I sit up.
A second knock follows.
“Piper, I swear to God, if you don’t open this door in the next second, I’ll take it off its hinges.”
My heart stumbles.
Hunter.
How is he here already?
I look at the clock. He must have left for Elaris shortly after I did.
Against my better judgement, I open the door.
He stands there looking exactly as he always does. Impeccably put together.
But furious.
Lethal, even.
I swallow as his eyes remain fixed on me for a long moment.
Then he closes the distance between us and takes my face in his hands.
The door swings shut behind him.
His forehead touches mine. For a second, neither of us speaks. I close my eyes, aware of his nearness, of the familiar scent that still feels too much like home.
“Why the fuck did you leave?” he growls.
“Hunter...” I begin, but the words die before they ever reach my lips.
I don’t even know what to say.
“Piper, we need to talk.” His voice turns rough. “No more hiding, no more secrets. Just the truth.”
I nod.
Because he’s right.
He deserves to know what was really going on.
Slowly, he lets me go, and I immediately put a step between us.
Distance I desperately need.
Because his proximity completely scrambles my thoughts.
I sit on the sofa where I’d spent the last few hours before his arrival.
Hunter takes the seat beside me.
And the way he watches me makes me feel exposed and vulnerable.
As if he can see every thought I want to keep buried.
“What do you want to know?” I ask.
