Page 45 of Imperfect Saint
“I am.”
“Even if you were, I wouldn’t care. I’d still think you were perfect, cracks and all. I still want you. I still want to be with you. Nothing is going to change my mind about that.”
Her bottom lip trembled, “You don’t want to be with me, Hunter. I’ve been keeping so much bottled up inside me. I’m a broke, fragile, ticking time bomb of a girl and I’m going to explode all over you if you don’t get away from me while you still can.”
Hunter only smiled and pulled her back into his arms, “It’s funny you say that.”
“Why?” She was confused by his smile.
“Do you know what I did in the Army, Mills?”
She shook her head and his smile grew.
“I defused bombs, baby.” He wrapped one hand around the back of her head and pulled her closer, “I can handle you. I promise.”
“But why would you want to?”
“You know why.” He whispered, meeting her gaze, telling her the words again without saying them.
Millie leaned forward and kissed him. She couldn’t keep from it a second longer. He hesitated for a moment, no doubt surprised, but he let out a low groan that she thought was surrender and wrapped his hands in her hair, holding her as he kissed her back. It wasn’t a passion fueled kiss. It wasn’t for show or because something about their body chemistry made them irresistible to each other. It was sweet and full of promise and she never wanted it to end, even when her bruised lip protested the weight of his kisses.
Hunter separated their mouths just enough to ask, “Does this hurt?”
“No.” She lied, pulling him closer again.
“Don’t lie to me, Mills. Don’t you ever lie to me.”
She smiled, “Okay, it hurts a little but it’s worth it. It’s a good hurt.”
Hunter peppered her jaw in kisses, avoiding her busted lip and the cheek that must have been sporting one hell of a bruise by now, “I don’t ever want to hurt you. Not even the good kind of hurt.”
“Hunter.”
“Hmm?” He was nuzzling her ear now.
“Look at me?”
He did, instantly, his eyes tracing her face, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just want to tell you that you make me feel safe and you might not know how special that makes you, but I want you to. I want to show you that you’re perfect too. And I don’t want to lose you.” She whispered, afraid to give voice to her own feelings when she’d already dumped so many of them on him today.
“We have all the time in the world, beautiful.” Hunter smiled softly, kissing the end of her nose and then her chin, “First though, you need to talk to your brother and get all of this sorted out before the wedding.”
She gasped, “Oh God, the wedding. I ruined the wedding, didn’t I?”
“No.” He said firmly, “No. You didn’t ruin anything. It’s still on. It’s still happening tonight. Colin is only short a Best Man but he said that’s not going to stop him from marrying the man he loves.”
Millie’s eyes widened, “What did he do with Joshua?”
“Kicked him out of the wedding and off the premises. Told him that he wasn’t welcome here anymore and that he should clean out his office at the record label. He won’t be a part of Colin’s life, or yours, anymore so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Oh wow.”
“I told you Colin was upset.” Hunter played with a strand of her hair, “He also said if you’re not up to coming downstairs for the wedding that they would understand, but he still wants to talk to you.”
Millie flinched as if she’d been kicked all over again, “He doesn’t want me in the wedding?”
“Of course he does. He was only giving you an easy out if you needed one.”
