Page 28 of Imperfect Saint
Her brother was right, as hard as it was to admit. She didn’t want to see him and Reed kissing any more than necessary because he was her brother and it was weird. She could understand if he felt the same way about seeing her kissing Hunter. Just so long as she knew he was done trying to force her back into a relationship with Joshua and he swore he wasn’t judging Hunter unfairly she could let it go and not cause a big blowout with her brother on his wedding day.
“Fine.” She offered her hand, “I won’t make out with Hunter in front of you if you agree never to make out with Reed in front of me ever again. Deal?”
“Deal.” Colin looked positively relieved but Reed pouted as they shook on it.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, babe.”
“God help me, you’re going to take it as a challenge, aren’t you?” Colin turned a warm smile on his fiancé and the two exchanged knowing looks before Reed reached up and pulled him in for a kiss.
“Okayyyyy.” Millie drawled, “I’m taking that as my cue to get lost. Come on Hunter. Let’s go before Reed decides we need a meal and a show.”
Hunter chuckled and wiped at his mouth as he stood, “Where to, beautiful?”
“The stables.”
“You’re going riding?” Colin turned back to face her, a dark eyebrow rising in surprise.
“Yeah, of course. I always go riding when I’m here.”
“Riding?” Hunter eyed her suspiciously, “As in, horses?”
“Yes, as in horses. Why? Is that a problem?” Millie pushed her glasses up her nose to look at him.
“No. No problem.” Hunter glanced at her brother and then cleared his throat, “No problem at all. Let’s go.”
Millie pushed her chair in and Hunter did the same. They thanked the two grooms for having breakfast with them. Hunter started to pick up their plate but Millie told him to leave it. One of the servers would be around to pick it up soon enough.
“Oh, hey.” Colin called out as she took Hunter’s hand and started to lead him away. “Don’t forget to be back by noon for rehearsal.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She waved over her shoulder as she blew her brother a kiss and jogged away, pulling Hunter with her.
He followed her down the back stairs without a word. He squeezed her hand once they were alone, walking across the rolling side yard towards the red barn in the distance. She glanced up when she caught him staring at her.
“What?”
“What was all that with your brother?” He asked, his brows furrowed.
“What was what?”
“You ripped into him about a look he gave you.” Hunter smirked.
“No. A look he gave us.” She corrected, chin up as they walked.
“So there is an us, now?”
She stopped walking, her confidence faltering when he questioned what she’d assumed was true as of this morning. He’d told her yesterday that this thing between them wasn’t an act. He’d been kind and sweet and gentle with her. He’d held her through the night and this morning when she’d woken up, she’d watched him sleeping and been unable to deny just how much she wanted them to be real. She’d let him kiss her in public and held his hand and defended him and their supposed relationship to her brother. But with just those six words she felt the old slivers of fear and doubt start to sneak back in.
What if he’d been lying? What if he only wanted her when she didn’t want him? What if he only wanted her for a night? For sex? What if he didn’t want her after all and…
“Hey. Stop.” Hunter stepped into her space and cupped her cheeks, forcing her face up and her eyes to his. “Don’t you doubt this for a second. You know how I feel about you, Mills. Of course I think there’s an us. To me, there always has been. I just need to hear you admit it. Finally. I need to know you feel it too. This isn’t an act, right? This? Today? You holding my hand and kissing me in front of your brother and finally opening up to me. This is real, right?”
Hunter had such a way with words. It should have scared her. Joshua had used her own words against her so many times. He’d twisted the truth. He’d lied and conned and then charmed and seduced with them. She’d learned not to trust anything he said and all of the defenses she’d put into place after she left him told her that she should be careful with a man like Hunter. Getting close to another man that could weave words into the sweetest sentences was dangerous. But Hunter didn’t feel dangerous. He felt safe. He felt solid. He felt real, because that’s exactly what he was.
“It’s not an act.” She admitted softly, meeting his golden green gaze, “The truth is, I’d be a horrible actress even if I tried. This is real, Hunter. It’s so real it scares the hell out of me Why do you think I’ve spent all this time avoiding you? You scare me.”
“I don’t ever want you to be scared of me, Mills. Ever.”
“No.” She grabbed his wrists when she felt him start to pull away, “You don’t scare me. Not like that. It’s me. I told you. I’m broken and I’m still trying to put myself together.”
