an attempt to guide me, and I follow him. I hear a clash of metal and Hunter curse under his breath.
When I look behind us, I see that the barricade fell and we are now surrounded by people. We are still about ten feet from the van and there is nowhere to go. The crowd is closing in, everyone yelling my name from one direction or another.
“What the fuck!” Hunter yells next to me, trying to get to the security guards and push through people. “Come here.” Fear sets in as I see the crowd moving toward us. He picks me up, holding me against his chest and I feel safe in his arms. Even if he is an asshole, I have this comforting feeling that he won’t let anything happen to me. I hate how he makes me feel. He turns and begins to back into the crowd, pushing his way through people. I feel him beginning to put me down and look next to us to see the truck. Thank God.
He holds the door open for me and climbs in after I do. “Holy shit! Is that fucking normal?”
“I don’t know what normal is anymore,” I say, as I stare out of the window. Normal is having no friends because everyone wants something from you. Normal is not being able to date because most guys just want to say they had sex with Samantha Baker. Normal isn’t a word I know anymore.
“Hey,” I feel his hand touch my arm. “Are you okay?” I nod my head. “Okay, Joe is going to stop by a drive through. What do you want to eat?”
“Nothing.” My mood has dropped severely. The only thing I want is my bed, not that it will be my bed because I’ve been in a different hotel every night.
“You need to eat something. I mean, I got here around lunch time and it’s almost nine now. You have to eat.”
I turn to him, puzzled by the rough edge to his tone.
“I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to. Besides my mother would have me committed for even thinking of eating that junk. If you’re hungry though, feel free to stop.” I resume my previous position, turned away from him and staring out of the window.
The car goes through the drive through and both Joe and Hunter get something to eat. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t salivating just from the smell inside the car. I wanted to get something, but my mother’s words haunt me every time I eat. I look over at him as her words play in my head.
Stick with the salad, you know anything else will go straight to your thighs.
No one wants to look at a fatty, Samantha.
One mistake is all it takes.
Make me proud.
My stomach grumbles and I know Hunter hears it when he turns to me. He raises an eyebrow as he seems to assess me but he doesn’t say anything.
When we get to the hotel, I go straight up to the suite. I need a long bath and honestly I really need some sexual gratification. Hunter walks me upstairs but when I try to close the door to the room, he pushes it open and steps inside.
“What are you doing?” I ask him, having no energy to play games.
“Going to bed, same as you.”
“Then you need to go to your room.” I open the door and look at him expectantly.
“I am in my own room. Your mom said she is booking suites with two rooms so that you’re never alone. I guess that means you’re stuck with me, cupcake.” He winks before retreating with our bags.
My mother hates me.
Chapter Four
Hunter
I am so fucking beat. Most of my other jobs were for events. Keeping out unwanted guests and easy shit like that.
When I walked into that room and saw her today, I thought I was fucked. Until I saw the way her eyes darted to her mother when she realized who I was. I saw the fear, the need for approval and I knew that there was no way she would out herself. Having to pretend like I didn’t want to push her up against the wall and fuck the shit out of her all day was exhausting.
Knowing that she is asleep in the other room is driving me fucking crazy. I wonder what she sleeps in. A little silk number, a t-shirt that stops just below her beautiful ass, or nothing at all. I scrub