AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And the facility just lets me walk in whenever I want?”
I know there are facilities that let people check themselves in, but it seems strange for them to allow it over and over again.
“They have no choice, since I own the place and demand it. Besides, they all know of your unique situation and have come to care for you. Only the most qualified staff are employed there.”
“YouownThe Grove?” I ask incredulously, sitting up and facing him on my knees. I know the place and its stellar reputation. “Hunter, that’s insane!”
He grabs me by the waist and slides me across the bed until I’m sitting on his lap. “Yes. I bought it the second time you showed up there. I wanted to have control of who worked there. Dr. Armani was already on staff. I offered an amount the owner couldn’t refuse. I had each staff member vetted. If I didn’t like what I saw, I replaced them.” His hand moves to the side of my thigh, his fingers barely slipping beneath the edge of my shorts. “I wanted you to have the best care while you were there.”
I sit there with my mouth open, not quite processing what he’s saying. He bought a freaking medical facility because he wanted to make sure I was taken care of properly. How could any woman be so lucky to have a man so committed to the well-being of his wife that he’dbuy a medical facilityto ensure it?
I lick my lips and ask, “How often do I go there?”
“It varies. Sometimes once a week, sometimes a couple of times a month.”
I nod, taking his word for it.
“Wait.” My brows pucker. “Am I the reason Ginger works there?”
“Yes. I didn’t want you to show up without someone who truly knows you. Sometimes I get warnings that Athena will appear soon, but sometimes it’s random. I trust the medical staff, but I felt better knowing Ginger was there. She mostly stays in the background when you admit yourself. We don’t want to cause a trigger for you, but she’s there just in case I can’t get to you right away.”
“Wow.” I let out a slow breath, unable to imagine being around my sister and not recognize her as such. Of course, I can’t imagine the same with Hunter either.
“What about Presley?” I ask, eager to know more.
His lips curve into a soft smile. “Presley was the last person to make herself known. She’s this sweet, but feisty, young girl who likes to try to steal coffee.”
I can’t help but laugh at that.
“It’s weird.” I tilt my head and close my eyes. “I can see her in my mind, but I don’t see her as me. She’s… separate,” I say, finding it difficult to explain. “It’s like I have her thoughts and memories, but they aren’t mine, they’re hers.” I open my eyes. “How can that be?”
“Because to you, they are separate people. You just share the same body. Each of these people have their own personality, their own minds. Presley’s thoughts may reside in your head, but they aren’t your thoughts and actions. They’re hers.”
I shake my head. “It’s still strange.”
He grabs the front of my shirt and tugs me down until our lips are pressed together. My hair floats around us like a curtain. “It’s you,” he says against my lips. “And it makes you unique.”
“I think I’d rather be unique in a different way. Like being able to lick my nose or have webbed toes or something.”
Hunter chuckles and nips my lips playfully. “I happen to like you just the way you are.”
Putting my hands against his chest, I push away from him to sit back on my heels. “Tell me about Scarlett,” I demand. I’m most anxious to hear about her since she nearly broke my heart.
He doesn’t reply right away. After pushing down on the bed, he sits up and leans against the headboard before positioning me so my legs straddle him. He stares over my shoulder, brows pinched together.
The lost look in his eyes makes me nervous. Scarlett has obviously affected him more than the others.
“Scarlett showed up at Slate. It was a night I happened to be there. I think she chose that night because subconsciouslyyouknew I would be there. It seems like you always seek me out, no matter who you are.” His eyes slide back to me. “Knowing that, even when you aren’t yourself, you still feel connected to me has helped me deal with all of this.”
His hands slide up my thighs until they meet the junction of my legs.
“Scarlett likes pain,” he continues quietly. “Like Athena feels like she deserves to be alone, Scarlett feels like she deserves pain. It’s what helps her deal with past traumas.Yourpast traumas.”
I let those words slide past me, not willing to look further into them.
“My relationship with her is purely sexual. Or at least, it is on her part. I know she feels something more for me, or rather, I believe it’s your own feelings trying to break through, but she won’t let them out. Scarlett wants me to hurt her… while we have sex.”
I barely refrain from flinching. It’s difficult hearing my husband talking about sex with a woman whose name is not mine.
