Page 48 of Art of the Hunt
“I was too concerned about your wellbeing to pay attention to anyone else.”
He scratched his chest.
“Here.” She reached for a small jar he hadn’t noticed before. “I’ve been putting this on the wound while you slept. It’s supposed to help with the itching.”
He applied the salve, conscious of her eyes tracking the action. The relief was instantaneous. “Thanks.”
The water started boiling, and she flipped off the burner and set a timer for five minutes. “I assume you have more questions.”
“Does anyone know where I am?”
She faced the counter, her back to him. “Nike. She helped me bring you here.”
“That’s it?”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “I…I haven’t figured out how to tell Z yet. He isn’t going to be happy with the choices I’ve made.”
“Who cares about some guy named Z? What about my family? They have to be worried sick. Not to mention my job. My boss. My friends.”
She straightened her shoulders and turned around. “I used your phone to text your mother. Lovely woman, by the way.”
“You texted my mom? What did you say?”
“I told her there was an incident at work and you were fine but you were going undercover for the foreseeable future.”
“You lied to my mother?”
“Would you prefer I told her the truth?”
Probably not.
“And I informed your boss that you would not be returning.”
“Youwhat? I was up for a promotion!”
She winced but held her ground. “Hunter, you can’t go back there.”
He spread his arms wide. “Why the hell not? I seem to be making a miraculous recovery. I could probably go back tomorrow if I wanted to.”
She slapped the counter, the sound echoing in the cavernous space. “Why are you so determined not to believe me?”
“You mean about the part where you slept with me because I remind you of someone else?”
Her face went so white she was practically transparent. “That’s not true,” she whispered.
Stabbing his finger at his own chest, he said, “I studied Greek mythology, remember? I know who Orion was. What he meant to Artemis. After he died, she swore she would never love another, ever again. For all of eternity.”
She blinked rapidly as tears spilled over and trailed down her cheeks. She swiped at them, angry brushes of fingers underneath her lashes.
“You’re right. I loved Orion. And at the time,two thousand years ago, I did believe I’d never love again. I also asked for chastity when I was three years old, thinking it was the greatest gift of all time. Obviously, I was wrong. How about you tell me why it matters so much? You don’t even believe IamArtemis.”
“I believe you were thinking about someone else while you were having sex with me.”
Her chin quivered. The defeated look didn’t suit her. He should back off, give her some space, room to breathe.
She shook her head and then picked up the small pot of water and boiled eggs and dropped it into the sink with a loudthunk. “Make your own damn lunch,” she snapped. “You’ve had enough evidence to convince a layperson, let alone a police officer whose job is to prove the facts of a case. There’s nothing else I can do to convince you of the truth, so screw it.”
She stormed away, through a door that, based on the quick glimpse he got, led to an attached garage.
