“I slept with Hunter,” I blurted.
Billie’s mouth dropped open. Then she slapped one hand over it and looked around the cafeteria like the nurses at the next table might care about my sex life.
“You slept with Hunter Russell?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“And you kept this from me all week?”
“I was processing.” I took a long draw of my iced coffee.
“You had sex with the man you’ve had a forbidden crush on for years, and you processed alone?” she asked, offended.
“I panicked,” I confessed. I stirred my coffee even though it did not need stirring. “His mom knows.”
Billie went completely still. “What do you mean his mom knows?”
“Isla came home early with a stomachache, and Sloane found out I was in Hunter’s room,” I said quickly, then winced.
Billie’s eyes went huge. “No. Did Isla see you?”
“No. Sloane helped him sneak me out.”
Billie made a small sound and pressed both hands to her face. “This is the best and worst thing I have ever heard.”
“It was awful. Sloane saw me, and now she knows about me and Hunter.”
“What did Hunter do?”
“He was mortified. Guilty. Apologizing every two seconds. He’s been texting all week, but we’ve been keeping distance.”
Billie’s expression softened. “How much distance?”
“Too much.” The words came out before I could make them casual.
Billie studied me. “You miss him.”
“I miss him so much it’s embarrassing,” I pouted. It felt good to get my feelings off my chest.
“Was it good?” she asked because she was Billie Rose and needed all the details.
Heat rushed up my neck.
Billie sat forward. “Oh, it was good.”
“He was so attentive. Like he noticed everything. He made me feel wanted but also safe, which sounds cheesy and annoying.”
“It doesn’t.”
“With Julian, I always felt like I was trying to be enough. With Hunter, I didn’t feel like I had to perform. I just felt like he wanted me there. Exactly as I was.”
Billie’s face softened. “That’s not small, Cat.”
“I know.”
“So, what’s the problem besides every obvious problem?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “He feels guilty about my parents, Isla, and the team. And I hate that he feels guilty about me. We’re two adults falling for each other.”