Fierce(85)

While I sit down on his bed, Hunter closes the door behind us, and he grabs a water bottle to hold against his face. The bleeding has stopped, and he’s wiped away most of it.

“My brother got himself involved in this crappy frat house so he could pay my college funds,” he says.

“Yeah,” I say, acknowledging I already knew that.

“Well, the Feds wanted to catch the damn bastard behind it all. I made a deal with them. I’d lead them to the boss of the entire operation, if they’d reduce Jessie’s sentence so I could bail him out and take him home.”

My jaw drops, and I can only stare at Hunter. I’m completely baffled.

Hunter places the bottle on his desk, and then takes a step forward. I freeze.

“This is the reason I couldn’t tell you anything. I was afraid it would blow the entire operation.”

“So you were basically … undercover?” I mutter.

“No … not really. Sort of, maybe,” he chuckles. “I’m not a cop, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Oh …” I don’t really know what to say. I’m flabbergasted.

“I’m just a poor student, enrolled thanks to his big brother. I was just there at the right moment at the right time. They needed to roll up the gang, I had an easy way in. One plus one equals two.”

“So they got you to do their dirty job?”

“Yeah, well, it was that or let my brother rot in jail. And that wasn’t really an option.”

He sits down beside me and gently curls his arm around my waist.

“So you were only in the frat house to get your brother out?” I say.

“That’s what I told you, isn’t it?”

“And the drugs, the dealing, the fighting, it was all for this?”

“I needed to gain their trust to climb up higher in the ranks. It was the only way I could find out who was running the entire thing.”

“Wow …” I let out a huge sigh, trying to process it all.

Biting his lip, he looks up at me from under his dark lashes. For the first time I see those gray eyes from a whole different perspective.

“Please don’t be mad at me for not telling you sooner.” He squeezes my waist and places his hand on top of mine. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m not mad,” I say after a while. “I just can’t believe that’s what was really happening.”

“I couldn’t tell you, because I knew it would jeopardize your safety. I could never risk that.”

“You didn’t jeopardize my safety; I did,” I say, chuckling. “Going to Brody was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Yeah, that was pretty stupid,” he says.

I gasp and pound him against the shoulder. He winces, laughing, but is barely moved by my pitiful strength. “Good punch.”

“Nah. Not as good as yours.”

“I can teach you. Just like old times.” He wriggles his eyebrows. “I can take you anytime.”

I chortle. “God, you and your sexual innuendos.”

“I just got a thing for you, can’t help it.” He inches closer and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Tell me you’ll forgive me. I need you.”

A flush spreads across my cheeks. After everything that’s happened, he still wants me.

“I just need to know one thing,” I say. “Was I part of your little operation?”

He frowns, confused. “No, of course not.”

“Seeing as I was Brody’s friend.”

“No. That wasn’t why I wanted to spend time with you.”

I lift my head, my eyes meeting his. “Then why?”

Hunter raises his hand and caresses my jaw. The pad of his thumb skidding over my skin creates goose bumps all over my body.

“I’m such a screw-up. I’ve always been a screw-up,” he says. “I wanted to free Jessie and sold my soul to the devil to do it. And then I met you. You’re like an angel, the complete opposite of me. You caught my attention the moment you walked into our campus, with your untamed hair, and pretty little eyes you hide behind those cute glasses.”

He licks his lips, his eyes flicking down toward our entwined hands, and then back up to my eyes. “Remember when I asked you if you thought I was trying to change you?”

Swallowing, I try to suppress the nerves, but lightning shoots through my veins.

I nod.

“I wanted you to change me,” he says. “To help me keep my promise to my brother. To keep me from failing at school. To keep me on the right track. To make me a better person. Because you can do all those things, and you did.”

He squeezes my hand, and I lace my fingers through his. Happiness buzzes through me, forcing a smile onto my face.