Page 90 of Reverie

“Sunbeam, are you okay?”

He barely has time to get the words out before I strong-arm him out of my way and retch bile and probably some of my pills onto the carpet.

“Oh, shit,” Hunter curses, and when there’s a break in my heaving, I collapse on all fours.

“Shit,” he repeats, but his voice is heavy with worry. In a moment, he shifts me over so that I’m cradled in his arms. In a powerful lunge, he takes the nine steps to bring me from the entrance of our room to our bathroom. He places me on the short settee near our toilet.

I drop my sweaty head in my hands.

“Ugh, I’ll clean that up in a minute,” I mumble, trying to collapse into my thighs. My esophagus burns and quivers on the edge of puking again.

Hunter rubs my back in slow, silent circles, and I relax into his touch.

“The baby?” he says, his voice as soft as his movements.

I nod my head, still keeping my face pressed to my lap. Well, as close to my lap as I can comfortably contort myself with the roundness of my baby bump in the way.

“They really didn’t like the thought of the eggs benedict that was served at the breakfast,” I quip.

Deciding it’s time to sit up, or at least to test my ability to, I straighten my spine and meet Hunter’s cerulean eyes.

Looking at him never ceases to stun me, and I’m not convinced that the feeling will ever fade.

Will his attraction to me fade over time, though?

I take in his features and then look at my mangled nails.

Has he already lost the spark?

My hands begin to tremble, and I bend forward again, banding my arms around my stomach as the nausea returns.

Hunter jumps back and commands, “Wait here,” without looking at me while he storms out of the bathroom. I count my breaths, both to anchor myself in time to see if he’ll return and also to give my queasy stomach something else to focus on besides the idea of hurling up my guts.

Again.

But Hunter returns a few moments later, fumbling with several small items in his palms.

“I had one of Misha’s people go out and get you some ginger pops. Also, the Internet said that peppermint might help with the nausea. But if it’s really bad, I can take you to the doctor here on the base and see if they can get you a real anti-nausea medicine that’s safe.”

He spills all this while kneeling in front of me and unwrapping a lollipop and peppermint. Finally, he offers one of each to me.

“Which one feels right?” His gaze is earnest, and I can’t help it.

I start to cry.

This is confusing.Heis confusing. He’s been hot and cold, on and off, for several days, and I feel like a fool for believing that we were on a new road.

Because as soon as something upset him, he shut down quicker than a laptop with a dead battery.

“Sunbeam,” he says with a sigh. I throw myself into his arms, pulling him close. He puts his hand on my cheek, and the roughness of his calloused palms makes my body feel electrified.

“Are we okay, Hunter?” The words are vulnerable, more dangerous than they should feel.

“We are more than okay. We, you and me, are perfect, Winter.”

I bite my lip as I look at his face, searching for any sign of deceit. There’s so much on his shoulders, but the decision not to speak up isn’t the right one.

“You’re doing it again, Hunter.” I take a deep breath.