The bar was packed, which made it even harder to find Hunter. Adam snatched me by my sleeve and dragged me after him the second we stepped through the door.
“What are you doing?” I asked in confusion when he suddenly stopped and pushed me in front of him but made no move to follow me.
“He’s over there,” he said with a bored expression and pointed over my head at a slouched figure sitting at the far end of the bar counter.
I thanked him quietly and crossed the short distance to where Hunter was sitting. He was wearing his leather jacket and was hunched over a glass of…What was that? Whiskey?
When I sank onto the seat next to him, he didn’t react in the slightest.
I meant to say it firmly, but it came out as a tentative question when I said, “Hunter?”
Hunter slowly looked up from his drink.
I winced when I saw that his eyes were red and his face blank.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered. He looked like he couldn’t believe I was here and reached out to take my chin in his hand as if to confirm I was real.
“Taking you home,” I answered. “Where is she?”
“Went home an hour ago.”
“What…What are you still doing here then?” I studied his face.
Hunter was clearly wasted, and he still had to drive home since Victoria had left him here. I could only guess why he had gotten so drunk.
“I didn’t want you to see me like this,” Hunter said softly while staring into his drink with glassy eyes.
I took it and set it down on the counter out of his reach. Then I inched closer and turned his chin using my fingertips so I could study his face. “It’s okay. Hunter, look at me. It’s okay,” I muttered, even though it wasn’t okay and it sure as hell didn’t feel okay. “What did she do?”
“Nothing,” Hunter said. When I continued looking at him, waiting for a real answer, he suddenly pushed my hand away and looked the other way. “Nothing happened, okay? Just let it go.”
Of course, I didn’t believe him, not for a second, not when his voice sounded so defeated and his eyes could barely meet mine. It was the first time I was with him right after he had been with Victoria. Now I wondered if he had been like this all the other times before.
I wanted to know what it was that I would have to kill Victoria for, but not right now, not when Hunter looked like he was dancing at the edge of a complete breakdown.
“Okay. You can tell me about it tomorrow.”
Hunter just nodded. When he looked at me again, the harshness had vanished from his features. “Are you okay?” he asked me.
“Am I okay?” I retorted incredulously. “I’m fine.”
“Good,” Hunter muttered and smiled tiredly. “Then it was worth it.”
And that was the sentence that broke me. I honestly felt like crying. Instead, I gripped tightly onto the front of his jacket and pulled him against me. Having him this close was a familiar thing by now, but this time, it was me holding him, not the other way around.
One hand was on his back to steady him, the other rested on his head when he buried his face against my neck. I almost didn’t hear his words, drowned out by the noise of the music and the people talking around us. I rather felt it in the way his lips brushed over my skin when he said it.
“I love you.”
It felt like my heart was swelling to twice its size when Hunter looked up at me, eyes unguarded and vulnerable.
“I love you too,” I answered just as quietly. The words felt strange on my tongue but in a good way.
Hunter’s hand reached up longingly to tangle in my curls. I gently guided his chin to my lips. For a second, I thought about all the people around us and what they would think, but as soon as his tongue flicked over my lower lip, there was nothing else but him against me. A quiet whimper slipped past my lips as his hands tugged on my hair. I could feel him smiling against my mouth in response.
This was what I had been aching for all day and what I had thought about during the movie and spin the bottle—the feeling of slightly chapped lips on mine, hands burying in my hair and holding me close, the scent of leather and smoke and Hunter, the softness in his edges, and the unconditional trust.
My vibrating mobile against my thigh startled both of us into letting go of each other.
Hunter watched me when I answered the call with an impatient “Yeah?”
“Jules, is everything alright?” Nate asked. “You’ve been away for an hour now. Did something happen?”
“No…No, we’re fine,” I answered and absentmindedly ran my thumb over my slightly swollen bottom lip. “We’re coming now.” I ended the call before Nate could reply and got up from my seat. “The rest of the group are waiting for us. We should go.”
Hunter nodded and got to his feet. I quickly wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him from tripping, since he was more than a little tipsy, and steered us to the front door.
On our way there, Adam appeared out of nowhere and trailed behind us.
“What were you doing?” I asked over my shoulder.
“That one girl over there wanted my number,” Adam said nonchalantly. “I found that even though I’m taken, talking to her was better than watching you guys get it on.”
Once we were outside, I dug Hunter’s keys out of his back pocket and went to unlock the car.
Adam stayed with Hunter, and even though he acted unfazed all night, I could hear him quietly asking if Hunter was okay with genuine concern in his voice.
***
Adam arrived back at Nate’s house at the same time that we did. When he reached for the doorbell, I stopped his hand and fished a key out of a flowerpot on the porch instead.
I had been right in my assumption that the others were already sleeping when we snuck into the living room, and everything was silent except for the quiet noises of the TV.
Nate and Alex were lying on one of the mattresses, legs tangled in the blanket they shared and Nate’s protective arm around Alexis’s waist.
Hunter looked at me with wide eyes, then back at the two of them as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “When did that happen?” he muttered.
I hushed him with a finger on his lips and whispered, “We played spin the bottle and things went a little out of hand.”
Hunter stared at them for a few more seconds before he shrugged and slouched down on another mattress.
I looked around the room and spotted Liam and Emily on the couch. I wasn’t sure if they noticed, but apparently, Emily had fallen asleep with her head in Liam’s lap and his hand in her hair. They looked completely at peace right now, and I didn’t have the heart to wake them up, so I only took one of the blankets and covered them as best as possible.
When I turned back around, Adam was already snoring in one of the armchairs.
Hunter had stripped down to his boxers and was looking at me expectantly, so I hurried over to him and snuggled up against him under another blanket. Hunter wrapped an arm around me and pulled me against his chest, comfortingly warm.
Just before I dozed off, I heard him whisper against my neck, so quiet that I wasn’t sure if it was real or just my imagination.
“Someday we’ll be able to go to sleep like this every night.”
Chapter 34
I awoke to the sound of muffled laughter and hushed voices. When I blinked into the dim light piercing through the closed curtains, the first thing my eyes found was Hunter. He was still sound asleep, one hand resting under his cheek, the other loosely grasping onto the last bit of blanket I hadn’t stolen from him.
I scrambled to my feet, and feeling slightly guilty, pulled the covers up to his chin. He smiled sleepily and nestled deeper into the pillows.
Grinning like an idiot, which I tended to do a lot when Hunter was around, I leaned down and planted a peck on his cheek. He didn’t do as much as stir, so I gave up on him and chose to let him sleep instead.
None of the others were in the living room an
ymore, so I followed the noises into the kitchen.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Liam greeted when I entered the room. He was sitting at the table, sipping from a cup of coffee.
Next to him was Emily, who looked significantly less bright-eyed. Her hair was falling into her face but still failed to conceal her pale skin and the dark shadows under her eyes. “Morning,” she muttered. At least I guessed that was what she tried to tell me through her yawn.
Liam chuckled and set his cup of coffee down in front of her. “You should drink some of this. You look awful.”
“Shut up.” Emily groaned but gulped down some of it nonetheless. “I’m never drinking alcohol again.”
“Pity. You’re cute when you’re drunk.” Liam teased and snatched his mug back.
“I’m always cute.”
“True.” He grinned and pinched her cheek, only to get his hand slapped away.
I shook my head with an amused smile and went to pour a cup of coffee for myself. While I waited for the coffee machine for some of the most magical liquid known to men, the door opened, and Alexis strode into the room, followed by a breeze of vanilla-scented perfume.
She looked more awake than should be humanly possible at this time and after having an ungodly amount of drinks. She was already fully dressed in ripped jeans, boots, and a flannel. Even her make-up was flawless.
Nate was only a few steps behind her. I sent him a questioning look when I noticed the annoyed scowl on his face. No, annoyed wasn’t the word. Frustrated. He just shook his head at me in reply and went to pour a concerning amount of sugar into his cup at the counter, effectively blocking the way to the cupboard. Instead of asking him to move a little, Alex came up right behind him and stretched to get a mug from the cupboard above her head, pressing up against Nate’s back in the process.
Even from where I was standing, I could hear him inhale sharply. The next thing I saw from the corner of my eye was Nate spinning around and tightly gripping onto Alexis’s hips.
“Can you stop teasing already?” he growled.
Alexis smirked up at him and leaned forward to set her cup down on the counter. “Make me.”
I immediately turned my head away when Nate caught her lips in a kiss and went to turn the radio on to drown out the noises. Luckily, the two got interrupted rather quickly when the door opened, and Adam almost ran into them.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered and pushed past them. “Can all of you fucking stop hooking up wherever I go? Some people don’t want to fight down the urge to throw up every two minutes.”
“Jealous, Adam?” Alex mocked but took a step back, smoothing her hair down with one hand.
“I have a girlfriend.” He pointed out. Then his face suddenly lit up in a very unlike-Adam way. “Oh, did I already tell you guys she’s coming over for prom? She’ll be staying here for a week.”
I shook my head and smiled at him. “That’s awesome.”
Adam nodded with a content grin and lifted the bag I didn’t realize he was holding in his hand. “Anyone hungry? I went to get some breakfast.”
“Hell, yes,” Liam immediately said and beckoned Adam over.
“I’m going to wake Hunter up,” I said but stopped in my tracks when I saw Adam and Alexis exchanging a look that was equal parts amused and pitiful. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Alex snorted. “It’s just uh…rather hard to wake Hunter up in the morning. But go ahead. Try your luck.”
I glanced at both of them, bewildered by that comment but let it slide and made my way back to the living room. Hunter was still lying in the same exact position I had left him in, but now he was snoring quietly. I suppressed a chuckle and crouched down next to him.
His hair was soft and tousled when I reached out and gently ran a hand through it. “Hunter,” I whispered next to his ear. When I didn’t get much of a reaction, I tried again. “Hunter, wake up. It’s past noon.”
I already thought he wouldn’t respond, but then he whined in a low voice, “Don’t wanna get up.”
“Come on, sleepyhead.” I laughed quietly and traced a finger over his closed eyelids until they reluctantly opened and blinked up at me.
“You’re lucky that you’re cute,” Hunter mumbled. “Or I wouldn’t tolerate two seconds of this.”
“You’re lucky you have such a nice boyfriend who wakes you up so you can have breakfast with your friends.”
“Fine.” He sighed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
I grinned triumphantly and offered him a hand to help him up. Hunter took it, but instead of letting me pull him to his feet, he suddenly yanked my arm until I lost my footing. With a startled noise, I toppled forward onto his chest.
His body was vibrating under mine when he laughed and wrapped both his arms and his legs around me and flipped us around.
“Hunt—Oh my God. What are you doing?” I groaned and struggled against his grip in vain.
“I think we should stay in bed for a bit,” he said and buried his face in the crook of my neck, not loosening his squeeze the tiniest bit.
When I tried to get out again, he just snickered. I froze when I suddenly felt his lips on the sweet spot right below my ear.
“That’s not fair!” My breath caught in my throat halfway through the sentence when I felt teeth grazing over the sensitive skin on my neck, making every hair stand on end.
When Hunter didn’t reply, I got even more frustrated and tried to push his hands away. Before I could accomplish anything though, he caught my wrists and held them tightly in front of my chest.
I twisted my head around to glare at him, but my expression faltered when he grinned contently at me and kissed my cheek.
“Don’t frown, pretty boy. Your smile is way more beautiful.” He teased.
“You’re so stupid,” I said and buried my face against his shoulder to hide my smile.
“Your face is stupid.”
“You like my stupid face.”
“I do.” He laughed and went back to kissing down my neck. After a few seconds, he suddenly stopped and asked, “Can we maybe go out tonight? I think we both need to get out of here for a while.”
I nodded immediately. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
Hunter smiled, but before he could answer, the door swung open.
“Oh, there you are.” Liam commented. He didn’t seem surprised to see us like this at all. “We were already wondering if you got murdered by Hunter for waking him up.”
“Come on, who could hurt a face like this.” Hunter laughed.
I fought to look over his shoulder at Liam and Adam and mouthed, “Help.”
“You know he won’t be any use to you anymore if you squeeze him to death. Right, Hunter?” Adam asked, sounding completely unimpressed.
Hunter let go of me with a chuckle, but not without pressing a final kiss to my cheek. I immediately got to my feet and was surprised to see that he followed suit and trailed after me to the kitchen.
***
This time, I was driving and picking him up. At least that was how we had things planned. Right now, my mom seemed to be out for ruining our plans, though.
“Mom, I told you I’m just going to hang out with Emily.” I repeated. “You can call her if you don’t believe me.”
My mother was standing in the corridor with her hands on her hips, blocking my way to the front door. “Why don’t you hang out with her here?”
“Because I don’t want to have you and Dad in my business.”
“Your dad won’t be home tonight,” Mom said.
“Where is he?”
“He has a business meeting.”
I paused in putting my jacket on and turned around to her with a frown. “On a Saturday night?”
She folded her arms over her chest and nodded. “Yes, Julian, on a Saturday night. He’s a busy man. Now stop looking sour. Your father’s dedication to his work is the reason you can afford this kind of living.”
I stared at her, once again taken aback by her bla
tant rejection, before I nodded slowly. “Fine, I don’t care. I’m still going.”
“Julian, if I tell you not to, you’re not going! You’re not eighteen yet!”
“Trust me. I’m aware,” I said, looking at her coolly. “I’ve already started counting the days until I can finally move out of this hellhole.”
Mom was so perplexed that she didn’t even react when I pushed past her and walked outside. When I turned around on my way to the car, she was still standing in the doorway, looking after me.
“146,” I shouted back as I got into the driver’s seat.
146 days. Almost five months.
Hunter was already waiting on the porch when I drove up in front of his house. He was by the car in seconds and slid into the passenger’s seat with a wide grin on his face.
“Why are we driving in this car again?” he asked as the engine started with a rattle.
“Because you can’t drive races with this one and I’d like to not have a near-death experience for once when we’re going out.”
“Come on, that was romantic!” He laughed. “Admit it. You loved it. Why else would you have kissed me?”
“You kissed me first.” I pointed out to tease him. “I just went along with it.”
Hunter only snorted. “You loved it.”
I chose not to comment on that and said, “You look better than you did this morning. What did you do?”
“I had a nap. Or three.” Hunter snickered. “Don’t worry. I’m as fit as a fiddle now.”
“Great. Where exactly are we going?” I asked.
Hunter shrugged. “I don’t know. How about we just walk around town for a bit and see what we can do?”
I nodded and pulled up in the street near the park. It was a warm spring evening. The sun was just starting to set, and there were still birds chirping.
Hunter walked up to me and slipped his hand into mine. When we walked down the street, I was aware that several people were staring at our intertwined fingers. It wasn’t like they were stopping in their tracks to gape at us or anything, but I was still keenly aware of the attention.
Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes Page 37