Page 59 of Hunter

“Wow, good luck, Iz!” Daniel blushes while Izzy, Will, and I look at one another knowingly. She then smiles, shakes her head, and proceeds to haul him up the stairs with Will, all the while Theo sings love songs at the top of his voice. We take that as our opportunity to leave, making sure the door is firmly closed behind us.

“Come here, baby, I’ve missed you!” Daniel suddenly pulls me into his arms, and we kiss the hell out of one another. The weird thing is, even though it’s only been a few hours, I’ve missed him too…a lot.

Chapter 23

Louisa

Izzy and Theo’s wedding was everything you expect a small, intimate wedding to be, complete with sunshine, dancing, laughing, and tears of sheer happiness. In short, it was the stuff of movies, something a director could easily have orchestrated to make the day look absolutely stunning. Even I couldn’t help being a little envious over it all. This was normal life being played out right before me, showing me that even after something horrific has happened to you, your dreams can come true.

I guess it must have had the same effect on Daniel because he’s been ever so gushy with me all day. Attentive, affectionate, and glued to my side. Once upon a time, Phoenix and I would have made fun of a couple like us, but not today. Today I was that couple and I was reveling in it, taking it all in before I was due back at the bar on Tuesday.

I’ve only received a few texts from Phoenix, all of them short and to the point. Very impersonal, like I remember them being back when he used to do this sort of thing for Javier all the time. He told me it was in case anyone shifty got hold of his phone and found out who I was. That, and because he ‘isn’t a pussy.’ It doesn’t make me feel any better about it all; I’m right back to feeling how I did before he gave up this line of work. I remember the relief I had felt when he told me he wasn’t going to be working for Javier anymore, that he was going straight and boring just for me. I’d hugged the crap out of him all the while he groaned over my dramatic jubilation. I have to tell myself that this is a one-off, a special exception, otherwise, I’ll go mad just thinking about how this could be the restart of everything that used to make me sick with worry.

When it was getting late, I had a dance with Izzy and Will; we suddenly felt closer to one another after our heart-to-heart last night. Daniel watched with Theo from the bar, both looking a little drunk but happily so. They watched while I tried to pretend like they weren’t, because I felt shy and awkward under my bosses’ gazes. I also knew that Daniel was saying nice things about me to his friend, and I’m still new to being in a relationship again. Of course, Mother Nature eventually called after many glasses of champagne and a few shots of something disgustingly alcoholic. I inwardly apologized to my body for tomorrow’s hangover and then headed over to the bathroom to have one of the most orgasmic, relieving pees of all time.

Once I returned outside, I decided to bypass Will and Izzy who seemed to be having an emotionally charged dance with one another. Instead, I decided to go and surprise Daniel and perhaps convince him to take me home so we could have our own mushy moment in bed. I doubt he’d take much convincing, the man sure loves his sex. I guess I do too, but only with him. After everything with Tony and my attack, sex was something I didn’t miss at all. I guess it was more the intimacy that was missing from my life, having that someone to snuggle with at the end of the day.

“Finally, a married man!” Theo laughs softly to himself. “I never believed it would happen; I thought I’d lost her. You have no idea how good it feels.”

I smile at the gawky expression written all over his face; he’s not even noticed me walking up from behind Daniel.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Daniel says in a leading sort of a way.

“Lou?” Theo asks with a gruff voice, slapping his hand over Daniel’s shoulder, to which he nods and I almost swoon. “You’ve really fallen for her, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, I have. Hook, line, and sinker…maybe even the ‘l’ word!”

My heart stops dead in my chest. Tony used to tell me he loved me all the time, and in his own way, I think he did. But I stopped trusting his feelings as soon as he betrayed me. After all, how can you possibly love someone but do something so intimate with somebody else?

“But…” That dreaded word makes all the blood rush from my head, and I suddenly feel woozy.

“But what?!” Theo scoffs as if the words have personally offended him.

“I worry, you know?” Daniel slumps on top of the bar with a huff. “She’s so used to alpha guys, men who want to tell her what to do, what to be. I’m not like that. I was brought up to respect women, to know that they are just as strong, and just as equal to any man. Can you imagine Charlotte or my mom being with a guy like her brother or her ex?”

“Total bloodbath!” Theo laughs over the top of his beer bottle.

“What if that’s what she wants?” he asks, looking up at Theo for an answer he can’t possibly have because he’s not me. “I know it’s not what she needs, because fuck, she’s so strong, Theo. But I can’t offer her anything but being her equal. I wouldn’t want to either; it’s not who I am!”

“Here’s a crazy idea, why don’t you talk to her about it?” Theo grins smugly at him before his eyes land on his new wife. I recognize the sudden look of lust taking over him as he watches her laughing with Will on the dance floor.

“Says the guy who was in love with someone for over a decade but refused to talk about her,” Daniel scoffs.

Theo merely shrugs, suddenly losing all interest in anything that isn’t Izzy. He crooks his finger toward his wife and summons her over. She whispers something to Will, who looks over, then smiles and kisses her on the cheek. They then part ways and she begins walking over with determination to get to her new husband. Given the way Theo is looking at her, I’m guessing the conversation is over, leaving me to feel bad for Daniel believing that he’s not enough for me. He couldn’t be more wrong.

_____

Daniel

After making love, Lou and I are still wide awake, staring at one another without the need for words. There’s a cool breeze flowing in through the window tonight and it feels welcome over our naked skin. It blows her chocolate locks here and there every so often, and like a robot, I brush it back every time it flies over her face. She smiles at the action but makes no move to stop me.

“What are you thinking?” she asks in a lazy-sounding whisper.

“Happy thoughts,” I reply as I begin swirling my finger over her abs.

“Be more specific, Peter Pan,” she giggles. “You get the place back to yourself in a few days’ time.”

“That’s not a happy thought, Lou,” I tell her, being deadly serious, “I’d have you stay longer if I didn’t think your brother would go nuts.”

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