Page 75 of Bloom

But then his hand falls away from the door handle. He leans against the wood, knocking his head against it once, twice, three times before he turns and demolishes the distance between us. It all happens so fast, I don’t realize his hand is on my cheek, his forehead is nudging mine, his lips are all but touching mine until Itastethe words he utters lowly. “You don’t go back there. If he calls you, you call me. Anything happens, you call me. Don’t care when, don’t care where.Call me.”

I try to swallow again, but my throat is suddenly remarkably dry. “Hunter, nothing happened.”

His head shakes as his hand slips into my hair, gliding through the strands. “I mean it.”

I know he does. I can tell. Everything about him screams ‘I mean business,’ but there’s something…softthere too. As soft as an accusation with no real venom behind it. “I know you’re lying to me.”

We’re close enough to share breath, and I can’t help but stare at his mouth.

“But that’s okay. You’ll tell me when you wanna.”

When. Notif.

“You’re not going back there.”

Again, no hesitation. No room for alternatives.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats, and I momentarily forget what he’s even apologizing for, too distracted by the feel of him cupping the back of my head. “You don’t embarrass me. You hear me, Caroline? Not even a little bit. You’re good, honey. Too good for those girls, too good for your daddy, too good for—”

Maybe if I wasn’t so distracted by the close proximity, I would care that he doesn’t finish his sentence. If I wasn’t channeling all my energy into breathing, staying upright, not doing something very rash, veryfoolish—like lean forward and kiss the man tracing the contours of my face with his fingertips like he’s trying to erase last night’s rough touch.

“You don’t deserve it, okay? You don’t.”

Staring sincerity in the eyes, I believe him. For possibly the first time in my life, I take a man at his word, no doubt muddying the moment.

Iamgood. I don’t deserve it.

He’s so convincing, so all-consuming, that even when he whispers words he can’t possibly mean, words I barely hear because they’re so quiet, I believe them too.

“Ain’t got nothing better in my life, Caroline.”

22

She bounces her left leg nervously when she lies.

He wonders if she knows that.

There'sa man in my apartment and I don't know how to act.

Stiff as a statue, I perch on my bed, picking at a loose thread on the knitted blanket covering my bare legs with one hand, stopping Herc from eating my favorite throw pillow with the other, and trying very hard not to look like I’m freaking out as an impossible-to-ignore man inspects every inch of my oh-so-humble abode.

The door is his first victim. As critical eyes assess the slab of wood, Hunter’s face crumples in a frown. “Does that thing even lock?”

“Yes.”

He looks dubious.

“It has a deadbolt.” I contemplate mentioning how stuck that thing tends to get—an additional layer of safety, right?—before deciding against it. “So does the front door.”

Grunting something unintelligible, Hunter inspects the offensive lock thoroughly. He opens and closes the door a million times, crouches down on his haunches to scrutinize the keyhole, twists the knob every which way. By the time he moves on, I’m caught between laughter and tears, between feeling amused by his antics and feeling overwhelmed by the show of concern—an internal war that only grows.

Every window. Every lamp and light fixture. Every kitchen appliance. Every damn tile on the floor. Even my decorations aren’t safe from his careful examination, and I pray for a hazard to appear and take me out when his gaze settles on the ever-growing collection of photos gracing one wall, more than one of which features him.

I'm not a stalker, I telepathically tell him.You're just really freaking photogenic.

Luckily for me, Hunter bypasses the photos without a word. Unluckily for me, his scrutiny lands on me next. He doesn’tsneer, exactly, but he doesn’t look all too impressed either. “You really live here?”

Staring at the fluffy canine body rolling around in my sheets, I nod.

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