I nod.
“She told me that a relationship is like a bank account. The more you invest, the more you’ll get out of it over time, and I like that. But she also told me you can’t afford to make too many big withdrawals.”
I look down at our hands as he spreads my fingers to make room for his, then intertwines them.
“She said when he fucked up with my mom, it was a turning point in their relationship, but it wasn’t the same for both of them. His mistake made him love her more, but it made her love him a little less. And he couldn’t take back what he did, so he could never get that love back. He could deposit more into the account and try to make up for what he cost them, but she’ll always love him just a little less than she could have, and he’ll always have to know that.”
I’m not sure why, but that story brings a lump of sadness to my throat. I try to swallow it down as his beautiful eyes bore into mine.
“I can’t afford to make you love me any less, Riley. I’m too greedy for it. I know I’ve made some withdrawals, and I’m sorry for that. But that’s done. Now I need a chance to show you how it can be between us if you’ll just let it, and you’re not going to give me that chance, no matter what I do. I have to take it. So, I found a way. Sure, it’s technically blackmail, but I’m not entirely trapping you. My terms have an end date. If you still want to be with me after that—and I hope you do—then great, that’ll be your decision.”
“What’s the end date?”
“Graduation. If I haven’t changed your mind about me by then, I’ll…” He hesitates. “You can leave me.”
My heart contracts painfully at the mere idea.
I pull a little closer to him, but I focus on his chest so I don’t have to look into his eyes.
“But you have to really mean it,” he says. “I want a real chance. No half-measures. No holding back from me. I know I can’t control that, only you can, but if you don’t give this a real shot, you’re not holding up your end of the agreement. I know how you are about rules; you won’t feel good about that.”
My lips curve up. I splay my hand against his bicep, caressing his arm through the coarse material. “Some would argue there’s no honor in honoring a dishonorable agreement.”
“How is this a dishonorable agreement?” he demands.
I try to bite back a smile as I finally look up at him. “You said yourself it’s blackmail.”
“Light blackmail,” he says.
“Ah, right. Well, if it’s light blackmail…”
Playing like I’ve agreed with him, he says, “See? Completely honorable.”
I sigh, sliding my arms around his neck and leaning my body against his. “I’ll agree to your terms.”
Hope lightens his eyes. “Yeah?”
I nod. “It’s official. You’ve got yourself a girlfriend.”
Hunter grins, locking his arms around my waist and pulling me tightly against him. “I like the sound of that.”
“You better. You paid enough for me,” I tease.
Hunter shakes his head. “Nah, I got a bargain. I’m going to have to teach my lovely girlfriend about the art of negotiating. When you have what they want, never take the first offer. You could’ve asked for more.”
I tilt my neck as he buries his face there and starts to kiss it. “Like a pony?”
“I was thinking a car.” He kisses my neck, then murmurs against my skin, “I’ll buy you one anyway. We’ll call it a signing bonus.”
I grin as my eyes drift closed. “I told you, you’re not buying me a car.”
Hunter stops kissing my neck. He straightens and looks down at me, cocking an eyebrow. “Riley Bishop, was that a no I just heard from your pretty little lips?”
Startled, I open my mouth to deny it, but I can’t. It was repackaged in different words, but it was a no. “I’m not even allowed to…? I have to let you buy me a car?”
Hunter nods, then resumes kissing my neck. “I’ve made your life terrible. I know.”
“But I didn’t think…”
“I’ve bought the rights to your resistance. Those rights will revert to you on graduation day. Until then, you don’t get to say no to me. Whatever I want, I get.” His lips find a particularly sensitive nook, and a thrill shoots down my spine. “If I want to buy you a car, you say, ‘Thank you, Hunter.’ If I want you to peel your panties off and stuff them in my pocket so I know all the way through dinner you’re sitting across from me, squirming, your pussy wet and wanting…”
A breath rushes out of me. Arousal makes me squeeze my thighs together, protecting my panties. “Okay. Wait a minute. We need to back up a little. I don’t think I fully understood the terms…”
“Too late. You already accepted.” Straightening again, he looks down at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “You’ve really gotta get better at reading that fine print.”
Chapter Fifty Seven
Riley
After a tense attempt at renegotiation, Hunter and I finally emerge from my bedroom.
My panties are in his pocket.
It’s possible I’ve made a mistake.
I take his hand anyway, letting an easy smile grace my lips as I haul Hunter back to the kitchen.
As expected, Mom is waiting as if on tenterhooks.
She breathes again when I enter the room, but I can feel the change in her. Whatever good will she’d been prepared to offer Hunter, it has been suspended until further notice.
“Ray and I talked,” Mom says.
I hold up a hand to stop her. “It’s fine.”
“We don’t need the money,” she says, shaking her head. “He can wait. He can apply for the loan another time—”
“Mom,” I interrupt firmly. “He doesn’t need to apply for another loan. Hunter’s set to invest. We’re good.”
She shakes her head, shooting Hunter a dirty look. Her gaze drops to my hand in his, then she looks back at my face, her eyes pleading. “Now I need to talk to you.”
I let go of Hunter’s hand and tell him I’ll be right back, then I follow Mom into the living room.
“I think I may have put my cart behind the wrong horse,” she says in a rush. “But to be fair, there weren’t any good horses. You only like bad horses, so I just had to—Well, I guess I didn’t have to, I could have just let you figure it all out for yourself, but I couldn’t. I saw you heading straight for a train wreck and I had to try to stop it. Liking boys is one thing, I figured we’d have to deal with that eventually, but I panicked. I thought ‘Hunter might not be perfect, but there are worse boys she could like,’ and apparently, you were ready to! So, I thought maybe I should give Hunter a chance, but he’s a manipulator. I knew that. I—”
I take her hand to get her attention. “Mom. Stop. I don’t know what you’re ranting about.”
“I rescind my tentative approval of Hunter Maxwell,” she says, cutting to the chase.
I shake my head, offering her a little smile. “Don’t do that.”