disposed
toward him. But probably not.
It didn’t help that my head was
already starting to hurt like a motherfucker.
“Whatever.” I purposely
didn’t look him in the eye as I said it.
“Somebody have a little too much
to drink again?” he teased, playful as a kitten.
“Don’t count on it,”
I snapped.
“Ooooh, did your mother call you
and offer comments on your dress? Is that why the long face?”
“Just keep your eyes on the damn
road,” I retorted.
“No need,” he said with a
grin so cheesy it could’ve been its own pizza topping. “We’re
already there.”
I looked out the window and saw the
white columns of the manor house rising in the darkness, the cicadas
singing a welcoming lullaby.
“Fucking finally,” I
muttered. I swung the door open and stomped out, slamming it behind
me. “You drive like my grandma. What, are you afraid Chuck’s
going to send a damn helicopter to survey your cautious driving ass?”
It wasn’t my greatest parting
shot in my history of parting shots, but I’d take it. I whirled
around and headed for the guesthouse, intent on collapsing into bed
as soon as I made it through the door, dreams of sugar plums and
recriminations dancing in my head.
Only it seemed that Hunter had no plans
to let me make it to the guesthouse.
He planted himself in front of me,
blocking the path.
“I can actually go around you,
you know,” I pointed out. “You’ve got broad
shoulders, but it’s not like you can block all points in space
and time.”
“I don’t need to,” he
countered, moving to intercept me as I tried to go around him as I’d
threatened. “I just need to wear you down until you finally
give me a straight answer on why you’re acting like a bratty
teenager instead of my brilliant-minded work colleague and personal
guest.”
My fists clenched. I could feel a
tremble working its way outward from my heart, working its way into
my voice. “I don’t owe you an explanation, Hunter Knox. I
don’t owe you anything.”
“Maybe so,” he said, his
voice a dark rumble. “But I’m going to get one
regardless.”
I tried to shoulder past him, but he
threw out his strong arm and I ran right into it, that hard muscle
under his tailored tuxedo, the fabric crisp and smooth and smelling
of his cologne and of him, and oh God, he smelled so good, oh God, he
was so warm, I just wanted to taste him, I just wanted to melt into
his arms…
His arm wrapped around me, pulling me
to his chest.
My heart was beating a million times a
minute.
“Admit it,” he growled, his
voice darker than midnight, and my knees wobbled as arousal swept
through me. “Admit it, Ally: you’re jealous.”
“Of course I’m jealous!”
I exploded, ripping myself away from his grasp. My tiny fist hammered
onto his chest. “I’ve just been trying to be
professional, because goddamnit, some of us have to earn every inch
of our way to the top in this business, and I didn’t want
people to think I’d earned mine on my back! But—but you
asshole—” tears were threatening to choke my voice
now—“we shared something good, something, something real ,
and now you’re just—goddamnit, just onto the next girl,
and it’s my goddamn sister, how could you—”
“So you don’t want me
dating Paige?” he asked, an emotion I couldn’t identify
flitting behind his stoic mask.
“No!”
“Okay, then.” And then he
smiled. “I won’t.”
I gaped at him. “What…?”
“I won’t,” he
repeated, more gently this time. His hand reached out, cupping my
cheek. “I didn’t want to hurt you…I never want to
hurt you…”
“You did a good job anyway,”
I whispered.
His eyes were molten pools of gold, and
I was falling into them. “You’re all that I want…”
He leaned closer.
My lips parted, my breath stolen from
me by his mere presence.
Our lips met, hesitantly at first and
then with growing passion. His arms pressed me against his hard body,
my hands clutching
toward him. But probably not.
It didn’t help that my head was
already starting to hurt like a motherfucker.
“Whatever.” I purposely
didn’t look him in the eye as I said it.
“Somebody have a little too much
to drink again?” he teased, playful as a kitten.
“Don’t count on it,”
I snapped.
“Ooooh, did your mother call you
and offer comments on your dress? Is that why the long face?”
“Just keep your eyes on the damn
road,” I retorted.
“No need,” he said with a
grin so cheesy it could’ve been its own pizza topping. “We’re
already there.”
I looked out the window and saw the
white columns of the manor house rising in the darkness, the cicadas
singing a welcoming lullaby.
“Fucking finally,” I
muttered. I swung the door open and stomped out, slamming it behind
me. “You drive like my grandma. What, are you afraid Chuck’s
going to send a damn helicopter to survey your cautious driving ass?”
It wasn’t my greatest parting
shot in my history of parting shots, but I’d take it. I whirled
around and headed for the guesthouse, intent on collapsing into bed
as soon as I made it through the door, dreams of sugar plums and
recriminations dancing in my head.
Only it seemed that Hunter had no plans
to let me make it to the guesthouse.
He planted himself in front of me,
blocking the path.
“I can actually go around you,
you know,” I pointed out. “You’ve got broad
shoulders, but it’s not like you can block all points in space
and time.”
“I don’t need to,” he
countered, moving to intercept me as I tried to go around him as I’d
threatened. “I just need to wear you down until you finally
give me a straight answer on why you’re acting like a bratty
teenager instead of my brilliant-minded work colleague and personal
guest.”
My fists clenched. I could feel a
tremble working its way outward from my heart, working its way into
my voice. “I don’t owe you an explanation, Hunter Knox. I
don’t owe you anything.”
“Maybe so,” he said, his
voice a dark rumble. “But I’m going to get one
regardless.”
I tried to shoulder past him, but he
threw out his strong arm and I ran right into it, that hard muscle
under his tailored tuxedo, the fabric crisp and smooth and smelling
of his cologne and of him, and oh God, he smelled so good, oh God, he
was so warm, I just wanted to taste him, I just wanted to melt into
his arms…
His arm wrapped around me, pulling me
to his chest.
My heart was beating a million times a
minute.
“Admit it,” he growled, his
voice darker than midnight, and my knees wobbled as arousal swept
through me. “Admit it, Ally: you’re jealous.”
“Of course I’m jealous!”
I exploded, ripping myself away from his grasp. My tiny fist hammered
onto his chest. “I’ve just been trying to be
professional, because goddamnit, some of us have to earn every inch
of our way to the top in this business, and I didn’t want
people to think I’d earned mine on my back! But—but you
asshole—” tears were threatening to choke my voice
now—“we shared something good, something, something real ,
and now you’re just—goddamnit, just onto the next girl,
and it’s my goddamn sister, how could you—”
“So you don’t want me
dating Paige?” he asked, an emotion I couldn’t identify
flitting behind his stoic mask.
“No!”
“Okay, then.” And then he
smiled. “I won’t.”
I gaped at him. “What…?”
“I won’t,” he
repeated, more gently this time. His hand reached out, cupping my
cheek. “I didn’t want to hurt you…I never want to
hurt you…”
“You did a good job anyway,”
I whispered.
His eyes were molten pools of gold, and
I was falling into them. “You’re all that I want…”
He leaned closer.
My lips parted, my breath stolen from
me by his mere presence.
Our lips met, hesitantly at first and
then with growing passion. His arms pressed me against his hard body,
my hands clutching
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