Page 30 of Pretty Little Trigger

CHAPTER 29

Hunter

She glowed this morning.

Not in the cliche, post-coital sense.

I didn’t touch her. Not in that way.

No matter how much I wanted to.

But she was radiant.

Focused. Confident in that way only she can be when her hands are deep in creation, when she’s working with someone who sees her the way the world will, someday.

Like art.

She was in her element and I watched her from the corner like a ghost. Silent.

I watched her talk to Jenyx with a spark I rarely see.

Fierce. Brilliant. Like she forgot I existed the moment she stepped into the light.

And maybe she did. Maybe that’s what freedom looks like for her.

Being somewhere I’m not.

And fuck, I hope she gets everything she wants.

Even if it means I don’t make the final cut.

Last night is still tattooed on my skin.

The way she trembled in my arms. The way she whispered my name like it meant something.

Twice. The way her body curled into mine like she trusted me.

Like I was safe.

I’m not.

And I keep waiting for her to realise that.

She didn’t mention anything this morning.

Not a word. Just walked out of the ensuite wrapped in silk and steel, hair slicked back into a bun, sunglasses on.

Cool. Controlled. Unreadable.

“Ready?” she asks, breezing past with that sweet, commanding confidence that makes me want to drop to my knees and destroy everything in her way.

I nod and I load our things into the trunk.

Her duffel bag. My go-bag.

Everything in its place.

Like a well-oiled machine.

Just like she likes it.

I shake Jenyx’s hand, thank her for the hospitality.

She smiles at me like she knows.

Like she can see the tension winding through my shoulders and the restraint bleeding out of every movement.

“You two are something special,” she says.

I nod once. “She is,” I reply.

Because that much is true.

Then I get into the car.

Calm. Composed. Leather jacket zipped.

Sunglasses on. Business-as-usual.

She slides into the passenger seat beside me, crosses one leg over the other and angles the mirror to fix her lip gloss.

Doesn’t look at me once.

And still, my body remembers hers.

I grip the wheel tighter.

Start the engine. We drive away in silence and all I can think is that she’s pretending last night didn’t happen.

And I’m starting to think she might be better at it than me.