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“Sure, baby. I’ll get a cool rag for you too.”
Before he leaves, he places a soft kiss against my lips, and another flood of tears threatens. My eyes follow him out of the room. When I hear his footsteps on the stairs, I grab his phone from the nightstand and unlock it. I click on the text icon, scrolling past the people I know.
My heart thumps heavily as my finger hovers over an unfamiliar name.
Scarlett.
Before I can second guess the move, I push down on the name.
Scarlett: I need you.
That was the last message sent, which was two days ago.
Before that, the same three-word message was sent ten days ago. Before that, it was two weeks. Hunter’s response is always the same.
I’m on my way.
Bile rises in my throat, and I barely manage to swallow it down.
So it’s true. Hunter is seeing someone else.
A small part of me wished and hoped it was only a one-time occurrence. Not that once is even close to forgivable, but maybe it would hurt a tiny bit less if I knew it was a spur of the moment encounter. One that he regretted deeply.
But no. He’s been seeing her for months. Possibly even longer. The messages sent and received indicate that it happens about once a week. From the looks of it, it seems that Scarlett is always asking him to come see her. He never initiates it.
My throat feels tight and a tear slips free. I dash it away angrily. Having seen enough on his phone, I carelessly return it to the nightstand. I roll away from the side of the bed, knowing that’s the side Hunter will approach. I don’t want to see his face right now.
When I hear the thumps of his feet on the stairs, I slam my eyes shut and try to regulate my breathing. He’s only been gone a few minutes, not enough time for me to have fallen asleep, but long enough that I can pretend to be drowsy.
I feel rather than hear him come to the side of the bed. A shadow appears in front of my closed eyes as the mattress dips. I barely crack them open and see him hovering over me.
“Your phone is on the nightstand,” he says quietly. “I’ll be downstairs. Use your phone to call me if you need anything.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
He doesn’t move with my answer, and I feel his eyes still on me. His lips touch my cheek a moment later. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
I push my tremulous emotions back and roll my head to the side so I can look up at him. I force my lips into a small smile. “Everything’s fine. I’ll be better once I sleep this headache off.”
His eyes flicker back and forth between mine, looking for something I hope he can’t see. I don’t know if I hide my pain well, or if he’s giving up for the time being. After a silent moment, he drops his head and gives me a gentle kiss.
He’s not out the door before the tears start falling. I bury my face in the pillow, only realizing it’s Hunter’s when I’m suddenly engulfed in his scent.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Caterina
Two days later, I’m no closer to confronting Hunter. Any time I think about it, my chest threatens to cave in on itself.
I’ve avoided him as much as possible, but it’s difficult to do that when he’s always here. It’s been five days since he’s been to Slate. I asked him why he hadn’t gone to the club and he said he was taking some time off. I could tell there was more to it, but didn’t ask him to elaborate. It’s already hard enough being around him—seeing his gorgeous face, smelling his delicious scent, hearing his deep gravelly voice, feeling his hands on me—I don’t want to encourage conversation.
During the day, I spend most of my time in my office. I told him that inspiration for my next story has hit, and I want to get it down while it’s fresh in my head. He knows I’m lying. I see the frown lines between his eyes whenever he looks at me. He knows me better than anyone else. I don’t understand why he doesn’t call me out on my lie. Maybe he’s afraid of what I’ll say. Maybe he suspects I know his secret and doesn’t want to deal with the fallout.
The nights are the worst. After the sun has gone down and Hunter and I are in bed. No matter how weak it makes me, I cling to him in the darkness of our room, pretending my heart isn’t broken, and let him make love to me. I’ve loved Hunter for almost half my life. It’s not an emotion I can simply turn off. He knows my body just as well as I know his. He knows exactly how to touch me, where to put his hands, how soft to kiss the sensitive spot on my neck, how gentle to slide his fingers down my side, the sexy words he whispers in my ear…
I soak up every single caress he gives and every word of love he speaks.
Afterwards, with his strong arms encircling me, my back pressed against his chest, and his heavy breathing in my ear, I let the tears flow. I soak my pillow with him none the wiser.
