So I raised my leg and kneed him where the sun didn’t shine.
“Fuck!” Franco wrenched out in pain, withdrawing enough to cup his crotch. Thunderous footsteps echoed against the marble floor, approaching us. “What are you—”
A strong fist thwacking against Franco’s jaw cut off the rest of his sentence, whipping his face to the side and causing his body to crash to the floor.
Hunter.
I gasped.
Then my boyfriend was all over Franco, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and throwing him against the wall. “You fucking piece of shit,” he snarled, sending his cocked fist sailing forth, a crunching sound resonating in the hallway. “How dare you touch her?”
Oh my God.
My head spun like a tilt-a-whirl ride from the sudden switch of Franco apologizing, to Franco kissing me, to Franco now getting beaten.
Hunter smacked my ex like he was a punching bag, effectively breaking his nose and doling out a few generous bruises that would blossom blue-purple soon. Franco whimpered, trying to defend himself, but he was no match for Hunter’s strength.
For once, he was overpowered.
A bitter part of me relished seeing how the tables turned. It wasn’t so nice having your will stolen from you and being unable to fight back, huh?
After the fourth punch, I sprang into motion and grabbed Hunter’s elbow. Enough damage was done. “Hunter,” I pleaded hoarsely. “Stop. Let him go. He’s not worth it.”
Hunter’s eyes flung to mine. A chaotic energy unlike anything I’d ever seen before swirled in his depths.
I remembered him telling me that he wasn’t a violent man, but I was his exception.
The thought of anyone hurting me made him want to teach the offender a lesson.
Right now, Franco was the recipient of all that rage.
And while I loved knowing Hunter would always rise to my defence, we were still at an event and anyone could walk by and chance upon this scene.
I couldn’t risk Hunter getting in any trouble.
“Please, my love.” I grazed his jaw, hoping to ease him out of the cloud of fury surrounding him. His chest bowed with his ragged breaths; gaze fixed on my lips. My insides twisted. I could only imagine how he felt seeing Franco’s mouth on mine. “Let’s just leave.”
Hunter’s gaze shuttered for a split second as he snapped out of his angry trance from my soft, coaxing words. He let Franco’s body drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
“I’m only going to say this once.” When Hunter addressed Franco again, there was an eerie calm to his tone. “You don’t come near her, you don’t talk to her, you don’t touch her, and you sure as fuck don’t kiss her. Cross those boundaries again and I’ll make you regret ever having the privilege to breathe the same air as her. Understood?”
Franco wheezed, a hand covering his bleeding nose and mouth. “F-fine.”
My shoulders drooped with relief. I wasn’t worried about Franco reporting an assault because I would send Papà and every Remington man to hunt him down like an animal. He knew that with certainty. But I was worried about the cameras in this venue.
Hunter dismissed Franco and faced me. His hand trembled as his knuckles grazed over my cheek in his signature manner. “Are you hurt?” he said harshly. “Tell me.”
“I’m not.” I entwined his fingers with mine and drew him away from Franco. “I’m okay. Take me home, Hunter. Please?”
We’d been having such a good time and I despised that this one moment wrecked it all. But I was still adamant on salvaging our plans.
Hunter grabbed my face and his thumb swept over my lips, wiping away my lipstick with a tortured expression.
He couldn’t stand the thought that Franco had his lips on mine.
I couldn’t either.
The hunger glinting in his gaze let me know that before the end of the night, Hunter would ensure that his touch and kiss were the only thing I remembered.
