“Hunter…” I whisper.
“I do hope you two have used this time to be happy together, Isabel. I just hope…there’s still room for me.”
I grab his face, kissing him fiercely on the lips. “There will always be room for you. We are nothing without you, and I know Drake feels the same. He wants to see you accept yourself as much as he wants to see you accept him.”
“I came out to the team,” he says, and I pause, staring at him in shock.
“Umm…how did it go?”
He laughs. “Fine. They didn’t even seem surprised.”
“Because loving Drake doesn’t make you any different, Hunter. You’ve always loved him, but now you’re just expressing it differently.”
“We really should have done this sooner, shouldn’t we?” he asks, and I feel myself melting again. I forgot how natural it felt in his arms.
“Yeah…that would have saved us both a lot of jealousy, always watching him go home with different strangers every night.”
As Hunter runs a hand through my hair, he pulls me closer, kissing me again, as if he’s just as desperate for my touch as I am for his. When our mouths part, he stares into my eyes.
“I am yours, Red. I’m sorry for leaving, but I needed to be the perfect man for you. Even if it kills me. Even if it drives me crazy. I would do anything for you.”
“I understand,” I whisper. “I missed you like crazy, but I’m proud of you. And I don’t need you to be perfect. I just need you to be here.”
“I still have a lot of work to do. It’s not over yet, but I’m ready to start this crazy relationship…if you’re both ready too.”
I love this new version of my husband, where he expresses himself and speaks from the heart. And seeing the raw emotion in his eyes is more than enough for me.
“So, now what?” I ask, kissing him again.
After a long, hungry embrace that leaves us both breathless and desperate for each other, he pulls away and gives me a serious expression. “Now, we go find Drake.”
* * *
I happento know exactly where Drake is tonight. Being it’s Friday night, he’s at the club, the only day every week that he spends there. And not for the same reasons he used to. Three months ago, you could find Drake at the club every night, with a different person.
But now, he only goes once a week for one person.
Silla has taken up semi-permanent residency at Salacious since her one-week event turned into a two-week, then a two-month, and now…I don’t think she’s ever going back. So now she teaches her Shibari demo every Friday night with a certain blond hunk by her side. The two of them have gotten really good, actually.
And as Hunter and I slip into the back of the room undetected, we’re met with theoohsandaahsof the crowd as Silla hangs, suspended in midair, tied up into a little round ball. The apple red cord against her dark, tawny skin is even more stunning than the rope bondage usually is. She looks exquisite as the crowd and Drake look on in awe.
But when Hunter gasps next to me, I have a feeling it has more to do with Drake’s appearance than the feat of the woman floating in the air held by nothing but thin rope.
“What did he do to his hair?” Hunter whispers.
“There was no stopping him. He wanted us both to look different for you.”
Glancing at my husband, I can’t help but notice the expression of attraction on his face as his gaze absorbs the man on stage.
“I like it,” he whispers.
I’m admiring how handsome Drake is with his new buzz cut, which somehow makes his smile look brighter and his frame appear taller—because he wasn’t beautiful enough before—when I spot the moment he notices Hunter standing in the back of the room.
It’s a little unfair now that I think about it. When Hunter showed up at my studio, I was alone, and nothing stopped me from running into his arms. Drake is busy spotting Silla and ensuring her safety, so he’s stuck on stage with her. And you can tell by the way he’s fidgeting and how his wide-eyed expression keeps drifting toward us that he’s anxiously awaiting the moment to do the same.
Not even a minute later, he’s helping her down, undoing her ropes carefully, so she doesn’t fall. The crowd claps for them, and Drake doesn’t waste a second.
Bounding off the stage, he bolts across the room toward us. His arms go wide to bring Hunter in for a hug, but Hunter doesn’t take the hug. Instead, he grabs for Drake’s neck, and fiercely pulls him in for a rough kiss. Their mouths fuse together, and I notice the brief look of shock on Drake’s face before he melts into the kiss, pressing Hunter against the wall, letting his body express just how much he missed him.