Page 124 of Between Hate and Desire

Before we came to Utah, I already had it bad for her—but now I’ve completely fallen.

I’m so fucking doomed.

Once we land, we deplane and grab our bags from the carousel. On the way back to the apartment, we’re both yawning. The past few days were nothing short of exhausting. Between meeting new people, waking up early, and trying to impress Lennon’s parents, I’m ready to pass out. We pull into the apartment complex, and I manage to carry all the bags up the stairs in one trip.

“I could’ve helped, you know.” Lennon unlocks the door, and we step inside. Our sighs happen in unison, and it causes her to smirk.

“Home sweet home!” she says, removing her bra and dropping it on the floor. “That feels so much better.”

“Just let it all out.” I chuckle, and she shrugs, going to the bathroom.

I bring her suitcases to her room and throw my bag on the floor. I’m pissed I didn’t take off work tomorrow. The reality that our rendezvous is over hits me in full force. The line in the sand reappears, reminding me of where we were before Utah, before Brandon’s death, before it all. Lennon needs to be kept at arm’s length, but the thought causes my heart to skip a beat. The sound of her voice startles me.

“Now that we’re home, can we discuss the Jenna thing tomorrow?”

Fuck, she’s jumping straight into that.

“Yes,” I say. Giving her a small smile, I know we’re back to the real world already.

“Perfect. I’m gonna take a shower if that’s okay.”

I nod, then watch her walk away.

When the water comes on and I hear her singing, a smile hits my lips. She takes the shortest shower ever, and I decide to take one too. I’m sure she was saving hot water for me, which has me holding back a laugh because we’ve come so damn far from the days of fighting over it.

After I finish washing my body and get dressed, all the lights in the apartment are turned off other than the lamp in the living room. I turn it off, and when I walk past Lennon’s room, I crack the door open.

“Good night, Lennon.”

“Night,” she says sleepily, but I hear the smile in her voice.

When I lie in my bed, my room feels like an empty box. Tossing and turning, I search for sleep, but it doesn’t find me even though I’m tired as hell. Maybe the small-ass bed we shared wasn’t so bad after all. I find myself missing the way her warm body feels, the smell of her hair, and how she fit so perfectly against me as I held her all night.

Rolling over, I force my eyes closed and try to steady my breathing when my phone vibrates on my nightstand. I’m half-tempted not to grab it, but I do. When I see a text message from Lennon, I’m confused.

Lennon

My bed is way too big.

My laughter bounces off the walls of my room, and I know she heard me.

Hunter

I’m sure we can get you a smaller one if you want.

I know what she wants, and I want it just as much as she does, but I refuse to offer. She’s going to have to ask me to lie with her. I can’t always be the one to reach out. My heart races at the prospect of it, of being close to her again, because right now, I want nothing more.

Lennon

You’re going to make me beg, aren’t you?

I grin, playing dumb.

Hunter

What are you talking about?

Lennon

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