And right now, with his eyes on mine, he’s the only thing keeping me above water. “Hunter.”
“Just tell me what you need,” he murmurs, pulling my face closer until we’re only inches apart. “Anything you need, it’s yours. All you need to do is ask.”
I don’t know what I need.
That’s the problem.
I need everything and nothing all at once. I need the pain and worries to go away. I need to not feel so out of control, so alone. I’m terrified of what could be happening to the guys right now. Heartbroken about my parents, and everything Gus has taken from so many people. I’m humiliated by how weak I constantly feel in a world that expects strength.
And right now, as I stare into his hazel eyes while his familiar warmth pours into my icy skin, I’m confused.
Confused because despite everything else raging through me, there’s still that blossoming tendril of lust that I feel every time Hunter is around. I’m horrified that my exhausted body can possibly be turned on when the other parts of my soul are missing.
How am I meant to put any of that into words?
His eyes flit between mine and something akin to understanding fills his handsome face. Hunter’s fingers flex against my cheek before sliding back and gently slipping through my tangled hair. He uses his grip to tug my head back, forcing me to look up at him. I suck in a sharp breath at the welcome burst of pain.
“Say it,” he softly demands. “Tell me what you need.”
I lift a shoulder, weakly shrugging. My tongue darts out, wetting my dry lips, and his eyes trace the movement, flaring with heat as he groans.
My heart hammers against my chest. Does he feel it too?
“You know what you want, baby. Just be my good girl and say it,” he whispers as he lifts his knees, causing my body to slide forward. My hands quickly land on his chest for balance, just as my core comes into contact with his surprisingly hard cock.
I gasp, my eyes jolting to his. There’s so much heat there, it takes my breath away.
Hunter wants me to tell him what I need, what I want, but I can’t. Because what I want is to turn my brain off and forget. Forjust a little while, I want to not be consumed with the horror-show happening inside of me.
But Hunter isn’t just a place to escape. He’s so much more. No. I can’t ask for what I want. It wouldn’t be fair. I swallow hard, glancing away, and he clicks his tongue in disapproval.
“Don’t hide from me,” he murmurs, drawing my face up with a finger beneath my chin. “I’m being serious. If all you want to do is tell me about what’s on your mind, then ignore the little fucker poking a hole in your thigh, and talk to me.”
I huff a breath and shoot him a mock glare. “It’s not little and you know it.”
He gives me a cocky smirk, making me roll my eyes.
“No?” His hips lift at the same time he grips my hips and pushes me down. My body jolts like I’ve been electrocuted, and he chuckles. “I think I’d like to hear a lot more about what you think of my cock.”
“Shut up,” I hiss, shoving the uninjured side of his chest.
“I don’t want to,” he mutters, slipping his hands under my borrowed shirt. The second his warm skin meets my bare hips, my vision goes fuzzy. “Tell me about how big and hard I feel against your little panties. Tell me how massive I am between your thighs, Elle. I’ve been dying to hear the words on your lips for too fucking long.”
“God,” I groan, shaking my head as I do everything in my power to ignore the effect his words have on me. “You’re so damn full of yourself, Hunter Morris.”
He tugs the baggy shirt down and presses a kiss to my collarbone, rasping husky words against my skin. “You can be full of me, too. All you have to do is ask.”
I bite my lip hard enough that blood fills my mouth. I know he’s joking in an attempt to make me feel better, but all he’s doing is turning me on and confusing me.
Does he really want to take things further with me? Is that something I even want? Right now, when I should be plotting and hunting down Augustus? When I should be doing everything in my power to get the guys back.
“No,” Hunt says firmly. “Don’t disappear on me again. Stay right here with me, baby. Right in this room. Can you do that for me?”
“I don’t know how,” I tell him honestly.
I feel like I’m floating between realities. Like I’m being pulled between existences. This moment with his body pressed against mine doesn’t feel real and I’m half-worried I’m still dreaming. My mind is a twisted, ugly place. My heart is split into five. I’m so torn, I’m surprised I’m not laying in a shattered heap on the floor.
He leans back, locking eyes with me. “Tell me what you see.”
