She really liked the way he said her name like that, all deep and impatient and needy.
Hunt leaned in a bit closer. “I’m kind of hoping now that you know, you’ll want to catch up.”
“I definitely need to catch my breath.”
Hunt backed up a step. “Fair enough.”
She nodded her thanks that he gave her some time and space to take this all in. “So friends. Which means you’re going to let me drive you home because I’d never forgive myself if you came all the way out here to help me and ended up crashing and dying because you were too hardheaded to let me drive you home.”
A hint of a grin tugged at his lips. “Name-calling is not that friendly, Cyn.”
“I’ll work on it.”
“Do that. Let’s go.” Hunt walked around to the passenger side of her car. She slipped in behind the wheel. He folded himself into the seat, then pushed it back as far as it would go to accommodate his big frame.
“Comfortable?”
“Never when I’m around you.”
She was about to take exception but stopped herself when he shifted in the seat and tugged his T-shirt down over the bulge in his jeans.
“Interested in something, Cyn?”
She didn’t even think, just answered with the only thing that popped into her head. “Maybe.”
Hunt closed his eyes and grumbled, “Drive.”
She backed out of the driveway onto the main road and drove on autopilot.
Nothing tonight had gone as she expected. She felt sick and heartbroken. The worry ate at her insides. She desperately wanted to find her sister and niece and felt inadequate and helpless to do so.
Hunt’s hand gently enclosed hers on the steering wheel. She released it and Hunt immediately laced hisfingers with hers, the back of his hand resting on her thigh.
“It’s too far and too late to drive to the ranch and back to your place. I’ll stay at your house tonight. Make sure you’re safe. And not alone.”
She glanced over at him. He hadn’t even opened his eyes.
She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”
“It sucks being alone,” he admitted.
She wondered if he was just too tired to guard his words, because she’d never heard him talk like this. Of course, she was always in his face about giving her a ticket she deserved, the grief he’d given Shelby about Chase and whatever else she wanted to accuse him of, like Mrs. Phelps, without giving him the benefit of the doubt.
“Hey, Wilde.”
“Yeah?”
“I’d like to be your friend.”
Again Hunt didn’t open his eyes but drew her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Sounds like a good place to start to me.” He put his hand back on her thigh. She gave it a squeeze, then focused on the road and getting them home.
No, not home. Not their home. But to her place. Yeah. That was it. Where he’d stay with her tonight because he didn’t want her to be alone.
“I like the sound of that.”
Chapter Seven
The last thing Hunt remembered from last night was falling onto Cyn’s too-short sofa and finally letting sleep claim him, despite how desperately he’d wanted to make sure Cyn was okay. It couldn’t have been an easy thing to do, leaving Rad’s place without knowing what happened to her family. Hunt did everything he could, short of beating the answers out of Rad, which would have gotten him what he needed for Cyn, but also landed him in jail and out of a job.