Chapter 33 Hunter
THIRTY-THREE
HUNTER
Max can’t stop trembling in the front seat, and I can’t stop seeing red.
Vicious, murderous red.
I’m trying to stay calm, to be rational while we drive to my house, but I’m seconds away from pulling off the road and slicing up Connor’s fucking neck until he bleeds out in the median.
Then I’d throw him into oncoming traffic so his body splattered across someone’s windshield.
I want to reach over and touch her. I want to take her somewhere far away where she feels safe, where she feels protected, because I’m afraid what I’m doing isn’t enough. She’s jumpy. Shaken up and not saying anything to me, and I could kill myself for not getting to her sooner.
It can’t take more than twenty minutes to get home, but it feels like hours pass.
There are long stretches of silence, nothing but the hum of the air conditioning keeping us company.
Pulling into the driveway with her unscathed and Connor still breathing in the trunk is my greatest fucking accomplishment, and I drop my head back when I shut off the engine.
“Leo’s inside,” I tell her. “And I’ll keep trying Skyler.”
“Okay.” Max smiles weakly, and my heart rips in fucking two. “Do you mind if I rinse off first?”
“Do you want a shower? Or does a bath sound better?”
“A shower. I-I want to scrub my skin until I feel clean.” She pauses and glances at me from across the car. “Will you shower with me?”
“Would that make you uncomfortable?”
“No. I-I don’t want you to be far away. I want you to hold me.”
“I’ll hold you for as long as you want,” I say.
Forever, I want to add. Please let me hold you forever.
The last two hours have been the scariest of my life.
When Max didn’t answer my texts, I thought the world was ending.
I broke every speed limit to get to her.
I ran red lights. I skipped stop lights.
Nothing mattered but her, and I’ve never experienced fear like that before.
I would’ve lit fire to everything in this goddamn world, gladly watching it burn to ash if it meant finding her.
I would cross every end of the universe to keep her safe.
I would cut myself open and give her my blood if she needed it.
I would kill a thousand people—a million fucking people—if it meant she never had to live in fear again.
I’ve known it since the first night I met her: I’m in love with this woman. My soul fucking aches when she’s not around, and I’ll tie myself to her from now until eternity if she’s willing.
And if she’s not?
I’ll wait.
For months. For years.
It doesn’t matter.
When she’s ready, I’ll be there, ready to kiss the ground she walks on and bend to her every beck and call.
I hop out of the car and jog to her side so I can open her door.
She smiles at me again when I offer her my hand, her fingers slotting into mine.
Her eyes flick to the trunk and I shake my head.
Connor is staying there until I’m ready for him.
Waking up disoriented, bound and gagged is going to be the best part of his night, and it would be rude of me to rush to the next part without letting him panic for a few minutes.
“Can you make the water as hot as it will go?” Max asks in my bathroom, and I nod.
“Sure thing, angel. One shower in the throes of hell shower coming right up.” I adjust the temperature and put my wrist under the running water, making sure it’s warm enough. Satisfied, I peel off my shirt and toss it on the floor, holding out my arms to her. “Come here, baby.”
Max walks toward me, undoing her top as she moves. She pulls off the blouse and drops it next to my shirt, putting a hand on her chest.
“He hit me,” she whispers.
I freeze. “Excuse me?”
“Connor. I-I tried to fight back. He slapped me across the face.”
Rage like I’ve never experienced before blooms behind my vision.
I close my eyes and squeeze my hands into fists.
The urge to pummel that sack of shit until he’s nothing but a pulp on my floor is nearly overwhelming.
That’s the easy way out, though. It would be too generous fo me, and he’s not worthy of it.
Not when I’m going to make him suffer like I’ve never made anyone else suffer.
“He will pay for his sins,” I say, keeping my eyes on her and the small pink mark on her cheek. “I promise you that.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispers, and I tip her chin up to kiss her. Soft, sweet. A vow that I’ll always be here. “I’m so glad I have you.”
“You are the most important thing to me, and I will keep you safe until the end of my days.”
I love you, I almost shout.
I love you so fucking much. Take my bleeding heart and keep it in a jar, because I’m never giving it to anyone else.
“Thank you.” She kisses my chest, lips warm against my skin, and we take off the rest of our clothes. “Thank you for being my most wonderful surprise.”
I help her into the shower, the water hot and steam rising around us.
I reach for the shampoo I bought after she told me the name of her favorite brand, lather it in her hair, and massage her scalp until she relaxes against me.
Pliant muscles, mouth half open. She looks serene.
Finally at ease, all while I’m thinking about the ways I’m going to torture Connor when I get him out of my trunk.
“Okay?” I ask into the curve of her neck. She nods and I detach the shower head, bringing it to her head. I take my time rinsing out the shampoo before I switch it for conditioner, careful as I run my fingers through the long strands. “How’s the water temperature?”
“Like I’m melting, so it’s perfect. Everything is as perfect as it can be. You are perfect, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get over how wonderful I think you are.” Max sniffs, a new wave of tears filling her eyes. “I thought I was going to die in his room, and all I could think about was you.”
“And to think. A couple weeks ago you threw a book at my head,” I murmur, and her laugh is the shot of serotonin I didn’t know I needed. “Glad you’ve changed your tune so quickly.”
“You have charm, I guess.” Max runs her hands down my back, but I step away from her. “Is everything okay?”
“I want to clean you up.” I brush my fingers over the curve of her cheek. “I want to get the smell of him off you. The feel of him off you. Would that be okay with you, angel?”
“Yes.” Her bottom lip wobbles. “I just… I don’t want to…. I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to—”
“I would never.” I grab her body wash and squirt a generous portion of it onto her loofah.
It smells like flowers and vanilla and good things in the world.
“Your body, your choice. Until you tell me you’re okay, I’m keeping my hands to myself.
” I drop to my knees, the water running down my back.
I carefully hook my fingers around her ankle and rest her foot on my shoulder.
“I’d be okay with never having sex again if it meant having you around. ”
Max is crying, but I let her have the moments that pass to herself.
I don’t try and comfort her. I don’t tell her what she should be feeling.
I don’t say a word, taking my time to clean her thighs, her stomach, her arms. I’m gentle when I wash her chest, keeping my touch light and unrestrictive when she tenses under me.
I stay on the shower floor for what could be hours, until the water turns cold and Max’s tears start to dry. I swallow down my own emotion, a war raging in my head while my own hands shake. When I stand and rinse off my palms, fingers pruny and wrinkled, I know I’d do it all again.
“Thank you,” she tells me again, and I kiss her cheek.
“Let’s get you into some warm clothes,” I say, turning off the water and wrapping her in a fluffy towel.
In my room, I grab a sweatshirt and sweatpants for her to put on. Pulling back the covers, I wait until she climbs on the bed before I bring the sheets up to her chin. Downstairs, the front door opens and closes, and Max freezes.
“Hunt?” Leo calls out, and she relaxes. “Where are you?”
“Bedroom,” I answer, turning back to her. “I’m going to have him stay with you while I handle Connor. I’ll come back and check on you soon.”
“I’d like that,” she says.
Leo knocks and waits for me to throw on some jeans and a shirt before he pokes his head in my room.
His eyes bounce between Max and me, unaware of how severe the situation is.
I didn’t have time to explain it to him in the breakroom, pleading with him to clock out early and meet me back at the house.
And he did, because he’s such a good fucking friend.
“Hey, you two. Is everything okay?”
“No.” I grab my favorite knife from my desk drawer and spin it in my hold. “I need to take care of something in the basement. Can you stay with Max? I don’t want her to be alone.”
“Sure. Yeah. Of course.” Leo nods and kicks off his shoes. “Is it okay if I—”
“You can come up here,” Max says softly, patting the space next to her. Leo looks at me for confirmation, and I give him a nod.
He might’ve watched me fuck her, but I know he doesn’t have feelings for her. Not like that. I don’t feel jealous when she climbs on the mattress and lets Max rest her cheek on his chest. I don’t feel angry when he strokes his hand up and down her arm and gives me a concerned look.
“Later,” I tell him, moving to the side of the bed where Max is. I kiss her cheek and rest my forehead against hers. “I won’t be long.”
“Are you still going to—”
“Yes. And I have to be honest with you, Max. This is only the second time in my life I’m going to enjoy doing it.”
“I know.” She tugs on my necklace and sighs. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… make it hurt, Hunter. Make him suffer.”
“I’ll make sure he begs for forgiveness from you before I end him.” I grin and tuck her hair behind her ear. “Welcome to my world, angel.”