I am going to stare at you until you respond. O_O

It made him smile.

He told himself to knock it off.

His phone vibrated again.

O_O

And again.

O_O

Hunter slid his thumb across the keys.

Careful. Your eyes will dry out.

As always, her response appeared almost instantly.

I knew the staring would get you.

He didn’t know what to say to that. A pause, and then another message appeared.

What are you still doing up?

I couldn’t sleep while someone was staring at me.

Why did you throw me out of your car this morning?

Hunter had no idea how to respond. I didn’t want to get played seemed like the wrong thing to say.

He already felt like a loser for almost breaking down in front of her. No sense adding more weight to that.

Then again, she’d lost her mother. Maybe he’d misread this morning entirely.

Nick’s breathing changed, and he shifted on the bed, running a hand across his face before looking down at Hunter. “What are you doing?” He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “It’s two a.m.”

“Sorry. Can’t sleep.” Hunter clicked the phone off and shoved it under the blanket.

“Who are you texting?”

“Nobody.”

A pause. A long one.

A weighted one.

Then Nick’s voice gained an edge as he said, “Is this some elaborate trick to get in our house? Are you reporting back to Bill about us—”

“I’m not.” Hunter paused. “It’s just a girl.”

“Prove it.”

Hunter’s pride wanted him to refuse—but he really couldn’t blame Nick for not trusting him. He pulled the phone out from under the blanket, unlocked the screen until Kate’s texts were visible, and tossed it.

Nick took a quick glance, then tossed it back. The edge was gone from his voice. “Kate? The one who just transferred?”

Hunter looked up in surprise—though her name was clearly at the top of the screen. “How did you know?

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