“Y’all were in a different hotel room every night, while I was trying to memorize how many steps it was to the bathroom. How many tiles back my toothbrush sat on the counter.”

Embarrassed by her admission and afraid she was about to cry, Mackenzie turned around to leave—and almost walked straight into a wall.

Muttley tugged her back before she could make contact, but she felt the cold air through the plaster close enough to know it was a near miss.

Humiliation warmed her face and stung her eyes. It had been almost a year since she’d walked into something, so why had her last four senses chosen now to abandon her? All she wanted to do was disappear into the darkness until the world didn’t feel so big and ever-changing.

“Can we do this another time?” Her voice was hoarse.

Hunter came up behind her, his body heat seeping through her skin and his voice a soft husk. “We’ve been so busy moving forward we’ve lost too much time, Trouble,” he whispered, her nickname falling from his lips as if nothing had changed, his hands resting on her hips as if they belonged there.

Slowly,God, so slowly, he turned her around and right into those big strong arms of his, then wrapped her up in a hug that was as gentle as it was devastating. Desire, and something much more vulnerable, rushed through her and settled in parts she’d thought long forgotten. But he didn’t stop there.

Oh no, Hunter pulled her even closer, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and whispered, “And I don’t plan to stand by and lose more.”