Page 72 of Behind the Scenes

Alexis forced a smile and nodded. “So did I.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Some game onthe TV distracted Hunter for only a minute, but it didn’t take long for Xavier and Gideon to start arguing about some statistic or some claim one of them made about one of the teams. Nothing had changed at the estate.

But he’d changed. Not that it mattered much.

Two weeks before, he’d kissed Alexis goodbye and he’d felt like an empty shell ever since. They’d promised to call one another, but he knew how that went. Two people dedicated to their work equaled a very slim chance that they could make a life together work.

Even if he wanted to believe that even the slimmest of chances could amount to something great.

“Hunter, tell this moron that there is no way the Jets have gone to more than one Super Bowl,” Xavier barked in his direction as he sat lost in thought.

“What?” he asked, irritated either of them had ruined his daydreaming.

Gideon defended himself as he tossed a football at Xavier’s head. “That’s not what I said. Man, you’re a fucking asshole. I said I thought the Jets would have gone to the big game more than once.”

When Hunter didn’t respond to mediate their feud, Gideon leaned over and clapped his hands. “Earth to Hunter. Man, what are you doing over there? You look a million miles away.”

“I’d say about three hundred miles away is more like it,” Xavier said with a chuckle. “I think we have a new addition to the Alexis Marchand fan club here at the estate.”

Hunter simply rolled his eyes. He didn’t have any interest in sparring with these two tonight.

“Seriously, man. Why are you still here? Didn’t Persephone give you like a month off for vacation?” Gideon asked. “If I knew she wouldn’t be calling me up at any moment, I’d be lying on the beach somewhere with a drink in one hand and a beautiful woman in the other. Instead of that, you’re sitting here with us like some zombie over there.”

“I don’t feel like going anywhere. I’m fine right where I am,” Hunter answered, lying through his teeth.

He only wanted to go to one place in the world, and that was where Alexis was. As for being fine, he hadn’t been anything close to fine since she walked out of his life nearly fourteen days before.

Thirteen days and eight hours, to be more exact. He couldn’t bring himself to count the minutes. That just felt too fucking sad, even for him right now.

“You know, you could call her and go see her,” Gideon said.

He knew his friend thought that suggestion would be helpful, but he wasn’t fooling himself. They couldn’t be together as long as they both had the careers they’d chosen.

“No, I can’t, and I don’t want to discuss this anymore,” he said as he got up to leave.

“Yes, you can!” Gideon yelled as he walked out of the game room.

But he was wrong, and there was no way to get around that.

Hunter’s phone vibratedin his pocket as he headed up to his room. Taking it out, he wondered why he’d be getting a call from the boss.

“I’d like to see you in the office right now, please,” Persephone said into the phone before he even got the word hello out.

“On my way.”

Like in a dream, he walked down the hall to the other side of the house without even thinking about where he was going. He’d worked for Project Artemis for long enough that he’d made this trek to Nick and Persephone’s office more times than he wanted to count.

He’d done a lot of good in those years. From the first time Nick told him about the idea, he wanted to be a part of it. He’d watched far too many women get hurt by the law to be able to ignore how much the world needed what Nick and Persephone wanted to do with Project Artemis.

But now as he stepped one foot in front of the other without even thinking, he had a feeling he wanted something else.

Tess didn’t sit at her desk tonight, so he pushed open the office door and peeked his head in. Nick still hadn’t returned from his trip, so Persephone sat alone at her desk working.

“You wanted me for something?” Hunter asked as he stepped into the office.

She looked up from her work and smiled that rare sweet smile Persephone so infrequently offered to anyone but Nick. “Please come in, Hunter. I wanted to talk to you.”

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