FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

When she pulled away from the kiss, Hera grinned and wiped his lips with her thumb, erasing the colour of her lip balm smeared around his mouth. 

She laughed and took a few steps back when his eyes roamed over her form. She crossed her hands behind her back and let him savour his view. 

She had dressed in a black and white georgette short dress. It was white from top to bottom on her left side and black on the right side. It was off-shoulder and reached up to her knees. Her slender neck, the smooth skin of her arms and long legs were on display. The belt fastened around her middle showed off her curves. 

Her feet bare, the white gold anklet shone against her fair skin. 

"Where did you toss your footwear?" He asked, giving her a disapproving look. Hera placed her feet on his and twined her arms around his neck.. She kissed him again, and he never seemed to complain. She felt him smile before kissing her back, and this he took in charge. 

"I missed you," Hera whispered against his lips. Hunter tightened his arms around her and squeezed once in acknowledgement. "But I missed you more," he replied when she pulled away from the kiss. Hera tilted her head to the side and glared at him through her narrowed slits. "Liar," she said bitingly. "If you were going to miss me, then you wouldn't have sent me away," she accused. 

Hunter laughed at her pouty face. 

His fingers wrapped around her wrist, and he pulled her to the bedroom. He ordered her to sit in front of the dresser and switched on the hairdryer. 

Hera's smile stayed intact the whole time as she watched him drying her hair. "Stop smiling like an idiot. What was the hurry that you didn't have time to dry your hair?" He asked, scolding her for being so careless. "You know you're prone to cold. What if you get sick?" He questioned again. He kept on lecturing, and Hera still couldn't stop smiling even though she was getting scolded. 

His eyes focused on the movement of the dryer while his long fingers buried themselves in her hair. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned in concentration. His wet tongue would lick his lips in between his speech to keep them moisturised. Her eyes stayed glued to his mouth, and all Hera could think was to kiss him. 

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Mrs Hunter," she heard him say and looked into his eyes through the mirror. 

"Oopsie, you caught me," she said, fluttering her lashes at him. "Do you mind me if I work on my heart's desire, sir?" She asked, keeping her tone flirty. Hunter laughed when she winked at him suggestively. 

"Keep sending me signals, and you will regret when I fail to resist," he stated in a subtle warning. Hera scowled in return. "Huh, you're so dumb, Mr Hunter. You're reading it all wrong, you know. I'm not sending you any signal. It's an invite in bold capitals, I'm holding right in front of your eyes. Read it properly," she said, shaking her head as if he committed something shameful. 

Hunter cleared his throat and kept aside the dryer. Thrusting the hairbrush in her hand, he crossed his arms and stood behind her. "What, are we competing for a staring contest now?" Hera asked, rolling her eyes. He kept staring and didn't utter a word after that. She sighed and tossed the hairbrush on the dresser. The disturbing sound it made caught his attention, and Hera bit back a smile when Hunter pursed his lips. 

"Why are you not speaking? What did I do to offend you now?" Hera asked, sounding annoyed. She turned around and stood facing him directly. Suddenly she regretted teasing him earlier. She noticed what she couldn't see in the mirror, the intensity in his stare. Hera averted her eyes and looked down, travelling from his nose to his lips. Her gaze slid down further, watching how his Adam's apple moved while he swallowed. 

'Uh-uh, Hera, what did you do?'

She eyed his biceps, how they crossed around his defined chest, and her eyes kept wandering on their own accord, moving down to his washboard abs. She heard him curse and lifted her eyes back to his face hurriedly. Hera noticed how his pupils dilated, and the colour of his eyes changed to a darker shade of purple. His jaw clenched, and his arms tightened around his chest. She noticed how his knuckles turned white. 

Hera's heart skipped a beat and then took off to thump violently against her chest. 

'Big mistake.'

Her over-smart brain answered her earlier question. 

"Why do you look angry? What did I do?" Hera asked and cursed mentally for stuttering. 

She remembered Hunter speaking about pupils once. He had taught her about why they dilate in the first place. It could be because of love, lust, fear or anger. 

Hera knew it wasn't fear or anger. 

By now, she was aware of his massive brain, the universal stockpile of knowledge it possessed. 

Hunter had taught her that when a person got romantically or sexually attracted to someone, their brain would get a boost from the chemicals named Oxytocin and dopamine. Those chemicals would affect the size of the pupil. It could also mean the desire for biological reproduction. 

'These chemicals are love hormones.' 

Hera remembered him saying. 

'Oh, I dug myself this hole. Dear Lord, I created this sexual tension.'

Hera cursed inwardly and took hurried steps backwards as he suddenly moved, forcing her to do the same. As a cliched scene in every romantic novel, her back collided with the wall behind her. Hunter placed his palms on either side of her head, framing her form. 

He closed the distance and pressed his torso against hers. Hera sucked in a sharp breath before she gulped nervously. 

"Don't tempt me, Goddess, I don't know for how long I can resist," he confessed, his voice a breathy whisper against her ear. The hot air brushed against her neck, and Hera couldn't stop the shiver it drew out of her. When she looked into his eyes, he looked so defeated, as if he was in pain. 

"Stop playing with me," he said. Hera frowned, but before she could say something, he moved, putting some distance between their bodies. He turned around, and Hera grabbed his hand in reflex. Hunter shook his head in warning. 

She held his hands in hers and brought them back to her face. She guided him to cup her face and peppered wet kisses around his sharp jawline. Hunter closed his eyes, and his breath came out in short pants. Hera placed her palms against his and slowly dragged them down to her neck, then moved a bit lower, stopping them right above the swell of her breasts. 

Hunter's eyes snapped open, and he yanked his hands back at lightning speed as if he got burned. 

Hera grabbed his hands again and entwined their fingers together.

"Don't do this, Goddess," Hunter said, his voice a barely-there whisper. 

"I wasn't playing with you. Do whatever you want, Hunter. I'll never object. I mean it," Hera promised. 

Hunter's eyes grew large, and the emotion burning in his eyes was undeniably anger. Untangling their entwined fingers, he pulled his hands away. Hera watched a nerve ticking under his clenched jaw. He held her gaze captive while he took a few steps away from her. A hand went around his neck, and fingers grasped the material of his black T-shirt before he pulled it over his head in one swift move. 

Hera's heart skipped a beat, and her stomach flipped nervously. She gulped down her fear and watched him close the distance again. 

'Now that I gave him the green signal to go ahead, shouldn't he be pleased or something? Why does he look angry?' 

His pace was slow, steps cautiously measured, and the intensity in his eyes scared her. There was no trace of any emotion on his face. He wasn't smiling, nor was he angry anymore. He had pulled a perfect poker face. Hera wanted to ask what went wrong but couldn't muster the courage. 

His hand reached out to take hers. Subconsciously Hera took a step back only to realise she was already leaning against the wall. She had nowhere to run. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. He stared at her wordlessly, and his silence started to scare her. Hera looked down, running her eyes over his naked torso, but it didn't distract her as she expected. 

"I've never done it with a virgin before. Fair warning, Goddess, first time hurts," he said, leading her to the bed. Hera noticed how his voice sounded distant, and it lacked emotions. He had a faraway look in his eyes. Hera swallowed to moisten her dry throat.

Meanwhile, Hunter waited for her to climb the bed and get comfortable. Scooting over, she made some room for him.