"Hey, baby. Miss me?" Hunter whispers in my ear, sending a chill down my spine. He wraps his strong arms around me from behind, kissing the side of my neck.
I quickly move away from him. "You're back early." It's been two weeks since I ran into Jericho backstage, and it's now early December. Okay, so maybe Hunter's return is early for *me*. He didn't deserve to get hurt any more than I deserve how he treats me, though.
My husband steps in front of me so I can see his face. "I came back to keep an eye on you. I hope you realize this means no more hanging out with your boy toys."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb, Steph," he growls. "Rhyno. Rob Van Dam. Oh, and by the way, good idea bringing Kurt Angle and Test into the Alliance. Yeah, those are two guys I can really trust around you."
"It was a business decision," I say defensively.
"I'm sure it was. You always enjoyed mixing business with pleasure."
His words sting more than Jericho's. Aren't husbands supposed to be supportive of their wives? "Hunter, that's not fair-"
"You wanna talk about unfair, Steph? *Unfair* is being on the injured list for six months because you got hurt walking across the damned ring! *Unfair* is watching your wife acquire more power than you ever had, and all because she made a decision without consulting you first. So don't come crying to me about what isn't fair."
"Will you please shut the hell up? I can hear you two arguing down the hall and it's giving me a headache."
We both glance over to see Jericho standing in the doorway. I must admit, I'm grateful for his presence because it'll allow Hunter to focus his anger on someone else for awhile.
"Well, if it isn't Y2J," sneers Hunter. "You know, Austin might blame me for losing the tag team titles, but I blame *you* for my injury."
"You blame everyone," I mutter.
Hunter turns to me with murderous rage in his eyes. "*What* did you say?"
"N-nothing!" I stutter, frightened.
"That's what I thought."
Jericho's eyebrows shoot up. He's seen the fights my husband and I have had on television, but I don't think he's ever witnessed just how cold Hunter can be toward me. Sometimes that scares me more than anything else.
"You blame Y2J, huh?" the Canadian asks. "Well, I guess that makes you a first-rate ass clown then! Of course, every Jerichoholic knows that your *real* problem is jealousy- you can't stand the fact that your wife has a crush on me!"
"Stephanie doesn't give a damn about you," Hunter informs him. "She's *my* wife, and it's *me* she loves." Funny how he doesn't hesitate to defend me in front of the enemy. Wasn't he implying I was a slut earlier when no one else was around? Oh, that's right, he has to keep up that "perfect marriage" image for the rest of the world.
"Why don't we let the Princess tell us who she loves," suggests Jericho.
I glare at him, hating being put on the spot. I don't love *either* of them, but.
"Steph, honey," my husband interrupts, "what's your answer?" His voice is so saccharine sweet it makes me feel physically ill.
"You, Hunter," I say, after some hesitation. It's not like I have much of a choice, anyway.
Hunter smirks at Jericho. "You heard her. Now I think you should leave before I *make* you leave."
"No need to get hostile. I'm going, I'm going." Jericho puts his hands up in the air like he's being robbed at gunpoint and slowly backs out of the room.
Only then do I realize that he said things I disagreed with but not once did he actually insult me in the entire conversation.
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