Page 127 of Always You

“No, don’t.” I grab her hand. “It’s fine. It’s just—you know I’m not capable of love.”

“That’s a lie, Hunt,” she whispers with pity.

“Maybe.” I shrug. “But I can’t give you what you deserve.”

She gives me a coy smile, nodding, before getting out of bed to collect her clothes.

“It’s okay, Hunt. I get it.”

“Are you mad at me?” I throw the covers off my body, getting up to close the distance between us, not willing to let her run out the door if we’re not cool. I need everything to be settled between us, because I don’t think I can go another year without her. I will never be able to give her what she wants, but I hope that we at least broke down enough bricks between us that we can be friends again.

“No.” Her tone is harsh, yet I can see by the look in her eyes that she means it. “Why would I be mad?” she asks, pulling her jeans over her legs, then grabs her shirt from the ground, throwing it over her head. “It is what it is, Hunter. Your life is there. My life is here. I know you don’t want to say those words.” She shrugs, muttering with a mocking expression. “Even though it’s only eight letters.”

Nodding in agreement, I grab her hand, dipping my head as my other hand takes a hold of her chin.

“Can we keep this, though?”

“What’s that?” The tension in the room rapidly rises, now that we are face to face once more, and the memory of last night is still fresh in our heads like a forbidden dream.

“This. You and me. I don’t want to go back to LA and not talk to you like we have for the last year. I want to know what’s goingon with you. I want to know how your mama is doing, and I want to get a picture when you finally get that dog.”

She tries to give me a cautious look, trying to hold in a smile. “I don’t know, Hunt. The last time, that didn’t really work out well.” Then she dramatically rolls her eyes. “You practically neglected me.”

“I neglected you?” I huff indignantly, a smile on my face as I jokingly push her back and grab my sweatpants from the floor while she gathers the rest of her stuff. “You weren’t exactly blowing up my phone either.”

“I was in college. There were too many boys demanding my attention.”

Her words make me take a long stride toward her, crowding her space, as I narrow my eyes at her.

“We both know there’s only one boy who can really demand your attention.”

“Stop flirting with me.”

“Maybe.” My eyes move back and forth over her face, clenching my jaw to resist myself from covering her lips with mine again, but I want nothing more.

To devour her.

To corrupt her like only I can.

To flirt with her until she’s sick of me.

She swallows hard, and I tell myself she’s feeling the same struggle, before I take a step back to get dressed, and she lets out a soft breath of relief. Quietly, I get my shirt off the floor while she waits for me, resting her back against the door, eying my every move.

“What?” I nod my chin toward her with an arrogant smirk.

“You’re an asshole.” She purses her lips, but doesn’t seem pissed. No, she’s enjoying this just as much as I am. Loving the banter we throw at each other like we used to every day for a year. “But yeah, we can keepthis.”

She pushes off the door, sauntering toward me, then stops in front of me, her face more serious than before, silently demanding me to really listen to her.

“But you have to put as much effort into it as I do. Both of us. If we’re gonna be friends again, we really need tobefriends. You gotta share the important stuff with me, even if it involves some kind of fucking bimbo.” She dramatically rolls her eyes, and I lick my lips, amused. “I don’t want to read no shit on TMZ before you tell me. That includes whenever you get back together with Laurie.”

“That’s not happening anytime soon.” Considering I told her she’s a superficial little girl, who has a better relationship with her phone than with her boyfriend—AKAme—I doubt she’ll be trying to catch my attention when I get back to LA.

Charls’s eyebrow cocks in a dare. “You said that before.”

“I called her superficial,” I counter.

“Ouch.” She winces, then I catch the smug smile. “Not your smartest move, Hansen.”

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