I do like that. God, was I that transparent? “What else do I like?”

Hunter smirked. “You like it when I trace your collarbone with my tongue. And you really like it when I tell you all the things I’m going to do to you, even though you don’t want to admit you like it when I say you have a sweet cunt.”

My jaw dropped open. He was so damn right. I hated that word, but something about him saying that to me in the throes of passion really turned me on. And of course, just like he said, I didn’t want to admit it.

I shook my head. “What are you doing here anyway?”

He held up the bags. “Brought supplies.”

“But you’ll get sick.”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take. Now come on, let’s get you off your feet.”

Inside, Hunter insisted I sit down while he unpacked the contents of the bags he’d brought. “Chicken soup from that restaurant you liked downtown, where we met for lunch a few weeks ago.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“You made Izzy eat when she said the same thing.”

I pouted because he was right.

He continued to unpack. “Dayquil for keeping the fever down. I remember you tossing out the box the last time Izzy took it. Ginger ale, because the only time this crap tastes good is when you’re sick and drinking it with toast. Speaking of which…” He unpacked a loaf of bread from the first bag and moved on to the second one. Butter, Gatorade, Theraflu, vitamin C, tissues, and four DVD jewel cases. The last thing he unpacked was a box of some sort of jewelry crafting.

He held it up. “In case you get bored.”

“What is that?”

He shrugged. “Some craft kit they had at the drug store. Figured in case you need something that can keep you busy without getting up.”

God, this man could hurt my heart and heal it at the same time. I remembered he’d said his mother did craft projects when she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t get out of bed. He really was a sweet, protective, and thoughtful guy. And therein lay the problem. It would be a hell of a lot easier to say goodbye to someone who ran for the hills when I was sick—someone who only stuck around for the good. But Hunter was just naturally a for better or for worse type of man, which made it that much more difficult to see him as sex only.

I offered him a sad smile, hoping he’d chalk it up to my not feeling well. “Thank you for all of this. You didn’t have to.”

His eyes roamed my face. “You’re always taking care of someone else. I’m glad I’m here to take care of you.”

The thought was sweet, but all I could think was, I’m glad I didn’t get sick in four days.

***

The non-drowsy Dayquil made me sleepy. Or maybe it was the action adventure with Bruce Willis and buildings blowing up that had lulled me to sleep. But because I’d slept on and off all day, I was confused when I woke up on the couch. My feet were still propped up on Hunter’s lap like they had been when I dozed off, only he wasn’t watching television anymore. My eyes fluttered open to him watching me sleep again.

“What time is it?”

“Must be about ten, I guess. Izzy called to check in. I saw her name pop up on your phone, so I answered it before it woke you. She wanted to come home to take care of you.”

“Oh. That’s sweet. She’s really coming around lately.”

Hunter nodded. “Told her I had it covered, but I’d make sure you checked in.”

“Okay. Thanks. I’ll text her.”

He nodded. “You hungry?”

“If I say no are you going to force me to eat something anyway?”

His lip twitched. “Probably.”

He reached over and felt my head. “Still cool. But it’s been four hours since you took the Dayquil. Want a Nyquil dose this time to keep the fever down and help you sleep?”

“God, all I’ve done is sleep.”

Hunter walked to the kitchen, grabbed some medicine, and poured me a tall glass of ginger ale. I managed to accomplish sitting up while he did that.

He sat down on the edge of the coffee table across from me and made sure I took my pills, then took the glass from my hands to set it down.

“You’re pretty good at this nurse stuff, you know.”

“I prefer playing doctor to nurse, but I’m flexible.”

“At least I’m a better patient than Izzy. I’m not calling your name every five minutes to come get my dirty tissues and tell you something hurts.”

“No. I think sleeping through the entire thing seems to be more your style.”

“Well, now that I’ve slept the entire day, I’ll probably be up half the night.” I nodded to the jewelry craft kit he’d brought. “So expect some crappy bracelets when you wake up. Mine won’t be as nice as the one you wear.”

He looked down at his wrist. “I was ten or eleven when my mom got sick. She had muscular problems that affected her legs, so she was bedridden a lot. My aunt used to bring those kits over all the time. Kept her busy.” He twisted the bracelet on his wrist. “Macramé and leather were her favorites. I used to have a lot of them, but over the years they broke or I lost them. This is the only one I have left. I’ll wear your crappy one when this one finally goes.”

Wow. It was a losing battle to not fall a little harder every day. “You know, Hunter, underneath the jackass suit you wear, you’re a really great guy.”

He looked at me a moment before standing. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

Hunter tucked me under the covers and then undressed and slipped in behind me. Unlike the other nights we’d shared a bed, he left his boxers on. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me flush against his body. His hold was so tight, it made me feel like he was afraid to let go. Or maybe that’s what I wanted to believe.

Tomorrow Izzy would be home, so tonight was likely the last full night we would spend together. It wasn’t exactly how I’d seen our final act, but maybe it was easier this way.

About a half hour after we settled into bed, I heard Hunter’s breaths change, and his hold on me loosened a bit. I allowed myself to succumb to the medicinal haze that made my eyelids feel too heavy to keep open.

Early the next morning, Hunter stirred, but I didn’t open my eyes, assuming he was going to the bathroom or something. After a few minutes of him tiptoeing around the room, I felt his lips touch my forehead, and I realized he must’ve been sneaking out.

He gently pushed a lock of hair from my face and whispered, “Crazy about you, sweet pea. I’m sorry.” Then he was gone.

Chapter 31

Natalia

I’d just started to feel better when the dreaded day came. Not great—but good enough to shower and spend time in the upright position. Hunter had come by a few times after our night together—he’d even brought takeout and a horror movie for me and Izzy one evening, knowing how much she loved scary movies.

For the last twenty-four hours, I’d been trying to avoid thinking about saying goodbye, wondering what those words would sound like.

Thanks, it’s been fun.

See ya around.

Anytime you’re in town, stop in. My door is always open to you. And by door, I mean vagina.

Tips are appreciated!

I bounced from sad to angry and back to sad so often, it was just a matter of timing as to which Nat the poor man would get when he arrived.

Unfortunately for him, he buzzed when I was feeling pissy. I didn’t bother to wait at the door as I usually did, to admire his farewell strut down my hall. Instead, I left it cracked open and went back to the book I wasn’t really interested in on the couch.

Hunter knocked twice before pushing the door open.

I waved but didn’t look up.

Awkwardness settled in before he’d even closed the door behind him—at least for me.

He sat down on the edge of the table and took my legs in his hands. “How’s the patient feeling?”

“Better.” Acting like an insolent teenager, I still hadn’t looked up at him.

He waited me out—saying nothing for a few minutes, until I glanced up to see what he was doing. And then he trapped my gaze.

“There she is.”

His smile served only to piss me off further. He looked his usual casual, beautiful self, and I wanted him to look like I felt inside—a mess. I hated that he was so unaffected by our saying goodbye.

“Can we just say goodbye and get this over with?” I bit out with as much snark as I could conjure up.

At least his smile fell. “Natalia…”

“Seriously, we’re both adults. It was fun. Now we’re done. I’m not up to giving you one last blowjob, if that’s what you’re hanging around expecting.”

Hunter’s head dropped, and he stared down at the ground for a minute. When his eyes returned to my frigid ones, I saw pain behind them. “I…I never meant to hurt you, Natalia.”