Page 83 of By Your Side
Hunter’s lips brushed mine again, softer now, but no less urgent. His breath was ragged against my cheek as his hand lingered high on my thigh, the heat of it making my whole body hum.
“We can’t,” He whispered again, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. He pulled back a fraction, his forehead pressed to mine, his chest rising and falling hard against me.
“I know.”
“Step away, Paige.” His voice was low, gravelly, wrecked. “I can’t seem to stop.”
My hands fisted in his shirt, not pulling him closer, not pushing him away—just holding on, like he was the only solid thing in the room. I could still taste him on my lips, feel the pulse of his heartbeat under my palms.
“Hunter…” I breathed, unable to move.
Outside, the music shifted on the jukebox, the muffled cheer of voices swelling with it. The reminder that we weren’t alone slid in between us, sharp as glass.
He let out a shaky breath. “They’ll notice if we’re gone too long.”
His jaw flexed, his eyes searching mine. “We have time. You’re mine now, and I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks about it.”
God, the way he said it. Fierce. Unapologetic. Like I was worth the risk of every whisper in this small town.
But my chest ached with the weight of all the things still unsettled—Eli, the kids, the bar. Us.
I smoothed my hands over his chest, trying to steady both of us. “You’re right. We have all the time in the world…” I started, but I didn’t finish. Because the way he was looking at me—like I was the only thing that had ever mattered—made the words dissolve on my tongue.
So I kissed him once more, quick but sure, before stepping back. The loss of his warmth hit me instantly, like stepping outside on the coldest morning.
He ran a hand over his face, exhaling slowly, as if he was trying to pack every frayed emotion back inside. Then he nodded once, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Later.”
And that word—later—lit something low in my stomach, a promise tucked into two syllables.
I smoothed my dress, forced my breathing to calm, and reached for the doorknob. When I glanced back at him, his eyes were still on me, dark and steady, like he could pin me in place with nothing more than a look.
It took everything I had to turn away.
I opened the door, the noise of the party rushing back in—music, laughter, the faint clatter of glasses behind the bar. The air out there felt cooler, thinner, like I’d left every bit of heat and danger behind in that little room.
But Hunter followed me, close enough that I could feel his presence even without touching. His hand brushed mine briefly—just a ghost of contact, but enough to send a shiver up my arm. I didn’t dare look at him. Not yet.
Out in the main room, Piper spotted me, then lit the candles on the cake. Eliza herded people into place, and Cara corralled my kids into the front for the big moment. The energy was bright, buzzing, full of love—and I tried to let it wash over me, to pull me back into the version of myself who could smile without her pulse still racing.
“Paige!” someone called from near the bar, waving me over. I pasted on a smile, adjusted the strap of my purple dress, and stepped into the crowd.
I laughed at a joke, accepted a hug from one of the regulars, let Piper kiss my cheek with frosting still on her fingers—but underneath it all, my skin still burned where Hunter’s hands had been.
And when the crowd started singing, when the candles flickered in the dimmed light, I closed my eyes to make a wish.
The only thing I could think of was him.
Hunter peeled off toward the back, quiet and steady as always, but I felt the weight of his gaze across the room. It was like a tether between us, invisible but unbreakable.
Chapter 27
Hunter
Ishould’ve been inside, standing next to her while everyone clapped after she blew out the candles. Instead, I slipped out the back door, the cool night air hitting me hard enough to clear my head.
The stars were sharp overhead, the kind you only saw in Honeybrook Hollow, far from city lights. I shoved my hands in my pockets and leaned against the wall, listening to the faint hum of voices and music spilling through the bricks.
I’d caught her kiss earlier like a man who’d been holding his breath too long. The whole room saw it—Paige making a statement, right there in front of half the town. For them, it probably looked simple. Sweet. Maybe even inevitable.
