Page 23 of Reticent

No. He. Didn’t. “What the hell was I thinking, hooking up with a guy like you?”

“A guy like me?”

“Yeah, a guy like you. I’m allergic to pretentious assholes.”

He scoffs. “I’m pretentious because I want the very best for my son? I’m trying to help you, and you’re—”

“I’m what? What am I, Hunter?”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

“And you’re being a dick.”

“Jesus,” he mutters, stabbing a hand through his hair. “I’m protective of what’s mine.”

“This may be your baby …” I step closer until there’s no room left between us, and I’m forced to look up at him. “But I’m not yours.”

He looks down at me. “Indirectly, you are.”

“The fuck I am.”

His jaw twitches. “I’m trying, Yasmine.”

“Bullshit. You think you’re better than me.”

“That’s not what this is. This is exhausting. You’re exhausting.”

“Likewise. And let me be crystal clear.” I’m struggling to rein in my temper. I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy hormones or just the fact that he infuriates me and standing so close to him drives me crazy. Needing space, I cross my room and look out my window at Niko’s car in the driveway. “I’m not your responsibility.”

“You’re the mother of my unborn child, so that makes you my responsibility.”

I whirl around to face him. “Now you want to take responsibility? That’s rich. The guy who snuck out like a coward in the middle of the night?”

He gives a patronizing laugh. “It was a one-night stand. What did you expect? To cuddle under the fucking covers? For me to ask for your number?”

My nose tingles, and my throat burns. I swallow back the discomfort, unable to give a rebuttal because if I do, he’ll know that I’m trying not to cry. “Don’t flatter yourself. I knew exactly what it was.”

The last thing I want from Hunter is his pity, but that’s what I see on his face. “Good. Because I’m the guy you fuck. Not the guy you fall for.”

My door swings open, with Niko standing on the other side. Narrowed, angry eyes bypass me and land on Hunter. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

I move swiftly to the middle of the room—an equal distance between both men. “He was just leaving,” I say, turning to Hunter, pleading with my eyes for him to go. Hunter doesn’t leave. He won’t even look my way.

“Hey, Niko,” he says with smugness in his voice.

I’ve never seen Niko this upset. How much did he hear? He passes me with an aggressive stride and stops directly in front of Hunter. I move closer and stand to the side at my brother’s left and Hunter’s right. My eyes shift between the two men in my life—one by blood and the other by circumstance. Neither of them intimidates the other. One is a mask of anger, while the other is a mask of indifference.

My confusion turns to dread. “Do you know each other?”

Niko cocks his head. “You fucked my sister?”

“You fucked my wife. So I guess we’re even. Sort of. Although I should thank you.”

“Thank me, muthafucka?”

I tug at Niko’s arm before he can advance on Hunter. Hunter stands perfectly still, but his fingers twitch as if he wants to ball them into fists. “Your little affair saved me a shit ton of money in the divorce settlement.”

Affair?