Chapter 159 - No Need To Overanalyse
Hunter tried moving his left leg a little but winced when his knee hurt. He hissed and shifted in his place. Somehow, it seemed easy to manage the stitched cut on his right thigh when compared to the wound on his left knee.
Meanwhile, Hera kept glaring at him, and the angry pout stayed glued to her lips. She winced along when he did but didn\'t budge from her place. She had kept an arm\'s length distance between them.
His wounded knee hurts too much, even with the slightest movement. Placing a pillow behind his back, he leaned into it.
"What do I say whenever you say I love you?" Hunter asked and arched a brow, unimpressed when she didn\'t answer him immediately. He threw his head back and groaned in annoyance. Hera bit back a smile and cleared her throat to get his attention. She offered a nonchalant shrug, and her response irked him more..
He tried to grab her hand, but she managed to move out of his reach in time and smirked at him. Hunter moved swiftly, balancing most of his body weight on his right leg and caught her hand. Hera let go of her resistance when he winced while attempting to pull her closer.
A hand went around clutching the nape of her neck and pulled her closer while his other hand cupped her chubby cheek, fingers caressing the soft skin before it disappeared into her hair. His fingers curled in a gentle yet firm grasp. Hera feigned resistance until his lips captured hers and moaned a protest when he bit her.
He kissed hard and held her firmly against his chest as if he was afraid she would vanish if he let her go, and Hera went along basking in the sweet torture his determined mouth inflicted.
Pulling her bottom lip into his mouth, he nibbled and sucked hard as if he wished to swallow it. He kissed her as if he couldn\'t get enough of her mouth. He was breathing hard through his nose and the sound that emerged through his throat while sucking and gulping, it sent a shiver through Hera\'s body.
Butterflies flapped their wings in full swing, and her tummy fluttered pleasantly while her heart somersaulted. Every time Hunter moaned in pleasure, Hera wanted to listen to that sound repeatedly.
He kissed her with such passion, Hera struggled to match his intensity. Hera noticed when he withdrew his hand from the nape of her neck. It moved to her front, brushing along the underside of her jaw, the hollow of her neck. He caressed her collarbone, and his grip on her hair tightened, angling her face to his convenience while he deepened the kiss.
The hand resting on her collarbone inched downwards, moving in slow motion. Hera was fully aware of it when his palm resting against the upper swell of chest moved further and fully covered her breast. She could feel the warmth of Hunter\'s palm even through the soft cotton T-shirt she wore. He applied pressure, fingers closing around the shape in a gentle squeeze.
Startled, Hera gasped and pulled away while her fingers gripped his wrist in reflex, bringing his hand down. Her head ducked as soon as Hunter looked at her. She sat, folding her knees underneath her thighs, her body weight resting on her heels. Her face flushed red as she blushed furiously.
Hands placed on her naked thighs, Hera picked at the hem of her shorts. She avoided looking into his eyes as she felt awkward. Her heart raced a marathon, violently banging against her chest as if it would burst out any moment.
Hunter\'s eyes moved up travelling along her fingers wrapped around her knees, to her naked thighs under her forearms then to her torso, her heaving breasts. His gaze lingered on her flushed face. Her cheeks dusted with natural pink while she blushed, the tip of her ears and her nose, the snow-white skin under her neck matched the colour on her cheeks.
Hunter let out an audible sigh and Hera lifted her lashes and looked at him without raising her head. He was staring at her. She didn\'t miss when his eyes scrutinised her swollen lips and Hera bit it subconsciously.
He groaned again, and his hands moved to cover his face hiding it behind his large palms. When he uncovered his face, he mouthed, "Fuck". He threw his head back, eyeing the ceiling, frustration visible all over his features.
Meanwhile, Hera watched him run his fingers through his hair, brushing it over his head. Usually, he uses gel on his silky-soft hair to keep it in place but right now his gel-free hair dared to disobey his command and fell back on his eyes, resuming their earlier position on his forehead.
"I\'m sorry, I couldn\'t resist and got carried away," he confessed. Hera hummed her response before inclining her head. Without warning, she moved and crashed her lips on his. Hunter\'s surprised eyes grew bigger while he inhaled sharply. Hera giggled breathlessly against his lips. It was better to kill the awkwardness since prolonging it seemed worse.
Kissing seemed far better than to peek awkward glances at each other, and besides, she didn\'t want him to feel as if he did something wrong.
Hunter kissed her back but obediently kept his hands to himself. He opened his mouth over hers and kissed her with an intense urgency while Hera tried her best to keep up. "I\'m sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Hunter whispered in between the kiss. Hera smiled against his lips.
"Your stubble is giving me a little trouble," Hera said, pulling away and giggled when he playfully glared at her. "No, Hunter, you didn\'t. It was," Hera paused, thinking the right way to express it.
"I wasn\'t ready?" Unsure, she offered, shrugging. "It was unexpected, and I don\'t know," she said. Hunter silently stared into her eyes, gauging her reaction.
Hera rolled her eyes at him.
"Stop it, Hunter. You don\'t have to overanalyse everything. It\'s not your research study material, and you\'ll know if I lied," Hera stated and kissed him on the forehead. "And you can kiss me however you want and whenever you want. But don\'t try to distract me from the topic. You are not getting away from answering my questions, Lucifer," she said sternly, warning him.
Hunter agreed, but Hera could see he was thinking hard. Sighing, Hera pulled at his cheeks before blowing raspberries with her lips. Hunter playfully swatted her hand away, and Hera\'s reaction was rather overdramatic. She gasped and clutched her wrist as if it\'s broken before dropping it on his lap.
It was purely an innocent act, but it quickly turned awkward when her hand accidentally fell on his crotch, and she felt his boner. Now it was Hunter\'s turn to gasp. Hera was alarmed when he hissed in pain.
Hera stared at him with her wide eyes before voicing out her thoughts.
"Why do you look like you\'re in pain? Are you hurt there too," she asked, pointing her finger at his pride. Hunter scowled and threw a pillow at her. It hit her on the head. Hera threw it back at him, and he shoved it away with his forearm.
"Answer my question, Hunter," she said, sounding annoyed. "No, it works just fine with the baby-making process. So don\'t worry your little brain too much. Your future babies are safe," he replied, mimicking her annoyed tone.
"Fine, then let\'s get back to the big issue. What happened at the race? I\'m not dumb to believe your bullshit. So be honest and tell me the truth. Why did Eric say you could\'ve died?" Hera asked, jumping straight to the point. "Who hurt you, Hunter?" She asked, moving closer. She took a seat beside him, leaning against the headboard.
Hunter took her hand in his, and his free hand went around her shoulder, pulling her closer. Hera placed her head on his shoulder, waiting for him to speak while he arranged his thoughts in his mind.
"Name, fame and money never come for free. There\'s always a price to pay," Hunter said. Hera noticed how his facial features lost all the softness, his jaw set, shoulders stiff, and he seemed tense.
Hunter thought how much to reveal. He wanted to come clean and tell her the truth. But considering how she reacted after learning about his injuries, he didn\'t think she was ready. She was too young and immature to understand the truth of his dangerous world. She would be terrified of his family background.
"My father has too many competitors and business rivals. His enemies are dangerous, and since I\'m the sole inheritor and only weakness of my parents, I often get targeted by his enemies," Hunter revealed, eyes fixed on Hera, studying her every expression. He noticed how her eyes widened. She held her breath, and her face already turned pale.
Hunter could read fear in her eyes.
\'Goddess, will you stay by my side even after learning about my true identity?\'