heart, my gaze snaps back to find him now dressed in stylish jeans and a black button-up shirt that casually hangs untucked with several top buttons left unclasped. It's an amazing contrast with the dark blue of his hair.

"Well now I'm underdressed," I say with a strained laugh.

He shakes his head. "Now you're not."

I look down and sure enough, my leggings, t-shirt, and sweater combo have turned into a black sweater dress that hangs off of one shoulder and reaches to the middle of my thighs. It's something I would honestly pick for myself and the fact he knows me that well makes it hard to breathe.

Shit, I'm in trouble.

"Why are you doing all this?" I ask, unable to lift my attention from my new wardrobe to look at him. "I thought we were supposed to just talk. This feels like something...more."

When he doesn't answer, I force my gaze up and find a mix of doubt and heat in those dark brown eyes.

"I..." His words die as he licks his lips and looks away.

I hate seeing him so unsure. I might be thrown off by all of this but at the same time...this isn't exactly abnormal for us. We used to go on dream dates all the time. But back then, I thought it was all my imagination. Now knowing he was doing it all along makes my heart beat even faster. It's like the dumb thing is trying to burst from my chest and land in the palm of his hand.

With a deep breath, I step toward him and lightly run my fingers along the side of his hand. "Talk to me. You said one of us has our information wrong but if we're not honest with each other, we'll never get this worked out. So tell me the truth...what's on your mind right now?"

Slowly, he turns his head, making me realize just how close we are as that penetrating gaze lands on me.

"I..." He licks his lips again, making it hard not to stare at his mouth. "I miss you, Star."

My dumb erratic heart melts into a puddle of mush and my knees feel as if they might give out beneath me.

"I...I miss you too," I say, the honesty of my words hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Hunter's been my rock and my safe place for so long. He was everything to me. Not having him lately has felt like I've been missing a piece of myself. Each night I longed for him to the point that it was actually painful, and then to think it was all fake nearly killed me. For the first time since meeting him, things began to feel hopeless.

Dropping my hand from his, I step back. "But if that's the case, then why did you do this? Why use me the way you did? What did you get out of it?"

His brows pinch above narrowed eyes. "I used you?"

"That's what my dad said. That you blame him for something he didn't do and sought me out to use me against him."

The heat in Hunter's eyes turns up several degrees but this time it's a different type of fire burning in those dark pools. He slowly steps toward me like the predator my dad claims he is and makes me shuffle back.

"That he didn't do?" A twisted grin curves his lips. "He's a liar, Crystal. He's completely at fault and he fucking knows it."

The back of my legs hits the couch and my ass lands on the soft cushion. Hunter uses the opportunity to his benefit, crowding over me as he places his hands on the back of the couch, caging me between his arms and leaning down into my face. And embarrassingly, there's a part of me that's twisted enough to find the entire thing extremely hot.

"I never used you," he says, his voice gravelly. "I thought I found you by chance. That luck was on my side in giving me something to brighten my nights. I had no idea who you were until I broke into the vault where your dad stores his secrets, and even then I still thought that maybe..." The look in his eyes softens as he takes me in as if seeing me clearly for the first time tonight. With a shake of his head, he moves to get up.

I don't let him.

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I keep him still. "You thought that maybe what?"

"It doesn't matter, I was wrong."

"Were you?" I ask between deep panting breaths that are consumed with the smell of him.

"Yeah." He nods. "Because when I went back, I found a memory he forgot when clearing the place. It was a plan between father and daughter where he told you how to find me here and get close to me. You two targeted me, not the other way around."

He moves to pull away again but I use my hold on his shirt to pull him back until I can feel his breath on my lips. "There's no way."

"And why is that?"

"Because I had no idea I was a dreamer until you cornered me in the dorm stairwell."

His eyes narrow as if he's mentally trying to read my mind. "Impossible. Dreamers come into their abilities when they're young. There's no way you didn't know."

"I didn't." I shake my head, praying he'll believe me. "I don't why but I didn't get mine young. That or I didn't notice. I've always had vivid dreams so maybe that's why. But I swear, Hunter, I didn't know and...I would never do that to you."

The two of us stare at each other, locked in this position of give and take. After what feels like forever, Hunter pulls away again, but slowly this time. The look on his face tells me it's safe to let him go and when I do, he moves to sit beside me on the couch. But instead of turning to face me, he reaches over and picks me up as if I weigh nothing at all and places me on his lap. With each leg bent along the outsides of his thighs, I struggle to breathe facing him like this.

Hunter grabs my hips with both hands. "Could it be that he lied to us both?"

I wish I could say that sounds like something my father wouldn't do. That he's not that kind of person. But my dad has never been much of a dad to me and the way he's been trying to be lately has felt so wrong it makes my stomach turn. He's always been about him first, business second, and me and Mom last. If he thought turning Hunter and me against each other was in his best benefit, he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

Slowly, I nod. "It's a strong possibility."

The breath that Hunter releases is filled with so much relief it makes my own tense muscles relax.

"But why would he do that?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know. Maybe he found out about us and wasn't happy about it, or thought that we could get in his way."

"Why not just tell you to leave me then?"

I laugh. "He knows I would never listen to him. Besides, I get the feeling he didn't want me to know what I am. I think if you hadn't told me, he wasn't going to. Even now, he only gives me bits and pieces of information. That's why I broke into his office today."

"And then I took the journal from you," Hunter says with regret laced in every word. "I'm sorry, Star. I just needed to make sure you'd see me."

"How could I not?" I whisper, allowing my body to relax the rest of the way, fully giving my weight to him and feeling all of him against me. Every. Last. Inch.

His eyes roll back as his hands tighten on my hips. "For what it's worth, I did read some of it. Said dreamers that are blood-related are more powerful. Maybe he didn't want you to use that kind of connection against him."

"Maybe. Either way, I know now. Thanks to you," I whisper, running my hand along the side of his face and enjoying how my touch makes his breath hitch. "I really did miss you...Hunter."

His eyes snap open, burning with a need that fills me too. "God, I love the way you call me Captain but there's something about hearing you say my name that drives me crazy."

Leaning forward, I place my lips beside his ear and whisper, "Hunter."

I can feel the shiver that travels through him as well as the excitement growing between our connected bodies.

Grabbing my jaw, he pulls my face to his, keeping the smallest amount of space between us. "Tomorrow, I'll give you the journal and teach you everything I know."

"Fine." I nod. "Just fucking kiss me already, Captain."

With a twitch in his jaw and that killer smirk I love so much, he slams his mouth to mine. I instantly melt into him, kissing him like doing so will give me life after starving for air. I give him all the emotions that have been building in me since this mess started. I give him all my longing and desperation. All the nights I thought I would lose my mind without him. He gets every part of me, body and soul, even if he doesn't know it.

But Hunter doesn't hesitate to do the same.

Keeping one hand tightly gripping my hip, the other reaches up to wrap around the side of my neck as he deepens our kiss. And with every push and pull of his lips, every squeeze of his grip, I feel how much he's missed me. I feel the pain from the betrayal he thought I made as well as the relief that I never did.

When his tongue swipes along my bottom lip, I can't hold back the moan that falls from my mouth.

"Fuck, Crystal," Hunter growls against my lips. "I missed hearing all your little sounds."

I sink my teeth into his bottom lip and swallow the rugged groan that he releases. "And I missed yours."

I feel his smile before his tongue is demanding entrance, and I gladly give it to him as a shiver of excitement shoots down my spine. Every moment of this kiss is filled with hunger and desperation. Our hands search for more ways to get closer, his moving to grip my bare thighs while mine frantically fight with the rest of the buttons on his shirt. In the back of my mind, I know there's an easier way to do this considering where we are but there's an excited zap of energy with each struggle that's hard to pass up.

"You have no idea how bad I want you," I say as his mouth moves to create a sweet path along my jaw.

A short chuckle bubbles up from inside him. "You sure about that?"

Tightening his hold on me, he thrusts up between my legs, letting me feel just how badly he wants me.

"Hunter," I gasp, my head falling back and giving him more access to my neck. "What are you waiting for?"

"Not here." He grabs the back of my head and forces me to look at him, those soul-searing dark eyes holding me captive. "Next time I have you, I want it to be real. Not here. Not like this. I wanna really feel you and I want you to really feel me. Got it?"

I nod, more turned on than ever. But even though what he's saying sounds like heaven, it also does nothing to help the ache between my legs tonight.

"You look disappointed."

I shake my head. "No...I just..." My thighs tighten on their own, attempting to relieve some of the discomfort while also showing what I fail to explain.

That sexy smile of his spreads wider. "You need some help tonight?"

I nod.

"I got you," he says.

Leaning back against the couch, Hunter grabs my hips and guides my body. When he sets me down, bringing where I need him most with where his own need strains against his jeans, a jolt of pleasure shoots to my core and pulls a lusty moan from my lips.

"Ride it out," he instructs, his voice both rough and silky, creating goosebumps across my flesh. "You need relief tonight, baby, then take it. But this is all you get until I can really get my hands on you."

I don't argue, not when what he's offering feels so good.

Doing as he says, I ride out my desire on his hard jean-covered length. With every rock of my hips, the both of us release hungry wanton sounds of passion. And while Hunter might not be willing to take things further, he doesn't hold back on making this everything I need right now. His lips kiss every space of exposed skin he can reach while his hands caress my entire body.

"That's it, baby," he says encouragingly as my body begins to shake.

The tension in the pit of my stomach tightens more, building to extreme levels. Hunter must feel it too. While he lets me keep most of the control, he also thrusts against me, giving me more to use and feel. The two of us get lost in each other, flying on a sensual high that's ready to explode. When I'm not sure I can take it anymore, Hunter pulls me to him once again and kisses me with a primal claim that has me shaking like a leaf.

Using one of my own moves against me, he bites my bottom lip and gently tugs. "Say my name," he whispers before he grabs my hips and pulls me down harder, giving me everything I can take with the boundaries between us and making me see the stars.

And while that glorious knot deep inside unravels out of control, I ride the high and do as he says.

"Hunter!"

Chapter Word Count: 3184

Total Word Count: 21839

Well, I wasn't sure if I was gonna have things get too spicy with this book but it just felt right. Plus, it's fun. What can I say? lol. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Another chapter down for this project and hopefully another step closer to finishing before my ONC deadline. I'm running out of time but I'm gonna keep trying until the last moment, so wish me luck! I'll be back to update with questions later!

Leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!

💜 xoxo