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“How old were you?”
“Sixteen.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” He held her a bit tighter. “You must have been devastated.”
“I still miss him. I think about what his life could have been. Every year on his birthday, I send his mom and dad a birthday card to let them know I still think about him and them. Leo has not been forgotten. He’s part of my story.”
Hunt kissed her on the head. “That’s really sweet.”
“Who told you the rumor about the tattoos?”
Hunt shifted beneath her. “It doesn’t matter.”
She cocked an eyebrow and held his gaze. “Apparently it does because you asked me about them.”
“I was curious before I heard the rumor.”
“Would it bother you if I did have a bunch of guys’ names tattooed all over me?”
“Honestly. Yes.”
“Me, too. That’s just... too much. I mean, I liked all the guys I was with, but I really don’t want to be reminded of them like that all the time.”
Hunt grinned. “Neither do I.”
She lifted her foot to show him the tattoo on her ankle. “When I got my cosmetology certificate.” The butterfly was standing atop a rolled paper.
She pulled the other side of the gown down to show him the two on her other arm. A large butterfly with a smaller one standing atop one of the bigger one’s wings.
He spotted the names in the wings easily. “Angela and Lana.”
“Angela wanted a big family. I hoped she’d one day have lots of little ones fluttering about her.”
She held up their joined hands to show him the butterfly with scissors on her wrist.
“When you opened your shop,” he guessed.
“Yes. Some of them are to commemorate a special thing in my life. Others I got just because I liked them. They’re whimsical and have meaning for me.”
“They suit you. My favorite is the one on the back of your neck. The tiny black butterflies flying out of the dandelion.”
“You certainly enjoyed kissing the kaleidoscope of the ones flying over my hip.”
“Is that what a group of butterflies is called?”
She nodded. “Isn’t that fun? That’s why I had them done in all different colors.” She touched her fingers to his scruffy chin. “You’re the only one who knows the real truth about them. Most of the time I blow off people’s questions with the simple answer that I like butterflies.Youknow it’s more.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“It’s easy to share things with you. Like butterflies have a very short life span. They remind me to livewhile I can. So while your instinct is to keep me safe, you also have to let me live my life, Hunt.”
“If Rad hadn’t threatened you the way he did, I’d be happy to let you do whatever you want and enjoy watching you do it. But he is a real and present danger to you, Cyn.” He cupped her face and looked her deep in the eyes. “If something happened to you...” He shook his head, unable to find the words to tell her what that would do to him. “I nearly had a heart attack tonight when you couldn’t see or hear me.”
She turned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know. I spent the day really thinking about who you are and what you do. You’re a cop. You face danger on a daily basis.”
“It’s not that bad. Most of the time.”
“Still. I couldn’t help thinking about it and what that means for me.”
