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He wasokay.

They both were.

But they were arguing.

Over what, I couldn’t make out, but it was clear by his body language that Noah was mad as hell right now, and his anger was directed entirely at Hunter.

Ignoring Noah's furious glare, Hunter shoved Noah's hand off his shoulder and stalked into the kitchen, halting only when Max stood in the kitchen doorway, blocking his path tome.

I looked to Teagan's uncle who was glaring at Hunter like he was the biggest piece of shit on the planet.

It was then I realized that Max thoughtHunterwas responsible for my injuries.

Nothing could have been further from the truth, but knowing the truth was so much worse than his unspoken assumption, I kept my mouth shut.

"I didn’t invite you into my home," Max stated grimly as he pushed his glasses onto his nose. "So I suggest you do yourself a favor andleave."

"Appreciate what you did tonight, Doc," Hunter replied calmly. "But I'm not leaving without her." Pausing, Hunter pointed to where I was sitting for emphasis. "SoIsuggest you do yourself a favor andstep aside," he added, attention returned to the ageing doctor. "And we all live happily ever after."

"Men like you make me sick," Max snarled. "Thinking you're invincible. Going around hitting on wom –"

"Whoa, Max," Noah broke the tension by saying. "You've got the wrong end of the stick here, man." Stepping between both men, and potentially saving Teagan's uncle from a beating, Noah clamped his arm on Max's shoulder before leading him out of harm's way, leaving an open path to me. "We'll talk outside."

When both men had disappeared from sight, Hunter walked in achingly slowly, stopping midway in the kitchen, his entire focus onme.

There was twice as much blood on his clothes since I left him in my parent's kitchen tonight. The busted lip and the bruised cheekbone he was sporting assured me that much more carnage had occurred since then.

More secrets.

More death.

Standing tall in the middle of the kitchen, Hunter tilted his head to one side. "Hope." His voice was gruff and raspy as he crooked his finger and said, "Come here, baby."

I willed myself to feel the emotions required to make sense of the world I was standing inside – to find the common sense that would assure me that I needed torun.

Icouldn’t.

That part of me, my conscience and upstanding moral fiber, had died on that kitchen floor, and the only thing that made sense now was the urgent, desperate need I had inside of my heart tobewithhim.

In every sense of the word.

Like a skittish foal, I scrambled clumsily towards him, not stopping until my arms were around his waist, head bowed in shame.

Hunter sighed heavily, and then I felt his hand close over the base of my throat, his thumb trailing up and down the side of my neck.

Having a man's hand pressed to such a vulnerable part of my body should have terrified me.

Instead, it was disturbinglythrilling.

He wasn’t hurting me.

He wasclaimingme.

His other hand moved to cup the back of my head and I felt myself sag against him.

"Look at me," he ordered gruffly.

I shook my head and stared down at the blood on his boots. "I can't."

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