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“To keep you safe. To make sure you don’t lose all of this.”

“I deserve to lose it. And now look what’s happened, I’m losing you.”

Hunter raked a hand down his face. Why couldn’t Cleo see this made sense? She’d spent all year turning him down and avoiding a relationship that was so right for her, so she could keep her position on this ship.

“I can handle some time on the frontline. Maybe it will do me good.”

Cleo sucked in a breath, her cheeks flushed with anger. “Do you agree with Jagger? Working with me has made you soft?”

“Not soft. But I’m different. It’s because of you.”

“I’m a problem in your life?”

“No, you’re the answer I’ve been looking for all my life.”

The anger in her eyes faded as her gaze warmed. “Hunter! I can’t let you do this.”

“It’s done. And I get to be a field grunt again. It won’t be so bad.” And maybe he’d stop obsessing over a woman who fought so hard not to be with him. His gaze traveled over Cleo. Nope, that was never happening. She was under his skin and lodged in his heart. Nothing would shake her loose.

“I’m contacting High Command and bringing this before the rest of the members. They’ll agree that Commissioner Viewick and Jagger are wrong. Splitting apart the team now will weaken us, and we need all the resources we have if we’re to stand any chance of beating the Siblet.”

“Don’t do that. Commissioner Viewick looked about ready to burst a blood vessel when you talked back to him.”

“He deserved it. I’m so sick of the way he treats me.”

“While he’s in charge, you follow his orders.”

“Even if they suck?”

“Even then.” Hunter brushed his hand across her cheek. “This makes sense.”

“Not to me. You’re leaving.”

His hands clenched. “For you. I’m doing this for you.”

“But you lied!”

“I protected you from losing what you care about the most. Why can’t you see that?” Cleo could say what she liked, but his mind was made up, and he refused to back down on this.

She threw him one last glare, then stomped out of the room.

Hunter slumped into a chair. Cleo was angry because she cared, but it still stung like a bitch to see her so mad with him.

It just about tore him apart to leave Cleo, but he was leaving her with people who cared about her. That was something. And that was all Hunter had to cling to for now.

His time with Cleo was almost over.

***

“He did it to covermy mistake.” Cleo sat curled on her couch with Georgia and Sloane sitting beside her. Her heart throbbed with each beat, reminding her how badly she’d treated Hunter, and how she’d walked away from him after watching him lose everything.

“Apexians are like that. They take the hit for the people they care about.” Georgia’s banty was curled up on her knees, softly snoring.

“That huge hunk of Apexian sex god has been in love with you since the first time he set eyes on you,” Sloane said. “You must have known he’d do something like this when your career was at risk. Apexians will do anything to protect the ones they love. Fall on a blade, take a bullet, fight to the death. It’s in their DNA.”

“And Hunter knows how much you love this ship,” Georgia said. “That’s the reason you keep your legs closed so tightly whenever you’re around him.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Cleo grumbled, her face flushing.