Page 100 of Through the Flames
“Tell them the truth.”
My fingers tightened around my phone. “And what exactly would that be, Robot Boy?”
His eyes flicked to mine, something sharp and unbothered in them all at once. “You live with me. You sleep in my bed. You’re mine. Sounds pretty simple to me.”
Heat shot through me so fast it was almost dizzying, and not just because of how casually he uttered those words, like it wasn’t an insane comment to make.
“Still not anactuallabel,” I managed to choke out, my heart racing.
“Didn’t know we needed one.” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, veins standing out like tension given form.
“It’s calledcommunication.”
“It’s callednot leaving.”
I blinked at him. “That’s not creepy at all.”
His mouth tipped, not into a smile but something darker, and he shrugged with one shoulder. “Wasn’t supposed to sound sweet.”
My pulse spiked, and it definitely wasn’t fear making it race.
His gray eyes locked onto mine, and I could feel the heat simmering beneath the surface. It was something fierce and unyielding, and it made my breath stall.
I wanted to say something, anything, when he suddenly leaned closer, one brow arched.
“You want another truth?” His voice dropped to a rough, gravelly pitch, making it sound like he was stating a fact rather than asking a question.
I frowned. “Anothertruth?”
Hunter smirked. “You never dated anyone else in college, right?”
I scoffed. “Yeah, thanks for pointing out the obvious, Robot Boy. Way to make a girl feel wanted.”
“You ever wonder why?”
“Why?” I echoed dumbly.
He leaned back slightly, casual, but every inch still radiated danger. “Do you even know how many motherfuckers I had to deal with to get here?”
I choked on my laughter. “What do you mean—”
“Texts deleted,” he said, ticking off fingers. “Face-to-face warnings. One guy actually tried to show up at your match. Didn’t know I was already there in the stands. Some were polite. Some … not so much.”
I nearly lost it. “Youthreatenedpeople?!”
“Absolutely,” he said, like he was shrugging off a mild inconvenience. His eyes gleamed, and he leaned in just a fraction closer. “I’ve known you’re mine from day fucking one, Ella. Only mine. And yes, I consider all that work anefficient use of my time.”
I laughed so hard my sides ached, nearly smacking the dashboard. “You are insane. This is insane. You—ugh—I can’t even—”
“And yet,” he added, his eyes darkening just slightly, “here you are. I’d say this worked out quite well for me. But go ahead, tell me I’m wrong.”
My laugh came to an abrupt and uneven halt.
“Why would you even want me, Hunter?” The words were out before I could contain them. “You don’t even know me. Not really. You don’t know the things people said about me. What they called me. What I … what I let them say.”
My chest tightened, and the air refused to fill my lungs properly. “You don’t know—”
“I know everything there is to know about you,” he cut in calmly, like it was the simplest truth in the world.
