Page 181 of Off Limits: The Firsts

“Maintenance just told me your room will be ready in five minutes. I was asked to escort you down there to make sure all your things are okay and to your liking.”

“Oh.” I hold the top of the robe closed and wonder if this is a blessing or a curse.

The blessing being that Hunter and I have never done that after part of sex before. It used to be sex, clean up, exchange a few words, maybe not . . . and then one of us would leave. Sure, we enjoyed each other, but there was nothing else between us.

The curse being that we’ve never done the after part of sex before either.

I glance back to the clothes on the floor and wonder how I retain my dignity while I scramble to pick them all up.

Callum assesses the situation and nods. “It’s late,” he says before shuffling down the hall toward his room, a few rooms down.

Hunter moves a hand to my lower back as the server moves the cart into the room. “Stay and eat?”

I shake my head, suddenly in a state of limbo—embarrassed, worried, confused. “I’m fine. I’ve got to go to my room—he said so—and . . .”

“Dekker.”

“No, It’s late. I should go make sure my room and things are okay.”

“I’ll walk you down there.”

“No. I’ve got it.” I step away from him, suddenly uncomfortable in everything. Needing space to clear my head and the emotions I know are most likely one-sided. At the situation I’ve just put myself in.

Shit.

“Dekker?” he asks.

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll take her down,” Hunter reasserts.

“No,” I say with more force than I should before turning to the hotel staffer. “Can you give me a minute? I’ll be right there.”

The staffer nods and I shut the door to buy me a few minutes to gather my stuff.

“Dekker?” Hunter says as I move around his room like a madwoman gathering my wet clothes and shoes.

“It’s fine. We’re fine,” I mutter and smile.

“So you’ve said.”

“If Callum talks—”

“Then what?” Hunter asks, his voice resonating around the room. “If he talks, then what’s the big deal? You’re a grown woman who can have sex with whomever she chooses. Why does it matter?”

“Because it does.” I fight the sudden burning of tears and hate that they’re there. Because I don’t cry over men. I don’t cry over things that can never be. And I certainly refuse to cry over Hunter Maddox.

“Gotcha.” He sighs as he moves with me through the room. “Ah, I forgot.” He tsks as I survey the room one last time. “This was a mistake, right? It shouldn’t have happened. It can’t happen again. Yadda, yadda, yadda.”

I expect to meet his eyes and find amusement in them, but there’s nothing but a gravity that unnerves me. I can’t tell if he’s angry or confused, but it’s something I’ve never seen before, and that in and of itself has me needing to get some space from him to figure out why there’s an awkwardness here.

“Hunter . . . I’m here for work and—”

“I wasn’t aware you were on the clock at two in the morning.”

“It’s not that. It’s just—”

“Just like old times, huh? Great sex. Poor communication. It’s best you leave before the fighting starts.” He takes a step forward and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Good night, Dekker.”