Page 27 of Strut

I snorted and elbowed him back. “Just because I turnedyoudown more times than I can remember doesn’t mean I’m unfuckable. It just means I have standards.”

Levi laughed and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “As I said, go you. Now I need food. Harpo’s was pumping last night and I didn’t get in till the wee hours.” He slipped behind the messy breakfast bar and opened the fridge. “And who the fuck keeps stealing my milk? I only bought it two days ago.”

Marco glanced down at his bowl of cereal, eyed me conspiratorially, and then slid onto the couch next to Aaron. Aaron took one look at the cereal bowl and huffed out a laugh but said nothing. Levi continued to rant about rude-as-fuck roommates and set about making breakfast.

Meanwhile, I stared from the card to the flowers and back to the card. Eventually I sighed, grabbed the posy, and went in search of a vase. Hunter had come to my apartment? For what? To apologise again?

After searching the cupboards full of protein shakes, low-carb meal replacements, vitamins, and gym food strewn with Post-it notes threatening vengeance and dire retribution for any items that went AWOL, I finally settled on a handleless coffee mug that had been shoved behind the laundry detergent. Hardly a style statement but it would do. I put the posy and its makeshift vase back on the table and grabbed my phone.

You bought me flowers and tickets?

Hunter only took a few seconds to answer, which had me wondering if he’d been sitting on his phone, waiting.You make it sound like a bad thing.

I almost smiled but caught it in time.That depends on your answer to the question of why?

Dots appeared and disappeared for what seemed an awfully long time. Then my phone rang in my hand, and I couldn’t help the grin when I saw Hunter’s name flash up on the screen.

“Hello.” I made my way to the bathroom for some privacy.

“Okay, so the flowers were a last-minute decision that might not have been a good one. This is a first for me, shocker, so I’m likely getting it all wrong, but there just happened to be a stall where I hailed a cab. Shit. The flowers were a mistake, weren’t they? It was too much. I knew it. Beck did it last year for Rhys and it seemed to work for him, so I thought... Fuck. I’m sorry. Pretend they aren’t there. Throw them in the bin. Sorry.”

Fuck, he was cute.“The flowers are fine, Hunter. Unexpected, but fine. What about these tickets?”

“The tickets are a flagrant bribe. You said you liked weird stuff so... You can take who you like, but I guess I’m kind of hoping you might say yes to the friendship thing and take me. You said you needed time to think, and I figured that you’ve had a night...”

I snorted. The man was impossible. “I worked until three and I just woke. I look like death on a bad day, and I’ve had zero time to think.”

“But that’s not a no, right? And just so you know, it’s a physical impossibility for you to look bad. And also, I hadn’t realised we were competing forwho feels worse.” Hunter’s deep voice slid into my ear and headed straight for my balls. “But in that case, I hardly slept at all, although I refuse to go into the particulars about why at the risk of looking like a total loser. I was showered, dressed,andat the closest Sunday market searching for a suitable gift for a boy I happened to like—something which would normally make my skin crawl with embarrassment.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Idiot.”

“I eventually found a place that sold tickets for tourist attractions, and then I had to hail a cab while staring through a cloud of baby’s breath and roses while the driver kept smiling at me in the rear-vision mirror and interrogating me about my supposed girlfriend. I told him it was a guy just to shut him up, but that only sent him on a whole new tangent as he told me about his gay son who was single, by the way, and apparently very good-looking.”

I snorted in amusement.

“Oh, I’m not done yet,” he huffed. “Once I got to your apartment, I proceeded to annoy the shit out of half your building by pushing random buttons until I finally got someone who actually knew which number apartment belonged to all the hot men. Just as well it’s a small building. To add insult to injury, the gorgeous half-dressed man who came down to collect the gift since you were asleep was an unwelcome reminder that you live with a bunch of Adonises. No wonder you turned me down. And now, I’m at work trying to have a private conversation with you, while Sophie, the new creative director for Hermès, and a roomful of other people, including Holly Remington, glare at me from the set. Do I win?”

I barked out a laugh. “You’re shooting Holly Remington? Wow. She’s fabulous. Go you. But I thought you creative types didn’t let anything disturb you during a shoot.”

“Yes, well, that’s normally true,” he hissed, lowering his voice. “But talking to you happens to be more important.”

My heart bumped against my ribs.

Hunter continued, “And Holly can wait. She’s barely eighteen without a wrinkle in sight. I swear they’re booking babies these days.”

I laughed. “Tell me about it. I feel ancient at twenty-two. And for the record, that’s not why I turned you down and you know it.”

He huffed. “I guess I do, but it makes a much better story than admitting I fucked up any chance I had with you after my less than stellar behaviour.”

I raised a brow. “Less than stellar? Is that what they call it these days?”

“You’re right. It was fucking deplorable.”

“Ugh. Just stop, will you?” I imagined that crooked crease that dipped between his brows whenever Hunter was confused. Then I shook my head because knowing all the man’s different frowns pulled at something deep in my chest.

“Stop what?”

I sighed. “Stop saying the perfect fucking things. Stop being so damned tempting.”

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