23. Hunter

Chapter 23

Hunter

then

Warm, mossy-green eyes meet mine. The sun shines behind him, illuminating his dark hair in a halo of light.

We're in a meadow, surrounded by wildflowers. Dogwood trees line the clearing, fragrant and in full bloom.

Greedy bends low to kiss me, his lips warm, sweet. He tastes like strawberries and smells like a mixture of rich cedar and sweet honey, a scent that I always associate with home.

My head lolls to the side, and my eyes connect with piercing blue orbs.

Levi .

He's spread out beside us, lying flat on his back, hands cushioning the back of his head. He smiles at me. The dimple on his left cheek appears.

He speaks, though I can't make out the words. Above me, Greedy laughs. At the sound, I grin and turn back to him. Only when I do, I no longer find warm, loving eyes peering down at me.

Instead, I'm hit with a hard stare .

Intense green orbs, the color of sea glass, glare down at me. The eyes match mine exactly. I inhale, ready to scream, but before I can make a sound, the vision of my mother blurs.

A pair of hands grasp my shoulders, pulling me out of the start of a nightmare.

Eyes still pinched shut, I bat at my attacker.

"Easy, love. Easy. You're okay."

The soothing voice instantly banishes my panic, and when I open my eyes, I find another man staring down at me.

"Spence?"

His irises are icy blue as he scrutinizes me in concern, as if trying to gauge whether I'm truly awake.

"What are you doing here?"

His face falls, then he blows out a long breath and runs one hand through his hair.

"We're at my place. You're safe."

"What?" I ask, my brain sputtering. I sit up quickly and scan my surroundings. Sure enough, I'm lying in a familiar bed. I'm not in a meadow of flowers, and no one else is here.

I'm lying in the middle of Kabir's bed, charcoal-gray silk sheets caressing my skin. The coolness of the fabric gives me pause. Peeking under the covers, I realize I'm stripped down to my bra and underwear. My skin is damp and clammy where I've sweated against the silk.

"What am I doing here?" I ask as I shakily grasp at the damp, slippery sheets.

"You're okay," Spence assures me. He reaches out as if to touch me, but stops, leaving his hand suspended in the air, and assesses me. "Angelo called me last night."

I rack my brain for a memory, but my thoughts are too foggy. I can't make sense of what he's saying.

"It's already Saturday morning?" is the best I can come up with.

Kabir grimaces and swallows thickly. "It's already Saturday evening, love. You've been asleep all day. "

I slow blink, willing his words to register.

It can't be night. It was just night. I was working. Crystal told me I could take off early.

I'm lost in a blend of hazy memories that lack discernable edges when Kabir touches my shoulder, pulling me from my reverie.

"Hunter, is there any chance you took something last night? Or perhaps drank something offered to you?"

"No," I tell him, heart thudding. So much of yesterday is a blur, but I'm positive I didn't take anything or even drink anything other than the closed water bottle I keep at the hostess station.

"You're sure?" he presses. "I could call a doctor if there's even a chance—"

"I didn't take anything," I whisper.

Leaning across the mattress, he brushes my hair off my forehead, then gently places his lips on the skin between my brows.

He holds it there for a breath, the warmth of him settling into me and allowing me to relax. A few more seconds pass, his stubble tickling my forehead.

"What are you doing?"

He pulls back and offers me a small smile. "Checking to see if you have a fever."

A memory hits me then.

"My dad used to check for fever that way, too."

Kabir smiles, but a pit of pain collects in my gut at the recollection.

I miss my dad.

He opted out on so much of the last year of my life.

At first, I was sad. Now, I'm angry.

He knows I'm here in London. He assured me that we would get together soon. Yet I haven't heard from him in weeks.

"Your father checked you for fevers? What about your mother?"

I shake my head, my thoughts shifting to the even more disappointing parent.

"My mother never wanted to get too close when I was sick. "

Spence studies me for a breath, his gray-blue eyes warming. "Come here." He pulls me into his arms and smooths one hand up and down my bare arm, cradling me against the side of his body. "You don't have a fever, and you're sure you didn't take or drink anything last night…"

"I'm sure," I tell him through a yawn.

"How do you feel now?"

"Tired," I admit.

What I don't say aloud is that I'm tired and so damn defeated. I've lost a full day, and last night is a blur. The last thing I clearly remember is buying strawberries at the market, then going back to my flat and finding a stranger passed out in my bed.

I shudder involuntarily at the thought.

"You're all right, love," Spence soothes. "Maybe you could use the bathroom, then go back to sleep."

Go back to sleep? He can't be serious.

"Spence, it's Saturday. We have plans."

Dinner. He wanted to take me to dinner.

He shakes his head, his chin rubbing my crown with each pass.

"Just sleep, love. If you're tired, you need rest. There will be many more Saturdays in our future."