slob, and try harder, and be better.
“Hey, Brit.” Hunter’s voice is soft. “Where’d you go?” He closes the distance between us and reaches to gently tilt my chin up, but I keep my eyes averted, looking everywhere but him. “What’s wrong?” Hunter asks.
“Nothing.” I try to pull away.
“Don’t lie to me.” Hunter cups my cheek, a touch so gentle, it sends a pang right through me. “Are you OK? Listen, about what happened tonight…”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I can feel the emotions whirling, but I’d rather die than let him see I’m affected.
“Tough.” Hunter insists. “I’m not letting you run away again.”
“I’m not—”
“You practically bolted from a moving truck,” Hunter cuts me off.
“I’m tired.” I fold my arms. “Can I just have my keys?”
“Not until you look at me, Brit. I mean it, look at me.”
I do.
Hunter’s hair shines gold in the porch light, blue eyes clouded with concern. It’s almost more than I can take, to have him looking so gorgeous and perfect right now. I’m feeling scattered and undone, like what happened tonight shattered some hard, brittle part of me, and now everything’s just messy and raw and impossible to control.
“Hunter, please...” My voice twists, and I’m dangerously close to losing it now.
“Please what?” he replies, not moving. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.” I clench my jaw.
Hunter shakes his head. “Don’t push me away,” he says softly. “I thought we were past that.”
“Why?” I answer darkly. “Because I spread my legs and let you do whatever, like some cheap slut?”
Shock flashed across his face. “Why would you say that?”
I give a bitter laugh. “It’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? It’s what they all think. And I don’t exactly prove them wrong.”
Hunter takes my face in both his hands, looking at me straight on. Direct. “There’s nothing wrong with what you did tonight—what we did, together.” he tells me fiercely. “You blew my fucking mind, you were so hot. Unless…” his hands drop, uncertainty creeping into his expression. “Do you regret it? Did I push too far, is that what this is about?” he asks quickly. “Because Brit, I never meant to. I thought you were right there with me—”
“I was!” I exclaim. I can’t have him thinking even for a minute that he forced me somehow. “I wanted it too.”
Relief floods his expression, then a confused frown. “So what’s the problem?” he asks.
“There is none.” I shut down again. “We had a great time, it’s done, so you can go now.”
He pauses. “Is that what you want?”
No !
I swallow. “Yes.”
Hunter stares at me a moment, his expression unreadable. The sad ache in me twists, sharp and painful. This is it, I tell myself. His cue to leave. I brace myself, willing him just to go, and leave me. For this to be over.
Then he kisses me.
I freeze in his arms, confused. The kiss is soft, slow and tender, and heartbreakingly sweet, but before I can react, he draws back, and gently brushes hair from my eyes.
“You’re not a slut,” he tells me, his voice low but even. “You’re not twisted, or trashy, or used up, or broken. I don’t know why you think it, and I could kill anyone who’s ever made you feel this way.”
My mouth drops open in shock, but Hunter’s not done. He tilts his head, resting his forehead against mine, so I can feel every word, the soft whisper of breath and the sweetness of his promises. “You’re perfect, Brit. Special, and rare. And maybe you can’t believe that, but I swear, I won’t stop until you see what I do. The most incredible girl I’ve ever met.”
Hunter kisses my forehead and then reaches past me, unlocking the door.
“You’re working tomorrow?” he asks.
I nod, wordless in disbelief.
“I’ll come by the bar and pick you up,” he says. “Sweet
“Hey, Brit.” Hunter’s voice is soft. “Where’d you go?” He closes the distance between us and reaches to gently tilt my chin up, but I keep my eyes averted, looking everywhere but him. “What’s wrong?” Hunter asks.
“Nothing.” I try to pull away.
“Don’t lie to me.” Hunter cups my cheek, a touch so gentle, it sends a pang right through me. “Are you OK? Listen, about what happened tonight…”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I can feel the emotions whirling, but I’d rather die than let him see I’m affected.
“Tough.” Hunter insists. “I’m not letting you run away again.”
“I’m not—”
“You practically bolted from a moving truck,” Hunter cuts me off.
“I’m tired.” I fold my arms. “Can I just have my keys?”
“Not until you look at me, Brit. I mean it, look at me.”
I do.
Hunter’s hair shines gold in the porch light, blue eyes clouded with concern. It’s almost more than I can take, to have him looking so gorgeous and perfect right now. I’m feeling scattered and undone, like what happened tonight shattered some hard, brittle part of me, and now everything’s just messy and raw and impossible to control.
“Hunter, please...” My voice twists, and I’m dangerously close to losing it now.
“Please what?” he replies, not moving. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.” I clench my jaw.
Hunter shakes his head. “Don’t push me away,” he says softly. “I thought we were past that.”
“Why?” I answer darkly. “Because I spread my legs and let you do whatever, like some cheap slut?”
Shock flashed across his face. “Why would you say that?”
I give a bitter laugh. “It’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? It’s what they all think. And I don’t exactly prove them wrong.”
Hunter takes my face in both his hands, looking at me straight on. Direct. “There’s nothing wrong with what you did tonight—what we did, together.” he tells me fiercely. “You blew my fucking mind, you were so hot. Unless…” his hands drop, uncertainty creeping into his expression. “Do you regret it? Did I push too far, is that what this is about?” he asks quickly. “Because Brit, I never meant to. I thought you were right there with me—”
“I was!” I exclaim. I can’t have him thinking even for a minute that he forced me somehow. “I wanted it too.”
Relief floods his expression, then a confused frown. “So what’s the problem?” he asks.
“There is none.” I shut down again. “We had a great time, it’s done, so you can go now.”
He pauses. “Is that what you want?”
No !
I swallow. “Yes.”
Hunter stares at me a moment, his expression unreadable. The sad ache in me twists, sharp and painful. This is it, I tell myself. His cue to leave. I brace myself, willing him just to go, and leave me. For this to be over.
Then he kisses me.
I freeze in his arms, confused. The kiss is soft, slow and tender, and heartbreakingly sweet, but before I can react, he draws back, and gently brushes hair from my eyes.
“You’re not a slut,” he tells me, his voice low but even. “You’re not twisted, or trashy, or used up, or broken. I don’t know why you think it, and I could kill anyone who’s ever made you feel this way.”
My mouth drops open in shock, but Hunter’s not done. He tilts his head, resting his forehead against mine, so I can feel every word, the soft whisper of breath and the sweetness of his promises. “You’re perfect, Brit. Special, and rare. And maybe you can’t believe that, but I swear, I won’t stop until you see what I do. The most incredible girl I’ve ever met.”
Hunter kisses my forehead and then reaches past me, unlocking the door.
“You’re working tomorrow?” he asks.
I nod, wordless in disbelief.
“I’ll come by the bar and pick you up,” he says. “Sweet
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