Page 88 of Playing A Risk
Our future rides on the next question, so I take a second to prepare myself for her to walk out of my life for good.
I reach out and hold the edge of the balcony for support. “And now that you know everything there is to know about me, where does that leave us?”
CHAPTER 22
DORI
I placemy hands on my hips. “What do you think it means for us, Hunter?”
“I think it means you’re angry I didn’t tell you before now and I should’ve done better with treating you the way you deserve.”
A puff of air breaks through his lips. “Fuck if I know. Truth be told, I’m as immature and stunted in emotional development as any ten-year-old boy would be in this situation, so I have no idea what it means for us. I probably just single-handedly tore apart any chance of having a relationship with you.”
“No. If anything, you just opened all the doors.”
His brows come together. “Really? You’re not fuming?”
“Shocked, yes. Fuming, no. Didn’t you hear anything I said?”
“I heard everything. I can repeat it back to you if you don’t believe me.”
“No, I don’t need you to repeat it. Just try to understand what I said. For me, love is about trust. If you don’t have that in me and I don’t have that in you, what do we have? That’s why I was struggling with our relationship. There was hardlyany trust. Our secrets and lies made it impossible to share genuine closeness.”
“So that’s it? Trust is all it takes?” His hopeful green eyes dance with excitement.
I nod. “And communication. With those two things, I can handle anything. But let’s be clear. There’s a lot that goes into those two things. Like honesty, being faithful, and reining in your temper when things get hard.”
“I promise to give you all those things. Anything, just ask and I’ll give it to you.” He cups my cheek. “I love you, beauty. Let me kiss you and show you just how much.”
“You don’t have to ask.”
“Yes, I do. This only goes as far as you say.”
My body fills with warmth. I angle my face to give him perfect access and move into him. His breath catches as his eyes fall to my lips and close right as our mouths come together. He slides his hand to my lower back and presses into me.
For once in my life, a man I deeply care about has proven to me that, through all of his faults, he trusts me with his deepest, darkest secrets. That trust bestowed onto me overfills my heart.
To show him how much it means to me, I weave my fingers into his hair and press against him as close as possible.
Our tongues dance as our breathing becomes heavy. It brings in the gravity of what Hunter’s been doing for the last month: conquering all of his demons by facing them head-on with me by his side—not as a lover but as a friend, and that all changes now.
He’s risking everything to be a better man for me. It’s time I show him I acknowledge his efforts and dedication to me as his partner.
I pull my head away. “Hunter, I want you. My skin, heart, and every part of me want you now.”
“Here?”
“I’m not leaving Melanie on New Year’s Eve in Paris. So unless you want to wait, here will have to do.”
His eyes dilate, and he takes two steps back, drinking me in until his lids lower as if he’s intoxicated. He glances at the curtains.
“Can you give me one minute to make sure our security team watches out for us?” He doesn’t wait for my answer.
He slips through the opening and is back in less than a minute. Not even giving me enough time to think through my decision.
The room fills with a cover of Taylor Swift’s songLover. It’s a sign from the universe. Hunter’s meant to be my lover.
He takes me into his arms and presses his lips to mine, guiding us to a velvet-covered bench where he sits. He brings me to his lap so I’m straddling him.
