Page 23 of Hunter

Adair’s little green eyes turned down in defeat, a trembling bottom lip pouting out.

“It’s fine,” I said.

“No, it’s not,” Mallory countered, taking a step toward us before stopping, darting to grab the kitchen counter. I could see a slight sway in her movements.

I set Adair on the floor and was on her in a moment.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled, reaching up to touch her head again and wincing.

“No, you’re not.” I pulled her hand away and turned her head down to assess the damage.

When I ran my fingers lightly over her head, she winced.

“Ouch. Stop. It hurts,” Mallory whined.

“Stand still,” I ordered when I found the part she had hit. A shallow cut scored across the top of her head. It wasn’t bleeding much, but it looked sore and painful. “Were you trying to cut your head in half?”

“No, I was putting the cookies in the oven and jumped,” Mallory argued, trying to maneuver out of my grip.

“Mommy …” Adair whined.

Mallory crouched down to the height of her son and gave him a big smile. “I’m all good, baby, just a little bump on the head.”

Adair pouted, not satisfied with his mother’s reassurance. He gripped the material of that tight grey AC/DC shirt I loved seeing half-soaked and transparent, but even more so as it rode up her back and revealed that small strip of skin and the two little dimples on either side of her spine.

Mallory leaned down and Adair pushed onto his tiptoes and pressed a soft, careful kiss to the top of her head. He missed the cut, but the sentiment was still there.

Mallory gave him a soft, sweet smile that did funny things to my chest as she wrapped her arms around her son and squeezed him tightly. “Thank you, baby.”

“How noble,” Anna said, startling both me and Mallory. It was like sticks had been stuck up both of our asses as I jerked my head to look up at her.

Her eyebrows were knit together with confusion as she looked between the two of us. “What?”

“Nothing,” I said before Mallory could.

Mallory stood up and reached to touch her head again, wincing.

“There’s a first-aid kit under the bathroom sink. I’ll go get it,” I said, ready to turn tail out of the kitchen, but I was choked by the collar of my shirt as Anna lunged over the breakfast bar and caught me.

“Oh, no, hot stuff.” Her red lips showed her white-toothed grin. “You get to finish the cookies, and I get to stitch up your hot little captive.”

Mallory’s jaw dropped in surprise at Anna’s words. Otherwise, she couldn’t say anything as Adair was scooped from her arms and dumped into mine before Anna whisked her away, leaving me with a kitchen covered in cookie dough and icing.

Great.

Chapter Six

Mallory

“Areyou sure leaving them unsupervised in the kitchen is safe?” I asked, watching as Anna poured disinfectant onto a swab.

She had showed up at the door over three hours ago, and much to my present shame, I had first wondered if she was the maid. In those black skinny jeans and corset, though, I corrected myself into thinking she was one of Hunter’s followers. I had been mean and bitchy to her as soon as she had stepped into the house, and she had laughed before correcting me.

Yup, I felt pretty shitty afterward.

Turned out that Anna was cool, if not a little intimidating. She was strong-willed and had eyes that saw a little too much, and if the trash bag full of burnt cookies meant anything, she shouldn’t be left alone when baking. Even so, there was something mysterious about her, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, and I wasn’t one to pry.

Anna laughed as she pressed the swab into my wound, making me wince. It reminded me of Hunter’s hands on my head and the way his body had been far too close to mine. After avoiding him for so long, it was like being exposed to nuclear chemicals. My skin was hot and cold at the same time, my mind barren of thoughts, and his gruff voice made me fight between whimpering and snapping at him. Then there was that lovely aftershave smell that overruled all those, and I chose to stand within his scent bubble where I could satisfy my perverted nose.

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