Page 89 of Their Knotty Pack
He's in a tight SCPD t-shirt and sweatpants, and I feel like an absolute creep watching him move around the kitchen. He puts the water on the stove for the ramen.
"So…your parents came here from Seoul?" I ask, needing to fill the silence.
"Yeah," his back is still turned to me, "EommaandAppa…or Seo-yun and Min-jun Song…they immigrated when she was around four months pregnant with me."
"Have you ever wondered why they didn't give you a more traditional Korean name?" Immediately, I wince, wondering if I've asked a rude question.
He just lets out a little chuckle though. "No, because they've been upfront with me since I was little. When they decided to move out here, they were very…gung-ho about America. The 'land of opportunity'." He drops the ramen into the water. "They decided to completely immerse themselves in American culture, which means laying roots. So, instead of being named Hyun-Woo, meaning virtuous protector…I was named Hunter, which for two Koreans learning the English language, held very similar meanings. They still refer to me asaegiyain private, but to the rest of the world, I’m Hunter Song, the embodiment of the American Dream."
"Hyun-Woo…" the name rolls off my tongue, Hunter stiffening for a moment before shaking his head. Like he had been caught in a sort of spell. "Where are they now?"
"They're still in Dry Creek, Idaho.Eommais quite content to look after her garden—you remind me a little of her in that regard—andAppawill probably work until the day he dies, absolutely by choice. The accounting agency he works for tried to get him to retire five years ago, but he refused."
A small laugh leaves me at the image he's put in my mind, and he chuckles with me before turning back to making us lunch.
There's a question that's been gnawing at me, and I finally summon the courage to ask him what's been on my mind."Hey Hunter?" He pauses, turning to face me. "I…I don't know how to ask this without sounding…I don't even know. But…I guess I'm just going to come right out and ask."
He looks worried for a second, but nods anyway.
"So," I take a deep breath, steeling myself, "I feel a true scent match connection with you, like I do with the others. I'm drawn to you, but…it's almost like you don't feel it? Is this some kind of weird one-sided glitch that you've felt too awkward to tell me about?"
"What—" he shakes his head, "Bethany, no. No…I feel it. I do." I feel myself sag in relief, but then…
"So…have I done something? Because you don't seem nearly as ready to rip off my clothes as I am to rip yours—" My mouth snaps shut in mortification. What the hell did I almost just say?
Hunter turns slightly red, and the image of this huge, burly alpha blushing at my words makes me feel a little better about myself. "I…shit. Bethany, there's something I need to tell you about me, and it's something I probably should have brought up before now…"
Dammit. He's going to tell me that he's really deep undercover…or something, and we can never be together because of…reasons.
"I don't feel…sexual attraction the same way the rest of the guys do."
The same way? What could that possibly mean? "What…like you're only attracted to feet or something?"
He barks a laugh, shaking his head as I mentally curse my word-vomit. "No, bluebell. I just…I can't be sexually attracted to someone unless I've formed an emotional connection to them first. It doesn't matter how breathtakingly beautiful I find you, or how Miles makes my heart beat faster just by looking at him. Unless there's a very deep connection first…"
"How deep?" I ask on a breath, my heart rate picking up.
"In my past experiences…" he says slowly, walking over to me, "the actual desire to have sex comes right before I feel ready to say 'I love you'. But, make no mistake, it's not like one day our connection passes over a certain threshold and the sexual attraction issuddenlythere. It grows slowly, over time." He stops in front of me, looking at me with a furrowed brow. "And right about now, I think I want to…" he bends slightly, tipping my chin up to meet his eyes, not unlike he did yesterday.
My breath catches in my throat, my eyes fluttering closed as he lightly brushes his lips over mine, sending a shiver through me. "I don't…" I take a deep breath, opening my eyes. "I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with."
He gives me a small smile. "I very much wanted to do that, bluebell. Just because I'm notthereyet, doesn't mean I don't have affection for you. And please don't take that to mean it won't ever be anything more, because I know without a doubt that once I get to know all of you, there won't be any stopping me."
His words have me blushing this time, and I bite my lip, nodding. It is rather comforting to know that when he does dive into this, it won't be because of the true scent match, but because he'll feel a genuine connection to me.
"Well then, I suppose we should start spending some more time together." I grin, and he smiles back before turning to the now-boiling water on the stove.
"I suppose we will."
Chapter 37
Bethany
"Nymph," Miles holds me tighter against his chest, "Why didn't you call me? I would have dropped everything!"
"I know," my mouth is muffled against his chest, but he doesn't relent, "but I talked to Brody a little and Hunter was working from home when I got here, so we spent some time together." Of course, he's now back in his office, making up for all the time he spent with me.
We had sat on the couch, eating the kimchi ramen while I asked him questions about his family, and he ended up showing me the K-dramas his mom secretly loves. Then Damien and Miles had strode through the door, already aware of what had transpired at work since apparently Brody had given everyone a heads up.
