Born to Fight (Can't Resist You Book 1) Read online

  She was feeling all kinds of weird feelings, and she needed to escape. It was wrong to feel things like that. It was wrong to think things like that.

  Rain was beginning to miss her two year isolation.

  ***

  Hunter chuckled as Rain ran off at the sight of his arousal, but the motion sent a jolt of pain across his abdomen. He looked down to see what he thought was excessive bandaging, only to pull them up and see they weren’t excessive at all.

  He remembered getting stabbed, but he didn’t remember all this. He had three deep knife wounds in his lower stomach, but, luckily, the flesh was healing. In a few weeks, they’d be nothing more than scars.

  He saw the bruising on his shoulder and remembered Paul and Jerry dragging him… Paul and Jerry! Damn them! They left him out there to die in the woods.

  Hunter was going to kill them if he ever made it back to HQ. There would be hell to pay for what had happened to him.

  He suddenly became aware of his quick physical response to his savior, and couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Maybe it wasn’t all that bad that those two fools had left him out there.

  Everything was feeling fuzzy for Hunter. He was achy and sore and his head was clouded from being out for so long, but he was just so damn happy to be awake. Alert. Functioning. Alive.

  Looking around the small space, he realized they were in a bunker of some kind. Long before the fall, there was a global conflict. These bunkers were made as a means to protect against some kind of great fire attack. Hunter had only heard stories from his father, but he had said that if the red state attacked, the world would have been set on fire.

  Whatever that meant.

  Anyhow, just before the fall, as it became clear that falling would be imminent, people began rushing to these bunkers. Stocking them up. Creating new ones, even.

  How long had Rain been here? She was far too young to have been here since the fall. And there didn’t seem to be anyone else out here, unless they were running missions.

  Hunter found himself growing angry at the thought of Rain having some other man who’d be coming home to her. He didn’t know why that was. Hunter had never felt this kind of feeling before, and it worried him.

  Hunt. Protect. When necessary, kill. That was what Hunter did. That was what Hunter felt in his bones. Not whatever type of jealous ting this was. So what if she had a man? Hunter didn’t get involved with women. Not now, not ever.

  When he heard Rain’s return at the top latch to the bunker, he pushed himself up in bed, his wounds screaming at him. He continued to push, lifting himself and struggling to stand.

  Rain saw him and yelped, running towards him just as he began to fall.

  “What are you doing?!”

  She let him lean on her, and he became instantly aware of how close her face was to his. Rain had beautiful hair, long and brown and wavy, with striking green eyes that played perfectly against her pale skin. Full lips that were only inches away from his own…

  “Hunter?” God, and the sweetest fucking voice. The voice of an angel.

  “Are you okay?” she asked again.

  “There you go saving me again,” he smiled.

  She smiled back at him, and it warmed him instantly. Her skin was so smooth, so soft, and he didn’t want to let go. Her eyes were on him, and he simply stared, completely taken back by her beauty and how close they were in that moment.

  As if gravity itself was pulling him, he leaned into her, his mouth inching closer and closer to those rosy lips of hers. She angled her head towards him, accepting it, allowing it, wanting him to, and he felt his cock pulse with the anticipation of tasting her.

  In a blink, her eyes looked down and widened, and she yanked away from him, nearly sending him face first into the floor. “You’re naked!”

  Hunter looked down and laughed. Shit. “So uh, do you have those clothes of mine, by any chance?” He grinned.

  Rain had her hand shielding her eyes, an amusing sight to say the least. “I’ll go get them.” She scurried towards the ladder and climbed up. Hunter sat on the bed again and pulled the sheet over himself. Just his fucking luck.

  Oh well, at least he tried to lighten the mood a bit with a laugh.

  Rain came back down the ladder. “I had them out to dry. They’re good, now.” She smiled weakly and handed him the pants. “I’ll go back up so you can-”

  “I’m sorry, hun. That was an accident. An embarrassing accident, but an accident.”

  Her gaze found his and he smiled to reassure her. She smiled back, nodded, and walked to the other side of them room where she sat on the small couch and looked at the wall.

  Hunter slowly and painfully pulled on his pants.

  One day, he would get Rain to take them off of him. But only when she wanted to. Then and only then, he would give her more pleasure than she’d ever felt.

  Until then… no more accidental full frontals from him. Hunter chuckled again.

  Just my luck.

  ***

  As she set the plates down on her makeshift table, Rain felt her lips curl into a small smile. She had just cooked a meal for someone other than herself, was about to share a meal with a living, breathing human being.

  A shiver ran down her spine.

  While Rain’s urges to interact with people were being satisfied by finding this stranger, her anxiety was at an all time high.

  Slowly, Hunter made his way to the table, adamantly refusing any assistance from her.

  All the better. The last time she had touched him, it felt like he set her skin on fire. She wasn’t sure what was happening to her, but she didn’t like it. Truthfully, it terrified her.

  Finally, she sat at the table across from Hunter.

  “This looks delicious,” he smiled at her. His voice was so deep, almost like a growl. It… did things to her when he spoke.

  “Broth and bread,” she muttered. Not the best of meals, but she did what she could.

  They ate quietly, Rain’s anxiety whispering all types of wicked things into her ear as the silence hung around them.

  “Who are you?” she finally asked. Now that her houseguest wasn’t on the verge of death, it was time for her to get some answers.

  “I’m Hunter Kane. And you?” He smiled. Smirked. He’s playing with me.

  “That’s not what I asked,” Rain said firmly.

  Hunter sighed. “I’m just a farmer. I live out in the backcountry. My family went out there before the fall, I was born and raised there.”

  Farmers didn’t have muscles like that. And they didn’t get repeatedly stabbed or beaten nearly to death and then act like it was no big deal upon waking up.

  “Who attacked you if you are just a farmer?”

  “I honestly don’t remember.” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t remember much.”

  “And you don’t wonder?”

  He stared at her, squinting his eyes. “Excuse me?”

  Rain shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “You woke up and asked no questions. If you had no questions, then that means you remembered. You didn’t ask what happened to you, because you knew what happened to you. You didn’t ask where I found you, because you knew where I found you. You didn’t ask where we were now, because it didn’t matter all that much to you that it wasn’t home, if home even exists for you.” She bit her lip. “Curiosity is an emotion that all humans feel. You have none of it. So, you are either not human, or you already know the answers to the questions you should have been asking me.”

  He stared through her, absolutely no emotion crossing his face. Then, for a brief second, she saw it. Something beneath the surface, in his eyes. He looked… impressed? And just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

  “What would you like me to tell you?” he finally asked.

  “The truth,” she replied quickly. “Just the truth.”

  Hunter took a bite of his bread and a sip from his water glass. Then he placed the glass on the table and eyed her.

  “Why do you
look at me like I’m a bear about to maul you?”

  Fear must have flashed across Rain’s face, but she schooled her expression the best she could. “I don’t trust men,” she answered truthfully. “I especially don’t trust men who lie to me.”

  He half-smiled at her, and her heart began pumping faster. This time, it wasn’t from fear. God, why did he have to be so handsome? “For a woman who is afraid of men, you seem awfully confident to me.”

  Her eyes widened. “I never said I was afraid of men, I said I didn’t trust them.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “All the same. Why save me if you think my breed is untrustworthy?”

  “I saved your life. I took you into my home, I tended to your wounds and nursed you back to health. I gave up my valuable supplies to help you. That is between myself and God.” She swallowed. “If you were to harm me, or kill me, or steal from me… well, that would be between you and God.”

  His eyes widened and he sat more upright in his chair. “God?”

  Crap. “It’s uhm… He’s, uh… it’s like...”

  “I know what God is, but how do you?” He stared at her, hard, leaning closer over the small table. “All stories of God were outlawed decades ago, before even the fall. So how do you know about God?”

  She swallowed nervously. Again. “How do you know about God, mister farmer?”

  He looked deeply into her, so deeply she thought he might actually find her soul and yank it out. She shifted in her seat, holding her ground and commanding her face not show any of the emotions she felt. Strong.

  “Fair enough,” he finally answered, settling back into his seat. After a moment, he spoke again. “So do you really believe in that? Do you really believe that there’s a plan and that things work themselves out?”

  Yes. “I do.”

  “Why?” There was something desperate in his voice when he asked that question.

  Because I have to. “Why don’t you?”

  He looked away. “I’ve seen a lot of bad in this world. I think maybe, I’ve seen only bad. Hard to believe there’s something good behind all that evil.”

  “Seeing bad is why I believe. I have to believe that all the terrible things that have happened to me have been for a reason, that there’s some goodness out there and I was just being molded for it by all the bad.”

  His gaze met hers again. “And what bad have you seen, Rain?” His voice was almost robotic, and she felt a chill run down her spine when he spoke.

  She took a bite of her bread and looked towards the floor, the heavy weight of his question bearing down on her. Far too much, she mentally answered. I’ve seen far too much.

  “Ah,” he started. “I guess I’m not the only one with secrets, now, am I?” He smiled at her from across the table, picking up his spoon and turning his attention back towards his food, never once wiping that smug look from his face.

  They finished their meal in silence.

  ***

  “What the fuck do you mean they came back without Hunter?” Sawyer growled. “Where the fuck is he?”

  Fury pulsed through him, pumping through his veins and driving his every move.

  “According to the boys, Hunter was fatally wounded,” Hayden responded. Hayden was level-headed, as usual, but Sawyer was about to be in a fit of rage.

  “Then where is his body?” Derek proposed.

  “They claimed to be under enemy fire.”

  “Fuck off, Hayden. This is Hunter we’re talking about.”

  Hayden lowered his head, nodded, and kept his damn mouth shut.

  “What do we do?” Derek asked.

  Sawyer took a deep breath, releasing it slowly and plotting his next moves carefully. “I want Paul and Jerry contained. Until we can verify their story, they are the bad guys. I want guards on them at all times. Restrict their movements throughout the base.”

  Hayden nodded. “Done.”

  “I will lead a party to recover Hunter’s body. He deserves a proper burial, in the Sacred Place. I will retrace their steps and bring him back home, to his family.”

  “But, Sawyer,” Derek started, “you’re the leader. We need you here.”

  Sawyer looked to his brother and smiled. “Hunter is our family. He is our brother. We must recover him and bring him home.” He paused, turning away from the rest of the men seated at the table and pacing towards the back wall. “You know, Hunter nearly begged me not to send those boys with him. He knew. He even made a comment about them returning without him…”

  Sawyer trailed off as he sunk into his memories.

  He snapped himself out of it. “This is non-negotiable. I’ll leave at first light.”

  “Let me come with you.”

  Sawyer placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder and shook his head. “You take my place as their leader. Ensure our survival until I return, yes?”

  Derek finally nodded.

  “May I make a suggestion?” Hayden asked.

  Sawyer turned towards him. “What?”

  “Take Paul with you.” Fuck no- “He knows exactly where they left Hunter’s body, and, from the little birds who enjoy singing to me, I hear he was the one fighting to bring Hunter back here.”

  Sawyer mulled over the decision. “I don’t like it.” He released the air in his lungs. “Okay. Tell him to be ready at dawn.”

  Hayden nodded, standing and moving towards the doorway. He turned just before exiting, showing only his profile to Sawyer. The left side of his face was visibly scarred, threatening, and Sawyer momentarily wondered if Hayden had looked at him from that angle on purpose. He wasn’t intimidated.

  “Sawyer?” Hayden asked.

  “Hayden.”

  “Bring our brother home.”

  Fuck yes I will.

  Chapter Four

  LIVING WITH RAIN FORthree weeks felt like Heaven. Hunter was nearly healed, taking things slowly but helping around the ‘house’ and spending some time outdoors.

  He sat on a tree stump facing the sun, the warmth caressing his skin. He had always been bothered by the sun, preferring to do all of his work by the light of the moon, yet here he was, soaking in the pleasure being given to him by this giant orb he once complained about.

  Hunter had no right to complain anymore.

  As he sat there, he thought about the way he was able to joke with Rain, how he knew just how to make her laugh. He had never joked before, and wasn’t even quite sure how to, yet when he saw Rain twiddling her thumbs or gnawing on her lip, a nervous habit she seemed to be unaware of, he knew exactly what to do to pull her out of it and make her smile.

  It was as if being in her presence was changing him into a new person. And, if he was being honest with himself, he liked this person more than who he’d been before. He liked him a whole lot more.

  “Hunter!” he turned at Rain’s soft voice calling to him. When he looked at her, a smile spread across her face, and it warmed him far more than the sun had. “Do you want to take a walk with me down to the river?”

  He grinned. “I’d love to.” He lifted himself from his makeshift bench and began walking towards her.

  “It’s a bit of a hike, is that okay?” she asked.

  “Of course. I’m nearly all healed!” He lifted his shirt to reveal his abdomen, riddled with ugly red scars… but they were scars. He smiled at that fact.

  “Well let’s keep it that way,” Rain said as the corners of her mouth pulled into a wide smile and her beautiful green eyes caught the sunlight. “I’ll be doing all the heavy lifting, got it?”

  Hunter chuckled, shaking his head and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say.”

  Her eyes darted towards his hand, and then she bit her lip. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in her head. He dropped his hand and she smiled shyly, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “This way,” she said, motioning towards the trees.

  As Hunter followed behind her, his eyes couldn’t help but drift down her perfect
ly sculpted body. Rain was short, around a foot shorter than him, with tight curves and long brown hair that fell in waves down the small of her back.

  Hunter wasn’t a saint, he’d seen attractive women in his time. He’d had his share of short affairs, but he found it all fairly meaningless and had given up on that venture in pursuit of his larger goals. He put everything into his work, and women ceased to be a distraction for him rather quickly.

  And yet there he was, staring at the beautiful woman before him and fantasizing about what she’d look like without those light denim pants or that red and white flannel.

  Hunter had to get back to HQ, but for some reason, the thought of leaving Rain made him feel uneasy.

  “How long have you been living out here?” he asked.

  She turned towards him, slowing her gate and moving to his side so that they could walk together. “I’ve been out here for about two years.”

  “Alone?”

  “Alone,” she smiled.

  “Have you been alone for the entire time?” There was no way this woman could survive out here with no help, no human contact, and no protection for so long.

  “I found it all by myself, I fixed it up all by myself, and I maintain it all by myself.” She looked at him and beamed. “Does that surprise you?”

  “Honestly?” he asked, and then he shrugged. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

  “And why is that?”

  Hunter looked down at her, wondering what the answer was to that question for himself. “Well, I think it’s because I look at you, and I can’t ever imagine leaving you to fend for yourself in such a fucked up place. And I just can’t imagine how anyone else could.”

  She widened her eyes and raised her brows. Then she looked away from him. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  He stopped them both, taking her face in his hand and angling it up towards his. “I know that, Rain. Believe me, I know that. You not only have been taking care of yourself for two years, but you also took care of me for these past few weeks.” He stared down at her wide eyes with long lashes, her rosy cheeks, her pink lips that were slightly parted. “I am certain that you are the strongest woman I know, based on that little bit of information alone.”