Page 73 of The Hunter

A layer of skin I wanted to peel back.

“I’ll just sleep on the couch,” she said, her voice forcing my attention back to her eyes.

“You didn’t sleep much last night. You need rest, too.”

She opened her mouth, presumably to argue, but I cut her off.

“Why don’t we just both sleep in the bed?”

“Both?” She arched a brow.

“It’s a king. I’ll put pillows between us if it makes you feel better.”

She searched my face and, for a second, I thought she’d stubbornly insist she’d be fine on the couch, but I could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

“Okay.”

“Can you grab the duffel?” I asked, gesturing toward it as I carefully pulled myself to my feet.

She nodded, slinging the bag over her shoulder before following me up the stairs.

I gritted my teeth with every step, each one driving a spike of pain through my ankle. Ariana stayed close. Close enough that I could feel her heat. But she didn’t touch me.

And I hated it.

Hated how much I wanted her arm wrapped around me, her body against mine.

When we finally reached the bedroom and Ariana disappeared into the bathroom, I let out a long sigh, lowering myself onto the edge of the bed. It took me more effort thanusual to drag my sweat pants down my legs and over my swollen ankle, but I managed. Then I arranged a few pillows in the center of the mattress like a makeshift barrier.

I was about to climb under the duvet when the door to the bathroom opened. Ariana stepped out, and I forgot how to breathe.

She wore an oversized t-shirt that barely skimmed the tops of her thighs. Her hair was knotted up, exposing the long, elegant line of her neck. She looked…soft. Touchable. Dangerously close to something I could drown in.

Something primal unfurled low in my gut and my dick instantly sprang to life.

Which was extremely inconvenient, considering I was only wearing a pair of boxer briefs.

“I’m going to, uh….brush my teeth,” I muttered, hobbling into the bathroom before I did something stupid.

I closed the door and exhaled a long breath, grateful for the space. Maybe I should have let her take the couch. But it was too late to change my mind now. Not without admitting things I had no intention of ever doing.

After brushing my teeth and splashing some water onto my face, I returned to the bedroom. The lights were off and Ariana was curled beneath the duvet, her breathing deep and even.

I crossed the room quietly and climbed onto my side of the bed.

She didn’t stir. Just continued her steady breathing. I relaxed into the mattress and stared at the ceiling.

But my eyes kept drifting to her.

To the curve of her back. The subtle rise and fall of her chest. The soft rustle of her breath.

I felt this inexplicable need to reach out to her just to feel something warm. Something real.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I just watched.

At some point, I must have drifted off because the next thing I knew, her voice woke me up.