Page 16 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Savvy

Hunter’s place is not what I expected. There isn’t much décor on the first floor.

He has a couch and a chair in the living room, a table and chairs in the kitchen, and that’s about it.

There are no paintings, plants, or even decorative pillows.

I haven’t been upstairs yet, but I’m going to guess it’s similar up there.

He said he has three bedrooms. It reminds me of the layout of my place.

While he’s on a phone call, I take in every detail of his living room, which isn’t much. The place has less décor than a bachelor pad. Does he ever spend time here? Not that it should matter. I’m only here because he was assigned to watch me. And maybe a little because I’m his sister’s friend.

Hunter steps into the room. He doesn’t appear happy.

“What’s wrong?”

“Stevens was able to get a warrant for Bob’s arrest.”

“That’s good news. ”

He nods. “It would be, except he can’t be found. She has a team looking for him now. I told her where we were, and she’s going to check those places, too.”

Bob is still out there, likely looking for me. I move to the front window and stare out. There are several cars parked along the street, and a woman is walking down the road. As she passes, she stares at me. I jump back.

“We should keep the curtains closed,” Hunter says as he shuts them. “They will find Bob.”

I chew my lip with worry. How long do I have to hide from this man? Then I remember what Hunter told me.

“You said the FBI would have enough evidence on him that I was no longer a threat. Well, clearly they have if they got the warrant. Can I go back to my place now?”

He sighs. “I’m afraid not. Bob doesn’t know any of this yet. You need to stay here.” He grimaces as he sits down in a kitchen chair.

“I’m sorry. Here I am thinking all about me, and you got shot. Can I get you anything? Something for the pain?”

He waves his hand. “I’m fine. I took ibuprofen.”

I sit across the table from him. “Have you been shot before?”

He stares at me as if deciding whether to confide in me. “Yes. Trust me, I’ve survived worse.”

My eyes well with tears, and I turn away. I have no idea why the idea of his getting hurt has me so emotional. Because I feel responsible? But he said he’s fine. The idea of him dealing with worse worries me.

He reaches across and places his hand on mine on top of the table. “Hey, what’s going on? ”

The feeling returns. Every time he touches me, there are sparks. I stare at our hands.

“I don’t know,” I say. It’s the truth. I’m not an emotional person, nor one who lives in fantasies. Yet being around Hunter has me questioning a lot of things, like why do I feel like this whenever he touches me?

He pulls his hand back. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. We should probably get some sleep. It’s late.”

It is late, and he’s right. Having some space from him is probably a good idea right now. It will give me time to process everything that’s happened in the last couple of days. Maybe it’s the danger, the way he keeps saving me. But deep down, I know it’s not.

“I have a guest room upstairs. Let me show you.”

I follow him upstairs, where he shows me the room and the bathroom. He even has a stash of new toothbrushes. I wonder if those are for the women he brings here.

No, stop it. Fortunately, I have enough self-control not to say something about that. It’s none of my business.

“The reason I have so many toothbrushes?—”

“You don’t owe me any explanation.”

He tilts his head. “No, but I want to give you one.” He grins. “I feel like I should, which really doesn’t make sense, but a lot of things I think and feel around you don’t make sense.”

His smile drops, and he clears his throat as he looks back at the drawer.

“Anyway, Durango and Willow stayed here for a bit. It’s a long story. After it was all over, Durango bought me a ten-pack of toothbrushes. I think it was his way of saying thank you.”

I can barely hear his words because I’m still caught up on what he said about how he feels around me. Is it what I’m feeling? Or does he mean he feels obligation? I should ask him or I’m going to spiral all night thinking about this.

“In your room,” he says as he walks out of the bathroom.

I follow him.

“There is an extra blanket here in the closet if you get cold. And extra pillows.”

“What did you mean by that?” I ask.

He frowns. “I don’t know how many pillows you like.”

“No, not that. In the bathroom. You said that how you feel around me doesn’t make sense. What did you mean by that?”

He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said it.”

Oh, so maybe it wasn’t a nice thing. I sit on the edge of the bed. “You mean because of a sense of duty?”

His brow furrows. “I’m not following.”

“Your sense of duty to protect me? Is that what you meant?”

He sits next to me and stares at the closet. “No, that’s not what I meant.” He glances at me. “Look, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so we should keep this professional.”

I’m not sure where it comes from, but a rush of boldness hits me. I turn and face him. “I know we don’t always get along, but from the first time you touched me and every time since, I felt something. Something I haven’t felt with anyone else.”

He nods. “Yeah, that about sums it up for me, too. And I don’t understand it.”

I take his hand in mind and then stare into his eyes. “Maybe it’s just chemistry.”

“Maybe,” he says.

“There’s one way to find out,” I say.

“What’s that?”

I lean forward, and he doesn’t back away. I take that as a sign and go for it, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. Instantly, I’m turned on. The zap I felt from simply holding hands is now pulsing through my body.

He must feel it, too, because his arm goes around me and pulls me onto his lap as he deepens our kiss.

My hands go to his face and then into his hair. He pulls me even closer. I move one hand down and then up the bottom of his shirt until I’m touching his bare skin.

“Hunter,” I breathe out.

He freezes. The grimace on his face tells me he’s in pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hurt you!” I say.

He moves me back to the bed beside him. Then he stands up and takes a step away. “No, it’s not that. We can’t do this. You’re my sister’s best friend. I’m sorry. Good night, Savvy.”

He rushes out the door, leaving me flustered and confused.

A door clicks and then a lock. He locked himself in his bedroom? Is he afraid I’m going to rush in and attack him with kisses? After what he just said?

We can’t do this. He’s sorry. About what? That I’m his sister’s best friend? Does he think I want marriage and he’s a playboy?

I flop back onto the bed. There’s no point in ruminating because I can’t read his mind. In the morning, I’ll ask him. I’ll be direct and ask what that was all about.

If I had my phone, I’d text Maria: Your brother is a hot, confusing menace.

Staring around the room, there is nothing to do but sleep. But after that, I’m not sleepy.

I spend the next hour lying awake, replaying everything that has happened with Bob and even before. Were there any signs that he was involved in all of this? I still don’t understand why he’s doing this. It makes no sense.

At some point, I finally fall asleep. I wake to the smell of bacon. The smell grows stronger as I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. Hunter is sitting at the table with a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him.

“I made you a plate, too. It’s next to the stove,” he says. “And I made coffee.”

I step into the kitchen, find everything, and then join him at the table. “Thank you. It looks good.”

We eat in silence. It’s awkward. Finally, I can’t take it anymore.

“Any updates on Bob?” I ask.

“They haven’t found him.”

Hunter leaves the table, and he begins to clean up.

I try to eat, but my stomach is churning. The air is thick with tension. Or is it just me? Because I need to know what happened last night.

“We need to talk.” The moment the words exit my mouth, I regret them. I wanted to ease into the conversation.

He turns off the sink, dries his hands, and turns to face me. His arms are crossed, and he doesn’t exactly scream that he’s open to communication. “Something wrong with the food?” He nods to my mostly still full plate.

“The food is fine.” I stand and take a few steps toward him. “But I’m not fine. Last night, you said you were sorry. Sorry for what?”

He maintains eye contact as his arms drop to his sides. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m assigned to protect you, and I can’t let myself get distracted.”

“So, it’s a work issue?”

He arches a brow. “Yes, it’s a work issue.”

I take a step closer. “For the record, I kissed you.”

That draws a smile from him, but he quickly suppresses it.

“You mentioned your sister.”

He nods. “She’s another reason.”

I take another step closer. “Are you worried I want something more serious than you ever would?”

His good mood darkens. “What does that mean?”

I shrug. “Your sister has mentioned that you aren’t one for relationships. I’m okay with that. I want to see where our chemistry goes.” I take another step and am standing right in front of him. “But I understand if you want to wait until Bob is arrested. ”

I place my hand on his chest. In one swift move, he grabs my wrist and spins me around, pinning me against the counter. I lean back into him. Now I’m incredibly turned on.

“It’s not that I avoid relationships. I haven’t met someone worth the risk. And yes, I want to wait until you no longer need protection before we explore anything. You might be caught up in the excitement of it all.” He releases me and walks away.

The excitement of it all? Is that a thing?

I follow him. “Excitement? How often do you protect women?”

He stops. “Not often, but it does happen from time to time.”

“And do you feel this way about the other women you’ve protected?” Please say no.

He finally turns to face me. “Not once. This is different.” He motions between us. “Let’s get past this, and then we can see where it goes. If you are still interested.”

This man could take advantage of this situation. I certainly have dated men who would. But he’s not. That only makes me want him even more.

“I’d like that,” I say.

“I need to check in,” he says as he grabs his phone.

I go to the window and move the curtain a little to peer out. There is a man sitting in one of the parked cars. Wasn’t that car there last night? Was he in it then, too?

“Looks like there might be an update. I got a voicemail.” He puts it to his ear .

I can hear Stevens’s voice, but I can’t make out what she’s saying.

He paces as he listens. His jaw tics as he ends the call. “Bob has been arrested.”

Relief floods me as I glance back at the man who is pulling out onto the road. He was simply leaving for the day.

“That’s fantastic!” I’m about to jump up and hug this man, but he puts his hand up.

“There’s bad news. Apparently, the man Bob was working for is aware of you and according to their source, he’s now looking for you.”

“The man Bob worked for? Who the hell is that?”

“You don’t want to know.”