All intense

Connor

I blink three times. The question hits me out of nowhere. How the hell does Claire know Hudson and Mason? I stare at her, my mind racing through every possible way she could have picked that up. Nothing makes sense right away.

"Wait. How do you know that name?" I ask. My voice comes out steady, but inside I feel the shift. Today already went sideways with Tyler and the bodies on the gravel. Now this.

Claire smirks. That sharp, knowing little curve of her mouth. She starts to push up from the couch like she is done talking and ready to walk away. Maybe to the bedroom. Maybe anywhere but here with me pressing.

I move fast. I reach out and grab her arm, pulling her right back down next to me. My hand stays on her for a second longer than it needs to. My face goes serious.

I lock eyes with her and ask again, slower this time."How do you know those names?"

She stops as her body goes still. Her eyes widened just a little. She looks scared. Not the loud kind of scared, but the quiet kind that makes her pull back an inch.

I hate seeing that on her face. After everything she went through today, after what she saw me do to Tyler, the last thing I want is her to be afraid of me.

I drop my shoulders on purpose and loosen my grip on her arm and let my hand fall away. I keep my voice low and even.

"Sorry. I'm just worked up. The whole thing has been a lot. I didn't mean to come at you like that."

She does not look away. Her arms cross over her chest, but she does not stand up again.

She speaks after a long beat. "You seem a bit strange ever since my breakup with Tyler. All intense and protective out of nowhere. Like you're hiding something or waiting for the next bad thing to happen. What's going on with you, Connor?"

I shake my head once and keep it simple "It's nothing."

But it is not nothing, and I cannot let the names sit there between us without knowing how she found them out.

I turn toward her more on the couch and look at her straight.

"Tell me how you really know those names."

She takes her time answering. She glances down at my arms because I am still half shirtless from earlier, her eyes trace over my body.

"You have them tattooed on your arms," she says, no fluff. "Hudson on one. Mason on the other. How could I not ask about it?. It's not like you were trying to hide them or anything."

I go still. The realization lands hard. Damn it. She is right. I got those tattoos years ago. Hudson on my left forearm. Mason on my right.

I look down at my own arms for a second. The ink is right where it has always been. Loyalty. Brotherhood. The kind that runs deep in the parts of my life she does not need to touch yet. I run a hand over my face and let out a slow breath.

She speaks again. "So are you going to tell me who they are or should I mind my business and go to bed?"

I think about my answer. I do not want to lie to her. Not after tonight. But telling her the full truth means pulling her into the darker side. Hudson and Mason are the ones who have my back when things get bloody. They are the ones who show up when I need muscle or information or backup. They are like brothers. The kind you do not question when the call comes in the middle of the night.

I keep it short at first."They are not really people you should worry about. They are like brothers to me. That's it."

Claire does not look satisfied. Not even close. She shifts on the couch so she faces me more.

Her leg presses against mine now as her eyes narrow a little, she raises one eyebrow.

"Brothers? That's all you are giving me? After everything that just happened? Come on, Connor. You know you are hiding something from me. I can see it all over your face. You have been off since Tyler. All this extra intensity. Spill it."

I stay quiet for a beat. My wound gives a small throb when I adjust my position. Claire's presence makes talk feel heavier and lighter at the same time.

She does not back down. She leans in a little more as her voice drops but keeps that bite she always has.

"Or are you bi? Because that is the only explanation on why you would tattoo two men on your arms. They must be important to you. No judgment if that is your thing. But you have got to give me something here."