Asher snorts beside me. “See?”
Connor leans back. “What? She is a queen.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“Can we eat cake now?” Remi asks, bouncing on Sarah.
The tension breaks, and we all laugh. Halle jumps into action, slicing the cake and handing out pieces to everyone. I glance around the table—Madi giggles at something Tessa says, Asher’s still stealing looks at Halle like he can’t believe she’s actually his, Remi wipes frosting off his nose, the whole crew is piled together in one cramped booth—and something warm settles in my chest. It’s a content feeling, quiet and steady. For a moment, it feels like we’re in our own bubble. No bruised pasts. No expectations. Just us. Nothing but love and laughter.
You can’t live here forever, man.
The thought hits me hard. Fear slides its cold fingers around the edges of my heart, a weight dropping onto my shoulders as the moment presses into me, and I try to steady myself. I know when I walk out of here, reality is going to come crashing down. Those letters hidden in my room, they’ll shatter this moment. Tear down the happiness we’ve found. Madi will want me to hand them over to Halle. Asher will be pissed I kept them from her. And the sadness that’s stalked us our whole lives will find its way back in.
I shove my hands under the table, hiding my trembling fingers. I can’t let that happen.
Not yet.
22
CRAWL TO ME
MADISON
It’s been a long day. A long, fun day. The happiest day in months, maybe longer. My heart feels full from all the laughter, and my head still buzzes from the overwhelming neon lights and noise of the arcade. My feet ache from hours on them. I should have crashed like Remi and Connor did in the backseat. And yet… I feel alive. Awake in a way I haven’t been in so long.
A shiver runs up my spine as I slide the key into the lock. He’s so close behind me, I can feel the heat radiating off his body. Feel the tension between us coil tightly.
“Baby girl,” Hunter murmurs, voice rough. “If you don’t open your front door and let us inside in the next two seconds, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
I turn my head, just enough to see him in the corner of my eye, and the sight nearly knocks the breath from my lungs. Desire—raw, dark, and unhidden—swims in his eyes.
His chest rises and falls faster than it should. It’s like he’s holding himself back from taking control, taking me how he wants. That thought alone sends heat spiraling low in my belly, an ache pulsing between my thighs.Every time I caught him staring at me today with that heated, hungry look, my mind flashed back to his hands on me. His mouth. The way he knows exactly how to unravel me.
My fingers fumble around the key. His hand lands on my hip, gripping tightly.
“Hunt…” I whisper, not sure if it’s a warning or a plea.
“I’ve been so good,” he says, pressing into me, his breath hot against my neck as he leans down. “I haven’t touched myself once.”
The lock clicks open. My pulse does too.
We stumble inside, the door shutting behind us with a soft thud, and my breath catches in my throat. His cedar and clean soap scent wraps around me, warm and familiar, dizzying. The desperation in his voice lingers in the air between us, seeping into my veins.
I lift my hand, stopping him from advancing on me.
“If we do this…” My voice trails off.
His chest presses into my palm, not to push me, but to make me feel how tightly wound he is. My heart slams against my ribs. If we cross this line, there’s no coming back. I won’t be able to. My mind, my body, and my entire soul crave him far too much.
“Baby,” he breathes, his eyes darkening. “I promise, after tonight, we’ll talk about what this means. Where we go from here. We can plan the next day, the next month, the next ten years, because you are my future. I’ll plan all my days with you. I’ll fall at your feet every night and prove to you that I’m yours.”
His words slide under my skin, hooking into the frayed thread holding my control together. Tugging, pulling, unraveling.
My feet move before I can think better of it. One stepback. Then another. When my heels cross the threshold to my bedroom, the thread snaps.
Confidence I haven’t felt in months surges through me, hot and sure, curling my toes with anticipation. I hook my thumbs into the waistband of my shorts and slide them down my legs. A smirk tugs at my mouth as I watch Hunter’s reaction. His hand flies to the back of his neck, fingers flexing, and his tongue drags slowly across his bottom lip. He’s looking at me like I’m his favorite meal of the day. Like he’s starving, and God, the way that stare hits me makes every nerve in my body ignite.
“After tonight,” I say, my voice low, “we work everything out.”
