Page 29 of Reclaim Me

I regret playing a part in Rae getting her first tattoos from the moment we walked into the parlor, and every male on staff tripped over their own feet trying to talk her into their chair, to the minutes spent holding her hand while she lay on the table with her taut belly and two-thirds of the most perfect breasts I’ve ever had the pleasure of pretending not to see on full display, to the weeks filled with daily and wholly unnecessary, inspections of said tattoos because she was afraid they were going to get infected.

But nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to the regret I feel in this moment, when the fine lines of ink are winking at me from underneath the edges of a yellow bathing suit that makes Rae look like a literal ray of sunshine even on a starless, summer night.

To be clear, it’s not the tattoos or the bathing suit that have me filled with regret. No, that particular honor is reserved for Cameron Perdue—a six-foot-something pretty boy Rae used to date in high school—who hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off of Rae or the tattoos since he arrived at my house a little over an hour ago with Dee and a few of their other friends from high school in tow.

Normally, I wouldn’t be anywhere near this poor excuse for a high school reunion, but when they arrived, I was in the middle of grilling some steaks for Indie and me, and I refused to be run out of my own backyard by people I didn’t invite over in the first place.

“You sure you okay with this?” Indigo asks, cutting her eyes at the group currently lounging in the pool. Dee and three of their other friends are negotiating the terms of a Marco Polo game while Rae and Cameron are lounging on the steps of the shallow end, their bodies only partially submerged while they catch up. Rae giggles when Cameron reaches over, ghosting his fingertips over skin and ink.

“No.” I roll my head from one side to the other, trying to dispel some tension. “No, I’m not okay with that at all.”

“Why don’t you ask them to leave?” Indigo offers, misunderstanding my response. “I mean, Rae has to understand that you don’t feel comfortable having strangers in your home like this. And if she doesn’t, then maybe she can go stay with her friend until their house is done.”

My brows furrow together, and when I look at her, I don’t try to hide that I’m confused by her suggestion. “What?”

“You’re uncomfortable, Hunter, and you shouldn’t have to feel that way in your own home.” She stands, coming over to the grill and wrapping both arms around my waist. “I think it’s amazing that you’ve allowed Will and Rae into your home for as long as you have, but it’s been almost a month, and it’s okay if you want your space back.”

I shrug her off. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Indie.”

And she doesn’t. Rae and Will are as ready to get back into their home as she is ready to see them go. Maybe even more so. The problem is that with every problem they solve, comes a new one in need of a solution. Will has already apologized profusely about being here longer than planned, and he’s working himself to the bone, trying to pay for all of the repairs. When he’s not working, he’s sleeping, and when he’s not sleeping, he’s working. The last thing I want to do is add an additional stressor to his plate by putting an expiration date on his stay here.

“Boundaries,” she says, running a hand through her curls. “I’m talking about boundaries, and it’s clear to me that you need some with Will and Rae. Especially Rae. She has to know she can’t just have guests over at any time of night or traipse around in next to nothing in front of you.”

I pull the steaks off the grill with the tongs in my hand and plate them up, barely maintaining my composure. “This is her home, Indie; she can wear what she wants, when she wants.”

She shakes her head. “I just don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“Noted.” Past done with this conversation, I sit down at the picnic table where we set up everything we’d need for our now awkward dinner and gesture for Indigo to sit down too. She folds her arms over her chest and stares at me, obviously wanting to continue our talk. I sigh. “Indigo, please just sit down. I’m hungry and tired, and I’ve been looking forward to sharing a meal with you.”

She doesn’t budge, so I extend my hand, letting it linger in the air until she takes it. When she does, I pull her to me and wrap my arm around her waist to lower her down on the bench beside me. The sigh of contentment she lets out once she’s settled next to me does very little to dispel the agitation bubbling in my chest because of her previous remarks.

Perhaps that agitation is why I’m so attuned to what’s happening in the pool between Rae and Cameron. Why I’m hyper-focused on the way his lips graze the shell of her ear when he leans in to say something to her that makes her look more uncomfortable than anything else. Why I’m up and out of my seat when his fingers go to her neck, fiddling with the strings holding her top together with every intention of undoing them.

I make sure he doesn’t get the chance.

My fingers are around the back of his neck in an instant. My grip tight enough to lift his lithe frame out of the water and away from Rae before anyone has the chance to react.

“What the fuck?!” he shouts, dangling in the air and kicking his feet. His body jerking like a fish caught on a hook. Wild, fearful eyes find mine while clammy hands try to pry my fingers open.

“Hunter!” Rae is out of the pool now, too, her body glistening as moonlight refracts off the droplets of water that refuse to leave her skin. “Put him down!”

“With pleasure.” I let him go and frown when the bastard is lucky enough to land on his feet. Everyone—Rae, Dee, their little guests, and especially Indigo—look at me like I’ve lost my shit, so I don’t bother being nice or hospitable. I look at Cameron, who is rubbing at the spot where I was just holding him with a pained expression, and say, “Get the fuck off my property and take your friends with you.”

It takes all of two minutes for everyone to disperse. After their friends leave, Dee and Rae go inside, shooting me death glares over their shoulders and leaving me alone with Indigo, who also looks like she wants me to drop dead.

“What the hell was that, Hunter?” she asks, her usually delightful features crumpled in a mask of confusion. “You just attacked that guy for no reason.”

“It wasn’t for no reason. He was trying to untie Rae’s top in front of everyone. I didn’t think; I just acted on instinct.”

“And your first instinct was to physically remove him from her space? You didn’t stop to think whether or not she wanted him to do that?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Rae’s not like that. She doesn’t do stuff like that.”

“Rae is a grown woman, Hunter. I’m sure she’s done that and so much more. The question is, why did it inspire such a visceral reaction for you? I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were jealous or something.”

She pauses, letting the accusation linger in the air to see if there’s any merit to it. Then she bursts out laughing, and I’m so relieved the conversation is over, I join in on the laughter too.

“Good thing you know better.”

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