Chapter Text
What a day, what a day! Hunter hadn't felt this light and carefree in so long. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy. He had been happy when they received custody of Omega, of course. But that was more of a relieved happiness. And a bit of worry about what they were getting themselves into. Happy, but restrained.
But right now, as he was waiting for Wren to return from her outing with Tulip and Omega, he felt almost giddy. Giddy? Did he actually just use the word giddy in reference to himself? The hardened soldier, oldest brother, man with so much responsibility on his shoulders it felt like a physical weight sometimes...that guy? He was giddy?
Wow, who would have thought that. Not him!
But Wren had an effect on him that no one ever had before. He knew. He knew she was the one.
He certainly wouldn't tell anyone that right now. Not his brothers or Omega, and definitely not Wren. He didn't want to scare her more than she already was. But yeah, he really felt like she was it. There was no reason to consider other women, or wonder if there was someone better out there. Because he knew there couldn't be.
He couldn't explain what it was about her that made him think that. But for one, she was good. She was a really good person. And he admired that more than anything. She was kind. And caring. She had a huge heart. She was empathetic, almost to a fault. She would sometimes make herself sick feeling bad for someone else. And she would never hurt someone on purpose. She couldn't.
What more could a person ask for in a partner?
Was she as pretty as some other women? No. But she was cute. And he could look at her all day and not get tired of her face. It was interesting. The little bump on the bridge of her nose. Her lopsided smile. How her face was kind of wide and squarish with prominent cheekbones. And her green eyes.
He looked forward to the day when she would be able to focus those eyes onto his for longer than a few seconds, because he really enjoyed getting a peek. A peek at the person inside of her wanting to come out. The person who wasn't scared of him or what was happening between them. She was in there. It was just going to take a little more time. He would catch glimpses of her now and then, before she'd run back inside to hide.
It had been a couple of hours since they'd left, so he assumed they'd be back any minute. He was trying not to pace or look out the window. He didn't want to hear the shit his brothers would give him about it.
He wasn't worried. He was just a little concerned about her. She'd looked pretty scared when she said she would go with Tulip and Omega. He was really proud of her for doing it though. He wanted to tell her that without making too big of a deal about it. But he knew how hard stuff like that was for her. He knew all too well.
He heard a car pull into the driveway, and when he looked out the window, he saw it was Tulip's. He watched as Omega was the first out. Wren was slower, but she looked okay. No worse for the wear. She had a small smile on her face, and seemed to be listening to something Omega was saying.
He walked out onto the porch to wait for them. Tulip said, before she'd even reached him, "I've returned her, Hunter. You can stop worrying." But he saw her smile and knew she was just teasing.
"I wasn't worried, Tulip. I just happened to be walking past the window when you pulled up." He held out his arms to Wren who walked into them for a hug. He said quietly, "How are you? You're smiling, so you had a good time?"
"She had a great time, Hunter. And I got my homework done!" Omega said as she walked into the house after Tulip.
Hunter smiled at Omega before looking more closely at Wren. She said, "Were you worried about me?"
He didn't want to come across as too overprotective, so he just said, "I wasn't worried. Just a little concerned, because I wasn't sure how you would like being with Tulip for that long, since you don't know her very well." Then he kissed her forehead trying to convey how much he cared, but yet also that he trusted her and knew she could take care of herself.
She smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. "Well, I did have a good time. Tulip is very nice. I'm surprised she wants to be with Crosshair," she said with a smirk.
He smiled at that. "Yeah, we all kinda feel that way." He looked around briefly and said, "Would you be embarrassed if I kissed you right out here on the front porch?" He knew he might be pushing her limits a bit much with that request, but he couldn't help himself. He really wanted to kiss her there, because once they went inside his family would be everywhere.
She looked around as well, and seeming satisfied that no one was there, she said, "Not at all."
Her cheeks were getting pink, but she was still smiling, so he leaned down to kiss her quickly. He had a sudden wave of emotion wash over him, and he said, "This has been the best day I've had in a really long time." He really meant that.
And he was so pleased when she said, "Me too. I'm so glad you invited me over." Then she hugged him before continuing. "And now that I know Tulip, I feel more comfortable with the party next weekend. Now it's just your cousins I won't know."
He knew she would still be a little nervous about that, but he tried to reassure her. "Yeah, and Wolffe and Fox are great guys, they won't be a problem at all. It should be a nice time."
He put his arm around her shoulders and turned them towards the door to walk inside.
When they entered the kitchen, Echo asked Wren if she was going to stay for supper. Hunter really hoped she would, so when she turned to him, he lifted his eyebrows, trying to show how much he wanted her to stay. After looking around at the others, and seeing Omega look so excited, she said that she would. Giddy. He was giddy again, but tried to keep it in check.
He put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug, kissing her on the temple. As Crosshair and Tulip walked past, he bumped into Hunter's arm and said, "Is this going to be a regular thing now? Gross."
Hunter laughed and said, "Maybe so, Cross. You'd better get used to it." He was so pleased that he could tease with his brother about it, and know that it was only teasing. He didn't have to worry about him being the way he was at the beginning when he wasn't sure about Wren and her intentions. They'd finally gotten through to him, that this was a real thing, so he was letting them be. With a little teasing, which he would expect.
He saw Tulip turn and wink at Wren as they were walking away, and that pleased him. The girls must have gotten along pretty well, and he was so glad.
Wren asked Echo if he needed any help with supper, but he said not at the moment. And Hunter realized everyone else was busy. Wrecker and Omega were watching TV, Tech, Crosshair and Tulip were upstairs, Echo was cooking...that just left Hunter and Wren alone, for the most part. He got an idea.
He caught her eye and motioned with his head towards his bedroom. He could tell she didn't know what he was trying to do. She had a look of confusion on her face. So he motioned again while taking her hand and gently pulling her in his direction. He saw her look around and when she saw Echo wasn't paying attention, she followed him to his room. Once inside, she said nervously, "Hunter...what are you doing? Everyone is out there."
"I know. But they're all distracted right now. I just wanted five minutes alone with you. Is that okay?" He had taken hold of both of her hands and was looking into her eyes.
After looking at the door again, she quietly said, "Okay." She gave his hands a squeeze.
"Good." Dropping her hands, he wrapped her in a hug instead. He could smell her shampoo, so he put his nose closer to her head and inhaled.
She asked, "Did you just sniff my hair?" but she was smiling, so he knew she wasn't offended.
He responded, "Yeah! I love the smell of your shampoo!" And he pushed his nose further into her hair, sniffing again, making her giggle. The sound sent warmth throughout his body.
Then she said, "I have to admit, I like the smell of yours too." And she lifted her hands to run her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes as she lightly massaged his scalp at the base of his skull. It felt so good, he couldn't stop the sound that came from deep within him. No one had done that before, and it caught him off guard. It was a cross between a purr and a growl.
She very innocently said, "You like that, don't you?"
He opened his eyes, nodded at her, and said, "I really do." He was starting to get aroused, and he held her tighter. He tried not to let on just how much he liked it, because he didn't want to scare her.
After she laid her head on his shoulder, he said, "Hey, let's sit down?" When she looked up again, he motioned towards the bed.
He loosened his hold and started backing up. When his legs hit the bed, he sat down, starting to pull her with him.
But she quickly said, "Hunter, I'm too heavy for you."
Did she actually think that? He responded, "What?! You are not. Come on, come down here with me."
After a very gentle pull that she easily could have resisted, she sighed and sat down sideways on his lap. And he quickly realized she'd never sat on his lap. They'd spooned while lying down, she'd sat next to him on the couch, leaning on him, his arm around her, her hand here and there. But her ass had never been right...there. And it was already very alert from her hands in his hair.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He shifted just a little bit so she wasn't sitting right on his crotch, and instead was a little further down his thighs. That definitely helped. Not that he didn't like the other way, but he was still trying to reign his body's reactions in around her. Her ass was too soft to have sitting right on his dick. For now, anyway, he thought to himself with a smile.
He noticed her looking at him, and he thought he saw her lean the slightest little bit towards him. And that was his cue. She didn't have to ask him twice. He bridged the small gap between them and pressed his lips to hers. But he didn't back away immediately like he'd done the times before. And he could tell she wasn't backing away. In fact, he thought he could feel her lean into the kiss more, her hands moving to his shoulders.
He still didn't try to open his mouth or add any tongue whatsoever, but it lasted a really long time compared to previous kisses. As the seconds wore on, he could tell she was moving her lips more than she had before. She was getting really good at this. Not that she was bad before, she just didn't do much. But there was definite movement now.
He heard her make the smallest sound. Was it a whimper? A little moan? It was so quick and quiet, he wasn't sure. But it definitely sent a shock straight to his cock. And he growled. Not loudly, but it was a growl.
She moved her hands from his shoulders around to the back of his neck, and then up into his hair again. Her fingernails were lightly scraping along his scalp, and he started picturing doing more than kissing. Much more. He moved his hands up and down her back and sides, scrunching her shirt up a little, but not touching her skin beneath. He was really trying to keep himself in check.
And then after what felt like an hour but was probably only a minute, they heard, ""Hunter? Wren?! Where are you guys?"
Omega.
He felt Wren jump back and make a startled sound. She was off his lap in an instant, messing with her shirt and hair. He sighed.
When she looked back at him, he pouted a little, but she acted like she didn't even see. She reached towards him and messed with his hair whispering, "Fix your hair." Then she reached for the door and walked out. He heard her say, "Here, Omega. We're here."
He stood up and walked after Wren, seeing Omega at the laundry room door. She asked, "What were you guys doing?"
Before he could respond, Wren said, "Nothing! I mean, he was showing me his guitar! I was surprised when he told me he played, so he pulled it out to show me."
He winced a little at that last line, wondering if she thought how that sounded. He could have sworn he heard Echo laughing in the kitchen. But he didn't think Omega caught what was funny, so he just stepped forward and put his hand on Wren's lower back trying to reassure her that Omega didn't realize what they were doing, and it was fine.
"Yeah, I told her I'd play for her at some point. Maybe."
"Oh, okay! Come on in the living room and watch TV with us. It's Jeopardy time!" She grabbed Wren's hand and started walking. Wren quickly looked back at Hunter with a half smile and he ran his hand down his face.
He walked into the kitchen and Echo looked at him, laughing quietly.
"Shut up, Echo." But he couldn't even add any venom to his voice. He was feeling too happy. And he knew his brother was just teasing him.
"Hey, I'm sorry. She got past me before I even realized where she was going. Hopefully she didn't see anything she shouldn't have?"
Hunter acted offended when he said, "No, we weren't doing anything like that."
"Yeah, I know. You were just pulling it out to show her." Then Echo laughed again.
Hunter gave him a very light punch in the shoulder as he went to the fridge to grab chocolate milk for him and Wren.
When he got to the living room he saw Omega snuggled into Wren's side. He smiled at her while handing her the milk. "Thanks," she said.
He winked at her before taking his spot at the opposite end of the couch.
*****
They had a nice family meal together, Wren sitting next to Hunter. Their thighs were touching most of the meal. Their arms would bump into each other since he was left-handed and she was right-handed. And unlike that first day when they met and kept pulling their arms away, this time they left them there, touching for a few moments.
Tulip had left before they ate, saying she had things she needed to get done at home. Hunter saw Wren give Tulip a big smile before she left, thanking her again for inviting her to go with them.
After supper, Wren and Omega did the dishes. Hunter and Echo both tried to tell her she was their guest, and she didn't need to do that. But she wasn't hearing it. So everyone else went into the living room to watch TV. But Hunter kept going back to the kitchen to check on them. Just to make sure he couldn't take over. And every time she shooed him away.
The last time he tried that, he didn't realize Wren could hear him as soon as he stood up from the couch and started walking. She quickly whispered to Omega, "Hey, let me have your towel." Omega looked confused but handed her the wet dish towel.
Wren hurried over and stood next to the doorway, out of Hunter's line of sight. As he approached, he saw Omega standing at the sink looking at him, but he didn't see Wren. He took one step into the kitchen and just as he was turning his head her direction, she snapped him on the thigh with the towel.
He was sure the look of surprise on his face was comical, but he quickly shifted to a mischievous look and said, "Oh, really?!"
He saw the huge smile on Wren's face as she hurried back over towards the sink, but he lunged after her and caught the towel. It didn't take much effort to pull it away from her, and as he acted like he was going to snap her back, she squealed and laughed, "No, Hunter! I'm sorry! Please, don't!"
But they were all three laughing. Omega stepped in front of Wren, holding her arms out in an exaggerated pose and said, "No, Hunter, I won't let you!"
"But she snapped me!" he laughed. He saw Wren crouch down behind Omega so her head was behind the girl's, and she peeked around. He felt such an overwhelming sense of joy and peace looking at her happy face. There was no way he would snap her. He was just teasing.
Right then, Wrecker came in, after hearing the noise, and said, "Hey, what's all the ruckus?!"
Wren saw her opportunity, so she ran behind Wrecker before Hunter even had time to react. "Protect me, Wrecker!" she laughed.
Hunter's eyes got really big and he said, "Ooooh, what?! Using my own brother against me?"
Wrecker was laughing trying to look behind him at Wren. "What is going on?"
Hunter said, "Okay, okay, I give up." He handed the towel to Omega and held up his empty hands. "I'm done, I promise. You can come out."
He saw Wren peek around Wrecker who moved to the side and said, "Are you okay now? Do you need more protection?"
She shook her head, giggled, and said, "No, Wrecker. I'm sorry I dragged you into that. It was just too tempting to hide behind you."
"That's okay! I just came out to see if I was missing any fun, and I see I was." He laughed again.
She patted his arm and said, "Thanks for the help," while looking up at him.
He got red around his ears and neck and said, "Awww, anytime." He patted her on the shoulder as he turned and walked back towards the living room.
Hunter walked a step towards her and held out his arms. She smiled at him and walked into his hug. "Sorry for snapping you."
He chuckled and said, "It's fine. It didn't really hurt. You need some practice snapping if you want to actually do some damage."
She pulled back and looked at his face and said, "Oh, really? Well maybe I was taking it easy on you."
He laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm sure that's what it was."
She smacked him on the chest as she pulled away, going back to the sink to finish up.
"You go on back in there. We're almost done. I promise." She turned to wash the last remaining pan.
He looked at Omega and winked at her. She giggled and turned back towards Wren. He walked back out towards the living room.
Omega had a big smile on her face when Wren looked down at her. "What?" Wren asked.
"Nothing," the girl replied with a smirk.
Wren just laughed and bumped her with her hip. They finished in silence.
Afterwards, they went into the living room with everyone else. Everyone except Crosshair, who was getting ready to leave for work. She sat where she usually did when Omega was with her, on the end of the couch opposite Hunter.
They had a nice time watching TV and talking and enjoying each other's company. Hunter noticed that Wren talked to all the guys and Omega at one time or another. Even Tech, who was usually the one she talked to the least. Hunter had always assumed that was for no other reason than he was usually either in his room gaming, or reading something even when he was with the rest of them.
Omega was talking about something she'd learned at school, and Tech had plenty to say about the subject. Hunter noticed Wren seemed to enjoy listening to him "info dump" as they called it. She asked him questions and he seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to share some of his knowledge. Hunter knew sometimes they probably made Tech feel like they were just humoring him as he talked, but it's just that they didn't always have time for all he wanted to share.
While he was watching her talk to Tech, she happened to turn to look his way. She caught him staring at her, but it didn't bother him. She knew how he felt at this point. So he just gave her a smile and a wink before turning back to the TV.
Tech was the first one to head up to his room. At around 10:00, Hunter decided it was time for Omega to go to bed. She'd already been asleep with her head on Wren's lap for the last hour.
He stood up and said, "Omega, time for bed." When she just grumbled, he put his hands under her and lifted.
"No, I don't want to go," she said with a whine.
"Sorry, kiddo, it's time. You've been asleep for the last hour," he told her.
Wren moved some of Omega's hair out of her face and said, "I'll see you again real soon, Omega."
She mumbled something in Wren's general direction as he began walking her out of the room. He carried her to her room, laying her in bed and kissing her forehead before shutting the door behind him.
He met Echo on the stairs, and they said their good nights. As he got back to the living room, he heard Wrecker and Wren talking quietly.
Wrecker said, "I'm gonna head up to bed also. You two enjoy yourselves." He smiled and winked at Hunter as he walked past him. Hunter tried not to react so Wren wouldn't notice anything.
Wren said, "Good night, Wrecker."
Hunter sat down next to her on the couch, patting her thigh. He relished being able to touch her like that without her pulling away. They were only baby steps, but they were steps nonetheless.
She gave him a suspicious look saying, "What? You look like something's going on."
He started feeling nervous, afraid what he wanted to ask her would offend her, or freak her out in some way. But he didn't want to pass up this opportunity.
"I do? Nah, nothing going on. I was just going to ask you something. But I don't want you to take it the wrong way."
He saw her eyes widen a bit, and he could tell her anxiety was starting to pull her under. She did not handle his questions well at all.
"What?" she said, quieter, voice thick with worry.
He knew he needed to quickly do something to ease her mind, before it was too late and she was spiraling. He bumped her shoulder with his playfully and said, "Nothing bad." He wasn't sure that was enough, so he also leaned towards her and placed a very soft kiss to her cheek.
"Mmmm-hmmm," she said, still apprehensive.
He continued quickly. "I was just wondering...do you want to stay the night. With me. In there." He motioned with his head to his room.
And then he held his breath, watching her face for any sort of fear. He wouldn't let her do it if she looked scared. Even if she said it was fine. He was trying to read her body language and facial expressions. In the few months they'd known each other, he'd gotten pretty good at telling how she was feeling, no matter what she said.
She was definitely caught off guard. "I- uh- wha- uh--"
"I have no ulterior motives. I just thought we could sleep. That's all. Sleep together. And not on the couch, but in my comfy bed. I don't plan on trying anything at all. Or nothing we haven't already done." He winked at her, trying to sound playful to hopefully ease her worry. "I promise." He had to lower his head a bit so he could look into her eyes. He needed to know for sure what was happening in there. "But if that makes you uncomfortable, then please let's just act like I didn't even as-"
"Okay."
He was caught off guard by her interruption. He drew back a bit, eyes wide. His mouth was probably hanging open, his unfinished sentence left there. After a few seconds, he internally shook himself, pulling him out of his surprised stupor. "Really? You'll stay...in bed?"
There was no hesitation from her. "Yeah, I trust you. I would like to get up and be gone before Omega is up. Do you think that's possible?"
He was in shock. Not only did she say yes, but she seemed at ease with the decision. He didn't see that worry or anxiety he would often see in her eyes. Her voice sounded steady and sure. She actually wanted to do this, he was sure of it. And his heart soared. Be cool, be cool, Hunter. Don't make it weird.
Now what did she ask? Oh, Omega, right.
"Oh yeah. She would probably sleep until at least 8:00 in the morning, so if we were awake by 7:30, that should give you plenty of time to leave. Does that sound like something you want to do?"
He wanted to ask one more time. Just to give her another chance to say no. There would be no hard feelings at all. But he was hoping she would still say yes. He was hoping with all his heart.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do!" She gave him a happy smile.
Was she actually excited and happy about this? Was he worrying for nothing? Was she ready for this next step with him? He was still shocked, but tried to hide it.
"Well, okay then." He turned off the TV and said, "Shall we?" He held out his arm to her, bent at the elbow. She put her hand around his forearm with an adorable smile.
He heard her whisper under her breath, "Okay."
He felt an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. Long enough that he couldn't even remember. His heart was racing, and he was afraid his hands were shaking. Be cool, be cool, Hunter. Don't make it weird.
He turned out the lights as he went, and when he got to his door, he gently dropped his arm, so he was holding her hand, making it easier for them to fit through the door, him just a little ahead of her. After she was fully in, he reached behind her to shut the door quietly.
Then he stepped closer to her, putting his arms around her and pulling her gently against him. He leaned the short distance and kissed her, very softly. He pulled back a bit, but he saw her move forward, as if she wasn't ready to be done. She kissed him once more as he chuckled.
Then he stepped back. He thought surely she wouldn't want to sleep in her jeans, so he said, "Okay, would you like a pair of my shorts or lounge pants? They'll be more comfortable than your jeans."
"Sure, I'll take a pair of shorts."
He tried to keep his reaction steady, because he didn't want her to see how excited he was that she chose shorts. He was going to get to see her in shorts. He'd never seen her legs! And he was going to get to feel her legs, all night. He tried to be cool.
He pulled out a pair of his shorts, and then thought about where she would change. "If you don't want to bother with going to the bathroom to change, I'll just turn around so you can do it here."
"Okay, yeah, let's do that."
He was a little surprised she took him up on that. She was full of surprises today. But he wouldn't betray her trust by trying to sneak a peek, so he turned towards the wall. He went ahead and started taking off his jeans to change into shorts as well. He wasn't concerned if she saw him in his underwear. He was curious if she would look, but he wasn't going to turn around.
He got out another pair of shorts and put them on. He could tell out of the corner of his eye that she was done changing, so he asked, "Do you want a shirt?"
"Sure, if you don't mind."
"No, not at all." He opened another drawer and said, "Do you have a preference?" He motioned to the folded T-shirts.
"No, whatever you want me to wear."
He just grabbed one from the top and handed it to her. "Here ya go."
"Thanks."
He turned to the wall again, "Go ahead. I'm not watching."
He could hear the rustling of her clothes as she changed, and he felt his face heat up. God, what are you, 13 years old? She's just changing her shirt.
When he heard her say, "Okay, I'm done," he turned around.
He wasn't ready for the effect seeing her in his clothes would have on him. He smiled at her, trying to mask his nerves, his butterflies, his...desire? Yeah, desire. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
That's what he thought, but what he said was, "You look great." Because she did. She really did. Her hair was a little messy from changing shirts, and it was falling into her face.
And he took the opportunity to actually look at her legs, and he thought they were beautiful. They were long, but she was relatively tall, so that made sense. They weren't very tanned, she obviously didn't get a lot of sun. Well, and it's winter, so of course she wouldn't right now. But they looked fit, like she had maybe played sports. They were really nice...
He realized he might be staring, but luckily it had only been a few seconds. Though he did see a blush spreading across her cheeks as she said, "Pfft. Thanks." She turned and crawled into bed after pulling the covers down. And he got a great look at her back side. He bit his lip and closed his eyes briefly. Get it together, Hunter. Don't make it weird.
He took a deep but quiet breath. He had another thing to ask her, and he wasn't sure how she would respond.
"I usually sleep without a shirt, will that bother you? Please, be honest." He looked at her expectantly. And that was absolutely true. He did usually sleep without a shirt. And he would usually not have shorts on either. His sleeping clothes were usually just his boxer briefs. But he thought that would be asking too much. But he hoped she wouldn't mind him being shirtless.
Did he have an ulterior motive? Did he want her to see him shirtless? Did he want to see what an effect it would have on her? A little bit, yeah. He really wasn't a conceited guy, and didn't have an inflated view of himself. But he did think he was probably above average in the looks department. He'd had attention from girls and women through the years, and he knew he was still in pretty good shape from his time in the Army. He was curious if he would see any reaction from Wren. He was only human, and wanted her to think he looked good.
If he only knew just how attractive she found him, he wouldn't need to be worried at all.
She fumbled out, "N-no." Then she seemed to collect herself and said more firmly, "No, that's fine."
He went ahead and removed his shirt. He noticed she was staring as he tossed the shirt into the hamper in the corner of his room. He couldn't help but smile a little bit as she quickly looked away. She stared up at the ceiling.
He could tell he was having at least a small effect on her, so he had to tease her a bit. "You're sure this is okay?" He watched her, but she didn't take her eyes off the ceiling.
"Yup! Totally okay!" She sounded so enthusiastic, he had to wonder if she really was okay. He was feeling pretty good about things at that point. He was convinced she found him attractive after seeing her reaction.
"Okay, good," he said as he lay down on his side so he could look at her.
She was still looking at the ceiling, and he patiently waited. She finally turned her head towards him.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," she replied with an adorable smile.
"What time would you like me to set the alarm for? 7:30?"
"Yeah, that should be good." She nodded at him.
He reached back for his phone and set the alarm, showing her. She nodded, and he placed the phone back on the stand.
"Okay, so how do you want to do this?" he asked.
Her eyes widened and she said, "Uh...what?"
"Our positions here? Do you want to be like we were this morning? Me being the big spoon? Or some other way?" He really hoped she said she wanted him to be the big spoon again. He really loved being able to hold her against his chest as he slept.
"Oh! Oh, right." She paused. "Yeah, let's start out like that, if it's okay with you."
Yes! he thought.
But he remained calm and said, "Absolutely."
He watched as she turned to her side, facing away from him, setting her glasses on the night stand. He saw her scoot back a bit, so he scooted up to meet her. He put his arm around her waist and gently pulled her back. He could feel her smooth legs against his, and it had enough of an effect that he needed to close his eyes and take a few breaths, calming himself.
He heard her sigh, as if she was content, and he moved his head forward ending up with his nose in her hair. He loved to smell her hair.
She said, "Good night, Hunter."
He replied, "G'night, Wren." He moved slightly so he could kiss behind her ear, and he felt her shiver. It made him smile and laugh quietly.
Then he was surprised when she turned her head far enough back that she was looking at him. After a pause, she said, "Kiss?"
Kiss?! She was asking him for a kiss!! Well, this couldn't get much better.
"Of course!" He leaned further towards her and kissed her, rather quickly. But then he did it again. And again. During the last one, he felt her smile against his lips.
As he pulled back, he saw her looking into his eyes. That didn't happen a lot, so he was relishing it. She said, "Thanks. Good night for real this time."
He responded, "G'night for real."
He listened as she settled, and her breathing evened out. He could tell she was asleep in less than a minute. She must have been so exhausted with everything that went on that day.
He didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay awake and feel her body against his all night. But he knew that wasn't possible. He was tired as well. And within fifteen minutes, he was asleep too.
*****
Hunter didn't know how long he'd been asleep when he woke up. He didn't open his eyes right away. He thought he'd felt Wren shift, but he was still in a sleepy state.
When he did finally open his eyes, he saw her lying on her side facing him. She was looking down towards his belly or waist area. He didn't say anything at first, waiting to see what she might do. But after a few more seconds, he said, "You okay?"
She startled and quickly looked up at his face. He saw her eyes get big and heard her sharp intake of breath.
"Oh! Hi!" she whispered.
He couldn't see much of her face, as she was in the shadows. But he would be willing to wager that her cheeks were red. He didn't want to tease her a lot, but he couldn't let the situation pass by with nothing.
"Are you okay? You seemed like maybe something was wrong." He tried not to smile or laugh.
And what she said next was said in what could only be referred to as a whine, "Hunter..." She turned her face so it was half-hidden in her pillow.
"Yeah, Wren? Something wrong?" He couldn't resist reaching up to move some hair out of her face.
Then he heard her giggle, and it was the sweetest sound. "Oh, you know..."
He wasn't going to torture her much longer, but he did say, "Know what?" He was trying so hard to hide the smile that he felt forming. He heard her sigh loudly.
"Are you going to make me say it?"
He was pretty sure she could see the start of his smile at this point. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Say what? I don't know what you're talking about."
She whispered, "You can be an asshole, Hunter Fett."
But he saw the happiness on her face. He knew she wasn't really mad.
"Awww, I'm sorry. I'll stop. I won't make you say it." He rubbed his hand up and down her side. Then he tenderly kissed her on the forehead. He hoped that would make up for the teasing.
He was surprised when she went ahead and said more. She sighed and whispered, "I was staring at you. At your..." Then she made a motion with her hand towards him. "At that." She covered her face with her hand and said, "Aaaahh! There, are you happy?!" But she quietly laughed, so he was pretty sure she wasn't really mad at him.
And he was trying to not overreact to what she'd just said. She admitted she'd been staring at his shirtless self, and she liked what she saw, it seemed. He took her hand and gently pulled it away from her face, holding it in between them.
"I can't express how happy I am. But not because I shamed you into saying that. I'm sorry, that wasn't nice of me. I just couldn't help myself." She was looking at him, and he continued, "I'm happy, because you were comfortable enough to look, and then even if you were embarrassed, you told me when I asked. You've come a long way, Wren. I'm very proud of you." He hoped he was conveying his sincerity in his voice.
He moved his hand and cupped her cheek, rubbing gently with his thumb.
"Well, if you didn't look so flippin' good, I wouldn't have been ogling you." She was looking down at the bed when she said that, picking at the sheet.
He had to laugh quietly at her word choice. "Flippin' good?"
And then he wanted to laugh even more when she said, "I was trying to be less vulgar. Would you prefer I say, you look fuckin' good? Because ya do."
She looked up at his chest again, and he saw her hand twitch the tiniest bit towards him. She wanted to touch him. He could tell.
"Wanna touch?" he asked. She looked into his eyes quickly and licked her lips.
"I don't want to be a tease," she said quietly as she looked away again.
A tease? Is that what she said? He didn't understand what she meant. So he placed his fingers under her chin and gently lifted. "A tease? Wren? What do you mean?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "If I touch you, then I'll feel like I'm being a tease. Because I'm not ready to do much else. And I'm afraid you'll be upset if I do that and then we have to stop again."
He was surprised when he heard her. He would never think that. "Hey, hey...Wren. Look at me." He waited while she opened her eyes. "I do not think you're a tease. I won't think you're a tease. No matter what. I could never think you were a tease. And I won't get upset. I promise."
She was so sweet when she said, "You won't?"
He was quick to reassure her. "Absolutely not. Go ahead. Touch me. I promise, I won't think it's anything more than a touch."
She looked at him, and he tried to convince her he meant it with his eyes. She reached out with her hand, moving it towards his chest. Right before she made contact, she looked up at him questioningly.
He nodded. Then she lightly touched him. She gently rubbed her fingers across the planes of his chest. He could feel the smile spreading across his face as she seemed transfixed watching her fingers move through his chest hair.
She watched her fingers move lower, following the faint line of hair running down his abs. Her touch was so light that it tickled. His skin quivered involuntarily.
She pulled her hand away. "I'm sorry," she quickly whispered.
He tried to reassure her. "Nope, nothing to be sorry about. It was just such a light touch that it tickled a little, that's all. Come on." He picked up her hand and brought it back to his abs.
He was holding his breath as she lightly scratched her pretty black nails across his belly.
She said, "That's a pretty nice treasure trail, you have there, mister." She giggled as she looked up at his face.
What did she just say? A what trail?
He looked at her confused and said, "What did you say?"
"I said, that's a pretty nice treasure trail," she responded.
He decided he would just ask. "Treasure trail?"
"Yeah, that..." and she pointed to the path his hair took towards his waistband.
He asked, "This? You call that a treasure trail?" He knew his smile was getting even bigger.
"Well, yeah. What do you call it?" She seemed surprised that he'd never heard that.
"I don't know. I don't call it anything. It's just...hair." He laughed.
She continued, "Well, yeah...it's hair. But it leads down...to the... It leads down to the treasure." She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "So it's the treasure trail."
And he burst out laughing. He didn't laugh loudly, but he could tell she was caught off guard.
"Shhhh! Hunter! Quiet, I don't want everyone else to know I'm here."
"They won't hear me." He laughed some more, but quieter. "That is hilarious. I've never heard that."
"Oh yeah, I guess maybe girls talk about that stuff more than guys," she laughed quietly.
"I enjoy you so much, Wren. Come here." He reached and pulled her closer.
He ran his hand up and down her back. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Well, I'm still sleepy. Wanna sleep some more?"
She looked up at him and nodded, "Yeah, sounds good." Then she quickly kissed his neck.
When she looked up at him again, she looked at his lips and made the slightest movement with her head. He took her cue and leaned towards her, kissing her, very innocently still. They both laid their heads on the pillow, closed their eyes, and it wasn't long before they were asleep again.
*****
Hunter woke up with the sun starting to shine through the blinds. But he didn't move. Wren had her back to him again, and he was loosely holding her. She seemed to be asleep, so he just lay there quietly. Enjoying her warmth, her softness, her breathing. I could definitely get used to waking up to this every morning.
Then he felt her shift just a little, and it seemed like maybe she looked at the clock. He could see that it was 7:00, they still had a half an hour before his alarm would go off. He hoped she wouldn't get up earlier than she'd planned. He wanted this to last as long as possible.
She slowly turned over to face him, and he smiled as he saw her sleepy face. She's so adorable. She's always adorable, but when her hair is messy, and she's squinting, trying to get accustomed to being awake, she was even more so.
She looked a little surprised when she saw his face, and she asked, "How long have you been awake?"
He said, "I just did wake up."
She stretched and yawned, looking even more adorable. Then she looked at him, saying quietly, "Well, you should go back to sleep. You still have a half an hour to sleep. And well, really, you have longer. You don't have to get up when I do."
He smiled and said, "Oh, but I will, at least to see you off." Without even thinking, he reached for her hand, bringing it to his mouth for a soft kiss. She seemed embarrassed, and hid part of her face in the pillow. "You're cute," he said. He moved some hair out of her eyes, and then caressed her cheek.
She shook her head. It was a very small movement, maybe she thought he wouldn't see, but he did.
"Does that bother you? Would you rather I not say stuff like that?" He was sincere. If she wanted him to stop, he would. Even though he really meant the compliments he paid her, and he liked telling her how he felt about her. He didn't want to make her unnecessarily uncomfortable.
She moved her face out of the pillow enough that she could look at him. "Well, I mean, it would seem ridiculous if I said I didn't like compliments. I just still have trouble accepting..."
He broke in with, "Accepting compliments in general? Or accepting that I feel the things I say?"
He held her hands, looking at her recently painted nails. They were lovely. He liked the black.
"Both, but especially the second one." Then she bit her lip, which made her even more adorable. "I'm sorry. I will get better. I promise. I'm just not used to this." She sounded apologetic.
He didn't want her to feel bad about it. She felt bad about way too many things already. He assured her, "It's okay. Don't beat yourself up about it. I'll just keep saying the stuff until you just have to believe me." He quietly laughed so she would know he was kidding around. Although he did mean that he wouldn't stop complimenting her, not unless she explicitly asked him to stop.
She smiled, but he could also see her cheeks get red.
"And I love to see you blush. So I don't necessarily want that to stop. It's really adorable." He could feel the heat from her cheek as he ran his fingers over her face.
She closed her eyes, turning into the pillow gain. "You're killin' me, Hunter. Killin' me." She gave him a big smile though, and he felt his heart pounding harder. Then he noticed her look at his lips.
He took the opportunity to lean forward a bit. "Do I have morning breath?" he asked.
"Not that I can tell. Do I?" she replied.
He didn't smell her breath. "Not that I can tell. And even if you do, I don't care. I wanna kiss ya anyway." He moved the last bit needed to kiss her. And this kiss was longer than any other they'd had so far. His pulse raced faster, and he felt hot. His breath was quickening, but he tried not to make it obvious.
He knew he needed to break the kiss. When he did, he saw her bite her lip and look down.
He said, "You good?"
And she said, "Yeah, very good." Then to his surprise, she kissed him again. After another minute or so, she broke the kiss. "That was really nice. Thank you."
They both seemed out of breath.
"Thank you," he whispered. I could really get used to this.
He had felt himself stirring as they kissed, and he hoped if she noticed, it wouldn't upset her. He was already half-hard when he woke up due to morning wood. And the kissing and touching and being that close to her did nothing but stir him up more.
She flipped to her other side again, scooting back towards him a bit. He figured she wanted to spoon more, so he obliged, scooting closer to her, putting his arm around her waist. He knew she had to feel his erection against her lower back/upper ass, but she didn't react in a way that he could tell.
They settled, but then very soon after she bolted upright. She said, "Oh no, is that Omega?!" She had a panicked look in her eyes.
He hadn't even heard anything, but he listened. "I don't think so. Hang on, it'll be okay," he assured her.
He turned and got out of bed, walking to the door. He cracked it open and saw Echo walking towards the kitchen. He must have seen the door move, because he turned his head towards Hunter. He motioned him over. As Echo slowly moved towards him, Hunter asked, "Is Omega up?"
"No, not that I know of. Whyyy?" Hunter could see him trying to look over his shoulder.
He replied, "No reason," and tried to move so Echo couldn't see Wren. He didn't want her to be embarrassed. But he did motion with his head back towards his bed.
He saw Echo's eyes get really big, and he knew he was going to say something. "Hunter!"
Hunter whispered, "Nothing happened, Echo. We just slept. But she didn't really want Omega to see her this morning. I thought we would have until 8:00."
"Yeah, I think you probably will." Then he got a big smile on his face and said, "Hunter, you dog."
Hunter rolled his eyes at him. "Echo. I am not!" He knew Echo was teasing, but he didn't want Wren to hear him.
Echo laughed quietly. Then Hunter heard movement behind him. When he turned his head, he saw Wren walking towards them. He could see her face was red, and he felt terrible that she was embarrassed. She said, "Hi, Echo." She looked at Hunter and said, "Hunter, I think I'm going to go. It's close enough to time when I was going to get up. And I just don't want Omega to see me. Even if we didn't do anything, I don't want even the appearance of it. Not yet."
He wasn't going to push her. He could tell she'd made up her mind. She was already embarrassed that Echo saw her. He couldn't imagine how she'd feel if Omega did as well. She'd probably never want to stay again, and he certainly didn't want that to happen.
"Okay, if you're sure." He gave her a soft smile.
Echo addressed her. "Wren, I'm sure she won't be down for a little bit yet. I just came down to start the coffee."
Her mind was made up. "It's okay. I'm awake anyway, so I'll just go."
Hunter looked at Echo, shrugging. Echo nodded, turned, and walked towards the kitchen.
Hunter looked at her again and said, "Are you sure, Wren? I don't want you to feel like you have to run off. We can just explain to Omega that you slept here last night, and that's all."
She shook her head. "I don't really feel up to that conversation yet. I'm sorry to seem silly." He could see her shrinking in on herself, as if she was afraid he would be upset.
He wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't upset with her. He pulled her into a hug. "You don't seem silly. You go ahead and change, and I'm going to the bathroom and will be back." He couldn't resist kissing her forehead. He really wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't disappointed or upset with her.
He went to the bathroom, passing by Echo making coffee in the kitchen. When he returned, Wren was back in her clothes. She still looked great, but he was a little sad that she was no longer wearing his clothes. That was a picture he wouldn't get out of his mind for quite a while.
"Did you need to use the bathroom?" he asked.
She was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. He could tell she was still nervous. "Nah, I can wait until I'm home. I'm just getting really nervous. I'm sorry."
He tried to look as sincere as possible, because he really did mean what he said. "Wren, really, you don't need to apologize. I understand. It's still early on. We can talk about these things with Omega later on. There's no hurry," he said quietly, followed by a smile that he hoped would convince her of what he was saying.
He saw a smile cross her face, and he felt relief. Even though he thought he saw tears appear in her eyes as well.
"Thank you. You're honestly the sweetest." He was pleased when she took hold of his hand and squeezed.
He laughed as he said, "Well, now who has who fooled." He was trying to lighten her mood.
They slowly walked from his room towards the front door.
"Stop, you know you're a sweetheart. Or you are with me anyway. And Omega." He thought his cheeks were probably red as warm as he felt. He wasn't used to feeling like this when someone complimented him. It didn't usually affect him all that much. But when she did it, he felt like he was floating.
Then she put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. He felt a peace surround him. He rested his cheek on top of her head. They stood there, neither of them wanting to move.
When she finally started to pull back, she said, "Okay, I'm going. Thanks again for everything. Now, go back in and sleep some more. I might when I get home."
He assured her, "Okay, I'll lay back down, I swear." He placed his hand on her back, guiding her forward.
As they got close to the door, she surprised him by turning quickly and kissing him. She shyly looked away and laughed. A very adorable laugh.
He asked, "What's so funny?"
She looked back up at him and said, "Oh, nothing. I'm just surprised at myself. Once I started kissing, it's like I can't stop." She laughed again and he gave her a big smile.
"Well, I'm not going to complain, that's for sure." He couldn't resist one more kiss before opening the door.
"Bye, Hunter. Get some sleep. And I'll talk to you later. And have a good weekend."
"Okay, you too. Thanks for coming over and...you know...for staying." He felt a little shy all of a sudden.
She gave him a small wave and said, "Believe me, it was my pleasure."
He smiled at her again. After she turned and started walking away, he closed the door. But he stood there, watching her through the window.
He saw her turn back towards the house when she got to her car. He waved, and she waved back. After she backed out of the driveway and drove away, he locked the door and went to the kitchen.
Echo was still standing by the coffee maker, leaning against the counter. Hunter said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention what you saw to anyone. Especially Omega. Nothing happened that we should be ashamed of, but she just doesn't want to make it seem like we're moving faster than we are."
Echo nodded and said, "I won't say a word. I'm just really happy for you. She's so much better than those other two women--"
Hunter gave him a dirty look and interrupted him. "Nope...don't wanna talk about them."
Echo patted his shoulder and said, "Right, I'm just saying. You've picked well this time. And now I'm going back to bed for a bit."
Hunter nodded and said, "Yeah, me too. Omega will be up soon enough. I want to get a little more sleep if I can." His yawn punctuated his point.
He went back to his room. As he lay down, he pulled the pillow Wren had been using closer to him. He could still smell her, so he held it as he drifted back to sleep with a smile on his face.