In Between Seasons

Chapter 34

Two weeks of those dreams, and I was done. I could handle the pain better than I could handle the waking dreams, or nightmares, or memories, or whatever the fuck they were. When Hunter handed me the pills earlier in the morning, I smiled up at him, but put them back on the side of the bed. I was still groggy from the previous night's dose. He asked me if I was sure, and I nodded before tucking my head under the covers.

When I woke my head was pounding, but it felt clear. I took a deep breath and sat up to stretch. My body screamed slightly in protest as Hunter turned to face me from the TV he was watching. He flicked the switch, and the screen went black.

"Hey," he said, his eyes washing over me. "How are you feeling?"

How was I feeling?

Nauseated.

Crazy.

Afraid.

All things I didn't feel like talking about. I kicked my feet over the side of the bed and stood. "What were you watching?"

"Nothing really," he replied, watching as I slipped past him into the kitchen. "I couldn't sleep—you were talking a lot."

I turned from the fridge with the glass of water I poured. "What was I saying?"

The heat flushed through my veins as I thought of the dreams the painkillers created. I swallowed back the suspicions, and the heat faded as I watched a smirk come to his face. He bit his lip, his eyes going up my body to my face and the heat returned, but this time as his eyes reached mine my face flushed with the pleasure of it.

He liked whatever I said as I slept.

"Oh, nothing that really matters," he replied, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his forearms until his biceps bulged.

I took a sip of the water and swished it around my mouth before swallowing and putting a hand on my hip.

"Great, so you're not going to tell me?"

I put the glass down, and I had to take a deep breath as our eyes met.

"How are you feeling?" he repeated, cocking his head.

I swallowed the emotions. "Better," I replied with a nod.

"Mara's been asking about you," Hunter said, and my words caught in my throat as I remembered my last conversation with her.

"What's wrong?" Hunter asked, stepping towards me as my face, no doubt, paled.

Fuck buddies. I took another sip of the water and dumped the rest of it down the sink. It was just another thing I didn't want to think about.

"What?" Hunter pushed, his hands finding my arms as he stood behind me.

I turned and looked up at him, taking in his scent, the softness of the shirt pressed against his pecks and then following the lines of muscle up to his neck and finally to his face. His eyes wandered over my own as his lips pressed in a line of worry.

"Are you a virgin?" I whispered, letting my eyes fall to my feet.

Hunter's hands dropped as he stepped away to laugh. "I think your painkillers are talking!"

"No, they're all out of my system by now," I replied as I looked up at him with my heart hammering against my mending ribs so hard I felt they would break against the force.

His laughing ceased, and his tongue ran over the inside of his cheek. "Kate, I'm a twenty-five year old man...you can't think I'm a virgin." He bit the inside of his lip before continuing, "I've had a girlfriend or two—but if what you really want to know is if I've been in love before, then no."

"I guess it was silly of me to ask," I replied, bracing myself against the counter as I leaned back.

"Let me ask you a question." Hunter rocked on the tips of his toes as his eyes avoided mine, and then finally met them to ask, "Are you?"

"What do you think?"

He looked away from me and out the window as he coughed, "I guess not then."

"But I've never been in love."

"Was it Trevor?" Hunter asked, looking back at me with his eyes intense.

"Who else?" I replied as my shoulders rose and fell.

"Fucker," he hissed under his breath, and the hint of jealousy made me smile.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing at all," he replied, a crooked smile playing on his lips as he gave an innocent shrug that matched my own.

"So when does this come off?" I asked as I held my arm up, glad to change the subject.

"Soon...another week and you should be good. The osteo-supplements help the healing process speed up, though, God only knows where they get them from when they can't even figure out how to make morphine, " Hunter explained before he stepped forward and took my casted arm in his hands.

"We need to start training again as soon as possible," I said, the panic of the dreams leaking in. I swallowed it back.

Dreams.

They were just that.

Dreams.

Hunter nodded. "Can I take a peek at your ribs?"

"Sure," I replied, slipping my shirt off over my head.

I looked up at him as innocent as possible.

He swallowed, and then placed his hands gently on my torso, causing goosebumps to travel in a visible line up my skin.

"I'm sorry if my hands are cold," he replied, and his breath washed over my bare neck, causing the tingling sensation to spread.

I looked up at the ceiling as my heart began to race. I wanted to control my body's reaction to him but at the same time, I didn't. I relished the heat that flushed through my veins at his touch and the mere thought of his eyes wandering over my body so exposed.

"No, they're fine," I replied, breathless as our eyes met again.

"They seem to be healed quite well," he said, and his hands remained on my skin, causing another rash of goosebumps to race across my flesh. "The fractures were minor, so I didn't expect it to take long. I'm sorry I had you doped up so long—I didn't realize they were healed so well."

"So when can we start training again?" I asked as I tried to keep my mind away from the thought of his hand slipping just a bit higher to loosen the back of my bra.

His lips made it hard to concentrate as they parted.

"Tonight if you want." Hunter let his hands drop into his pockets. "As long as you start cooking again."

"For sure! Your cooking sucks!" I replied, taking my shirt from the counter and slipping it back on.

"Tell me about it!" He laughed, but the tension between us still hung in the air as we stood staring at one another.

I took a deep breath and gave him a smile. "So, what would you like?"

His tongue ran over his lips, and he blinked a few times before his hand went to his neck. "Umm...whatever you'd like to cook."