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He might as well have shoved her out of the car and slammed her head against the pavement. She was sitting in an open top jeep and she couldn’t breathe.
Kate flung the door open and swung her legs out. She had to walk.
She should be texting Silver about the Merricks right now. Right now. This was the kind of thing that would get her back on his good side.
Hunter caught her arm and swung her around.
Kate stared up at him. She should disable him somehow, steal his jeep and his phone and take off down the highway—
Then again, she’d probably only make it about half a mile.
Whatever, she’d have no trouble flagging down a ride. She’d be back in Annapolis, Hunter would be stranded here, and the Merricks wouldn’t be much more than a memory and a closed file.
Hunter caught her other arm, and his hands were gentle. She almost wished she’d given him back the pullover so she could feel his palms against bare skin.
Then he didn’t say anything.
She had a thousand insults to fling at him, words to deflect his attention.
Instead, she said, “How? How did you know?”
“Because you’re not callous,” he said carefully.
“You’re wrong. I am.”
“No. You’re not.” He paused. “You called my name, the night Silver shot me.”
She looked away.
“You did,” said Hunter. “I know you did.”
“He misunderstood what you were doing with Calla.”
Hunter brushed it off with a wave of his hand. “You were upset when you thought I broke Noah Dean’s arm.”
“Because I thought it was a stupid move on school property.”
Hunter smiled. “You didn’t kill me the morning after the carnival.”
“I was busy. Figured I had time.”
Now he laughed, but he quickly sobered. His hands found her cheeks, blocking the wind, his palms warm against her face. He leaned down until his forehead was touching hers and they breathed the same air.
It felt so good to be held this way, just the two of them in a deserted parking lot on the side of a mountain, nothing around but earth and sky.
Far, far away from Elementals and death and danger and betrayal.
“I’d like to kiss you,” said Hunter softly. “But I’d really like to try it without any lies between us.”
For some reason, that made her eyes burn, and she worried that tears had found their way to her eyes.
His thumb stroked along her cheek, terrible confirmation.
“I don’t remember how to do that,” she whispered.
A smile found his lips. “How to kiss?”
She squished her eyes shut and shook her head quickly. “How to be true.”
