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“I don’t know, Hunter,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “I really, really don’t know.”
His eyes burn into mine, and he leans down the slightest bit. “Don’t fucking take off at night, Sutton. Do you understand?” he growls. “It’s not safe.”
“Yes.” I nod, not knowing why I’m so quick to submit to him.
“Let’s go,” he grumbles. “I’ll take you to Club 83.”
“You don’t have to give me a ride, Hunter,” I say, my voice small. “If you need to go back to Paige, I understand.” I offer him a small smile even though it’s forced. “The point was to get her back, right? It looks like…it looks like maybe we succeeded.”
He looks down at me. “Fuck Paige, Sutton. I’m done with that whole mess.”
“Wh—why?”
“Because I don’t think it was ever about my parents. I think it was and has always been about her.” He stops. “But a deal is a deal. And if you’re up to it, I’m still game for pissing off your parents. As for your mom, I have someone on that. We should know something in a week or two.”
“You don’t have to, you know.” My cheeks heat, and I’m thankful he can’t see them in the darkness. “It’s okay if you want to back out. We can just dance together and call it a day.”
“No,” he says bluntly. “I’m not going anywhere. Now, let’s go.”
As he begins to walk, my legs are shaky as I walk behind him, his hand tugging me along.
“Okay.”
When he glances over at me, I vaguely see his smirk in the darkness.
“Next game of mine you come to, I want you in my jersey. Got it?”
I chew the inside of my cheek before shrugging. “I mean…IguessI could do that.”
“No, you will do it.” He winks, squeezing my hand.
And there goes my heart again, doing that squeezing thing it does when he looks at me like that. Because Hunter Thompson’s damn smirk makes it impossible for my heartnotto do that.
Club 83 is packed, bodies filling the dance floor. Everyone is celebrating Brooks’s victory, and the energy is palpable, but for Hunter and me, the tension is so thick that I could cut it with a damn knife.
“Snooze” by SZA plays through the speakers as my body rocks against Hunter’s slowly. I don’t know what we’re doing or why we’re doing it. He says things are done between him and Paige, but I have no idea why he’s holding me this close. All I know is…I don’t want him to let go. But I’m too scared of rejection to admit that out loud.
His hands hold my body in a protective way. And I find myself in a trance, breathing him in. Sex would blur the line to a point we couldn’t come back from. So, maybe I’ll just dance on the edge of this imaginary line, pushing just enough without going too far.
“Why did you really run off back at the arena, Sutton?” he murmurs against my ear before pulling back and looking down at me. “No bullshit. Just be honest.”
My breath catches, and my entire body tenses as I try to look away from him. But before I can, his fingers catch my chin, and he forces me to look at him.
“I don’t know,” I squeak. “If I did, I’d tell you. But I don’t.”
His eyes burn into mine, daring me to say the truth.
Instead, I narrow my eyes. “Why did you chase me?”
I watch him swallow, his throat bobbing softly as he drops his fingertips from my chin. “I have no idea.” He pauses. “All I know is, I couldn’tnotchase you, Sutton. My body wouldn’t let me not chase you.” He swallows. “That’s a fact.”
After a staredown for a few seconds, I put my head back against his body, and we continue to sway as the song switches to “Monster” by Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. Even with the pulsing of the speakers, I can feel his heartbeat against my cheek.
His lips move to my ear. “Next Sunday, my family is having a fundraiser on a yacht. It’s only about twenty minutes from Savannah. They’re expecting you to come with me.”
Pulling back, I tilt my chin up. “And you? What do you expect?”
“I don’t expect anything.” He stops. “But I want you there. Next to me.” He says the words so surely. Like there’s no question. “And it will be fun, I promise. My parents are only coming out for the dinner event. Other than that, the boat is ours. After they leave, we’ll have the night to be alone.”
