“The fucking truth.”
“I’m fine, seriously.”
“And I know you’re lying. Jesus, Bailey, please. Just be fucking honest with me. I know you’re worried about me.”
“Of course I am,” I snapped, slamming my hand onto the counter. The sharpness of the gesture seemed to shock both of us and there was a long moment of silence punctuated only by our breathing. “Sorry. That was… Ignore me.”
“No,” he said. He reached out and turned the burner on the hob off. “I’m sorry I make you worry. I know it’s hard on you.”
“You don’t need to apologise.”
Hunter put his other hand on my hip, holding me tightly on both sides as he rested his forehead against the back of my head. Tension radiated out of him. Or maybe it was frustration. It could have been a hundred things; I wasn’t sure I could tell. “What if I want to? I don’t want you to feel responsible for me.” He sighed. “I know I need help sometimes, and I know I rely on you a lot. Maybe too much but?—”
“No! It’s not too much.”
“It feels like it.”
“It’s not. I promise.” I turned in his arms, gazing up at him as my back pressed into the edge of the counter. It was at times like this that I was reminded how tall Hunter really was. “You… you’re my best friend, Hunter. Caring for you is never going to be too much.”
He didn’t look convinced, his hands practically burning through my clothes as he put them back on my hips. “If you insist on looking after everyone else, who’s going to look after you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t need looking after.”
“Maybe not, but youdeserveto be looked after.”
“Where’s all this coming from?” I asked, frowning deeply. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did something happen?”
Hunter glanced away for a second, a twinge of guilt twisting his mouth. Fuck! I knew it! “I promise you, I’m fine. Cross myheart. But, er, I… I might have messaged Aiden and told him you were stressed and I didn’t know what to do and?—”
“Did you tell him why?”
There was a pause, and then Hunter nodded. “Yeah. Not full details or anything, but enough.”
“Okay, what did he say?” I asked cautiously. Hunter very rarely told anyone about his history. Most of the team had no idea. We’d always kept it very need-to-know, and the fact Hunter had told Aiden…
I hoped Aiden appreciated how big a deal it was that Hunter had confided in him.
“Just thanks and he’s always around if I want to talk about it. Said he appreciated my openness.” His expression softened slightly. It was the same look he’d often started wearing when he thought about Aiden, and it was somehow strange and beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. He was falling so fast. I only hoped we’d both be able to catch him.
“This isn’t about me, though,” Hunter continued. “This is about you.”
“Why?”
“Because I fucking hate seeing you like this.” He reached up with trembling fingers, putting them against my neck as he brought his forehead down to rest against mine. His breath was warm against my skin, his mouth so close I could kiss him without even moving. “Please, Bailey. I need you to believe me when I say I’m fine. I know… fuck, I know I’ve hidden stuff in the past. And I can’t promise I’ll always be better in future. But today, I need you to believe me. And let me take care of you for once. If you won’t listen to me, then would you listen to Aiden?”
“What do you mean?”
He straightened and pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening the screen and showing me the message thread between him and Aiden. It was too long to read at a glance, and I wasn’tsure if I was hurt or not by them talking about me behind my back. But then my eyes landed on the voice note at the bottom of the screen. Just as Hunter pressed play.
“Hey, Bailey,” Aiden said, his voice so warm it sent calming heat rushing through my body. “I don’t know everything that’s gone on today, or all the history behind it, but Hunter is worried about you. Mostly, I think, because he’s afraid you’re stressing over him and don’t believe him when he says he’s okay. Look, I don’t know if he’s lying or not, but if he is, I’ll be really fucking mad—Hunter, you better fucking be listening to this too. Don’t lie to Bailey. Or me. Or I’ll never fuck you again!”
I snorted and Hunter’s cheeks flushed slightly at the threat. One day I hoped he’d be open to me fucking him too, because I wanted to watch him fall apart on my cock. It would probably destroy me but it would be worth it.
“Anyway,” Aiden continued with a sigh. I could almost picture his face, pinched with exasperation. “I’m not there to take care of either of you or clear up this bloody mess you’ve gotten yourselves into, but I’m taking over. I mean, you don’t have to listen to me. I won’t fucking know if you don’t. But I don’t like the idea of either of you being this wound up, so Bailey”—I almost jumped at the sound of my name because I’d been listening so intently—“You’re going to believe Hunter and you’re going to relax. And Hunter is going to help with that. He’s going to suck your dick. Then afterwards, you’re going to make dinner together, watch some highlights, and chill. Maybe talk about your shit too, I don’t know. You’re also going to message me and tell me how you got on. Okay? Good. Any questions then let me know. I’m going to the pub tonight because I promised to kick Greenie’s arse at darts and Bacon owes me a drink, but I’ll have my phone on me. And I don’t need both hands to beat Greenie at darts. He’s shit. Be good, boys. And have fun!”
The note ended, leaving Hunter and me staring at each other. My throat was dry, and my cock had already started to get hard at the idea of Hunter on his knees.
“Well, are you going to listen now?” Hunter asked with a smirk. The hand that had been on my hip slowly drifted downwards until his fingers caught the waistband of my joggers, giving them a gentle tug.
