Page 66 of Hunter

I chuckle softly and hold him tighter, letting him come down slowly in my arms. His legs are still trembling. His breathing is ragged. He feels so small and vulnerable like this, completely undone, and something fiercely protective surges in my chest.

I’ve never wanted to keep someone safe this badly.

I press another kiss to his damp curls. “I’ve got you. Just breathe.”

Charlie nods against my neck, arms wrapped weakly around my waist as though he doesn’t want me to move. Sofia chooses that moment to hop up onto the counter beside us, purring loudly like she’s proud of the mess we’ve made.

I scoop Charlie up properly, carrying him to his bed. He’s boneless in my arms, still trembling from the aftershocks, face tucked against my neck like he doesn’t want to let go. I tug the covers down with one hand and settle him gently onto the bed.

He looks ruined in the best way: flushed skin, swollen lips, tear tracks drying on his cheeks, cock still half-hard and glistening against his stomach.

I stare down at him, chest tight with something I don’t have a name for.

Charlie reaches up with limp arms and tugs weakly at the hem of my shirt.

“Off,” he mumbles, voice hoarse and fucked-out. “All of it. I want to feel your skin on mine.”

The quiet demand hits me hard. I don’t hesitate. I reach back and pull my shirt over my head in one motion, then shove my jeans and boxers down, kicking them aside. The second I’m naked, Charlie makes this soft, needy sound and reaches for me again.

I crawl over him, settling my weight between his spread thighs. The moment our bare skin meets—chest to chest, hips to hips—we both groan. He feels so warm, so soft, so alive under me. I bury my face in his neck, breathing him in as his arms wrap around my back.

“Better?” I murmur against his skin.

“So much better,” he whispers, legs coming up to hook loosely around my waist. His hands slide up my back, fingertips tracing over the still-healing burns along my shoulder and upper back. The skin there is tight, pink, and sensitive as hell, but he doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t pull away. He just touches them like they’re part of me.

I shiver hard at the contact, a mix of pain and something deeper.

Charlie notices. His touch lightens immediately, becoming softer, almost reverent as his fingers ghost over the damaged skin.

“Still sore?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah,” I admit against his neck. “But don’t stop. I like feeling your hands on me.”

He makes a small, understanding sound and continues stroking me there—gentle, careful, but not hesitant. It’s the first time someone’s touched the burns since they started healing, and the fact that it’s him makes my chest ache in a way I’m not ready to examine.

I bury my face deeper into his neck, breathing him in as our bodies press together, skin to skin. My cock is heavy and aching between us, trapped against his stomach, but I don’t rush it. I just hold him, letting the warmth of his body sink into mine.

Charlie eventually tilts his head and kisses the corner of my jaw, soft and sweet.

“It feels like…you need some relief,” he whispers.

I pull back enough to look at him. His eyes are clearer now, but still dark with want.

“I’m good,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over his bottom lip. “I just want to hold you.”

Could I be touch-starved? The thought hits me hard. It’s a very real possibility. Months of keeping everyone at arm’s length, and before that, Robby’s sharp-edged version of intimacy that always left bruises…I don’t remember the last time someone just held me without expecting something in return.

I’m going to soak up every second of this.

I roll us so I’m on my back and pull Charlie on top of me, chest to chest, his head tucked under my chin. He comes willingly, melting against me with a soft sigh, legs tangling with mine. His fingers trace lazy patterns over my collarbone, occasionally brushing the edge of the healing burns on my shoulder without hesitation.

We stay like that for a long time. Sofia curls up somewhere near our feet, purring loudly. And every so often he presses a soft kiss to my chest or my neck.

I run my hand slowly up and down his back and feel something tight in my chest slowly start to unwind.

“You’re warm,” Charlie mumbles sleepily against my skin. “I like it.”

I huff a quiet laugh and press a kiss to the top of his messy curls. “Stay here as long as you want.”