Page 38 of Regret

Chapter 13

Present

Hunter closed his eyes, trying his best to push back the memory. If only he had known that day would be the last time he’d ever see her, he would have…he would have…fuck.He would have what? Kissed her more? Held her tighter? Made love to her at least one more time? It was so stupid to think that way, to let his mind drift in the direction of a whole lot of fuckingwhat ifs.

Tightening his jaw, he opened his eyes and stared at the tattoo spread along the inside of his right arm.Beat the odds.

Those words once had more meaning to him than all the words written in the Bible. Now all those words meant to him was that no matter what you did, when the odds were against you, you were fucked. The words inked on his skin was basically mocking him, reminding him every day there once was a time when he was stupid enough to think one could challenge fate. That a man could choose to fight, to not accept the cards he had been dealt.Schmuck.

“Hello? He-man? Are you planning on being in there long?” Scarlet slammed against the bathroom door.

Hunter sighed. What the fuck had he gotten himself into? Why the hell did he have to follow her out to that damn parking lot?

He wiped his face with the towel, the painful memories of blue eyes that once fucking owned him successfully pushed to the far corners of his mind…for now.

“I’m almost done. Keep your panties on.”

“I’m not wearing panties, smart-ass.”

Jesus. Those words might as well have been hardwired directly to his cock. Why did the urge to fuck this woman and that smart mouth of hers seem to grow stronger and stronger the more he was around her?

Ever since he had the pleasure of getting involved in her shit, he’d had this familiar knocking in the back of his head that resonated straight to his groin. And that usually meant Hunter Keaton wanted something. Unfortunately for him, that something seemed to be Scarlet Woods—or Blanchette Wolfe.Thank God she changed her name.

He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, the shiner on the side of his face blooming in all its purple and black glory.

Maybe he should just fuck her and get it over with.

No.

He would not be going there with that stubborn-ass woman. He was already in too deep in her shit, and the trouble following her seemed like it went real fucking deep.

Scarlet hammered against the door. “If you don’t hurry the fuck up, I am going to pee in your sink, I swear to God.”

Hunter zipped up his jeans, not bothering with buttoning up, and pulled his shirt over his head. He flung open the door and stared at the blue-eyed pain in his ass. “You peed ten minutes ago.”

“Yeah. I also consumed half a bottle of Jack an hour ago. So my bladder is hating me right now.” She squeezed past him into the bathroom then paused in front of the toilet, staring at him. “Dude, I’ve been getting that whole you’re into kinky shit vibe from you ever since we met, and I’m totally okay with that—really. But you watching me while I pee is like a hard limit for me.”

Hunter stared back at her, completely dumbfounded. “Kinky shit vibe? Hard limit? What the fuck do you think I am?”

“Well, if those cuffs you used on me last night, and the flogger, dildo, and two pounds of lubricant in your side drawer are anything to go by, I’d say you’re one kinky motherfucker.” She winked at him…and Hunter wanted to strangle her.

“You went through my stuff?”

“What kind of woman do you think I am?Of courseI went through your stuff. That’s like standard MO for any normal woman.”

Hunter didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or spit out a whole lot of F-bombs at her. “I’m just…I’m just going to leave before I—”

“Before you push me up against the bathroom wall?” She cocked her eyebrows suggestively at him, taunting him with her goddamn attitude.

Nope. He wasn’t going to say a damn word.

As he turned to leave the bathroom, Scarlet called after him, “How many tats you got hiding under that shirt, Ace?”

He looked down at his chest and then over his shoulder at where she stood wearing nothing but one of his button-up shirts. “Enough.”

Suddenly his mind was filled with so many dirty thoughts that involved his tats, her hands, her mouth, and that goddamn bathroom wall that he had to ball his fist in an attempt to control himself. For a moment he forgot he was actually walking in the other direction, trying to get as far away from her as possible.

When he finally managed to open his mouth to say something, she reached for the door and slammed it shut in front of his face.What the fuck?

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