Page 57 of Hiding Secrets

I can’t help but burst out in laughter, “Because those two men want you too. Tell me El, what’s rooted in that selfish feeling you have?”

Her eyes glaze over for a moment as she’s lost in her own thoughts.

“I was raised with the belief that a man and a woman marry when the Divine finds your Chosen husband.”

“The Divine chooses for you? Do you get a say if you accept that Chosen?” Hunter asks, taking a sip from his mug.

“Yes and no you can’t refuse your Chosen. It’s the Divine’s decision.”

“Elliott, you get a choice here. You can have what you want, no shame or guilt attached.” I say rubbing her leg with my thumb. “This is your life. Your call.”

Hunter sets his mug down and walks around the island to stand on the other side of Elliott. She slowly looks up at him and he lets his hand cup her cheek, his fingers softly caressing her head. “What doyouwant, Elliott? Not what you think we want or what your old faith told you to want. What do youtrulywant?”

Her eyes well up with tears. She looks at me for a moment before bringing her gaze back to Hunter. I swallow the lump in my throat, nervous as hell to hear her answer.

“I–” She slams her eyes shut, tears pouring over. “I don’t know.” Her whole body sags.

Hunter looks at me and I can see he wants this, but he doesn’t want to push her further than she can go just yet. Neither do I.

“El–” I whisper softly, her eyes blink a few times before landing on me, “It’s tough to have your reality altered, your life turned on its side. We don't want to push you to do anything you don’t want to do. Ever.”

Her eyes widened, “No! It’s not that I don’t want–” She stops herself, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know how to do this, is all.”

“We get it.” I look at Hunter now, “We can take it one step at a time, yeah?”

She nods as Hunter’s hands still, turning to him, “I–”

“One. Step. At. A. Time.” He smiles at her, and I watch her body start to relax.

“I’d like that.” She gives him a painfully beautiful smile.

“Me too, baby girl.” He lowers his lips to hers.

She scoots back a fraction and I can see the hurt in Hunter’s eyes but it fades just as fast when she leans closer to him, stealing the breath from my lungs watching them connect like this.

44

Marcus

I walk into the kitchen and for the second time in two days, I fall witness to Hunter’s lips on Elliott’s.

What in the actual fuck is going on here?

I haven’t seen Elliott since she ran out of the gym the other day, after I was nice enough to try and help her. I saw her spiraling on the sofa after Hunter left to take the call from my security team about a job for one of our clients.

He wanted me to tell her that he’d be back shortly, and there she was, hyperventilating and holding herself like she would crumble into pieces if she let go. I knew what worked for me in those moments, so I didn’t think, I just took her to the gym to get it out.

It worked, she lost herself in the moment and she let her feelings go. But something else happened, she hardened when I tried to hold her, when I tried to ease the guilt she was putting onher own shoulders. Guilt that didn’t belong to her. She shoved me to the side as if I wouldn’t be able to relate to her.

Fuck. If she only knew how wrong she was.

My pain and trauma craved to be near hers.

That was the fucking problem.

But now here she was kissing my—I mean, Hunter.

“Ahem–is this becoming a new normal around here? Kissing the victims we rescue?”

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