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“What’s that look?” he asked.
“Well, you do this for a living. People pay you to kill for them. So, if you’re killing for me…”
“I don’t expect you to pay me.”
“Why not? This is what you do.”
“You didn’t hire me. Jeremy did, and technically, he already paid me half. So I am getting paid. Let’s just call it a discount job since you’re so pretty.”
She gave him half a smile. “Good looks come in handy sometimes.”
He winked and dropped another newly-loaded gun onto the bed. “Good looks also cause me to get handy sometimes.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t like it.”
“I did, but Hunter…” She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked away.
“I know.”
She met his eyes for a moment, and he wished he could read her mind.
# # #
She looked deep into Hunter’s eyes. How could she tell him there could never be anything between them when she wanted there to be so badly? She was so torn. It was like being back in the days when she was still with Jeremy. Then she’d been torn, too. Torn between wanting so badly to leave but still wanting Opal to have a family. It had taken seeing Jeremy hit Opal before she changed her mind. Would there be a moment like that with Hunter, too?
She wanted him and saw good in him. She wanted to feel safe and protected, especially after feeling so unsafe for so long with Jeremy. But the violence and the danger were too much for her. And it put Opal at too much risk. Maybe he’d hurt her and prove he was no protector after all, and she would be able to leave him like she left Jeremy. Or, there was the possibility he might turn from his hard life. If she provided him a sort of safe place, a real home, a family. Would he ever change his killer ways?
She stood and walked over to where he was messing with his guns. “Why do you need so many guns?”
“Some are better for concealing. Some are better for distance. Some have more rounds if there are many people. I need to be prepared for any situation. And not run out of ammo in the middle of a gun fight.”
She reached out and gently took the gun from his hand. It was lighter than she expected. It felt almost like a toy, it was that weightless.
“That one’s better for carrying,” he said. “Nice and light and small.”
She put the gun down and looked over his small artillery. “I don’t want you to have to kill Jeremy. You’ve killed too many people already. You’re better than that.”
“I’m not.” He pulled his mouth into a half smile. “I’m doing this for you, though, so you won’t have to worry.”
“I know.” She stood facing him, and put her hand on his chest. “Yes, you are better than that. I know you like to think of yourself as a bad man, a hard ass, a tough guy. But you have far too much compassion for any of that. Real killers don’t have consciences. They don’t change in the middle of a job, because they realized the person they were hired to kill wasn’t who they thought they were.”
“You think far too much of me.”
“You’d kill for me. Not for money. Not for any reason but to protect me and Opal, and really, now you’re saying you’d do it just to make our lives better.”
“It’s still to protect you.” He covered her hand with his.
“But you’re going after him, not waiting until he attacks us. And you’re doing it for me.”
“I am.”
She looked into his eyes and knew she’d never let him do it. She couldn’t live with the guilt of knowing he’d murdered for her. But just knowing that he would, that he cared that much about her and Opal, made her warm all over.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Even though they couldn’t have a relationship, even though he wasn’t what she needed long term or for Opal, he was what she needed right now. This man who would end a life to save hers. Who cared that much about her and her safety. She’d never had anyone care about her like that.
Hunter’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. She pressed her body against his, feeling his hardness press into her. She liked that he wanted her, and it made her damp with desire.
