Arabella groaned softly, waking up just a little bit when Hunter got out of bed. In the back of her mind, she felt him slide back into the bed and she relaxed a little bit, holding herself closer to him. Arabella felt something squirming around beside her and she opened her eyes slightly, squinting down at Jolie, who was trying to curl up next to Ajax. "Silly love sick dog" She said in a raspy voice from not using it and she turned her eyes up to Hunter. "Morning"
"Hey." He said with a chuckle, kissing her lightly on the forehead. He looked down at Jolie who nuzzling into Ajax's side. Ajax, in response, stood up and crawled over Hunter's legs, jumping off the bed and walking out of the bed room. Jolie tried to follow, but was caught on Hunter's legs. He scoffed and rolled his eyes before picking Jolie up and setting her on the ground. The sound of her tag against her collar, a jingling noise, trailed down the hallway and down the stairs as Hunter turned to Arabella. He scooted toward her and kissed her tightly on the lips, resting his hand on her stomach. "Good morning." He said against her lips.
"That is one interesting dog I have..." Arabella said, her voice trailing off. She looked up at Hunter and smiled before rubbing her eyes. "How did you sleep?" She asked him and stretched her legs for a moment before relaxing her muscles. She had slept happily and she was glad that she didn't have any dreams. It was nice to get a decent sleep. Arabella looked over at the clock and moaned softly. "It's before noon. It's way to early to be awake" She said with a giggle.
"Blame the dogs." He said with a smile as he moved on top of her, kissing her lips. He stayed there for a few moments before leaving one lasting kiss on her lips. "Why don't you call Tyler and tell him to bring the car over here? I'll go for a run with Ajax." He said as he rolled out of bed. "I'll just run straight to the shower, giving you no chance to jump me." He teased with a chuckle. "Then Tyler and I will fix up the car while you go shopping. Then you can come home and I'll make you dinner. Then I'll give you a massage or something and we'll figure it out from there." He smiled and pulled off his shirt. He grabbed his sleeveless camp shirt and slipped it on. "How's that sound?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella moaned softly as she stretched, still laying down on the bed. She tugged at the hem of her shirt then smiled up at Hunter. "It sounds like a perfect day. Except for the part about me not being able to jump your sexy bones" She said and gave him a wink. She yawned before pulling the blanket up. "Okay..you go for a run, I'll call Tyler..sounds like a plan" Arabella mumbled, closing her eyes.
Hunter smiled and looked at her. "You're just going to fall asleep again." He said with a chuckle before seeing that her eyes were closed. He silently walked over and leaned over her. With a grin, he leaned down and kissed her tightly on the lips, putting a hand on the bed on either side of her. He felt her hands reach up, pulling him close and running her fingers through his hair. He finally broke away, standing back up. Hunter swallowed and took a deep breath. "Okay. Maybe I'll allow time after my run." He said with a smile before finally walking out of the bedroom. He walked down the stairs and found Ajax at his water dish, calmly taking a drink and being closely followed by Jolie. "Jo! Leave him alone. We're going for a run." He said as he put the harness on Ajax. He quickly walked out of the house and closed the door, making sure that Jolie didn't escape. "You're quite the ladykiller, Ajax." He said as he knelt down and scratched him behind the ear. "Let's go." He said before starting his run.
Arabella stuck her hand out of the blankets and she grabbed her phone, pressing Tyler's name in her contacts list and starting to write a message to him. Hi Tyler, get your butt over here later. In a couple of hours. Hunter wants to work on your car today. Arabella tossed her phone onto the bedside table and groaned, rolling onto her stomach and pulling the blankets up. Just then, she heard a jingle and panting from the side of her bed. Arabella opened her eyes and saw Jolie on the ground beside her, looking up. "Oh...Jolie. How can I ignore that pretty face" She cooed and reached down, picking Jolie up with on hand and placing her on the bed next to her. Arabella watched as Jolie laid her head down and close her eyes. A smile spread across Arabella's lips and she closed her eyes, petting Jolie gently. It wasn't long before both of them were sleeping.
Hunter slowed to a stop in the driveway and got his breathing back to normal, looking at the opposite side of the street. "You know, Ajax? I can see all 7 houses from this spot." He said before looking down at his dog. "You know why that's important?" Ajax put his head down and started sniffing the ground. "You don't care. Never mind." He scoffed and picked up Ajax as he walked into the house. He half-expected Arabella to jump him as he walked in the door, but it was quiet. He walked up the stairs quietly and set Ajax down on the ground. He trotted over and hopped up onto the bed. Hunter smiled as he licked Arabella's face. Hunter laughed and walked into the bathroom for a shower before she woke up. He quickly stripped down and stepped into the shower.
Arabella scrunched up her nose as Ajax licked it. Soon enough, she felt Jolie scrambling to climb over Arabella's side so that she could be closer to Ajax. "Dooogs" Arabella moaned, shoving her face into the pillow. Maybe if she stayed perfectly still, the dogs would go away and let her get back to sleep. Arabella wasn't even aware of the fact that if Ajax was there, that meant that Hunter was home. She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. She figured that she could get at least another 30 minutes of sleep. Just then, however, She felt one dog lick her left ear and one dog lick her right ear. "Fine! I'll get up!" Arabella grumbled into the pillow and she pushed herself to sit up. Her eyes narrowed on Ajax and with a gasp, she realized that Hunter was home. She slid off of the bed and she walked over to the bathroom door, standing outside of it with a smirk on her face.
Hunter shut off the shower and shivered a little before grabbing a towel and drying off. He wrapped it around his waist and checked his reflection in the mirror before opening the door. "Oh!" He said, flinching a little at Arabella's appearance on the other side of the door. "I knew you were going to fall asleep again." He said as he kissed her forehead.
Arabella giggled and she took his hands, biting the inside of her lip a little bit. "I need my beauty sleep" She said in a playfully defensive tone. She leaned into him, kissing him lightly. Arabella was looking forward to the day. She was excited to go shopping and she was probably going to stop at a Starbucks too for a little treat. It was going to be a good day. Arabella kissed him tightly then felt something land on her feet and she looked down, seeing Hunter's towel on the ground. With a giggle and slightly pink cheeks, Arabella looked up at him with a smirk. "How many times is something like this going to happen to us?"
Hunter kissed her back, putting his hands on her hips. "What ar-Oh gods..." Hunter muttered, realizing his towel's position. Hunter blushed hard and scrambled to pick his towel up again. "It's to make up for all of the times that Daniel interrupted us." He said with a chuckle as he wrapped it around himself again. He kissed her cheek and walked to his dresser. "Did uh...Did you talk to Tyler?" He asked nervously as he grabbed a pair of boxers and walked into the closet to put them on.
"Yes, I talked to Tyler" Arabella said, still giggling from what had just happened. She flopped down on the bed and picked up Jolie, placing her on her stomach, where she started to pet her gently. Arabella yawned and looked towards the closet. ''I told him to come by later today. He'll probably be here soon-ish" She told Hunter and turned her gaze back to Jolie.
"Good. Good." Hunter said as he reemerged from the closet. He put the towel over his shoulder and laid down on the bed with his head on her stomach. He picked up Jolie and held her in the air for a moment before bringing her back down and letting her lick his face. He laughed and put her down on the ground where she jingled off to go find Ajax, no doubt. "Great. Thank you." Hunter said quietly as he closed his eyes.
Arabella ran her fingers through Hunter's hair tenderly and she smiled a little. she could have stayed in that bed forever. She would have been happy to not even get out of bed for the rest of the day. However, she knew that she needed to get shopping done and Hunter was planning on fixing up the car. Arabella huffed, blowing a piece of golden hair out of her face. "Is there anything you want me to pick up while I'm shopping? Anything you need for the trip?"
"I need a tux. Err...Suit. Something to wear to the ceremony." He said with a chuckle as he reached up and grazed her leg with his fingers. "Other than that...." He rolled a little and kissed her thigh. "You're all I need for the trip." He said with a smile as he pushed himself off the bed and walked over to his dresser. He slipped on a pair of jeans. "You should call Vera about her dress. You might be able to send her a picture or something." He said with a nod. "I know you're nervous, so maybe that'll help you calm your nerves." He shrugged as he turned around and pulled out a shirt.
Arabella nodded softly and she sat up, finally pulling herself out of bed and fixing the sheets. She walked over to him and kissed him lightly, placing a hand on his chest. "Mmm..you are so difficult to resist" Arabella giggled against his lips. She took a breath and walked over to her closet, trying to find some good shopping clothes. She finally pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and she tossed them onto the bed before tossing out a shirt, sweater and a pair of ballet flats. Arabella walked out of the closet and looked at Hunter. "Wait. I need to get a good look at you to remind myself of your measurements. It would suck to get to the store and not know what to get" She said to Hunter and walked over to him, eying him up and biting on her lip.
"Yeah. That's why you're currently ogling me." He said with a chuckle as he stepped forward and looped his shirt around her, pulling her close. "I 'get your measurements' all the time." He said with a smile as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. He dropped his shirt and ran his hands up her thighs to her hips, kissing her cheek and trailing his lips to her neck. Ding dong! Knock knock knock. Bark bark bark! Arooo! Hunter laughed and put his forehead on her shoulder. "Aren't you glad we got dogs?" He said as he picked up his shirt.
"Oh...thrilled" Arabella said with a giggle and a small roll of her eyes. She kissed him lightly then turned back to her clothes. "I need to get dressed..." Arabella said and she looked back at her clothes on the bed. With a sigh, she walked over, peeling off the shirt that she had been wearing. Arabella didn't really care that Hunter was there, anyway. She pulled on her jeans and shirt then yanked her sweater over her head. With a small sigh, Arabella stretched and walked out of the bedroom with Hunter, towards the front door.
Hunter hurried down the stairs and quieted the dogs before peeking out the window to see Tyler waiting at the door. He laughed for a minute before stopping Arabella at the top step and kissing her tightly on the lips. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and kissed him back. Hunter turned and pressed her up against the door, brushing his lips down her neck.
"Really, guys?" Tyler said from outside. "Take a break for air, will you?" Hunter laughed and set Arabella down before opening the door.
"Oh. Hey, Tyler." He said with a laugh. "I didn't know you were here." He lied.
Arabella giggled and she waved to Tyler. She grabbed her purse and kissed Hunter quickly but it was a lingering, teasing kiss. Arabella smiled at him then pulled away and walked towards the door. "I'll be back later. I have my phone if you need me" She said and waved to the guys once more before walking out and getting into her car.
Tyler watched her drive off then he turned to Hunter. "Well...what do we do first?" He asked, smiling slightly. He was excited about this but not jsut because he got to work on the car. He liked spending time with Hunter. It was like having an actual friend. Tyler bent down when Ajax trotted over to him and he pet him with a smile on his face. Jolie wasn't far behind Ajax and she started sniffing Tyler's ankle. "Cute dogs" He said with a chuckle.
"Ajax isn't cute. He's fearsome." Hunter said with a nod as Ajax growled a little at Tyler. "Hold on." He said as he picked Ajax up. "Ajax. This is Ellie's brother. Calm down." He held him out to Tyler and Ajax sniffed the air around Tyler. He barked once before sticking out his tongue as Tyler pet his head.
"Yeah. Real scary." Tyler said. Hunter put Ajax down and closed the door. "It's in the garage, right?" He asked as they walked out of the house. Hunter nodded and opened the garage door to reveal the blue Pontiac Firebird.
"I think all she needs is some transmission and hose work." Hunter said as he popped the hood. He stuck his head in. "So have you thought about what you're going to name it?" Tyler scoffed.
"Named it? It's a car." Tyler said with a raised eyebrow. "What did you name your car?"
"Cerberus." He said with a nod. "Arabella's is named Roxanne. You have to name your car." He said with a chuckle. Tyler sighed.
"Fine. Uh...Patronus." He said with a nod. "My car is name Patronus."
"You speak Latin?" Hunter said in disbelief. Tyler looked at him quizzically. "Patronus is Latin for protector or guardian." He said quietly.
"It's from...Harry...Potter--You've never read Harry Potter." He said in genuine shock.
"What did I offend you in some way?" Hunter said with a chuckle.
"Lesson one: Read Harry Potter." He said, patting Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter sighed and looked down at the car.
"How's Gwen?" Hunter asked with a grin. Tyler blushed.
"What are you talking about? Fine, I'm assuming. I haven't talked to her. She lives near here, right? Have you talked to her? Have you seen her?" He asked quickly.
"Whoa. Whoa. Calm yourself. I was just teasing." Hunter said with a grin. "We'll talk about it later. Now, can you get into that tool case and hand me a 3/4ths socket wrench?" He asked, looking into the car. Tyler nodded and went off looking for the wrench.
"Umm...Hunter?" Tyler said, clearing his throat. "What's a socket wrench?" He asked, sounding audibly embarrassed. Hunter laughed and walked toward him
"We'll start at square one, then." He said as he pulled out his tools and set them on the a blanket on the hood of the car. "Lesson one: Tools."
--------------
Arabella pulled up to the house, close to supper time. Her entire car was loaded with bags from all kinds of different stores and she had a very happy smile on her face. She parked the red car and took a sip of her Skinny Vanilla Latte, appreciating the smooth vanilla mixed with the bold coffee and she let out a happy sigh. Arabella put the empty cup down, groaning softly when she got out of the car and started to take the bags out. She started to take all of the heavy bags up to the house in trips, figuring that once she got them all to the front door, she could just shove them all inside at once. Arabella wondered if Tyler was still there and if they had finished the car yet.
Hunter was cooking dinner when he heard Arabella groan as she put down a bag. He chuckled a little as he dropped a few pieces of pasta for the dogs to distract them before walking outside to help. "Hey, honey bunch." He said, lightly kissing her cheek as he grabbed a few bags. "Geez." He said with a groan. "Were anvils on sale or something?" He asked as he started toward the door, nearly tripping over the bags she had set there already.
Arabella laughed and once Hunter was inside, she started to nudge some bags in with her foot. "Well, stud muffin, I didn't want to forget anything. Plus..there might have been a sale on at Saks" Arabella said with a giggle. Finally, she had all of the bags in the doors and she put down the last couple of Walmart bags. She looked through the pile and pulled out a bag from Saks. Gingerly, she unzippered it and pulled out the Burberry suit. "What do you think?" Arabella asked him, biting her lip.
"It's perfect." He said with a smile. He took the suit and set it on the back of the couch. "I'm glad I put you in charge of my clothes." He put his hands on her hips and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'd probably be walking around naked otherwise and as much as you would enjoy that....I wouldn't, so..." He kissed her on the nose and put his forehead against hers. "Thank you. I-" He was interrupted by the sound of sizzling on the stove. "Yikes!" He said as he hurried back to making dinner, frantically moving pans and turning dials on the oven and stove.
Arabella watched him run back to the kitchen and she organized the bags. Most of the stuff was for the trip, but some of it was for home too. Some of it was stuff that she had bought for herself and Hunter just because. Arabella dug around until she found the little bag that she was looking for. "I got something else for you. Well..it's for me too but I'm sure you'll enjoy it" She said and when Hunter turned to look at her with a slightly furrowed brow, she held out the pink bag from Victoria's Secret. With a giggle, Arabella started to walk out of the kitchen. "I'll just...put it away for now. Maybe I'll just save it for the trip" She said and gave him a wink.
Hunter swallowed and laughed nervously. "Yeah. Haha. Good." He said as he drained the pasta. "We're having macaroni and cheese with meatballs." He said with a nod. "It's not the gourmet you may be used to, but if it helps none of the cheeses are processed American." He said with a chuckle as he poured the melted cheeses and other ingredients into the pasta. He stirred it up as he poured in the meatballs and finally transferred it all into a bowl. "Oh and now the breadsticks are done." He said as he opened the oven and pulled them out. "And the asparagus is done." He said as he set all the food on the table. He let out a happy sigh as he shut off everything in the kitchen and opened a window. "Dinner is served."
Arabella put the bag down with all of the others and she walked over to Hunter, looking down at the food. "Oh, Hunter..this all looks so amazing" She said fondly and leaned up to kiss him lightly. "I don't care if it's gourmet or the best quality food out there..I'm just happy to be eating with you. Besides, I'm sure that it could be total crap ingredients and you would somehow make it amazing" She said with a teasingly playful roll of her eyes and she took a breadstick, biting into it.
"Oh, stop it." He said with a chuckle as he pulled out her chair for her. He sat down at the table as well, saying a silent prayer to Aphrodite before passing the food around the table. Ajax trotted up and put his paws on Hunter's leg, looking up at him and whimpering. "Fine." He said with a scoff as he broke off a piece of breadstick and tossing it on the ground. Ajax bit off part of the piece and chewed it as he looked around. His eyes finally landed on Jolie who was sitting at Arabella, expecting the same treatment that Hunter had given Ajax. Hunter raised an eyebrow as Ajax nosed the other half of the piece toward Jolie, finally bumping her foot. He let out a small woof and then yawned before walking off to his water bowl.
Arabella giggled down at Ajax and she turned her eyes to Jolie. She turned her big, dark eyes up to Arabella then looked down at the breadstick. In the next second, Jolie looked at Ajax then up at Arabella. She looked like she was really thinking it over. With her head, Jolie nudged Arabella's leg then let out what sounded like a huff and laid down, looking at the treat. Arabella looked over at Hunter with a slightly shocked look on her face. "My dog is playing hard to get" She said in a serious voice then burst into giggles.
Hunter shook his head. "And I thought Ajax was the heartbreaker in this group." He said with a chuckle. "My goodness, the one time he actually does something nice specifically for her and she doesn't want any." He turned back to his food, laughing quietly. "What is he supposed to do? Light some candles? Put on some music? Set a mood?" He said with a scoff. "Ajax has more dignity than that. Jolie, you're being fussy." He said, pointing his finger at the dog. She barked at him and then stood up. She picked up the piece of breadstick and walked over to Ajax's water bowl. She looked at him a second before dropping it. She barked a few times at him and walked off toward her crate. Ajax looked down into his water dish and then turned around, looking at Hunter. "Women are confusing, man. Tell me about it." He said with a wink at Arabella. Ajax growled and barked a few times as he walked off toward the crates as well. He walked into his crate and curled up on his blankets. Hunter turned to Arabella. "Do we even need a TV?" He asked as he ate his asparagus.
"Probably not" Arabella said and she took a couple bites of her supper and she shrugged. "We've got basically every soap and every drama show ever created over there" She added with a nod towards the dog cages and laughed a little bit. She smiled over at him and took another bite of her supper. "This is really amazing, Hunter. I would take this over a fancy meal cooked at Butter anytime" Arabella told him with a nod and she stretched lightly, tugging at her skinny jeans. "Do you have plans for tonight?" She asked him. "Anything you wanted to do before I change into comfortable clothes?"
"Nothing that didn't have you taking off clothes anyway." He said with a laugh before finishing his food. Hunter smiled and stood, bringing his plate over to the sink. "I was actually thinking of maybe doing something relaxing tonight. Like watching a movie or just sitting and talking. Playing with the dogs maybe." He said with a shrug, looking toward the crates. "If they're not too busy fighting to play. Did you have anything in mind?" He asked with a smile.
Arabella looked over at Hunter with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. Hunter had just described her perfect night and she was hit with another wave of excitment when she remembered that her and Hunter were going to have many nights like that in their future. "Nope, nothing at all" She said happily and ate the rest over her food before taking it over to the sink. Her arms snaked around his waist and she nuzzled into his side, taking a deep breath. "It sounds like the best night ever" She said softly.
Hunter smiled and kissed her head. "You pick out a movie. Or sit down. Or just go sit down and be beautiful. I know how good you are at that." He gave her a hug and smiled. "While you do that, I'll put the dogs to bed and then make some popcorn and some tea and whatever I feel like at the moment then I'll join you." He said before turning and giving her a small kiss on the forehead. "Mmm....I love you." He said before breaking away and going to the cupboard. He pulled out the popcorn and put it in the microwave before pulling out the dog treats and putting one or two into their cages before closing them. He started a pot of hot water and did the dishes and as soon as he was done, so was everything else. He put the popcorn into a bowl and poured the water into two mugs, Arabella's a little bit bigger than his. He brought it all over and set it down on the coffee table before sitting down next to her with a sigh. "Here I am." He said with a chuckle.
Arabella smiled up at him and she leaned towards him, kissing him. "Mmm..I missed you" She teased, smiling against his lips. She had changed into a pair of short, cotton shorts with a pink-white-brown plaid pattern on them. Arabella tugged on her white tee shirt, fixing it a little bit before taking Hunter's hand and leaning back slightly, stretching out her legs. Relaxing with Hunter was all that she wanted to do. Just sit with him, talk a little bit, some kissing. They didn't need to be serious. They didn't need to be dealing with drama and issues. They could just..talk. "I still can't believe that my dog is playing hard to get" Arabella said with a giggle and she looked over at Hunter.
"Jolie is so mean to Ajax." He said with a chuckle. "She's practically jumping all over him all the time, but the one time he responds in kind she's too good for him." He wrapped his arms around Arabella and kissed her cheek. "I'm really glad that you weren't like that." He said, kissing her cheek again. He turned and put his back against the armrest before turning her and having her sit between his legs. "Tyler and I got the car completely fixed up today." He said as he rubbed her shoulders and neck. "It runs like new as far as I can tell. I'm no mechanic though." He shrugged and placed a kiss on the back of her neck.
Arabella closed her eyes as he rubbed her shoulders and neck and she tilted her head forward slightly in response. Having him rub her shoulders like that made her so happy because he was amazing at it, for one. It was also Hunter doing it. It wasn't like there was some stranger behind her, rubbing her back for money. Hunter was doing it because he wanted to and because it made her feel good. "That's good" She said softly and bit her lip for a second. "I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for Tyler. He's come out of his shell so much already and it's because of you" Arabella said in a soft voice and she placed her hands on his legs.
"He's a cool kid." He said with a shrug as he moved moved his hands down to her back. "He just needs a good male role model. Not to say anything negative about your father, but I can imagine that he didn't have much time for him with his job and everything." Hunter moved his hands down to the middle of her back and sighed. "I think he has a thing for that Gwen girl we met on Halloween." He said with a laugh. "When I brought her up he kind of got all flustered. I'll have to see what I can do when I start working there." He said as he swept her hair over her shoulder.
Arabella laughed and she twisted the hair that Hunter had put over her shoulder in her fingers. She yawned a little bit and reached over to the coffee table, picking up her tea. "I hope that Gwen is a good girl for him. She seems really nice" Arabella said with a nod and took a sip of her tea. "Once you start working there, you'll have to tell me how it goes.You know that I can't help but meddle" Arabella giggled.
"I'm feeling compelled to meddle too." He said, moving his hands to her sides and massaging them. "I feel like you're being a bad influence on me." He said as he put his chin on her shoulder, placing a small kiss on her neck. "Can I tell you how excited I am to start working there?" He said, brushing his lips to her cheek.
Arabella giggled, shivering when he brushed his lips along her skin. She placed her tea mug down on the coffee table again before placing her hands back on his legs. As he massaged her sides, a soft moan escaped her lips. "You are going to do so well at that job. All of those kids are going to be very lucky to have you as their teacher" Arabella said in a matter-of-fact type of voice.
"Thanks." He said, sitting back again and moving his hands to her shoulders again. "I'm nervous, but I'm excited. I haven't fired a bow in too long, so I hope I'm not rusty or anything. Maybe I'll have Tyler join my class." He said with a chuckle. "He might want to join Gwen's though."
"I'm sure that you will be wonderful" Arabella said and she turned around un his arms so that she was facing him, still sitting in between his legs. She placed her hands on his chest, leaning a bit closer to him and she smiled in what she hoped was a comforting sort of voice. "You were amazing with that bow of yours and I'm sure that you'll still be amazing. Maybe we can practice before you start work. I can be your student" Arabella said with a giggle and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter smiled against her lips, putting a hand on her back. "No. That's no good." he said, kissing her again. "You'll be too busy ogling the teacher." he said with a wink. "Same reason knife fighting lessons didn't work." he grazed his fingers to her hip and pulled her closer. She was so wonderful. She always knew how to make Hunter feel fantastic.
"Or maybe the teather will be too busy ogling me..you never know what could happen" Arabella teased and she slid her hands to his arms, holding onto his biceps. She loved to sit with him like this. She loved to feel his arms around her and his hands on her back. He made her feel safe and protected. Arabella looked up into his eyes and her stomach started fluttering with butterflies. "You are going to be such a stunner in that suit I got for you" She said and wiggled her eyebrows.
"You're going to be a stunner in that dress you got. And right now. And everyday all the time." Hunter said with a nod, pressing his lips to hers. He moved his hand up her arm, grazing her smooth skin with his fingers before placing a hand on her cheek and brushing hair from her face. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." he kissed her lightly on the lips and smiled. "You want me to rub your shoulders again?" he asked, kissing her nose.
Arabella shook her head, her cheeks still pink from his compliments. She slid off of the couch and looked down at him "Move over. I'm going to rub your back" She said and cracked her knuckles. Hunter looked up at her for a moment and she looked back at him, motioning for him to move. Finally, he slid down the couch a little bit and Arabella was able to sit down behind him, putting her legs on either side of him. With gentle fingers at first, Arabella started to rub between his shoulder blades, biting her lip a little bit. "I can't wait to go to Vegas" She teased.
"Mmm...sounds good." Hunter said with a quiet laugh. Hunter took a deep breath and smiled as she kept massaging his back. "This is amazing." he said quietly. He let out a soft grumble as he hung his head. "You're amazing." he said as he danced his fingers along her leg. "This is amazing. Our trip is going to be amazing." he smiled as he rolled his head backward to look at her. "Wonderful."
"Everything is going to be amazing" Arabella agreed with a nod and she kissed him lightly, keeping her hands on his back. She smiled down at him, pulling away from the kiss a little bit. "I bet no one from camp expected us to have such an amazing life together" She said with a giggle and her hands slid down to the small of his back. Gingerly, she ran them up his back again but under his shirt. She stopped around the middle of his back and massaged there, working on a knot.
Hunter grumbled quietly as she massaged his back, shivering slightly. "Did you expect--mmmmm...." He muttered as he closed his eyes and lolled his head forward. "...us to have such an amazing life together?" He said finally. "I didn't. I mean, before I was a hunter you were out my league and then once I took the oath....well, it wouldn't have happened." He sighed and grabbed her legs, wrapping them around his waist before starting to massage them. "You're pretty." He said with a smile as he rubbed her feet.
Arabella giggled as he rubbed her feet. After a few seconds, she got used to it though and it stopped tickling. She leaned forward, kissing the nape of his neck gently. "You're rather handsome, yourself" She said in a happy tone. Arabella pulled away slightly so that she could go back to rubbing out his knots and kinks. "No. I didn't think that we were ever going to happen. And please, if anything, you were out of my league. You were the good looking, talented, funny, nice guy that was old than me. Then you were a hunter, so..." She said and cleared her throat.
"I'm genuinely curious..." He said as he moved to her ankles. "Where we would be now, if I hadn't taken the oath." He asked before tickling her foot a little. "Would we be together? Would we still be at camp? Would we even be friends?" Hunter asked as he started to massage her calf with his thumbs. He stopped and gently ran his fingers up and down her legs, lightly grazing her skin. Hunter was curious about these things, but he honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Sure it could have been easier, but he was glad that he experienced what he did.
Arabella shivered as his fingers danced over her skin. It felt amazing. Arabella slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back. Her eyes closed in happiness and she shrugged lightly. "I think that we would at least be friends. I think that if you didn't take the oath, there would be tons of girls throwing themselves at you" Arabella teased and she pressed her lips against his shoulder blade. "I like to think that if you didn't take the oath, I would have worked up the courage to just..kiss you"
Hunter turned his head and pulled her in for a kiss. "I probably wouldn't have had the courage." He said with a smile as he turned around. "I would have really liked kissing you. I do like kissing you." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "Kissing you is my favorite." He said quietly as he leaned back into the armrest to look at her. He pulled her back so that she was lying him and he gently stroked her hair. "If I hadn't kissed you that night..." He said quietly as he kissed her hair. "How long would you have gone before kissing me?" He asked with a smile.
"Mmm..probably not much longer. You were kind of driving me crazy" Arabella teased and she kissed his lips lightly. She wished that she had kissed him sooner, but she knew that if she had kissed him while they were at camp, things might have ended differently. Arabella was happy and content where she was and how their relationship was. "I was worried that you weren't interested in me for the longest time. I kept trying to hint to you that I had feelings for you but I don't think you picked up on them" she teased.
"Oh. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure." He said with a scoff. "I remember a certain recipe. Ingredients read: One drunken phone call from the schnook. One bottle of schnapps. Directions: Combine until Arabella is wasted. Makes one frisky Arabella." He said with a laugh. "The only way I couldn't have missed them more is if you tattooed it onto my forehead." He smiled and brought her up for a light kiss. "It wouldn't have felt right if I hadn't kissed you first."
Arabella giggled and she nodded in agreement. Everything with Hunter felt like the first time for her. Their first hug, their first kiss, their first touch, their first time. It was like she didn't have a romantic past at all. It was like none of her ex boyfriends existed. Arabella ran her fingers down his arms and she smirked. "Maybe I should have tattooed it on your forehead. It would have made this very entertaining" She giggled and kissed his forehead.
"Nope. No tattoos for me." He said with a defiant smile. It was strange what memories Hunter remembered. A fair amount of his time at camp had long since been forgotten, but there were some memories that stuck out. Usually it was the first time he held a bow. His first arrow. His first victory in a sparring match. His first game of capture the flag. They were clips. Hunter remembered every single second of his time with Arabella. "You did look very pretty in that cardigan that you had put on over your pajamas. Right before you asked me to go skinny dipping." He said with a chuckle before pressing his lips to hers.
Arabella pulled away from his kiss slightly, looking up at him with big eyes. "You remember that? You remember what cardigan I had on?" She breathed in an astonished voice. Arabella never thought that he or anyone else for that matter would remember something like that. It made her heart melt and she felt beyond amazing. Arabella pulled herself closer to him again and she kissed him. "You're the best guy that I could ever ask for"
"One of us should have remembered it." He said, kissing her again. "And based on the empty bottle, odds were that you weren't going to." He laughed and pulled her tighter. "How much of that night do you remember?" Hunter asked a little cautiously. Do you remember tonguing my neck? Do you remember me saying that you were essentially perfect? Do you remember me cleaning you up and putting you in bed after you threw up everything from the previous two days? He wanted to ask. He figured he'd test the waters first. "It was an interesting one, to say the least."
Arabella thought back to that night and her stomach clenched a little bit. She could honestly remember most of it now. Just a few bits and pieces were missing. "I remember a lot from that night, actually" She said and cleared her throat, looking down. That night wasn't something she was proud of, not at all. Mostly because it was with Hunter, though. She knew that if she had been with any other guy, she wouldn't have cared as much. But she didn't want Hunter to have seen her like that. "I certainly remember putting the moves on you" She said with a small giggle.
"And what moves they were." He said with a laugh before kissing her hair. "So you don't remember throwing up or...Anything around then?" He asked quietly. A lot of that night was painful for him. He felt stupid. He felt lonely. He felt unwelcome. When he held her in his arms as she sobbed, he felt connected to her. He had taken care of her before then, but never in such a personal way. It hurt him to see her in pain and all he wanted to do was hold her and take care of her. That meant a lot to him. He didn't want to tell her, but part of him wanted her to know what he had done for her. He wanted her to know that even though they weren't together he still cared deeply for her.
Arabella knitted her eyebrows together in concentration. That part of the night was the haziest for Arabella. "I don't really remember anything once I got to the house. Calling Chad and running to the bathroom is all blacked out but I remember your voice and I remember being able to hear your heartbeat when I fell asleep" Arabella told him softly and turned her eyes to look up at him. "I remember feeling safer, knowing that you were there. Even if I was upset"
Hunter smiled softly. "You threw up and then passed out. I heard it from my room and I came in to check on you." He took a deep breath. "I held your hair, cleaned you up, and then we fell asleep against the bathroom wall." He nodded and looked away from her slightly. "Then the next morning, I carried you to your bed and that's where you start remembering again." He shrugged and closed his eyes a moment, running his fingers through her hair.
Arabella looked up at him, not sure what to say. How could she thank him? How could she show him or tell him that what he had done for her meant a lot to her? Arabella cleared her throat and she stretched up, kissing Hunter tightly, pouring all of her thanks and love into that kiss. She wanted him to know that she loved him and that she was always going to love him. She wanted him to know that just knowing that Hunter took care of her like that made her feel pretty safe. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Hunter?" She said softly, running her hands down his arms.
Hunter smiled and kissed her back, pulling her closer and closer. "You were a friend when I needed one. You were there for me when you didn't want to be. You gave up everything for me." He said quietly. "If anything, I don't deserve you." He said quietly as he ran his fingers up and down her spine. Hunter smiled. He wasn't sure what he did that allowed him to live such a happy life all of a sudden, but he had a good feeling about the future. "I love you." He said quietly
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella whispered and a smile slowly started to spread, taking over her entire face. Hearing him tell her that he loved her was an unexplainable feeling. It made her heart glow and her hands flutter slightly. "Everything that I gave up..the company, the fame..all of that. It was nothing. I did it because I wasn't happy there and I realized that I was happiest with you. You make me the happiest, Hunter" She said softly and kissed him tightly.
Hunter smiled, kissing her back. The feeling of her lips touching his made him feel happy. He felt normal. He felt in love. He pulled her closer and trailed kisses down to her shoulder. "Ellie, I can't believe how lucky I am." He said with a nod. "I have a beautiful woman lying near me. I have a house that I live in. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with the most beautiful girl in the world." He smiled
"You keep saying that" Arabella giggled, her cheeks pink. She planted little kisses along his jaw, her hands were holding onto his arms. Her lips slowly trailed along his jaw until she kissed his lips then she sat up a bit, her eyes gazing into his with a dreamy, happy look in them. "After everything that you've been through and everything you've given up, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have everything that you want, Hunter."
Hunter brushed her hair back and cradled her cheek. "I do have everything that I want." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers. He felt his heart speed up and his stomach clench. Hunter had never been happier with a single person than at this moment. He broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers, looking into her vibrant blue eyes. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked with a small yawn. "Or should we just stay here?" He breathed as he ran his hands to her sides.
"Mmm..bed sounds good. At least that way, if I fall asleep, you won't have to carry me upstairs..again" Arabella said with a giggle and she yawned, rolling off of Hunter and the couch. She stood up and stretched before tugging on the hem of her shorts. Arabella smiled at Hunter. A blissful, happy smile that didn't seem to want to go away. From the dog's crates, Arabella could hear a small snoring sound and she giggled. "Jolie snores, apparently" She said and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Always keeping Ajax awake, no doubt." Hunter said as he stood up from the couch, putting his hands on her hips. He kissed her lightly on the lips before taking her hand and walking toward the stairs. "What do you want to do tomorrow? Our last day before we leave?" He asked as they climbed the stairs. He closed the bedroom door behind him and smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Other than pack, of course." He said with a chuckle as he walked over to his dresser to change clothes.
Arabella flopped down on the bed, curling up a little. She pulled the blanket up and rested her head on the pillow. "I don't know. Who needs plans?" Arabella said with a giggle and she stretched. "I'm sure that it will take us a little while to pack and we both know that I'm probably going to sleep pretty late" Arabella laughed and she closed her eyes. "We'll figure it out in the morning"
Hunter nodded as he slipped his shirt off and a pair of pajama pants on. He climbed in bed and snuggled up behind her, draping an arm over her waist. "Sounds like a plan." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Good night, beautiful. I love you." He said quietly, lightly kissing her neck.
"Mmm...good night, handsome" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, snuggling into him. The feel of his lips on her neck and the warmth of his bdoy against hers felt like heaven. Arabella yawned softly and she placed her hand on his. "I love you too" She managed to breathe before she fell asleep.
"Such a gross city." Hunter said, leaning into her hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I had to go there for a quest back at camp. I met your mom there. And almost got married by an Elvis." he said with a chuckle, his voice quiet and relaxed. He remembered back to that time. "I remember Marina saying that she was never going to marry Kyle." he said with a laugh. "Oh how things have changed...mmm" he said as his muscles relaxed at her touch.
Arabella laughed and she lowered her hands a bit, adding a little more pressure to her touch. She kept her eyes on his back and a smile on her face. "Vegas will be fun. I promise. I'll make sure that we have a good time. Besides, I plan on getting us a good hotel room while we're there" She said softly in his ear and kissed the spot just below his ear before going back to the massage she was working on. "Kyle and Marina are perfect together. It doesn't shock me too much that they got married." Arabella said with a nod. "Since you were an immortal virgin for life at the time and now you are clearly not...I guess anything can happen"
Arabella laughed and she lowered her hands a bit, adding a little more pressure to her touch. She kept her eyes on his back and a smile on her face. "Vegas will be fun. I promise. I'll make sure that we have a good time. Besides, I plan on getting us a good hotel room while we're there" She said softly in his ear and kissed the spot just below his ear before going back to the massage she was working on. "Kyle and Marina are perfect together. It doesn't shock me too much that they got married." Arabella said with a nod. "Since you were an immortal virgin for life at the time and now you are clearly not...I guess anything can happen"
"Mmm...sounds good." Hunter said with a quiet laugh. Hunter took a deep breath and smiled as she kept massaging his back. "This is amazing." he said quietly. He let out a soft grumble as he hung his head. "You're amazing." he said as he danced his fingers along her leg. "This is amazing. Our trip is going to be amazing." he smiled as he rolled his head backward to look at her. "Wonderful."
"Everything is going to be amazing" Arabella agreed with a nod and she kissed him lightly, keeping her hands on his back. She smiled down at him, pulling away from the kiss a little bit. "I bet no one from camp expected us to have such an amazing life together" She said with a giggle and her hands slid down to the small of his back. Gingerly, she ran them up his back again but under his shirt. She stopped around the middle of his back and massaged there, working on a knot.
Hunter grumbled quietly as she massaged his back, shivering slightly. "Did you expect--mmmmm...." He muttered as he closed his eyes and lolled his head forward. "...us to have such an amazing life together?" He said finally. "I didn't. I mean, before I was a hunter you were out my league and then once I took the oath....well, it wouldn't have happened." He sighed and grabbed her legs, wrapping them around his waist before starting to massage them. "You're pretty." He said with a smile as he rubbed her feet.
Arabella giggled as he rubbed her feet. After a few seconds, she got used to it though and it stopped tickling. She leaned forward, kissing the nape of his neck gently. "You're rather handsome, yourself" She said in a happy tone. Arabella pulled away slightly so that she could go back to rubbing out his knots and kinks. "No. I didn't think that we were ever going to happen. And please, if anything, you were out of my league. You were the good looking, talented, funny, nice guy that was old than me. Then you were a hunter, so..." She said and cleared her throat.
"I'm genuinely curious..." He said as he moved to her ankles. "Where we would be now, if I hadn't taken the oath." He asked before tickling her foot a little. "Would we be together? Would we still be at camp? Would we even be friends?" Hunter asked as he started to massage her calf with his thumbs. He stopped and gently ran his fingers up and down her legs, lightly grazing her skin. Hunter was curious about these things, but he honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Sure it could have been easier, but he was glad that he experienced what he did.
Arabella shivered as his fingers danced over her skin. It felt amazing. Arabella slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back. Her eyes closed in happiness and she shrugged lightly. "I think that we would at least be friends. I think that if you didn't take the oath, there would be tons of girls throwing themselves at you" Arabella teased and she pressed her lips against his shoulder blade. "I like to think that if you didn't take the oath, I would have worked up the courage to just..kiss you"
Hunter turned his head and pulled her in for a kiss. "I probably wouldn't have had the courage." He said with a smile as he turned around. "I would have really liked kissing you. I do like kissing you." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "Kissing you is my favorite." He said quietly as he leaned back into the armrest to look at her. He pulled her back so that she was lying him and he gently stroked her hair. "If I hadn't kissed you that night..." He said quietly as he kissed her hair. "How long would you have gone before kissing me?" He asked with a smile.
"Mmm..probably not much longer. You were kind of driving me crazy" Arabella teased and she kissed his lips lightly. She wished that she had kissed him sooner, but she knew that if she had kissed him while they were at camp, things might have ended differently. Arabella was happy and content where she was and how their relationship was. "I was worried that you weren't interested in me for the longest time. I kept trying to hint to you that I had feelings for you but I don't think you picked up on them" she teased.
"Oh. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure." He said with a scoff. "I remember a certain recipe. Ingredients read: One drunken phone call from the schnook. One bottle of schnapps. Directions: Combine until Arabella is wasted. Makes one frisky Arabella." He said with a laugh. "The only way I couldn't have missed them more is if you tattooed it onto my forehead." He smiled and brought her up for a light kiss. "It wouldn't have felt right if I hadn't kissed you first."
Arabella giggled and she nodded in agreement. Everything with Hunter felt like the first time for her. Their first hug, their first kiss, their first touch, their first time. It was like she didn't have a romantic past at all. It was like none of her ex boyfriends existed. Arabella ran her fingers down his arms and she smirked. "Maybe I should have tattooed it on your forehead. It would have made this very entertaining" She giggled and kissed his forehead.
"Nope. No tattoos for me." He said with a defiant smile. It was strange what memories Hunter remembered. A fair amount of his time at camp had long since been forgotten, but there were some memories that stuck out. Usually it was the first time he held a bow. His first arrow. His first victory in a sparring match. His first game of capture the flag. They were clips. Hunter remembered every single second of his time with Arabella. "You did look very pretty in that cardigan that you had put on over your pajamas. Right before you asked me to go skinny dipping." He said with a chuckle before pressing his lips to hers.
Arabella pulled away from his kiss slightly, looking up at him with big eyes. "You remember that? You remember what cardigan I had on?" She breathed in an astonished voice. Arabella never thought that he or anyone else for that matter would remember something like that. It made her heart melt and she felt beyond amazing. Arabella pulled herself closer to him again and she kissed him. "You're the best guy that I could ever ask for"
"One of us should have remembered it." He said, kissing her again. "And based on the empty bottle, odds were that you weren't going to." He laughed and pulled her tighter. "How much of that night do you remember?" Hunter asked a little cautiously. Do you remember tonguing my neck? Do you remember me saying that you were essentially perfect? Do you remember me cleaning you up and putting you in bed after you threw up everything from the previous two days? He wanted to ask. He figured he'd test the waters first. "It was an interesting one, to say the least."
Arabella thought back to that night and her stomach clenched a little bit. She could honestly remember most of it now. Just a few bits and pieces were missing. "I remember a lot from that night, actually" She said and cleared her throat, looking down. That night wasn't something she was proud of, not at all. Mostly because it was with Hunter, though. She knew that if she had been with any other guy, she wouldn't have cared as much. But she didn't want Hunter to have seen her like that. "I certainly remember putting the moves on you" She said with a small giggle.
"And what moves they were." He said with a laugh before kissing her hair. "So you don't remember throwing up or...Anything around then?" He asked quietly. A lot of that night was painful for him. He felt stupid. He felt lonely. He felt unwelcome. When he held her in his arms as she sobbed, he felt connected to her. He had taken care of her before then, but never in such a personal way. It hurt him to see her in pain and all he wanted to do was hold her and take care of her. That meant a lot to him. He didn't want to tell her, but part of him wanted her to know what he had done for her. He wanted her to know that even though they weren't together he still cared deeply for her.
Arabella knitted her eyebrows together in concentration. That part of the night was the haziest for Arabella. "I don't really remember anything once I got to the house. Calling Chad and running to the bathroom is all blacked out but I remember your voice and I remember being able to hear your heartbeat when I fell asleep" Arabella told him softly and turned her eyes to look up at him. "I remember feeling safer, knowing that you were there. Even if I was upset"
Hunter smiled softly. "You threw up and then passed out. I heard it from my room and I came in to check on you." He took a deep breath. "I held your hair, cleaned you up, and then we fell asleep against the bathroom wall." He nodded and looked away from her slightly. "Then the next morning, I carried you to your bed and that's where you start remembering again." He shrugged and closed his eyes a moment, running his fingers through her hair.
Arabella looked up at him, not sure what to say. How could she thank him? How could she show him or tell him that what he had done for her meant a lot to her? Arabella cleared her throat and she stretched up, kissing Hunter tightly, pouring all of her thanks and love into that kiss. She wanted him to know that she loved him and that she was always going to love him. She wanted him to know that just knowing that Hunter took care of her like that made her feel pretty safe. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Hunter?" She said softly, running her hands down his arms.
Hunter smiled and kissed her back, pulling her closer and closer. "You were a friend when I needed one. You were there for me when you didn't want to be. You gave up everything for me." He said quietly. "If anything, I don't deserve you." He said quietly as he ran his fingers up and down her spine. Hunter smiled. He wasn't sure what he did that allowed him to live such a happy life all of a sudden, but he had a good feeling about the future. "I love you." He said quietly
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella whispered and a smile slowly started to spread, taking over her entire face. Hearing him tell her that he loved her was an unexplainable feeling. It made her heart glow and her hands flutter slightly. "Everything that I gave up..the company, the fame..all of that. It was nothing. I did it because I wasn't happy there and I realized that I was happiest with you. You make me the happiest, Hunter" She said softly and kissed him tightly.
Hunter smiled, kissing her back. The feeling of her lips touching his made him feel happy. He felt normal. He felt in love. He pulled her closer and trailed kisses down to her shoulder. "Ellie, I can't believe how lucky I am." He said with a nod. "I have a beautiful woman lying near me. I have a house that I live in. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with the most beautiful girl in the world." He smiled
"You keep saying that" Arabella giggled, her cheeks pink. She planted little kisses along his jaw, her hands were holding onto his arms. Her lips slowly trailed along his jaw until she kissed his lips then she sat up a bit, her eyes gazing into his with a dreamy, happy look in them. "After everything that you've been through and everything you've given up, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have everything that you want, Hunter."
Hunter brushed her hair back and cradled her cheek. "I do have everything that I want." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers. He felt his heart speed up and his stomach clench. Hunter had never been happier with a single person than at this moment. He broke the kiss and put his forehead against hers, looking into her vibrant blue eyes. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Do you want to go to bed?" He asked with a small yawn. "Or should we just stay here?" He breathed as he ran his hands to her sides.
"Mmm..bed sounds good. At least that way, if I fall asleep, you won't have to carry me upstairs..again" Arabella said with a giggle and she yawned, rolling off of Hunter and the couch. She stood up and stretched before tugging on the hem of her shorts. Arabella smiled at Hunter. A blissful, happy smile that didn't seem to want to go away. From the dog's crates, Arabella could hear a small snoring sound and she giggled. "Jolie snores, apparently" She said and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Always keeping Ajax awake, no doubt." Hunter said as he stood up from the couch, putting his hands on her hips. He kissed her lightly on the lips before taking her hand and walking toward the stairs. "What do you want to do tomorrow? Our last day before we leave?" He asked as they climbed the stairs. He closed the bedroom door behind him and smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Other than pack, of course." He said with a chuckle as he walked over to his dresser to change clothes.
Arabella flopped down on the bed, curling up a little. She pulled the blanket up and rested her head on the pillow. "I don't know. Who needs plans?" Arabella said with a giggle and she stretched. "I'm sure that it will take us a little while to pack and we both know that I'm probably going to sleep pretty late" Arabella laughed and she closed her eyes. "We'll figure it out in the morning"
Hunter nodded as he slipped his shirt off and a pair of pajama pants on. He climbed in bed and snuggled up behind her, draping an arm over her waist. "Sounds like a plan." He said as he kissed her cheek. "Good night, beautiful. I love you." He said quietly, lightly kissing her neck.
"Mmm...good night, handsome" Arabella whispered and she closed her eyes, snuggling into him. The feel of his lips on her neck and the warmth of his bdoy against hers felt like heaven. Arabella yawned softly and she placed her hand on his. "I love you too" She managed to breathe before she fell asleep.