Page 64 of Passion and Payback

Hunter glared at me. “We’lldiscussany new rules. I’m not agreeing to that kind of carte blanche rule.”

“Pfft, fine. We’ll discuss them, but if we can’t agree or at least compromise on anything new, then we have to stop.”

“So many rules,” he said with a sigh. “But that’s fine. My head is too full of...noise. I can’t find it in myself to argue.”

“You won’t hear me complain,” I said with a snort, pulling him close. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep? You’re not going to be of use to anyone if you can’t sleep.”

He eyed me with a small smile. “That seems like a tall order, considering where my head is.”

“You should at least try.”

“Or maybe you could come lay down with me. I could use the company.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely.”

“Alright, lead the way.”

Which, of course, involved having to disturb the cats. Clem might be attached to me, but when it came to the others, it was pretty obvious who it was they loved the most. They all attempted to follow, but Hunter shooed them off gently before closing the door behind us.

“You realize they’re going to cry and claw at the door, right?” I asked as I watched a small paw slip under the door and wiggle around as if that would magically provide a solution for the stubborn animal.

“Nah, they’re pretty good after an hour,” he said, pulling off his shirt and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Come get comfortable. I plan on using you for your body.”

“From anyone else, I might think that was a come-on,” I said, pulling off my shirt but leaving my pants on as I joined him on the bed.

“Do you normally sleep with clothes on?” he asked, looking me over as I spread out on my back.

“Weird question, but when I’m back in the States, I usually do at someone else’s house.”

“Wait, you slept in the buff in the military?”

I laughed. “Let’s just say temperature-controlled barracks and tents weren’t a thing for the military. Most of us chose to sleep naked or with underwear on. Since laundry wasn’t exactly a priority, you got used to sleeping with everything hanging out.”

“Interesting,” he said with a laugh, surprising me by lying on his side and wrapping an arm around me. “Ever do any manly cuddling for warmth if it got cold? Wait,doesit get cold?”

“It can, at night, in the cooler months,” I said, curling an arm around him and feeling how warm his skin was against my hand.

His fingers began rubbing small circles against my side. “I didn’t get to say it earlier because we were rudely interrupted, but...I had a fantastic time with you tonight.”

“Barring certain things,” I said with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” he said dryly. “But everything other than that...even the talk we just had.”

“Really? That makes you feel better? No, wait. That actually makes sense.”

“It’s like being able to fool around with you earlier,” he said, his hand slipping down to rub my hip. “Talking about that, deciding to do all of that, it’s...freeing.”

“That’s...okay, sure.”

“I mean it. In a kind of fucked up way, it’s like taking control of my life again. So much of my life over the past couple of years has been out of my control, with me scraping for every piece. But today? Today, I found so many pieces lying around like they were there the whole time, but I didn’t realize it until now.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, at least.”

“It’s amazing, is what it is. My life is coming back into my hands, and a big reason for that is you.”

“I’m just...here.”

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