On The Rocks

“Hunter—”

He leans down, his nose almost touching mine. “Pushing me away… trying to make me leave so I could have my shot at the world title.”

“Hunter—”

“Sacrificing what we have together, because you thought it was what was best for me.”

This last statement is laced with anger and bitterness, yet his touch remains soft.

“Hunter,” I say, begging him to listen to me.

“Don’t ever lie to me again, Gabs,” he says with warning as his lips come closer to mine. “I don’t like it, and it has no place in our relationship.”

Then he kisses me… roughly, his fingers sinking into my scalp and holding me tight. His tongue pushes in between my teeth, swiping at my own, causing my head to spin and my hands to involuntarily latch onto his rock-hard biceps.

His kiss is demanding at first, forcing me into submission, making sure I understand I fucked up and he’s here to take control of the situation. I don’t even think to fight him; instead, I open myself up and return the kiss as if my very life depended on making him understand that I know I fucked up.

Eventually, his movements soften against me, and I sigh against the gentleness with which his mouth moves across mine.

When he pulls back, I open my eyes to see him staring intently at me. “Tell me you love me,” he demands.

“I love you,” I answer quickly, assuredly, most definitely.

“Tell me you will never push me away again.”

“I’ll never push you away again.”

“Tell me you know I love you, the way you love me.”

“I know it, Hunter,” I say quietly, tears starting to fill my eyes.

“Baby,” he says with care, pulling me into his arms. He tucks my head into his chest, stroking the back of my head, while I start to cry into the soft cotton of his t-shirt. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I’m sorry,” I mumble through my wet tears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know,” he whispers. “I figured it out quick enough.”

Pulling back, I ask, “How?”

Hunter releases his hold on me and takes my hand. Leading me over to the couch, he sits down, pulling me onto his lap so I straddle him.

Running his hands up my legs and onto my hips, he looks up at me. “Baby, I was devastated when you left my house. Was like a fucking zombie… walking around, packing my shit up to leave. But something was bothering me… a look on your face… a moment of uncertainty when you told me about Sasha. I kept coming back to that, and then it hit me… you were making it up. I don’t know how I knew it, but I just did. So I called your little cohort, Sasha, and got the truth.”

“You called Sasha?”

“Yeah… after I reamed her a new one for filling your head with bullshit, she told me about your conversation by the truck. She also told me about her coming out of my bedroom that morning, trying to get you to believe that we had slept together. My baby didn’t believe that though, did she?”

“No. I knew you wouldn’t do that.”

Hunter’s hands leave my hips and come up to hold my face. “Gabs… you cannot unilaterally decide what’s best for me. This whole charade was stupid and nearly destroyed both of us.”

I close my eyes, shame coursing through me. My hands come up to grip onto his wrists, not to remove his hands, but to hold him in place. When I open them back up, I look at Hunter intently. “I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. I just didn’t want you to pass up something that you would regret later. I know how special this opportunity is.”

Hunter pulls me forward and gives me a swift kiss, then pushes me back again so I can look at him. “It is a special opportunity, Gabs. But it’s not as special as my opportunity with you. Trust me when I say… this is the right decision, for me to stay here, because of you.”