“Every. Night.” Hunter spells out the words slowly. “I have no room for anyone else, Deb.”
Deb glares at me. “You don’t deserve him.”
I just raise my eyebrows. “I think Hunter can be the judge of that.”
“I don’t deserve Winter,” he says, his eyes only on me now. “But I’m a lucky guy that she’s giving me a shot anyway.”
I let the warmth of his words and his hand on mine seep into me.
Deb gives a huff and storms off.
“Sorry about that.” Hunter’s cheeks are pink.
“You’re embarrassed,” I say to him in astonishment. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you embarrassed.”
He frowns. “Yes, I’m embarrassed. That was shitty of her. She never had any claim over me. We didn’t ever date.”
“We’re not dating, either,” I say stubbornly.
“What we’re doing may not be definable, but it’s meaningful,” he says. “I dare you to say I’m wrong.”
I flush with heat. “Of course it’s meaningful,” I murmur. “It’s just…we said we’re not in a relationship.”
“We did say that.” His eyes fix on mine.
“And…” And I can’t have this conversation right now. I feel too raw. So, I go for something less personal but which stings nonetheless. “You must have slept with half the city of New Orleans, Mr. Storm.”
He flinches. “That is absolutely not true,” he says, and I know I’ve hit a nerve.
“Hunt.” I gently rub his hand with my thumb. “I didn’t mean it to come out like that. I just…Peyton told me about your reputation.”
He lets go of my hand to tug at the hair on his head. I’ve never seen him so agitated, and I wait quietly for him to decide what he wants to say.
“Yes,” he says finally. “I’ve had my share of women, but I didn’t sleep around the way people think.”
“So you had…what? A few select women on speed dial?”
He shifts uncomfortably. “I had women in my life I could call when I needed to…”
“To fuck.” I say the words flatly.
“Winter, I told you I don’t date.” His green eyes are piercing as he stares at me like he’s begging me to understand something.
“I don’t get it,” I say in confusion. “What are you trying to tell me, Hunter?”
“I’m telling you that I’ve never been able to get close to someone romantically. I’m not a snuggle-after-fucking, talk-under-the-covers kind of guy. I guess I’m not built that way.”
“But you do all of that with me,” I say.
“Yes, I do,” he says, his tone raw and frustrated. “You know you’re the only woman I’ve…”
He stops short, and my pulse picks up. But like him, I’m not sure I want him to continue his sentence. It’s too scary to feel what’s going on between us.
Instead, I change the subject.
“You have tomorrow off, right?” I ask him.
He nods, exhaling, and I can tell he’s as relieved as I am to talk of something more casual. “Rare day off. With our big road trip coming up, Coach decided to give us a break after today’s practice, which will be fucking brutal.”
