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I wasn’t sure how long I sat there before an arm wrapped itself around my midsection. I was shivering, though, and the blood had dried. The sun had set, and the only light was that coming from his phone sitting upright beside me.
His scent was enough to tell me exactly who it was that pulled me back against their chest.
“I’m so sorry,” Hunter whispered, his breath so warm it was almost burning against the side of my frozen cheek. His arms held me tightly, warming me, bringing me back to life little by little.
I broke.
Tears sprung from my eyes as I stared down at the dark ground in front of me, my fingers digging into the flesh on his forearms. “Where have you been?” I asked, the words coming out choked, harsh, broken. I gasped in a breath, the flood hitting me all at once.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me here.” He turned me in his arms, one hand coming up under my chin and forcing me to look at him. My body shook, my sobs cracked and slow, and every part of him, as disheveled as he looked, was exactly what I wanted. “Breathe, Lottie. You’re okay.”
I wasn’t okay. I knew that. But this was the closest I’d be anytime soon.
“You’re freezing,” he mumbled, studying my face as if he were checking for any other scrapes or injuries. “How long have you been out here?”
I shook my head. There wasn’t a single part of me that had any idea.
One solid, warm hand splayed across my cheek as his forehead fell against mine. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Those words would have felt like an attack a week ago, but it was different now. I could feel the change in myself, the change in him. There wasn’t any expectation anymore, no reason we had to keep up appearances. And yet, I still wanted his arms around me, still wanted him with me. Gasping for more oxygen, the breeze blew again, chilling my damp cheeks and making my eyes water even more.
“I wish I could fix it for you,” he rasped. His brows knitted together, his face full of hard lines.
You can. I wanted to say it, but the words couldn’t get past the growing lump in my throat. He was here. He could make me forget. That was enough.
Wrapping one hand around the back of his neck, I pulled him down to me, forcing his lips against mine. I should have wiped my tears away first, but he kissed me as if it didn’t matter, as if I were a pageant queen who had just stepped off the stage, perfect and clean and unbroken.
He pushed the hair from my face, taking some more tears away with it. “I’m sorry,” I whispered against his lips. They were the only words that would come, the only thing I could manage. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shh.”
I dug my fingers into the back of his neck. Words. I needed them to come. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” I sniffled, the words morphing into another sob before I could stop it. God, it felt good to cry. “I’m sorry I lied.”
His hand cupped the small of my back, bringing me in closer. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m sorry too.”
Trying desperately to calm my crying, I breathed as solidly as I could, forcing air in through my nose and out through my mouth. “I need you,” I whimpered. “I need to forget.”
Within a second he’d scooped up both his phone and my body, lifting himself to his feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up first.”
My fingers and toes ached from the cold, screaming for warmth, and as he slowly began to walk back to the house, he didn’t dare complain when I buried my hands beneath his jacket, stealing his body heat.
Chapter 35
Hunter
The steam of the shower filled the glass-encased cubicle. I stood with her under the stream of water and she hissed as I scrubbed gently at the dirt-covered scabs on her hands. The tears hadn’t fully stopped. The warm water was helping her body temperature but her eyes were still red and puffy. The glass of water I’d practically poured down her throat had barely touched her dehydration.
“How did you know I was out there?” she asked, her voice cracked and high-pitched.
I pursed my lips, wondering just how much I should say. Fuck it. “I came by to check on you,” I started, squeezing out a handful of shampoo and starting to work it through her hair. “I have been for the last few nights.”
Her brows creased in confusion as she looked up at me. “I would have seen your headlights.”
“I’ve been turning them off.” Gently, I lifted her chin, tipping her head back enough to begin to rinse out her hair. “Dana knew. If I couldn’t figure out where you were in the house based on which lights were on, I’d text her to make sure you were okay. But she didn’t respond tonight.”
Lottie stayed silent as I grabbed for the washcloth hanging on a little hook behind her head. I doused her body wash on it, rubbing it between my hands to start the suds, and gently began dragging it along her collarbone. She bit her lower lip.
“Your lights weren’t on. And if you were fine, I didn’t want to upset you by calling you. I went to the backyard to check for any lights there and that’s when I noticed the porch light was on.” I scrubbed over her shoulders, down her arms, working in little circles, cleaning off the dirt and grime. “I had a feeling you’d gone out there. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”
