After We Fall (Take the Fall, #3)(36)

The sudden cold makes me shiver. I hate cold water with a passion, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Unfortunately, this girl can’t change her panties.

“No more fantasizing,” I sternly lecture my image in the mirror in the foyer.

“You okay in there?”

Opening the door, I smile at him while not quite meeting his eyes and say, “Perfectly fine.”

He sets the six-pack of beer on the table in my foyer. “You look a little flushed.”

My heart leaps into my throat and I sneak a peek at him, then flat-out stare at him in astonishment. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay? How did you get a black eye?”

“If you’ll let me in, I’ll tell you all about it.”

I open the door wider and he steps inside.

Before I can say another word about his injury, he’s cupping the back of my neck and kissing me—slowly and thoroughly. His kiss does nothing for my efforts to calm down. The insistent, warm pressure of his mouth makes me melt against him. His tongue strokes mine, learning more of what I like.

He’s not an impatient kisser, not at all. Hunter has a mouth made for sinning and the skills to make me want to skip dinner and go straight to dessert.

Breaking our kiss, he leans back a little and smiles. “Hey there.”

“Hi.” My gaze can’t help but go to his bruised eye. It’s mostly black and purple. I shudder, images of staring at my own face, covered in similar shades, creeping up on me.

“I can leave if my eye bothers you,” Hunter says as he begins to run his hands up and down my arms. It’s as if he’s trying to warm me up and comfort me at the same time, which is silly since he’s the one who is hurt in the first place.

“I don’t want you to go, but I won’t lie to you and say it doesn’t bother me.”

He tilts his head to one side. “You are a very brave woman.”

“For letting you stay?” I ask lightly. A part of me wants to push him away, but a bigger part, the part that is starved for gentle and loving human contact, is greedy for more from him.

“Yeah.”

His honesty surprises me, yet it doesn’t at all. Hunter has been nothing but honest with me, even when I didn’t want to hear it. Then again, I don’t think I could be with another man who lied to me. The last two years with Penn were the worst. He constantly lied to me, and when I didn’t believe him, he’d force me to believe him.

But my bank account didn’t lie. Neither did my eyes.

“You can tell me all about your poor eye over pizza. How about that?” I ask, willing my heart to settle down.

The serious expression on his face slowly melts away, replaced by a friendly grin. “And beer.”

I shake my head. “I don’t drink alcohol…Penn spiked my drink once and…he, uh…apparently, he had me go down on him in a bar. I don’t remember it. He showed me the video right before I finally left him.” Swallowing, I take a step back, his hands falling away as I do, and go around him to shut the door. “Ruined a lot of fun things for me.”

“Including sex?”

My face heats as I turn to face him. “No, you and I…we, uh…obviously, that’s okay.”

“Except now I feel guilty as hell.” He rubs his hand along his jaw. “Your ex is an *, Evangeline, no two ways about it.”

“I know,” I agree in practically a whisper, then clear my throat. “I couldn’t actually see anything in the video and since I didn’t remember, it’s not something I really associate with it. Only alcohol. I know that’s stupid, but—”

“It’s not stupid,” he says flatly, his green eyes turning hard. “If I thought I could—never mind. One day, I hope that f*cker gets what’s coming to him.”

“Guys like Penn never do.” I move to the kitchen, motioning Hunter to follow me. I have to change the subject. I need to change the subject. Asking Hunter to have dinner with me is the step I need into a future without my past dogging my heels. “I hope you brought your appetite because I had two extra-large pizzas delivered—one supreme and the other spinach and mushroom.”

“You think I’m the spinach and mushroom type?” he asks, grabbing one of the two plates I had set out in anticipation of him coming over.

“I’m not sharing the supreme.” I bite back a grin as he opens the boxes and puts two slices of my favorite on it. “Just look at all those green peppers and olives.”

He hands the plate to me, then proceeds to pour a glass of soda for me. “Funny. Sit. I’ll serve myself.”

Taking the glass from him, I head to the living room and sit down on the sofa, waiting for him to join me before I dig in. “I’m thinking The Martian or the latest Mission: Impossible movie?”

“Latest M:I movie,” he says, his footsteps heavy against my floor. When he gets to the sofa, he toes his shoes off before sitting beside me. “Sorry, I should have taken these off at the door.”

“It’s okay.” I grab the remote to download his pick, then start eating my pizza. “This is so good. I hate that it took me so long to order from them.”

“Saylor’s recommendation?” he asks before taking a drink of his beer.

I nod. “She knows all the great places to eat.”