Page 41 of Smoke and Mirrors
“You’re the least rude person I’ve ever met,” I told him. “These other two, on the other hand…”
He laughed with me, drifting his fingertips over the wet skin of my arm and shoulder with the lightest ghost of a touch.
“Mel,” he began in a more serious tone. “Do you want to talk about—”
I shook my head, cutting him off abruptly. “It’s over. That’s what he told you, right?”
His face fell, confirming my suspicion. Just as my heart felt like it stopped bleeding, the wound reopened again.
“How did you know?”
“I could just see it when they were in the room together.” I swallowed a bite of stew, trying to distract the pit in my stomach. “It sounds stupid but he didn’t call me babe in front of her. And then when she called me tr—”
“Hey, no. You’ve got it all wrong.” Hunter’s gentle caresses on my arm turned into a desperate squeeze. “He was trying to make her leave and she was being a stubborn bitch, that’s all. He had nurses kick her out right after you left.”
“Are you sure?” I searched his gaze, hope daring to grow within me.
“She means nothing to him, and you mean everything,” he said, golden eyes locked on mine.
“But why did you say—”
“‘Cause he’s being a self-sacrificing idiot,” Hunter sighed. “With no way to pay the hospital or get new prosthetics, he doesn’t want to drag you down with him. He thinks the pain is going to make his flashbacks worse and he could seriously hurt you, or even the kids. So he wants you to move on.”
“But…” Confusion swirled within me, bringing my headache right back. “You don’t think he’d hurt me or the kids, do you?”
“Absolutely not, if he manages all his issues,” Hunter replied. “But it sounds like he’s given up on trying.”
“We can’t let him give up!” I stood from the tub, splashing water everywhere without giving a fuck. I grabbed the towel and started wiping myself dry.
“Mel, what are you doing?” Hunter didn’t bother trying to hide looking at my naked body.
“I’m going back to the hospital to talk some sense into him.” Grabbing his shoulder for support, I stepped out and continued drying myself off. “Before he does anything stupid.”
“Hey, wait. Calm down.” He took hold of my arms, now keeping his eyes glued to my face. “He’s not going anywhere. They’re still keeping him to watch his concussion. And you are still exhausted and emotional. Just take a breather, little fox.”
“How could I not be?!” I demanded, raising my voice. “He’s trying to break up with me over the stupidest, petty shit! I don’t care about money or his flashbacks, I just want to be there for him. If he has no one, then he…”
“I know, I know.” Hunter pulled me into his chest as I descended into body-wracking sobs again. He shushed me and stroked my hair, not caring that it was tangled or wet.
“You’re incredible, you know?” he murmured against my forehead. “For caring so much. But it takes a lot of out of you, my sweet little fox. Take care ofyoufor one night. Connor will be okay tomorrow. We’ll see him when we can be calm and level-headed, okay?”
I nodded just as the tent flap rustled.
“Everything okay in there?” Raz called from the outside.
“Yeah,” I sniffed, rubbing my face with my hands. “You can come in, Raz.”
Wearing only his dark distressed jeans, Raz’s fully inked torso moved like a living painting as he stepped into the tent.
“Ah, fuck! I’m sorry,” he turned away the moment he saw that I was naked in Hunter’s arms. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not,” Hunter assured him with a dry laugh. “I told her what Connor said. She jumped out of the tub and was about to run back there buck ass naked.”
“You shoulda let her,” Razvan chuckled, still with his back turned. “Then we could chase her all the way down to the hospital and enjoy the view at the same time.”
“You guys are the worst,” I laughed, snuggling into Hunter’s chest and returning the embrace that he wrapped around me. “This is just payback. Raz, did I tell about when I hugged a naked Hunter after the opening show?”
“No! How did that happen?”
