Hunter woke up with a smile on his face. It was the second morning that he had woken up now in Kyle and Marina's guest room. And it was the second morning that Arabella didn't have any bad dreams. He blinked his eyes open and took a deep breath. He looked at Arabella's arm sprawled over him. He gingerly put a hand on it and rubbed while placing a small kiss on her forehead. It was quiet. The day before, they had spent hanging around Louisville with Kyle and Marina. He was extremely grateful that he had gotten a chance to work in the forge with Marina. He looked down and smiled at how serene Arabella looked at that moment. "I love you so much, Arabella Marie Foster and that will never ever change." He said in a whisper before kissing her on the head again.
Arabella groaned softly and a smile spread across her lips when she heard Hunter's voice. She was in a good mood. The previous day had been such a good day and she had a feeling that it was going to be another good day. Hunter was making her warm and happy and even though she wanted to stay in the bed forever, she opened her eyes slowly and yawned. "I love you too, Hunter" She whispered and stretched out her legs a little bit.
Hunter let out a quiet laugh and scooched down in the bed a little. Laying face to face with her, he put his hand on her hip and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Mmm...Good morning, Beautiful." He said with a smile as he ran his hand over her hip. He kissed her on the nose and slid his arm under her. He pulled her up a little and wrapped his arms around her. She laid on top of him. She wasn't straddling him and kissing him. He wasn't taking off her clothes. They were just lying together comfortably. "I was going to make breakfast this morning, but I'm so comfortable now..." He said with a smile as he felt Arabella kiss his chest and draw a heart over his.
"I'm comfortable too, so..you better not move" Arabella said softly, still drawing the heart on his chest. She yawned briefly and stopped drawing on his chest to rub her eyes. She was happy to just be with Hunter like this. It was simple and easy and seemed to come naturally to them. They didn't need to be doing something or getting frisky. She just needed to be with him. Arabella looked up at him with sleepy eyes and a smile spread across her lips. "I think that this is the best way to wake up in the morning. There is nothing better" She said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"I'm certainly not complaining at this point." He said quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair. His other arm wrapped tighter around her. Having her laying on top of him like this made him smile. It made her feel small and delicate while it made him feel strong and protective. He knew that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He yawned slightly and tickled the small of her back a little. "Did I tell you how beautiful you are? I don't think I tell you enough." He said with a small smile. "You are the most beautiful person to ever grace this earth." He said with a nod. "This is a fact and don't argue with me."
Arabella put her head on his chest and she giggled a little bit, her cheeks a bright pink. "Stop it, Hunter..you're making me blush" she said softly and nuzzled into him. Hearing him say something like that to her made her heart skip a beat and her hands flutter. It still made her all giggly and excited when he said that she was beautiful. "And thank you" She whispered, placing an innocent kiss against his collar bone. "Do you know that you are the most handsome man on the planet?"
"No. No." Hunter said, shaking his head. "We're not talking about how handsome I am. How VERY handsome I am." He teased with a grin. "We're talking about how beautifully magnificently gorgeous you are." He said with a nod. He smiled at her and she looked up, smiling back. He danced his fingers down her spine and kissed her shoulder. "You really are beautiful, Ellie. Without even trying. Without make up. Without doing something with your hair. Without wearing some fancy dress. I could look at you for the next 100 years and you would remain the most beautiful girl in the world."
Arabella's cheeks got pinker and pinker until they were a bright red. She took a breath and kissed him, totally speechless about what he had said to her. Arabella was totally swept off of her feet. "You're too nice to me, Hunter. At least let me talk about how handsome and sexy you are if you're going to say all of that stuff about me" she said with a small giggle and she brushed her fingers along his jaw. "Because you are very handsome and sexy and strong..." she said softly with a smirk.
Hunter smiled and cradled her face in his hand. He could feel the warmth coming from her cheeks due to all the blushing she did. "You're cute when you're blushing." He said, partially ignoring what she had said about him. He loved it when she said stuff like that to him, but he usually didn't think about stuff like that. He knew that Arabella was always thinking about how she looked. It was natural for her being a daughter of Aphrodite. "I love you." He said with a grin before pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.
"I love you too" Arabella whispered against his lips and she leaned into him, kissing him. It meant a lot ot her to hear those sort of things about her. Especially because of her history with Chad and Brian. They often made her feel like something was wrong with her. Like she had done something wrong or there was something wrong with the way she looked. Hunter made her feel beautiful just the way she was. "Mmm..do you think that we should get up soon? I'm sure that Kyle and Marina are wondering why we're sleeping in so late" she whispered with a smile.
"Right. Sleeping." He said with a smile. She went to slap his chest, but he kissed her again and that changed into her just putting her hand on his chest. He felt her curl her fingers, digging her nails into his chest a little. Hunter finally broke the kiss. He smiled and left small kisses on her lips, trying to overcome the urge to keep kissing her. He finally stopped and took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's go." He said, letting her roll off of him. He finally stood up and walked over to his bag, changing into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
Arabella walked over to her bag, carefully pulling out a pair of jeans with a shirt and a matching cardigan. She peeled off her pajama shorts and tugged on her new clothes, pulling at them and adjusting them until they were perfect. Her fingers raked through her slightly messy hair as she piled it into a golden bun on the top of her head. After making sure that her clothes were adjusted right and she didn't have any stray hair falling down the back of her neck, Arabella took Hunter's hand and grinned at him. "Ready!"
Hunter smiled at her. She looked so eager to start the day. "Let's go then." He said with a grin as he kissed her hand and lead her down the stairs. The house was quiet, but that wasn't particularly surprising. It was still a little early. When they reached the kitchen, the coffee machine had automatically turned on and was now brewing some coffee. "Alright. You handle the technology, I will start on breakfast." He said, gesturing toward the coffee machine. He looked in the fridge and pulled out the eggs and the bacon. He looked around and saw some premade pancake mix. He shrugged and pulled that toward his workstation. After washing his hands, he got started making breakfast for the four of them.
Arabella nodded and she turned towards the coffee pot, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the coffee. It was one of her favorite smells in the world and it was enough to get her going. She reached in the cupboard and took out a couple of mugs. She pulled out the sugar dish and the milk, setting it out on the counter. As she was getting all of this ready, her eyes landed on the small hearth. "I missed being able to put my food into the fire after I left camp. I felt so bad for not being able to do that but I also knew that if I tried to light a fire in my apartment, I'd probably burn the whole building down"
Hunter scoffed. "I stopped praying and sacrificing all together, considering my circumstances. Fire was used for warmth not burning food which was used for eating not giving away." He shrugged and turned back to the food sizzling in the now hot pan. "Once I got back with you though, I started praying to your mom. And I'm thinking about praying to Artemis again." He said with a shrug. "I'm glad that Marina made us one of those hearths. We'll be sure to sacrifice now." He said, kissing her on the cheek lightly.
Arabella nodded, a small smile spreading across her lips when he kissed her cheek. "I have never prayed to anyone other than my mom." she said wiped her hands off on her jeans then turned around, leaning against the counter with a thoughtful face. "Well, I prayed to Artemis a few times..whenever you were away from camp on some dangerous quest..I prayed to her to keep you safe."
Hunter nodded and transferred the bacon onto a plate before realizing what she had said. He looked at her and smiled softly. "Thank you." He said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her. "I really can't thank you enough. I didn't know that you...that anyone would have cared enough." He faced her and put his thumb on her chin, bringing her face up and kissing her softly on the lips. "Mmm...You're pretty." He said quietly, rubbing his nose on hers. She giggled and he gave her a quick pat on the butt before turning back to the food. "You're too good to me, you know."
Arabella scoffed and looked over at him with a small smile. "You deserve the best Hunter" She said with a nod and she looked down at her cardigan, playing with a button. "I'm sure that that's not me but I can only do my best" She added in a soft voice and she looked up at him. She wanted Hunter to be happy and she wanted him to have everything that he deserved. Sometimes she thought that he deserved a lot better than her. He had been through so much and she wanted him to be happy.
Hunter looked down at her and frowned. He couldn't believe that she didn't think she was good enough for him. He turned back to the food and scooped the eggs into a bowl. "How dare you think you're not good enough for me." He said quietly, finally turning to her. He wrapped his arms around her again, kissing her forehead. "Ellie, I could not have asked for a more perfect person. I was blessed the day that you came back into my life and every single day that I wake up and am lucky enough to be able to hold you in my arms, I feel even more blessed. Ellie, I love you more than life itself and I don't want anyone else. They could be a supermodel, beauty queen, astrophysicist who graduated with honors from Julliard and is a champion archer and fencer. I don't want them." He said, looking into her eyes. "I don't want them because they're not you."
Arabella took a breath and she looked up into his dark eyes that have seen too much for someone as young as him. She didn't know how to respond to him, she didn't know what to say. He made her feel as amazing as he made her sounds. He made her heart race and her stomach start doing backflips. Arabella was speechless. So she did the only thing that she could think of and she stretched up to kiss him tightly. "I love you" She breathed.
Hunter smiled and kissed her back, leaning into her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I love you too. More than anyone has ever loved anything." He whispered, looking into her eyes. He felt her grab his collar and pull him closer, kissing him again. She stepped backward, leaning up against the counter and Hunter moved toward her into the kiss.
"Come on, you two. Not by the food." Kyle's voice said behind Hunter. Hunter ignored him and kept kissing Arabella just as tightly, pulling her closer. "Geeze, do I have to get a crowbar? I know we have one." He said, pouring himself a cup of coffee and adding milk.
Arabella giggled against Hunter's lips and she tried to kiss him back to keep the joke going but she burst into giggles and she had to pull away, resting her head on his shoulder. She cleared her throat and looked over at Kyle with flushed cheeks and a sparkle in her eye. "Good morning to you too, Kyle" she giggled and turned back to Hunter, placing a kiss on his jaw.
Hunter sighed and turned around. "There's bacon and eggs for us. Where's Marina?" Hunter asked a little surprised to see only Kyle. Kyle took a sip of coffee and sighed.
"Morning sickness." He said with a nod as he added some sugar to his cup. He stirred it a little. "I probably shouldn't have told you that, but...Oh well." He said with a small yawn.
"That sucks. I was going to make pancakes." Hunter said with a nod. Kyle swallowed his coffee quickly and cleared his throat.
"Don't let that stop you. I would love pancakes." He said with a nod. Hunter laughed a little and nodded, turning toward the pancake mix. He was stirring the batter when Marina walked in.
Arabella looked up at Marina and she smiled a little bit. To be totally honest, Arabella was a little jealous of her. She was looking forward to being pregnant and having a family with Hunter someday. Arabella took a breath and she looked back at her coffee, taking a sip of the warm drink. "How did you sleep, Marina?" She asked her with a smile. It was nice being around Kyle and Marina but she wished that they lived closer to Hunter and Arabella. She could imagine them being best friends and their kids growing up together.
Marina yawned and immediately looked at the coffee and the food. She only half-realized that someone had spoken to her. "Hmm? Oh, umm...I slept okay. A rough morning, but a good night's sleep. Who made food?" She asked, looking a little confused. Hunter smiled and raised his hand.
"Yeah. That was me." Hunter said with a chuckle. "Would you like a pancake or some bacon and eggs?" She finally comprehended his words and nodded.
"Sure. Uh...Yeah. Sounds great." She said, walking over to the coffee. She poured herself a cup and immediately took a long sip. "Mmm....Good coffee this morning." She said with a smile.
"That was Ellie. She was in charge of coffee. I was in charge of...Well, everything else." Hunter said, flipping the first pancake. "It's our way of thanking you guys for letting us stay here."
"Oh, no. It was our pleasure." Marina said, waving her hand, her voice muffled by her coffee mug.
Arabella smiled and she put her coffee mug down, folding her arms across her chest. "It's been really great to stay here" she said with a nod and smiled softly at Marina and Kyle. She was glad that they had stayed with Kyle and Marina. She was also looking forward to getting on the road again. Driving with Hunter was fun and simple. "We need to keep in touch. I think I still have some drachmas at home" She said with a nod.
Hunter nodded. "I don't have any, but we live close enough to camp. It won't be a problem." He said with a chuckle. "Well, let's eat quickly and then we'll need to get back on the road. We're headed to Chicago next, I believe." He said, putting the last pancake on the plate. "Alright. Food's up." He said, putting the plates on the table. Marina poured another cup of coffee for herself and then got glasses out for everyone else. Kyle got plates out and made one for Marina. He handed it to her before making one for himself and sitting down at the table. Hunter made one for Arabella and one for himself and set them both down on the table. Marina grabbed the hearth and set it in the middle of the table. She adjusted the flame and Hunter put in a slice of bacon sending it up to Artemis in prayer then put in a piece of pancake and sent it up to Aphrodite in prayer. A combination of woods, dew, roses, and chocolate hung in the air.
"Chicago should be fun. I really enjoyed myself when I was there last, even though it was for business" Arabella said with a shrug as she cut into her pancake and tossed a slice of the pancakes into the hearth, sending up a prayer to her mom. It felt good to give food to her mom again. It was such a habit at camp and she missed being able to do that. Arabella looked over at Hunter and she smiled lightly, placing her hand on his thigh. She yawned and took a bite out of a piece of bacon. "Perfect as always, Hunter"
Hunter smiled and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, babe." He said with a wink. Hunter stood up and refilled Arabella's coffee cup. "So, what are you guys going to do today?" Hunter asked, sitting back down.
"I've got a yard to do and then I have the rest of the day off." Kyle said with a nod. He glanced over at Marina and kissed her cheek. Marina giggled and then cleared her throat. "We'll probably work in the nursery a little. Making everything just right."
"I'm so excited for Hunter Benjamin." Marina said, gingerly putting her hand on her stomach. Kyle smiled.
"Or Samantha Jane." Kyle added. Hunter smiled. It was stuff like that that made Hunter excited to have kids with Arabella. He loved it and he loved her. Hunter finished his food and stretched a little, leaning back in his chair. He picked up his plate and, when Arabella was done, her plate. He put them in the sink.
"Well, we should get going." Hunter said with a sigh. He was sad to leave, but he did want to get back on the road.
Arabella nodded and she stood up, stretching a little. she drank the rest of her coffee and put the empty cup into the sink. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, thinking of putting make up on before they left. However, she remembered what Hunter had said that morning and she looked over at him. Maybe she didn't need make up, maybe she could go for a full day without putting any make up on. She took a big breath and decided not to put any on. "Yeah..we probably should head out" She agreed with Hunter and she tugged his pendant out from her shirt and she rubbed it.
"That's Hunter's pendant." Marina said, looking at the pendant in Arabella's hand. Hunter looked over and had completely forgotten about it.
"Yeah. When I told you that I had lost it, she had found it and was wearing it." Hunter said with a shrug. "She made it look so good, I let her keep it. I have this one now." He said, pulling out the small pendant that had belonged to his mother. Marina looked at it and nodded.
"Hmmm...Weird how things work out." She said with a smile. Hunter smiled back and put his hands together.
"Well, let's get going before we decide to stay another night." He said with a chuckle. He kissed Arabella on the cheek and smiled. "I'll go get our bags." He said, briefly putting a hand on her back. He kissed her again and then hurried up the stairs.
Arabella watched Hunter walk away and she took a breath then turned to Marina and Kyle. It was going to be difficult, saying goodbye to them but she was looking forward to getting back on the road. She smiled up at Kyle when he walked over to her and she hugged him. "Thanks for everything, Kyle" She said.
"It was nothing" He said, pulling away with a smile.
"You'll have to come and visit us soon" Arabella said with a nod. "I'm working on setting up the guest room and all that" She added and turned to Marina, hugging her. "If you need anything, give me a call. I've been dying to try making pregnancy clothes" She giggled and Marina pulled away, laughing a little bit and nodding.
"I'll definitely give you a call." Marina said with a giggle. "I'm only a few weeks and I already feel huge." She said, putting a hand on her stomach. Kyle wrapped his arms around her, putting a hand over hers.
"Nonsense. You're perfect." He said with a grin and kissing her cheek.
"Oh come on, you two. Wait for us to leave, at least." Hunter said, finally reaching the bottom step. He smiled at them for a moment as he set down the bags. Kyle stepped past Marina and shook Hunter's hand, pulling him into a hug. Hunter patted him on the back and laughed. "I'll talk to you later, man." Kyle stepped back and Marina moved into Hunter's open arms, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him. Hunter hugged her tightly, lifting her up a little. "Thanks, Marina. For everything." He said quietly. Hunter finally set her down and sighed. "Alright. Let's get going. Bye, you guys. Thanks for having us." He grabbed the bags again and stepped out the door, Arabella following close behind.
Arabella closed the door behind her, hearing a soft click. She smiled at Hunter then walked towards the car, slipping into her passenger side seat. Arabella pulled her stuffed teddy bear out of her bag and she folded her legs, placing the bear in her lap and hugging it. "Marina is going to be such an amazing mother" Arabella said softly and she looked over at Hunter with a small smile. She hoped that one day, she would be an amazing mother too.
Hunter looked over at Arabella and grinned. He imagined Arabella holding a little girl the way she was hugging her teddy bear. There was so much affection there. The little girl would squirm in her arms and Arabella would whisper into her ear and she would calm down. She would brush her dark brown hair and style it and pick out the perfect clothes for their little daughter. She would be the perfect mother. "Little Auddie couldn't ask for a better mother." Hunter said, putting an arm around her and holding her tightly. He started the car and drove toward Chicago, 5 hours away.
Arabella leaned against him and she closed her eyes. It felt good to hear Hunter say stuff like that to her. She wanted to be a good mother, she wanted to be able to raise a child and have a family with Hunter. Hearing him say things like that just made her feel like she could actually do it, even though she didn't really have a mother growing up. Arabella nuzzled into Hunter's side and she pressed her lips against his neck. "She is going to have an incredible father" She whispered with a smile and she kenw that it was true. She could picture Hunter with their daughter, being a protective and adoring father. Their daughter would sit by him and watch in amazment as he fixed the car and he would teach her how to cook and all of the other little things that she would need to know.
Hunter smiled softly. He knew that he would absolutely love their daughter. "I love you. I love you. I love you." Hunter said with a chuckle, placing kisses on her forehead. "That's it. When we get to Chicago, I am taking you out. On a proper date. We'll dress up. I'll buy everything. It'll be nice." He said with a smile. "No creeps from your past. No fast food. And then afterward we can walk around Navy Pier. Will says it's beautiful." He said, kissing her on the head. "What do you think?" They stopped at a stoplight and Hunter turned to Arabella, kissing her lips.
"I guess I'll let you take me out on a date" Arabella said and giggled. She leaned into him, kissing him tightly before the light turned green. "I think that it sounds perfect, Hunter" She told him softly and she put her head on his shoulder as he drove. She felt so incredibly lucky to be with the man of her dreams in that moment, driving towards Chicago and planning not only an amazing date but also thinking about a perfect life. Arabella yawned and she closed her eyes again. "Mmm..and I love you too, by the way" She said softly.
"Do we need to stop for coffee or something?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "You seem to be yawning an awful lot, Ellie?" He lightly ran a few fingers through her hair and kissed her cheek. He looked down and checked his dashboard. "Mmm...We need gas anyway. Let's stop .You get some coffee, I'll fill up." He said, exiting toward the next town and finding a gas station. He pulled next to a pump and got out.
Arabella stretched and she rolled out of the car, grabbing her purse. As she walked past Hunter, she gave his butt a small smack and she walked into the gas station store, giggling. She walked around, picking out snacks and a couple bottles of drinks. After grabbing a coffee and a few other little things, she walked over to the counter and paid for her things. Without missing a beat, Arabella opened a chocolate bar and took a bite out of it as she walked back towards the car with her things. "I think I got us enough stuff to last until Chicago" she said with a nod.
"I think you got enough stuff to last us longer than Chicago." He said with a smile. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead before taking a bite out of the candy bar she had bitten into. "Mmm...Good choice." He said with a grin before kissing her on the lips. The taste of chocolate on his lips would always be special for him and getting the taste from Arabella's lips made it even more special. He kissed her until he heard the nozzle click off. He kissed her one more time before putting the nozzle back on the pump. He climbed into the car and started it again, smiling softly as he watched the needle zoom back up to F. "Feel better?" He asked, looking at Arabella's cup of coffee.
"So much better" Arabella sighed, holding the very large cup of coffee to her chest so that she could felt the warmth from it. It was getting colder now and Arabella was happy that she packed winter clothes but it was still a little cold in the air. She put down her cup of coffee and she reached into her bag, pulling out Hunter's sweatshirt and she took off her little cardigan so that she could slip into Hunter's sweatshirt. It was the one that she knew was a little big on Hunter, making it huge on her but she didn't care. It was warm and it smelt like Hunter. Arabella took a bite of chocolate and she leaned over to kiss Hunter before picking up her cup of coffee and leaning back in her seat. "Do you know how much time Will spent in Chicago before he started going to camp?" She asked in a curious voice.
Hunter thought for a second. "He came to camp when he was 12, I think." Hunter said with a nod. "Will was born near Chicago, but his mom moved there when she met his step dad." Hunter sighed and remembered when Will had told him about his family. He had always felt bad for Will and his mom and his little sister. His stepdad was awful to them and as jealous Hunter was of Will for having a family, he did feel sorry for him. "He spent a lot of time on the pier. It's apparently like a state fair or something." Hunter said with a nod.
Arabella nodded and she turned to look out of the window. "Did uh..did Marina or Kyle say anything while they were there? About me? Do they approve?" She asked nervously, looking over at Hunter. She had been waiting to ask Hunter that for a while but she wanted to wait until they left Kyle and Marina's place, in case they said anything bad about her.
Hunter shook his head. "They didn't say much, honestly." Hunter said with a shrug. "Marina said that she's never seen me happier." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I didn't talk to Kyle too much. We mostly talked about Marina and about camp." He looked over at her and smiled. "Thank you, though." He said, kissing her cheek again.
"Thank you? For what?" Arabella said and she looked up at him with a smile, her nerves fading away. She wanted them to like her. They were Hunter's best friends and they were important to him. She didn't want him to have to be stuck between her and his friends. Will and Penny liked her and now she knew that Marina and Kyle probably liked her. It was a good feeling. All she wanted was their approval.
"For caring." Hunter said with a nod. "It means a lot to me that you want to meet my friends and you care enough to want their approval." Hunter smiled and sighed. "It really doesn't matter, though. I love you. and I approve, so anyone else doesn't matter." He raised his arm and Arabella slid near him. Hunter put his arm around and held her tight. "They really do like you though. I'm positive."
Arabella snuggled into him and she smiled. "Well, I'm glad that they like me. I like them, so..that works out" She said with a small giggle and she took a sip of her coffee, turning her eyes to look out of the window. Arabella dug around in the bag from the gas station until she found a granola bar and she started opening it. "I'm going to start making clothes for Marina. Some pregnancy clothes and some baby clothes. It's expensive to have to go out and buy new clothes for only a few months"
"She'd love that." Hunter said with a smile. "You'd think that she were your sister sometimes by how much she pays attention to her appearance." Hunter kissed her head and took a bite out of her granola bar, looking at her with a defiant smile. He ran his fingers up and down her arm and looked at her. "Did I tell you beautiful you are?" He said, putting his head gently on hers. "Oh, wait. I did." He said with a nod. "Never mind." He teased, kissing her head again.
Arabella blushed a little and she placed a kiss against his jaw then gasped, pulling away from him to dig through her bag. "I got something for you in the gas station and I totally forgot about it" She said and pulled out a little wooden sign with the silhouette of a deer painted on it with the words 'a hunter lives here with the dear of his life'. "I saw this and I knew that there was no way that I couldn't pick it up for you" She giggled, holding it up for him to see it.
Hunter smiled and blinked at the sign. "Oh my gods...What?" He said, looking at the sign. "A hunter lives here with the dear of his life. Oh my gods..." He laughed and shook his head. "This is...I...There are no words." He said holding the sign a little. He looked back at the road and smiled. "Thank you." He said, kissing her shoulder. "And you are so completely the dear of my life." He said, kissing her cheek.
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The car was almost silent, except for the soft sound of a CD playing at a low volume. Arabella was curled up on the seat with her head on Hunter's leg. Her eyes were closed and she had a blanket pulled tight around her. She knew that she would be a little bit cold if it wasn't for the blanket and the warmth coming from Hunter's leg. Arabella moaned softly as she woke up from a nap and yawned. "Are we there yet?" She asked in a low voice, not opening her eyes yet.
Hunter didn't want to wake her up, so he let her sleep. He had parked outside of a hotel and was just waiting for her to wake up, running his fingers through her hair, lightly grazing her skin. "Yep. We're here. And we have a room." He said with a smile, bending down and lightly kissing her lips. "I was just letting you wake up before we went in. Our bags are in the room too." He said, grazing her jawline with his fingertips. "Come on." He said, slipping out of the car and hurrying around to the other side of the car. Hunter opened her door and helped her out, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her into the hotel.
Arabella giggled a little bit and she wrapped her arms around his neck, putting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me sleep" She said softly and she kissed his jaw lightly, ignoring the weird looks that they got from people. She was excited for their date and she was looking forward to spending the night in the hotel room, just the two of them. Arabella looked up at him with big, happy eyes and a smile on her face. "You're the best guy ever, you know that?"
Hunter managed to open the door and stepped inside, carrying Arabella. "Well, I try." Hunter said, kissing her lightly on the lips. He set her down on the bed and she pulled him down with her. He smiled and kissed her, his body hovering over hers. "I figured you would need your energy." He said against her lips. "Who knows what we'll be doing tonight. After our date, that is." He rolled onto his back and laid next to her.
Arabella giggled and she nuzzled in next to him, placing kisses along his collar bone. "Mmm...I know exactly what I want to do after our date" She said softly and she brushed her lips along his collar bone, up his neck, across his jaw and she planted a teasing kiss on his lips before pulling away and standing up. "I do need to get a shower before we go out tonight though" She said. "I want to look my very best for tonight" She wiggled her eyebrows and blew him a kiss before grabbing a thick towel and stepping into the bathroom. Arabella peeled off her clothes before turning on the hot water and stepping into the steamy shower. Right away, she felt better..more awake. Arabella stayed in the shower for a little bit longer than she meant to, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. She wasn't sleeping, but she was lost in her own little world, imagining all of the wonderful things that were going to happen that night. She turned off the water, wrapped a towel around herself and stepped back into the hotel room.
Hunter smiled when she entered the room again. He had laid down on the bed and flipped on the TV. When she walked in though, he shut off the TV and crossed his arms across his chest, watching her with a smile on his face. "Don't you look lovely?" He said, practically leaping off the end of the bed and wrapping an arm around her. "I have to take a shower too, but I would be remiss if you weren't there." He said, kissing her lightly on the lips.
Arabella giggled and she leaned into him, into the kiss. She wanted to kiss him more and more and more but she also knew that she had to get ready for their date, she had to get dressed. Arabella took a breath and she pulled away a little bit, looking up at him with a smirk. "You need to get a shower because if you don't then we can't go on our date and if we can't go on our date then we can't get back to the hotel room and if we can't get back to the hotel room then you won't be able to see the surprise I have for you"
Hunter sighed and gave her butt a squeeze. "A surprise?" He said, kissing her again. "How mysterious." He said with a laugh before letting go of her. He grabbed a pair of boxers and a towel before stepping into the bathroom. He stripped down and stepped into the shower, turning on the water and letting it wash over him, calming him down a little. Arabella had this way of getting him excited. A look. A word. A touch. After a while, he stepped out and got dressed again. He balled his dirty clothes up and walked into the hotel room, making sure to show some skin for Arabella.
Arabella had just finished pulling on a pair of nude tights. They matched her skin perfectly but they would keep her little bit warmer in the night air. After she pulled those on, she was slipping into her pink dress when Hunter walked into the room. When she saw him, she caught her breath, openly checking him out. Arabella walked over to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "My man is one sexy man" She giggled and pressed her lips against his.
Hunter chuckled against her lips. "And my woman is one gorgeous woman." He said, running his hands along her sides. He pulled her in for one last lingering kiss before letting go and walking to his bag. "Alright. I've got to get dressed too, so...Enjoy the show, I guess." He said with a wink as he slipped his pants off. He heard a wolf whistle and laughed as he put on a blue dress shirt. He heard a howl when his slacks were fastened and as soon as his jacket was slipped on, he felt arms around his waist. He smiled and ran his nails lightly along her arms. "Hello, beautiful." He said with a smile.
"Hello, handsome" Arabella said softly and she planted a few kisses on the nape of his neck. She was looking forward to their date. It was fun to get all dressed up like they were and go out. It made her feel special and pretty. She was also looking forward to getting back to their hotel room after the date and spending the night with him. Arabella ran her hands down his sides then pulled away. ''Make up time" she said and he heard him sigh as she walked towards the bathroom with her make up kit. Arabella froze, looking into the mirror. Hunter always had a problem with her wearing make up and she had a problem with not wearing any make up. It made her feel sloppy and lazy when she didn't do anything. She looked down at her make up kit and she remembered what Hunter always said to her about her make up. He said that she didn't need it. Instead of pulling out all of her primer, foundation, cover up, blush and so on; Arabella only pulled out her liquid eyeliner. She made a simple line across her top eyelids and put the rest of her make up away when she walked into the room. "I'm ready to go when you are" she said, a little nervous about the lack of make up.
Hunter looked over at her, expecting the mask of make up she usually put on and was surprised to see just some eyeliner. He walked over to her and cradled her cheek in his hand, feeling her skin not some makeup. "You look...There isn't a word to describe how beautiful you look." He said quietly, pressing his lips to hers in a loving kiss. He grazed his fingers down her arm to her hand. He took it and finally broke the kiss. "Alright. Let's go." He said, leading her out of their hotel room.
Arabella followed him, smiling at the feeling of the butterflies in her stomach. She wanted to hug him and kiss him and never let go of him. He knew how to make her feel special, to make her feel beautiful. They were on their way out though and as they stepped into the elevator, she saw a family with a little baby. Arabella figured that putting the moves on Hunter right then would be a bad thing. She looked up at him with a smile and squeezed his hand before looking down at the baby girl, who was smiling up at Arabella from her stroller. Arabella smiled back and the baby girl giggled. Arabella looked up at Hunter again, her heart melting.
Hunter smiled down at the little girl and kissed Arabella's cheek before turning back to the child. She was just a bubbly happy little baby girl and he could already tell that Arabella was being driven crazy. The elevator stopped and the car unloaded into the lobby. He smiled as the baby girl giggled at Arabella one last time as the family headed toward the pool. Hunter took Arabella's arm and they walked out of the hotel and into the cool night air. Hunter opened her door for her and helped her inside before getting and starting it. "I figured we could drive into downtown and park. Then we would figure out where we wanted to eat and then we'd be closer to the pier." He said, looking over at her. "Assuming you don't want to get out and steal that little girl."
Arabella smoothed out her dress and she looked over at Hunter with a small smile. "I just might steal that little girl" She said with a small giggle. She was looking forward to being a mother now, even though she knew that it wasn't something that was going to happen right away. Arabella never thought that she would have kids and now that she found the man that she wanted to raise a family with, she was looking forward to the rest of her life. "Mmm..ours will be cuter though" She said with a nod. "She's going to have your eyes and your hair, for sure"
"She'll have your smile." He leaned over and kissed her on the tip of the nose. "And your precious little nose." He said with a smile as he leaned back in his chair and started driving toward downtown. He was so happy at that moment. He was with the girl of his dreams. They were talking about their future. Their kids. Their family. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close before kissing her cheek. "Alright. Where do you want to go?" He asked, finally arriving to the downtown area.
"Hmm..." Arabella looked around the street. There were a couple places that looked promising. She tugged at the hem of her dress then pointed to a building that was pretty close to where they were parked. It looked like a pretty nice restaurant and a couple people were just walking out of it and they looked pretty happy. "Let's go there" She said and smiled up at Hunter, kissing him. She pulled away and was about to open up her door when Hunter and jumped out of his side and ran around to open her door. With a smile, Arabella slid out of the car and kissed him before taking his hand and walking towards the restaurant.
Hunter smiled and kissed her cheek. "Good choice." He said, opening the door and letting her inside. He walked up to the hostess and asked for a table for two. She waited a few moments before leading them to a table in the back of the restaurant, next to a window with a view of the pier and Lake Michigan. "There are so many options." He said, looking through the menu. "Have you ever had lobster? It sounds interesting."
"You've never had lobster? One of your best friends is a son of Poseidon and he couldn't get you one lobster" Arabella teased, shaking her head. She grinned over at him then nodded. "Yes, I've had lobster and it's amazing" She said more seriously and she looked down at her menu. It was an expensive place but it wasn't nearly as expensive and some of the places she had been in New York City. "I think I'm going to get the lobster, actually" She said with a nod.
Hunter put his menu down on the table and looked up at Arabella. "Would you eat lobster if you could hear it talking while you cooked it?" He asked with a chuckle. Hunter looked out the window and smiled at the view before noticing Arabella's reflection. He looked at her a moment before noticing the waitress walk up. "We'll both have the lobster. Thank you." He said, handing her the menus. She took them and smiled, before walking away from the table. Hunter went back to looking at Arabella's reflection in the window. When Hunter looked at her directly, she looked back at him, putting an expression on her face. When she doesn't know he's looking at her, she has no expression. It's candid. She was just as beautiful.
Arabella looked over at him and she smiled a little bit. She picked up her glass of water and took a sip, looking over at Hunter still. He smiled back at her and she resisted the urge to jump across the table and start kissing him. It wasn't easy to do. Arabella took a breath and she put her water down. "Thanks for bringing me out here tonight, Hunter. It's nice to go on a date with you" she said and brushed her fingers across his knuckles.
Hunter sandwiched her hands between his. "It was my pleasure." He said, gently running a hand up her arm. He kissed her ring finger knuckle and smiled. "I'm really glad you let me bring you out here tonight." He took a sip of water and looked up when their food came. "Wow..." He breathed as they set the the food on the table. He thanked the waiter before looking down at his food. "Umm...How do I...eat...this?" He asked, gesturing toward the lobster.
"Twist off the claws, like...this" Arabella told him and she twisted off the claws from her lobster. She smiled over at him as he took the claws off of his own lobster. She kind of loved the fact that he didn't know something like eating a lobster. Arabella felt like he was so amazing at everything he did and it was kind of nice to be able to show him how to do something. She also found it pretty funny that he could kill a million monsters like it was nothing but he didn't know how to do something that Arabella had grown up doing. "Now just...crack open the claws" she said in a slightly strained voice as she pulled apart one of her claws and took a bit of meat out with a fork.
Hunter jumped a little as the shell cracked open. "Oh. Okay." He said, pulling the meat out of the claw. He looked at it a moment before taking a bite. "Oh, gods..." He said, chewing the tender meat of the lobster. "This is...oh my gods." He said quietly. "This is amazing." He said, looking up at Arabella with a grin. He quickly devoured the other claw before closing his eyes and sighing. "Alright. Now what?" He asked, looking at the rest of the animal.
Arabella giggled at Hunter's reaction and she cleared her throat before continuing. "Flip her over, break the tail away, push the meat out of the tail and..enjoy" she explained, telling him how to eat the tail end of the lobster while she did all of the actions herself. It as fun to sit with him and show him how to eat his lobster. She tried not to giggle as she ate and watched him enjoy his lobster. Clearly, she was going to have to learn how to cook lobster because he was loving every single bite. Once they were both done, she wiped her hands off on the napkin. "Okay..last bit are these legs" She explained and held up the pencil thin legs that she had ripped off of her lobster. "There isn't much meat in them but I think that it's the best meat, so...worth the effort. You have to sort of nibble on the shell to loosen up the meat then you can suck it out at the end like a straw"
Hunter looked at the legs and took a deep breath. He chewed on the shell and managed to crack it open enough, but unintentionally ate the shell. He took a gulp of water, washing the shell down and looked at Arabella with a disgusted look on his face. "This meat had better be good." He said under his breath before sucking the meat out. He chewed a bit, savoring the flavor and finally swallowed, a smile on his face. "That's...perfect." He said, putting the rest down and looking up at Arabella and smiling. "That was wonderful." He said with a happy sigh.
Arabella smiled at him and she looked around them with a devious smirk on her face. When she saw that they were hidden pretty well and no one was looking at them, she pushed the plates to the side and she leaned across the table, put her hands on either side of his face and she kissed him passionately. With a teasing glint in her eye, she pulled away and sat back down in hre chair, fixing her dress. "That was wonderful" She giggled.
Hunter took a deep breath and smiled at Arabella. "That was wonderful." Hunter said with a chuckle. The waitress brought the check and Hunter paid. "Alright. Dinner? Check." He said, standing up. He took Arabella's hand and when she stood, he spun her into his arms and kissed her on the lips. "Shall we go for a walk by the pier? Or is the bedroom calling already?" He asked, kissing her again, holding her in his arms. He finally let go and took her hand as they left the restaurant.
"Mmm..let's go for a walk. How many times are we going to be in Chicago?" Arabella said and she gave his hand a small squeeze as they started walking. It was dark out and it was quiet, the only sounds were the clicking of her heels on the pavement and their steady breaths. She shivered a little and she leaned into Hunter with a smile on her face. It really was a beautiful city, from what she's seen of it at least. "Thanks for dinner, by the way. I'll pay you back when we get to our hotel room" She giggled and placed a kiss against his jaw.
Hunter smiled and laughed a little. He never would have imagined that he would be in a situation like this. A girl that he loved this much was by his side. He had just had a wonderful dinner and he was excited to get back to the hotel room. Right now, he was more than happy just being with her. "We need to go this way. Toward Navy Pier. It's like a carnival there. A ferris wheel. Games. Attractions and all that." He took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. He wrapped an arm around her gently, giving her a squeeze.
"Ohh..that sounds like fun" Arabella said excitedly and she leaned into him. It was going to be a fun night, Arabella was sure of it. Even if the fair was boring or her feet started to hurt from her shoes or if she got too cold to carry on. Just being with Hunter was going to be fun and exciting. Arabella leaned into him and she looked up at him with happy eyes. "We should get some cotton candy while we're there" She nodded.
Hunter smiled and kissed her temple. "I'm going to win you something. A big stuffed animal or something. Just pick out one you want." He said as they passed under an archway and finally entered the pier. There were bright lights and even though it was dark, the lights made it easy to see everything. He knew that they had to go on the Ferris wheel. He lead them through the fair toward the wheel. "Oh, speaking of cotton candy..." He said as he walked up to the table. "Just one." He said, handing the man money. He artfully spun the web of candy floss onto a stick and handed it to Hunter who handed it to Arabella. "What is that stuff?" He said, gesturing toward the cotton candy.
"What is this stuff? This is the food of the gods" Arabella said with a little giggle and she ripped some off of the stick, trying not to get it all stuck on her fingers, she popped into her mouth and smled happily at the taste of the sugar. She looked up at Hunter and she held the stick out to him to try. "It's basically just sugar but it's the best thing on the planet" she said and she took another bite out of the cotton candy then licked her lips, trying to get it all off.
Hunter tore some off and ate it. "Huh." He said, handing it back. He rubbed the remnants of it between his fingers. "Melted sugar spun and cooled into strands. When you touch it, it heats up and melts again. That's so cool!" He said brushing the the sticky crumbs off his hands. He looked over at Arabella and chuckled. "I'll get it." He said, kissing right by her mouth. He hummed and laughed against her skin before finally breaking away. "Sugary." He said with a chuckle.
Arabella grinned up at him and she took a piece of cotton candy before turning to look around at everything. It was a pretty quiet night but there were still people around. Arabella spotted a very large stuffed bear that was hanging up by a game. It was one of those games with the water gun with the objective of shooting the water at a target and holding it there for a certain amount of time. "Oh, Hunter..look!" she gasped and took his hand, walking over to the stuffed bear. From where she was standing, she could see that it was incredibly soft and the perfect bear for cuddling. It's head was probably two times bigger than Arabella's, if not bigger.
"I got this." Hunter said, kissing Arabella on the cheek. Hunter walked up to the stand and pulled out his wallet. "How much to play?" He asked the man.
"2 bucks." The acne-ridden teen said with a very apathetic look on his face. Hunter handed him the money and then prepared to play. Hunter concentrated and when the buzzer went off, fired the stream of water at the target. Behind the target was a tank slowly being filled up with a scale of which price you would receive. Hunter smiled as he hit the target perfectly until the water stopped. He looked up with a smile on his face and saw that the tank hadn't even reached the lowest line. "Sorry. Better luck next time, sir. Would you like to try again?"
"I hit the target perfectly. The whole time. I deserve something." He said, pointing toward the tank. The kid shrugged.
"Not my problem, man. Rules are rules." He said rudely. "Try again. Go ahead." He said, holding out his hand. Hunter walked around to the side and saw the tank with an obvious leak in it. Hunter walked to the kid again.
"Dude, that tank has an enormous leak in it. This is rigged." He said quietly. He smiled at Arabella a moment before leaning forward to the kid. "I'm going to hand you two dollars and I'm going to play again." He whispered. "You are going to fix this game and I am going to win or I'm going to get the police involved and the bad publicity your employer receives isn't going to help you make enough money to buy yourself that Barbie doll that you want so very much." Hunter smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I think I'll try again." He said, handing the kid two dollars.
"Excuse me a moment." He said, walking toward the back of the stand. A moment later he came back and accepted Hunter's money. "Go ahead, sir." Hunter smiled and played again, easily filling the tank and making a siren go off, alerting the surrounding area of the victory. "Congratulations. Select your prize." He said with a forced smile, gesturing to the wall of toys.
Arabella squeaked happily, not noticing what Hunter had done at all. She was too focused on the cotton candy and trying to not be upset that he hadn't won. She had really wanted that bear. When the siren went off though, she wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck and kissed him, giggling. People all around were looking at them and at the game, shocked that someone had actually won something. Arabella watched as Hunter picked out the bear that she had been looking at and when the kid picked it up and passed it over to them, she kissed Hunter again. She was thrilled that he had won. "I knew you could do it" She said happily.
Hunter smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "Well, I did my best." He said, giving a nod the kid at the stall. He took the bear from him and handed it to her. He watched as she hugged it tightly, burying her face in the plushness of its fur. He walked idly next to her with his hands in his pockets, happy that he could make her happy. That's all he wanted really. Hunter sighed and they finally reached the Ferris wheel. "Oh! Here it is." He said, hurrying over to the ticket booth and getting two tickets.
Arabella turned her eyes up, looking all the way to the top of the Ferris wheel and she gulped. "Oh dear..okay" She said softly and she gave her new bear a tight squeeze while she waited for Hunter to get the tickets. Once he did and he walked back to her with the tickets in his hand, Arabella linked her arm through his and she nervously walked towards the Ferris wheel with him. She got nervous with heights sometimes and the Ferris wheel did not look like it would be fun to fall out of. "Ever been on one of these?" She asked Hunter, looking up at him.
"No, but it looks awesome." He said with a grin, looking up at the top. He looked over at her and saw her nervousness. He sighed and kissed her temple. "Hey, I've got you. You'll be okay." He said, slipping an arm around her waist and holding her close. "Ellie, I am never going to let you fall." He said with a grin. They waited in line for a moment or two before being let onto a car by themselves. The Ferris wheel moved and went up and up and up, presenting a beautiful view of the city and the lake. He was seated next to her and was holding her hand tightly. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and cursed under his breath. Hunter looked at her for a moment before dropping to one knee and looking into her eyes.
Her breathing and already shallow and her heart was already beating fast because of her nerves. Arabella looked down at him, holding his gaze. She didn't know what he was doing but she didn't want to get her hopes up. She didn't want to find out that he was picking something off the ground or something like that. In fact, if he was just picking something up, she was probably going to smack him for leaving her side as the Ferris wheel stopped when they were at the very top. "Hunter.." she breathed, her heart racing.
Hunter smiled at her anxiousness. He lightly put a hand on her thigh, knowing exactly what he was doing. Her reaction the first two times was too much. "Arabella Marie Foster," He said slowly, looking into her bright blue eyes, seeing her nervousness. "Ellie. Will you..." He spoke slowly, drawing this out. He chewed on his lips a moment before taking a deep breath feigning nervousness. "Will you lift your legs up? I dropped my keys under the seat." He said with a chuckle, feeling a slight twinge of guilt for tricking her.
"Dammit, Hunter!" She huffed but she lifted her legs up so that he could get his keys and when he sat back down, she smacked his arm. Arabella had gotten excited, she had gotten her hopes up. She was sure that Hunter was about to propose to her. She was sure that she was going to be getting a ring and they would be engaged in the next minute. However, he was just tricking her. Part of her knew that if she was watching this in a movie or something, she would be laughing her butt off. However, she wasn't watching it as a movie and she was pretty embarrassed. "You are so mean"
Hunter finally moved closer to her again, assuming she was done hitting him. He kissed her cheek and took her hand again. "Think about it this way. Did you even notice that we were at the very top of the Ferris wheel? Not only that, but we temporarily halted at the top?" He gave her hand and squeeze and kissed her cheek again. "I was just taking your mind off things." He put an arm around her and smiled, holding her tight as they looked out at the water. "I'm excited for you to be Mrs. Arabella Marie Reed." He said quietly, smiling gently.
Arabella let out a sigh and soon enough, she let herself lean into him. She smiled gently when she heard her name like that. It was perfect and it was wonderful. She was done with being Arabella Marie Foster. She wanted to be Arabella Marie Reed. Her eyes turned up to look at him and she smiled a little bit. She was still a little bit ticked off about his trick on her but the Ferris wheel was getting closer to the ground, so that was a good thing. "I'm excited too" She said in the same quiet tone and she leaned up, kissing him.
Hunter leaned into her just as she was leaning into him. He moved his other hand to her hip and pulled her closer, kissing her with more passion. That's when the Ferris wheel slowed at the platform. "Oh. We need to get off." He said, pulling out of the embrace they had been in. He let her jump off before jumping off himself. He brushed off his pants and looked over at Arabella. She was dressed beautifully with a small purse over her shoulder and the gigantic bear in hand. He slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her teasingly on the lips, wondering if she had felt the extra passion he had put into their embrace on the Ferris wheel.
Arabella leaned into his arms, into the kiss. The more and more he kissed her, the more she felt like she was being swept off of her feet. The passion in his kisses and his touch was almost too much for her. She placed a hand on his chest, holding onto his shirt lightly and she pulled him closer to her. Arabella didn't care that there were people looking at them or kids that were working at rides were watching them. She just cared about his touch. Arabella shivered lightly and moved closer to him."I love you, Hunter. Even if you do like to trick me" she whispered then giggled.
"I love you, Ellie." He said quietly. "And I trick because I care." He teased being met with a light smack on his arm. He took her hand and started walking back to the gate. "Should we head back to the hotel and finish up our night?" He asked, more breathed, into her ear. He saw her shiver slightly and nod. He smiled and exited the park. He was excited to get back to the hotel. Not just because of what they would inevitably end up doing at the hotel, but because he loved being with Arabella. He loved being able to be comfortable with her. Sitting together. Being together and not caring what they said or how they dressed. "So, what--"
"Alright. Hand it over." Hunter turned around and saw a man holding a knife with a ski mask on. Hunter took a step back and held Arabella behind him, staying between her and the man.
A squeak of shock and fear came out of Arabella when Hunter held her behind him. She hadn't totally registered what was going on when the man with the ski mask and knife had first arrived but once Hunter had moved her behind him, she was able to really understand their situation and a wave of fear washed over her. Why did this have to happen to them now? Could they never have a good night together without something going wrong? Arabella had to do something. She couldn't just hide behind Hunter and wait for something to happen. But what could she do? Her eyes flickered down to her bracelet, the one that was a gift from her mother and it turned into her knife. But her knife was Celestial bronze. It would do nothing to the mortal man who was standing in front of them. She looked around Hunter and she looked at the man in the ski mask and she chewed on her lip, trying to look more brave than she actually was. "Please..just let us go" She said softly in a terrified voice.
Hunter looked at the man. He had no idea what he was doing. "Stay back, Ellie." He said, pushing her back a little. He looked back at the man and put his hands up. "Listen, man. Your hands are shaking. You have no idea what you're doing with that knife. I don't want to hurt you, but I want to help you." He said, slowly stepping forward. "How about I give you a few bucks and you leave us alone, okay?"
"How about I kill you and your girlfriend and take it all?" The man replied, pointing the knife menacingly at Hunter's face. Hunter took a deep breath before stepping forward again.
"Look. We both know that's not what you want." Hunter said, trying to reason with him. The man scoffed.
"Oh yeah?" He said before thrusting the knife at Hunter's stomach. Hunter stepped sideways and blocked it with his arm. The man pulled back and tried again, but this time Hunter grabbed his arm and twisted his wrist, waiting for the sound of dislocation before knocking the knife out of his hand. He kicked it into a stormdrain and kicked the man in the butt back into the alley where he had emerged.
"Get out of here!" He yelled as the man ran off, clutching his wrist. He turned to Arabella. "Are you okay, Ellie?" He asked, hurrying toward her and looking her in the eyes.
Arabella looked up at Hunter with big eyes then she looked down at his arm and she saw the bloody flowing freely from it. A little gasp escaped from her and she took his arm gingerly in shaking hands. "Oh, Hunter..." She breathed and chewed on her lip. "Are you okay?" She asked him, not really bothering to answer his question. She was terrified and shocked and worried about Hunter but she wasn't hurt. Arabella took a shaky breath and she ran her hands through her hair nervously. "Okay..okay..let's get back to the car. I have a first aid kit there" She said, her voice shaking as much as her hands. She hated to see him hurt, even if it was only a cut on his arm.
"Ellie, stop." Hunter said, grabbing her wrist. He pulled her in and kissed her tightly on the lips. After a moment or two he broke it, looking into her eyes. "Calm down." He said firmly. He looked at his wound for the first time and cringed as he ripped open the already made cut in his shirt to reveal his wound a little more. He grabbed at the shoulder of the sleeve and with a few good pulls, ripped the sleeve off and tied it around the wound. "Alright. I'm good." He said, patting his arm. Arabella was looking at him like he had committed a crime. "Oh, come on. The shirt was already ruined." He said as they reached the car. He pressed her up against the side and kissed her. "Back to the hotel?" He asked, kissing her again.
"How can you be so calm? We just about got mugged and you're hurt" Arabella said and she looked up at Hunter with big eyes. She liked being against the car like that though. The car meant that they had a place to hide if that guy came back and Hunter in front of her meant safety. Arabella took a small breath and she opened up the car door, sitting in and sliding over to the driver's seat where she reached around and grabbed the first aid kit. She looked up at Hunter, holding onto the first aid kit tightly. "Please..let me put a proper bandage on it and clean it before we go anywhere"
Hunter sighed and kissed her forehead. "Let's get in the car at least." He said, walking around and opening her door for her. He got in and put his arm in her lap as he started the car and turned on the heat and a little bit of music. He wasn't calm. To be honest, he was a little scared. That guy could come back and have a gun. What if that guy had had a gun? Hunter probably would have been dead by now. He looked over at Arabella who deftly worked on his arm. He needed to be strong for her. He needed to be strong for himself, but he needed to be strong for her more importantly. "What a nice date..." He said quietly.
Arabella nervously cleaned his cut, trying not to hurt him anymore. She chewed on her lip and looked over at him. With a sigh, she stopped cleaning his cut and looked him in the eye. "It was a wonderful date, Hunter." She said softly and honestly. After a moment, she turned back to his arm. She put a bit of Neosporin on a bandage and gingerly put that on his arm. Arabella leaned down and she placed a light kiss against the bandage. Even though she was terrified and nervous and shocked, she smiled a little bit at Hunter. "Let's just...get back to the hotel" she breathed and took a little breath. She didn't want to be scared. She didn't want to be nervous but she was.
Hunter looked at his newly bandaged arm and smiled. "Thanks." He said to her, holding up his arm. He buckled his seatbelt and started back toward the hotel. He held her close He kissed her lightly on the temple and ran his fingers up and down her arm. "Ellie, we're fine. I'm fine. We're safe. Nothing is going to hurt you. Not while I'm here, okay?" He held her close and comforted her all the way back to the hotel. He didn't get out immediately. Mostly because he was so comfortable. "I'm glad you had a good time. I know, I did." He said in almost a whisper.
Arabella leaned into him with her eyes closed. Being with Hunter calmed her down. He made her feel safe and secure. He tied her to the ground. Arabella knew that if she had been with anyone else, she would have been having a panic attack. She looked up at him and she took a slightly shaky breath. "You were amazing tonight Hunter. With that guy..you were really amazing. It was like seeing you fight a monster again" she said with a tiny smile and she placed a kiss on his shoulder.
Hunter smiled, feeling a little proud. It did feel good to be fighting something bad again. He was just disappointed that it had to be a fellow human being. "Oh, please. I wouldn't have gotten cut if I were back at camp." He said with a chuckle as he brought her face up to his. He kissed her on the nose as she put her chin on his shoulder. He turned and looked at her face-to-face. "Hey, beautiful. You think we should go up?" He said, referring to the hotel room. "It's up to you."
Arabella closed her eyes for a moment then she looked up at Hunter and she nodded slowly. She wanted to crawl into bed and even though she knew that she wasn't going to be able to sleep at all, she wanted to be with Hunter and her blanket and her old teddy bear. She wanted to curl into Hunter's side and listen to his heart beat and feel his steady breaths. Slowly, with a little groan, Arabella slid out of the car when Hunter opened the door for her and she leaned into him a little bit. she tugged at her dress and looked up at him. "I can't wait to get into a pair of shorts" she said in a slightly teasing voice.
Hunter smiled and held onto her as they walked into the hotel. He leisurely lead her into their room and closed the door behind him. Arabella walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Hunter talked toward the door, loud enough that she could hear. "We should order a movie on the hotel TV service or whatever." He said, gesturing to the TV and the remote. "And we can order some room service and just curl up in bed and watch the movie. He took off the remnants of his bloody shirt and threw it in the trash. He dropped his pants and carefully folded them, placing them back into his suitcase. "Does that sound okay?" He asked into the bathroom.
Arabella tugged off her dress and she gingerly folded it, placing it on the counter. With a little bit of effort, she was able to pull off her tights and she folded them quickly. As she tugged on a pair of short black shorts and a loose shirt that fell off of her shoulder, she thought about everything that had happened that night. She tried to focus on the good things and not on the man but everytime she started thinking about somehting good, his face flashed in front of her eyes. Arabella pulled the clips out of her hair and she shook out the golden waves before turning and padding out of the bathroom. She looked at Hunter and she caught her breath. He was an incredibly handsome man and she couldn't resist checking him out a little bit. "Yeah..that's good" she said softly with a little nod and she tugged at her shorts that hardly covered her legs at all.
Hunter slipped on a pair of pajama pants and turned around, letting out a gasp at her outfit. She looked beautiful. He didn't even realize he was staring until she waved at him and giggled bashfully. "Oh, right. Umm..." He looked around the room, blanking slightly. "Movie. Remote. TV. Room service." He blurted out to her. He looked at her and couldn't help himself anymore. He stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." He whispered as he trailed kisses along her exposed shoulder. "You're just so pretty."
Arabella smiled a little bit and she pressed herself closer to him, placing her hands on his chest and running her fingers across his skin. He was warm and comforting and his kisses on her shoulder made her feel better with each kiss. She wanted to melt into him and never leave. Arabella turned towards the bed, pulling Hunter with her and she sat down, looking up at him with a teasing sort of look on her face. "We don't need a movie tonight" She said simply, shaking her head and taking his hand. She tugged on him slightly, pulling him closer to her.
Hunter sat down next to her and pressed his lips against hers. He ran his hands down her sides before reaching her thighs. He nibbled a little on her bottom lip before lifting her into the air and standing up. Hunter smiled and kissed her on the lips. "Yes, ma'am." He said brushing his lips across her cheek. He felt her legs wrap around him and he laughed a little as he ran his hand up and down her thigh, supporting her with his other hand. "Mmm....Do you still want Room service?" He asked against her skin.
Arabella shrugged lightly and she held him closely, squeezing her legs around him a little bit. She loved being close to him like that. After everything that had happened that night, she didn't want to let go of him at all. Arabella chewed on her lip and looked at him. "Well, we could always get some chocolate covered strawberries" She giggled and kissed him.
Hunter laughed and kissed her tightly on the lips. "Sounds good." He said with a smile. He shuffled to the phone and picked it up, blindly dialing the front desk. It was ringing and Hunter pressed his lips to hers. Finally someone came on the line. "Hmm? Yes...Hello. Can you send me to...Room service?" He said, still kissing her. He was put on hold and Hunter kissed her tightly and squeezed her butt. "Mmm...Oh! Hello? Yes." He turned his face and talked into the phone. "Could we have some chocolate covered strawberries?" Arabella turned his face and kissed him. "Mmm...And some sparkling apple cider?" He kissed Arabella and listened to the man talk. "You don't have....Do you have chocolate...Okay. Now do you have strawberries....Okay. Then I expect them up here. And the sparkling cider. Yes. Yes. Thank you." He said quickly before hanging up and pushing Arabella up against the wall. He kissed along her cheek and down her neck to her shoulder.
Arabella gasped a little bit when he pushed her against the wall and she smiled a little bit, biting on her lip. She placed her hands on his neck and she brushed her fingers against his skin lightly. At that moment, she didn't care about anyone or anything other than Hunter. He was holding her against the wall and he was placing kisses on her shoulder. It was enough to drive a girl crazy. She took deep breaths, trying to regain some control over herself and she ran her hands down his chest, pressing her fingers into his skin lightly. "Oh gods, Hunter..you are just..wow" She breathed.
Hunter shuddered a little and he breathed lightly on her neck. "You're beautiful." He said, stepping backward and falling back onto the bed. He kissed her on the nose and ran his hands up her back under her shirt. He kissed her and danced his fingers along her spine. "I--" There was a knock on the door and Hunter sighed. He rolled on top of her and kissed her tightly on the lips before standing up. "Don't go anywhere, gorgeous." He said with a grin before walking toward the door.
Arabella took a breath and she laid back on the bed, closing her eyes. She took deep breaths and her heart was racing. It felt like it was taking Hunter ages to come back to her and she hated waiting. She missed his warmth and even though it had only been a few seconds, her skin tingled for his touch again. Arabella hear Hunter talking to a man then she heard the sound of wheels as the man from room service rolled into their room, leaving the tray. "Your strawberries and your cider" A man's voice said and he stopped talking quickly, seeing Arabella on the bed. She didn't notice that he had frozen in place and looked down at her with a slightly stunned look on his face.
Hunter grabbed the tray and set it on the table before grabbing the cart. He shoved the cart and the man out the door. "No tip for ogling my woman." He said before slamming the door. He grabbed the tray and set it on the bed before crawling on top of her and kissing her lightly. "Nobody gets to look at you, except me." He said with a chuckle as he sat up and poured her a glass of cider. He poured himself a glass and grabbed a strawberry. He put the undipped side in his mouth and presented it to her with a smile.
Arabella looked up at Hunter and she giggled, pushing herself to sit up. She slipped her arms around his neck and she moved closer to him, taking a bite out of the strawberry that he was holding in his mouth. She kind of liked the fact that Hunter was protective like that. It made her feel special. From her experience, most guys would just look at her like it was okay from them to gawk at her, even if she didn't know them at all. She liked that Hunter stood up for her in that way. Arabella smiled up at him as she nibbled on the strawberry and she kissed him lightly, reaching over to grab another stawberry. she took a bite out of the chocolate side and kissed him again with chocolate on her lips.
Hunter pulled the stem out of his mouth and set it on the tray. He kissed her and tasted the chocolate on her lips, humming and smiling. He ran his tongue across her lips and savored the taste of chocolate. "This was a good choice." He said, taking a sip of cider. He grabbed another strawberry and pressed the side of it to her lips. He kissed her and twisted the stem off, biting into the strawberry. The chocolate and the strawberry juice covered his and her lips. He put the stem down and kissed her tightly, wanting nothing more than to be with her. To hold her close. To kiss her lips. "I love you." He breathed quietly.
"I love you too" Arabella breathed back and she ran her hands down his arm, squeezing his muscle lightly. It was easy being with Hunter. It felt like it was second nature to her. Arabella pressed herself against him and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. Could a moment be any more perfect? Arabella was beyond happy. She was blissful and excited about their lives together. She kissed him lightly, grazing her lips across his for a moment before pushing the rest of the strawberries to the side and lying back on the pillows, pulling Hunter on top of her.
Hunter smiled and put his forehead against hers. He stayed there for a moment, just looking into her eyes. Seeing the love. The passion. He no longer understood how he had been living without her. He had no idea how he would survive without her in his life. She was his other half. He kissed her on the lips and trailed kisses down her chin and neck to her chest. He breathed softly against her skin and brushed his lips to her shoulder.
Arabella took his hand and she held it up, placing her hand against his. Her hands were smaller than his and she loved his hand. They were worn and had clearly been used quite a bit. They made her feel safe. Arabella smiled and she twisted her fingers around his, holding his hand close to her chest. She shivered slightly as he brushed his lips against her skin and she slipped a leg around his hip, pulling him closer.
Hunter placed small kisses along her collar bone. He squeezed her hand and kissed it softly, feeling the connection between them. He trailed his kisses along her shoulder, up her neck, across her cheek and finally reached her lips again. He rolled onto his side and put an arm around her waist, their legs tangling together, pulling each other closer and locking lips passionately. Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and gently caressed her cheek. He ran his hand down her arm and smiled. He squeezed her hand and broke away from the kiss, looking into her bright blue eyes. He kissed her nose and grinned at her. He put his forehead lightly on hers and kissed her nose again. Hunter loved looking at her. If he could do anything in the world it would be this. Looking at her. Kissing her. Holding her hand. "La femme la plus belle de la planète est en face de moi." He said quietly, dancing his fingers up and down her arm.