Page 125 of Through the Flames
“I meant sweatpants.”
A laugh burst out of me, loud enough for a couple of suits to glance over. Hunter wasn’t laughing, though — he looked like a man performing mental murder.
Even Colt snorted, which earned him a look of betrayal from his best friend.
Colt held up his hands placatingly. “Come on, bro. As if anyone would dare talk to her with all that,” he gestured up and down Hunter’s menacing form, “standing next to her. You’re like a next-level bodyguard.”
“Yeah, right. Like you aren’t the same about your girl,” Hunter grumbled.
“Riiiight.” Hailey nudged me. “Come on, girl, bathroom break. We need a serious chat.”
The guys shared a quick glance before wordlessly escorting us to the bathroom. Seemed like they weren’t taking any chances, and I was fucking here for it. Zero complaints.
Once we were alone in the bathroom, the door securely locked behind us, Hailey got right to it.
“So spill.”
I sighed, pushing my hair back, feeling the weight of it all press in.
“About what?”
She leveled me with a stare. “Don’t play dumb. You and Hunter. The way he’s looking at you? Like he wants to set this hotel on fire and keep you as the only survivor. What is going on?”
My hand flew up to my hair, itching to twist one of the strands between my fingers, but then dropping again because I didn’t want to ruin my perfect waves. “Okay, so yeah. We started with an agreement of sorts.”
She raised an eyebrow. “An agreement?”
Slashing my hand through the air, I waved her off. “Details to follow, the story is way too long.”
Hailey tilted her head. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the wholetouchingpart. I’ve known Hunter for years, and no one was ever allowed to touch him.”
I shrugged, trying to find the words. “Something about us just works. We click. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not even sure if he could. But it’s real.”
Hailey smiled knowingly. “That’s rare.”
“It’s more than rare.” I glanced down, fiddling with the hem of my dress. “Anyway, I thought it was just an agreement, and I tried my best to act like it, but eventually … well, I guess inevitably lines started to blur. I know he feels it, too. That’s not the problem.”
Hailey’s eyes softened. “Then what is?”
I blew out a breath, closing my eyes for a second. “The problem is me. I spent so long craving validation and getting hurt for it, I sometimes wonder if I even know how to love properly. I built this whole world in my head instead, where the fantasy was safer than the real thing. Hunter is terrifying,obsessive and to be honest, impossible, but he’sreal. He wants this, he wants me, and I just keep thinking, what if I screw it up?”
Hailey tilted her head. “You think you’re the problem?”
I shrugged, trying to find the words. “He’s steady and controlled, and I’m still the girl who second-guesses everything and is all over the fucking place. What if I’m not enough for him? Or worse, what if I drag him down with all my baggage?”
Her lips stretched into a gentle smile. “Ella, he doesn’t look at you like you’re baggage.”
I bit my lip. “I know, and ironically, this almost makes it scarier. Because this feels too good. Too monumental. Like, if I get it wrong, I lose the one thing that finally feels right.”
Hailey stepped closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Ella, sometimes the scariest thing is the most worth holding onto.”
“Why does it always have to be the scary thing?” I groaned.
“Don’t ask me,” she quipped. She and Colt hadn’t had an easy journey, either. “But I know doing the scary thing can pay off big time.”
I squeezed her in a tight hug. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here!”
“Same.” Hailey beamed. “Okay, now let’s get out of here. We blocked this bathroom long enough.”
