Page 36 of His Curvy Woman

Chapter 15

Hunter

I play the voicemail again,wanting to make sure I heard Marshall McManus correctly.

“We need to talk. I have an update that you’ll want to hear. Call me when you get a chance.”

He never says his name or mine. Nothing identifiable in case someone intercepted the call. Fuck! The voicemail popped up on my phone a couple hours ago. I didn’t recognize the number and assumed it was a telemarketer trying to get me to spend money on some scam. I went to delete the message and just as I was about to push the delete button my phone transcribed the message and I froze. I listened to the message then the tones hit, and I had to put my phone away to go do my job. There was a car accident on the interstate we had to go assist with.

We’ve just made it back to the firehouse, and although it’s been over five hours, I’m still thinking about the voicemail I received earlier. What is the change? Are we in danger? Does the change correlate to what’s going at Whitley’s place? I’ll have to wait until I get home tomorrow morning until I’m able to make the call since my burner cells are in my office. Not knowing what is going on is driving me mad, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.

“What’s up, man?” James asks as I’m checking to make sure the truck bay is cleaned up and in order from our last call.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say not wanting to get into this with him. The fewer people who know, the better.

“You’ve been tense since before we left on the call. Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine,” I tell him, trying not to show him how frustrated I’m becoming with this conversation.

“No trouble in paradise?” He asks grinning. “Whit was always a ballbuster, but damn she’s hot as fuck now, isn’t she? I mean if she weren’t Ramsey’s little sister, I would have tried with her years ago.”

I grab him by the collar and pull him to me, so our faces are mere inches apart. He’s tall, but I’ve still got a few inches on him. “Don’t fucking talk about Whitley. Don’t look at her, don’t fucking think about her. Better yet, forget that she’s ever existed.”

“Chill the fuck out, Hunter. Shit man. I was just trying to say-”

“You had your chance with her when I was gone, but you did nothing. I’m back now, and she’s mine. That won’t be changing. So, don’t fucking talk to me about how hot my woman is James or I will help you forget her, and it won’t be pleasant.” I shout in his face then push him away from me ready for this conversation to be over.

“Fuck you, man. You think you can just come back here and act like nothing has changed. It’s not that easy. You don’t get to walk back into her life and take her.”

“If you wanted her so fucking bad, why didn’t you ever do anything about it?” I yell.

A few of the guys on shift stop what they’re doing and move closer. Some being nosey bastards, some ready if a fight breaks out.

“Ram-”

I point at him. “Don’t you dare use him as an excuse! This has nothing to do with him. Whitley is her own woman. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re just pissed because you didn’t realize how special she was until now. Which is a crying shame since she’s the most special woman I’ve ever known.”

“She wasn’t ready to be with anyone after what that asshole Jeremy did to her junior year.”

What the fuck happened in her junior year. I try thinking back to that time to remember if anything happened. Nothing was ever mentioned that I recall.

“So, what are you telling me, James? You were waiting until she was ready until you made your move?”

His demeanor changes, like he thinks I’ll leave her for some bro code bullshit. Wrong.

“Tell me this then. If you’ve been waiting all this time for Whitley. How many fucking women have you had since then?”

His cheeks tinge red. “We weren’t together, it didn’t matter.”

I crowd into his space and let the prick have it. “Exactly! And you two weren’t together when I came back. But you know what? It wouldn’t have mattered. You want to know why? Whitley’s been mine since I was seventeen fucking years old. She was my friend before she was anything else. She was tethered to me in a way that no one else ever has been, and no one has been since. She’s always been mine. So, don’t fucking tell me that you were waiting or that you didn’t want to upset Ramsey. Fuck you James, you sorry ass piece of shit.” I push him away so I won’t do something stupid like hit him and get a demerit. The fuck stumbles back and trips, falling on his ass. Everyone who has gathered around us does nothing but stare at James and me.

When James says nothing, I walk away back into the firehouse and go to the bunk room. I need to chill out before I kick his ass. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I pull up the live feed I have inside the house. Whitley is standing in the kitchen, cutting up a tomato, and Arya is lying right beside her. The noose strangling my heart loosens a bit. I can breathe a little easier knowing I can have eyes on her in seconds no matter where she is on our property.

The rest of the night is relatively uneventful for the most part. We respond to a few callouts around town, but nothing too serious. James has kept his distance from me all night, and by the time seven-thirty the next morning comes around, I’m more than ready to get out of here and home to Whitley. We meet with the guys coming on shift and give them an update on the previous day’s calls and all pertinent information, then we’re off.

John Grant, my fire chief, Whitley’s dad, stops me in the parking lot. “You got a minute to talk?”

“Sure, what’s up, Chief?” I ask, already knowing what’s coming.

---