Page 76 of Knot a Good Idea

I inhale.

One. Two. Three.

Exhale.

One. Two. Three.

Hunter counts each breath for me until I slump against the wall and slowly slide down it, resting my hands on my legs and sighing deeply.

I stare at the ground until Hunter’s footsteps come closer to me.

“I’m so fucking sorry.”

I look up at him to see a mixture of panic and sorrow on his face, all the playfulness from before gone.

“See? I told you I was messed up.” I smile weakly, but he shakes his head.

“Not messed up. Something scared the shit out of you. Your reaction was valid, and I fucking hate that I was the cause of it.”

I sigh. “You didn’t know.”

“I shouldn’t have closed the goddamn door.” His spicy scent is smoky and stronger than before, his frustration rolling off him in waves.

I nod. “I have a thing about doors.”

He squats so he’s at my level, his eyes shining with intensity. “Can I sit with you, baby?”

“You sure you don’t want to go to your hotel? Where no one will have breakdowns about doors?”

“Nah. Shit, I’ll rip every fucking door off its hinges if you want. Fuck doors. I hate them now, too.”

I laugh and wipe a tear away. “You’re crazy.”

“We go well together, then.”

He joins me and sits against the wall, so close that our knees touch. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I chew my lip and look at him. I have an urge to confess everything and let him know exactly what I’ve been through.

He’s not judging me from the panic attack.

Maybe he won’t judge me for this.

I sniffle, wiping at my eyes. “I was um, sort of kidnapped. Well,reallykidnapped. He locked me in a room for a long time. And every day, I would try the doorknob, and it wouldn’t move. I know that sounds stupid…” my voice trails off.

“Noneof that sounds stupid,” Hunter says harshly.

I nod. “Anyway, I just kind of panicked when you shut it. Rationally, I know you didn’t have nefarious intentions, but I think part of me is still stuck in that room. And I don’t know how to get out.”

Hunter reaches out and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. I sigh at the contact, and he squeezes my palm. “Thank you for telling me, baby.”

I’m not sure how long we sit there in the hallway, Hunter holding my hand while my heartbeat steadies, but I eventually lean my head on his shoulder. He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close to him as his chest vibrates.

His purr soothes my anxiety and warms my heart.

“I want to kill him,” he says after a few minutes of me nuzzling against him.

“He’s already in prison.”

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