Page 40 of 2204 Hunter Lane
He bounced back and raised his voice, spitting out in anger. “I’m always fuckin’ drunk!”
Before I could react he pointed in my face. “Who told you abouther? Huh? Payton? Now that y’all are two peas in a damn pod, you sharin’ secrets now? Secrets that aren’t yours to fuckin’ share!”
“I’m not…” I swallowed back any cuss word, any bad thing I could’ve said because I couldn’t say it to him. I didn’t want to set him off in this fragile state.
He was visibly so intoxicated, his eyes beady and bloodshot. Sweat painted his forehead and his knuckles… God, they were so bruised.What the fuck happened to him?
“I’m not having this conversation, Hunter. Not when you’re like this.”
“Not when I’m likethis?” He scoffed. “So how d’you want me to be? What’ll fit your fancy, Bambi?”
His legs carried him to that same loveseat where he sat erect, his back straight as board and he crossed his legs as if he was a lady-in-waiting.
“This better? If I sat here and listened to you tellin’ me shit? Sit here listenin’ to how you’ll use me and tell me I’m fucked in the head for drinkin’ and shit?”
“Use you? Hunter you need to drink some water –”
“Fuck!”
I swung my head around at the sound of broken glass, watching Hunter mutter curse words holding up his bleeding hand.
The glass he’d placed atop the fireplace was now a heap of shards on the floor beneath him.
“Oh my God.” I released, grabbing a bunch of paper towels and rushing to his side.
Blood trickled down his forearm as he examined the cuts across his palm, his face grimacing in pain.
I tried to grab his hand but he pulled away, slicing me open with a daggered stare. “Don’t.”
“For fuck’s sake, Hunter! Quit being a child and give me your hand.” I snapped, wrapping my fingers around his forearm and yanking it towards me.
For the first time ever, he actually obeyed, allowing me to observe the wounds not only on his palm but on his knuckles.
His breath was erratic as I brushed over the dried scrapes and cuts crisscrossing over the rough bone. The callouses on his palm were slashed by broken glass, soaking the paper towel as I pressed it to the gash.
I felt his muscles soften as I tore off long strips of paper towel, wrapping them around his hand like makeshift gauze. As I folded them, I could feel his stare breathing down my neck.
He didn’t want me near, I got that. But in the state Hunter was in there was absolutely no way he would’ve taken care of it himself. And judging by his lack of caution, I don’t think he minded the pain at all.
“You got cold hands, Bambi.” He whispered, his words sliding down my spine like water. “Need me to light a fire?”
I sucked in a breath, feeling his presence shift closer to me, his thigh brushing against mine with warmth.
“Your hand is bleeding.” I let out, attempting to block out his closeness.
“I got another hand.” He flexed his fingers, wiggling them about. “Works pretty damn well, too.”
Rolling my eyes, I stepped back and released his palm. “What happened to your knuckles?”
That shut him up real quick as he held the paper towels in place, turning away from my gaze.
The lights switched on in the upstairs hallway as Payton and Dex bolted down the stairs; Dex completely shirtless with black shorts and Payton wearing her polka dot pjs.
“What’s goin’ on down here?” Payton complained, eyes wide at the broken glass on the floor. “The hell happened, Hunter?”
Dex didn’t make a sound as he marched straight up to Hunter and grabbed him by the shirt, drawing him closer with one pull.
“You’re a fuckin’ mess, boy!” Dex shouted.
