34. Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Hunter
I watch as Blake and her daughter disappear through the front door of the house. I should walk her to my room. I should make sure she is safe from Candace. But I can’t bring myself to follow after she flinched away from me. Me, of all fucking people. The image replays in my head, searing itself into my brain—her body tensing, her eyes flickering with fear, the way she instinctively pulled back like she thought I’d hurt her. I have never laid a hand on a woman in my life, not even when that woman was the cause of my daughter's death.
I will strangle a man with my bare hands, crush his windpipe, and watch the light drain from his eyes without an ounce of remorse.
But I would never hit a woman.
And yet, Blake looked at me like she expected it.
I clench my jaw, the sharp bite of anger simmering just beneath the surface. Candace did this. That jealous, self-absorbed bitch. She called Blake fat. Humiliated her. Made her feel like nothing. And now, Blake is in my bed, terrified to sleep near me because she thinks I might be just like Craig.
That realization sits heavy in my chest, pressing against old wounds I thought had long since hardened over.
“Why so glum?” Sam asks from her place next to Xavier, her voice cutting through my thoughts.
I roll my eyes. “I am not glum, Sammy. I just have a lot on my mind.”
She nods and leans forward to hand me a beer. “Here, this should help with that.”
I grab it and raise it toward her in a salute. “Thanks.”
I don’t know how long I have been sitting out here in this chair, but judging by the amount of beer bottles stationed next to me, it has been a while. The kids have long since gone inside to bed, leaving just the adults hanging out.
This means the music has changed, and people are grinding on each other. Xavier and Sammy are practically having sex directly in front of me, even though their clothes are still on. That is nothing new, though. This is a normal occurrence for them.
Viper has his hands squeezed tight to the woman's ass that is on his lap, and I can’t help but chuckle when I see who it is. Candace. The same woman who wanted me only a few hours ago. That is the exact reason I refuse to sleep with her. I know how many of my guys she has slept with. She is pretty enough. But I don’t like to sleep with women who are infamous with so many other men. I like women I can call my own and trust to be with me. And I can’t trust Candace.
Judging by how high the moon is in the sky, it is well past midnight. I glance over at the house and notice most of the lights have been turned off. I slowly rise from my chair and clear my throat. “I’m going to bed.”
“Don’t be such an old man,” Xavier whines, from between Sam’s boobs
I shake my head. “You’d go to bed too if you knew what was good for you.”
I don’t hear his reply as I walk toward the house and through the front door.
When I finally make it to my room, it’s pitch black. Not even the bathroom light is on to show me the way to the bed. Luckily, I’ve wandered into this room drunk as hell on many occasions and can usually find my way to the bed.
Charlie’s soft breaths, coming from the cot by the closet, remind me that she is in the room with us. I place my cut on the back of the chair in the corner and pull my shirt over my head. Right before I climb under the sheets, I take my boots off and pull down my pants, changing into some pajama pants.
I let out a soft chuckle when I feel across the bed and find a wall of pillows that Blake stuffed at her back as she softly sleeps on her side.
Does she really think this will keep me away if I wanted to get to her?
The thought amuses me, but out of respect, I leave the pillows where they are and settle onto my back, staring at the ceiling.
But after hours of lying here, waiting for sleep that won’t come, my patience wears thin.
To hell with respect.
I toss the extra pillows onto the floor one by one, then shift closer, pressing up behind her. She doesn’t even stir as I slide an arm around her waist, pulling her body flush against mine. Soft. Warm. Fucking perfect. I bury my face into her hair, inhaling the faint scent of whatever shampoo she uses, letting it lull me into a peace I haven’t felt in a long time.
Then my hand drifts lower.
That’s when I notice—she’s only wearing a T-shirt and a pair of underwear.
Christ.
The realization sends a jolt straight to my dick, which now rests snugly against the curve of her ass. My fingers twitch with the urge to explore, to slip between her thighs and feel just how warm and wet she’d be for me.
She’s lucky her kid is in the room. Because if she weren’t, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from spreading her open and tasting every inch of her.
Instead, I force myself to stay still, gripping her waist just a little tighter as I let out a slow, measured breath.
And for the first time in a long time, I fall asleep wrapped around a woman.