Chapter 13 #2
Hunter was the only one who reacted in any way, head subtly bobbing as he removed his baseball cap just enough to run a hand through his dark hair.
Once the hat was secured on his head again, he said, “I’m with Cays.
I don’t buy it because I’ve seen the way she watches you, and not just today.
Which means she’s scared of getting hurt by you, or you haven’t shown her why she shouldn’t be. ”
An irritated huff burst from me, but Hunter continued before I could defend myself.
“We know how close the two of you are, just as we know you haven’t exactly been waiting around for her.”
When my mouth parted, Hunter gave me a look, daring me to challenge him, but I forced back anything I might’ve said and nodded for him to go on.
“Which means she knows that,” he added meaningfully. “If she doesn’t trust you not to hurt her, it’s probably because you already have.”
“That’s just it,” I cut in. “I didn’t know I could hurt her until recently. She’s always made it very clear that she didn’t want anything between us, so I’ve . . .” I tossed out a hand, unable to voice my shame out loud, even though they were more than aware of it.
“Yeah, what Hunt said,” Cayson muttered, his brows furrowed in bemusement. “We’ve seen the way she watches you, and nothing about that says I don’t want anything between us.”
“It’s possessive,” Sawyer picked up for him.
Cayson’s head tilted before dipping in acceptance, but he still added, “It’s longing.”
“That, and . . .” Hunter wavered as he tried to figure out how to word whatever it was he saw in Mallory. “Like she’s worried you’ve disappeared each time she searches you out.” He leaned closer, making sure he had my stare when he informed me, “Today more than I’ve ever seen it before.”
I’d always wondered how Thatch and my family could see what Mallory meant to me, when she couldn’t, but now I wondered how they’d been able to see all this, when I’d only started noticing it this weekend.
But with the things she’d always said, and the way I’d been . . . maybe we’d just played our roles well enough to dismiss the looks as something else.
Until now.
“Try talking to her,” Cayson offered. “Really talking to her—not leaving anything up to question. Because from what we’ve seen, and what you’re saying, you haven’t done that yet.”
A defeated sound left me because I had done that. I’d done that so many times.
But Mallory hadn’t believed anything I’d said—no one had. Not to mention, when I’d tried again today, Emberly had stopped me.
He unfolded a hand and lifted it to stop me from defending myself. “If you had, things would be different. You wouldn’t be bringing her here as your best friend, because that dynamic would’ve shifted, for better or worse.”
The dynamic with Mallory already had changed. It’d been months of feeling lost with this stranger in her place. And then today? “I’m not his anything.” That brutal pain flared in my chest, reminding me of what it was like to truly start the process of losing her.
“Not to mention,” Cayson continued, “whatever did happen between y’all doesn’t look like the end of something.
It looks like y’all are caught in a storm that’s about to break.
” A slow smirk crept across his face. “Think it’s safe to say we’ve all been there with our wives, and it’s never ended up being a bad thing.
Those breaks will break down walls and bring you closer together. ”
Hunter grunted in affirmation while Sawyer stared at Cayson as if he’d grown another head. Dragging his stare to me, Sawyer muttered, “When he decides to talk, he really talks.”
A strained laugh twisted from me, but it was all I could manage as I thought about the times I’d bared parts of my soul to Mallory, only for those crumbling shields to form around her.
I heard what Cayson was saying, and I wanted that. I wanted to break down every one of those shields until there was nothing left between us. But I was terrified that wouldn’t be the case this time.
“Yeah, uh . . .” I worked my jaw. “I—”
“You planned this.”
My head snapped to the side to see Mallory silently stalking toward us—toward me—all beauty and wrath.
A hesitant laugh climbed up my throat. “The trip? Thought that was obvious,” I muttered as she closed the remaining distance between us . . . and stepped away from the island in time to block the lightning-fast strike aimed at my jaw.
Such a violent thing.
I loved her.
Curling my fingers tighter around her fist, I forced her closer until only our arms were between us and let the corner of my mouth tick up. “I love that you can’t keep your hands off me, Princess, but we currently have an audience.”
Those icy blue eyes flared with anger as she stared me down, her jaw clenched tight before she finally unlocked it to demand, “Tell me why you brought me here.”
My hand loosened at the question that should’ve also been obvious. “I was pretty up front when I said we were having lunch at—”
“No.” She slammed both our hands into my chest, managing to rock me back a step as she seethed, “Why did you bring me here? To Amber.”
Bemusement and a hint of irritation swarmed inside me because I was sure she was messing with me. Sure she was trying to bring up the arguments we’d had today, for some purpose I couldn’t figure out.
Dipping my head close, I breathed, “I don’t know what you’re getting at, or why, but if this has to do with Aru—”
“This has to do with you,” she hissed. “You forcing me into giving you time, then tricking me into going places before trapping me here for a Donut—for Tessa.”
My mouth had been open to let her know I’d never forced her into anything—I’d asked—but a stunned breath ripped from me instead when I finally caught the last part of what she’d said. “I’m sorry?”