Page 52 of Dear #47, You're the Worst
“Hey.” Hunter looks down at me, concern clear in his gray eyes. He reaches up to touch my face with gentle fingers. “Are you okay, Monroe?”
Not even slightly. I’m still shaken from my run-in with Patrick. But I can’t say that, so I go with, “Better now.”
Hunter tips my face up, examining me. I hate how easily he does that. His hand spans half my face. I feel small next to him and not in the bad way Patrick used to make me feel.
“I should’ve known that vile piece of shit would come after you.”
I shift, swallowing. I need to cry, badly, but I can’t exactly let it out here in the hallway. Anyone could see. So I grab his hand, squeeze it, and exhale a shaky breath.
“I’m all right.”
“Liar.” Hunter drops his mouth to my ear, whispering, “I can feel you shaking.”
Yup. I am definitely too close for comfort. I push against his chest and he lets me go, but his gaze is still intense. The man can make fucking eye contact, that’s for sure.
“You should go,” I tell him. “You have the press to deal with.”
Hunter grunts. “They can do the press conference without me.”
Jessa rushes into the hallway, her eyes wide. “Juliet!!”
I glance at my roommate and reach an arm out to her.
“See?” I say to Hunter. “Jessa’s here. We’re about to leave.”
“Are you sure?” Hunter turns and looks toward the locker room, clearly torn.
Jessa pulls me into her arms. I flash him a half-smile. The last thing I need right now is to deal with whatever complicated feelings I have about him defending me.
“Absolutely.”
“Go right home,” he orders, walking backward toward the door. “No detours. I mean it.”
“Sobossy.” I roll my eyes at that. “I’ll go right home, dad.”
I hate him. Hate the way he acts like he owns me. But the worst part is I can’t stop thinking about him.Asshole.
His mouth twitches, not quite a grin. He can’t seem to help himself when it’s me mouthing off.
His eyes twinkle. “We can talk about you calling me Daddy at home.”
Jessa bursts into giggles, and I shake my head. “In your dreams, Huxley.”
He turns and heads into the locker room, leaving me with Jessa. She squeals and pinches my arm. “What was that?”
“Just Huxley being a brute.”
“Yeah, a brute who scares away your bullies.”
That’s a little too accurate for my liking. Jessa walks me to the exit, leaving me there since she still has work to do as part of her housing and lifestyles coordinator position. We agree to have a girls’ night soon and hug before I step out of the building.
If I can’t keep myself from bursting into flames every time he looks my way, Hunter Huxley will be the death of me.
Chapter13
Juliet
As I drive home, my head is spinning with Patrick’s accusations, Hunter’s protective anger, and the way my body still remembers last night’s kiss. It’s a lot, all considered.
