Reckless Entanglement: The Hunter Brothers Book # 1

by Iona Rose

  “Stop following me Matt,” I snap. “I don’t want to see you and I certainly don’t want to talk. I have nothing to say to you.”

  He looks hurt and I feel a rush of guilt before I remind myself that our whole relationship was a lie. If anyone should be wearing that hurt puppy look, it’s me. I turn away from Matt again, but he grabs my hand and holds it in his. It’s obvious he’s not ready to let me walk away from him, so I decide to hear him out and then he’ll have no reason to keep on following me. “What do you want?” I demand.

  “I heard you quit your job. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  I snort out a bitter laugh. “I’m just peachy. Now if that’s it…?”

  He still holds my hand in his and I have to fight to not let myself feel the sparks where our hands touch. Matt might have only pretended to have feelings for me, but the lust? That’s real.

  “Why did you leave the restaurant?” he asks.

  Seriously? I thought I was slow on the uptake. How can he not see what’s going on here? “Let me see. Maybe because everyone at work thinks I was in on your little ruse. And that I betrayed all of their trust.”

  “Shit,” Matt says. “I’m sorry, Callie. I didn’t think of that. Look I can fix this.”

  “That’s not even the worst part,” I say, before I can stop myself.

  Dammit. I had no intention of saying more, but I have to now since I’ve led in with that.

  Matt’s looking at me questioningly, waiting for me to elaborate.

  Oh screw it, I’ll just tell him the truth. What does it matter now?

  “You know when Marco came onto me, I didn’t find him remotely attractive. But even if I had been attracted to him, I would never have slept with him. You know why? Because the idea of getting a promotion because I was fucking the boss turned my stomach. Days after I told you I was paying my own way through college, I mysteriously got a promotion and a pay rise. I wonder why that could be? Oh, yeah. Because I was fucking the boss.”

  “Callie no, it wasn’t like that. Let me explain —”

  “Save your explanation for someone who gives a shit Matt, because quite frankly, I’m done with you and I’m done with this conversation. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a class to get to.”

  It’s a lie, but after Matt lied about literally everything, I feel it’s justified. I try to pull my hand away, but Matt isn’t letting go of me. I pull harder, but he only tightens his grip.

  A man passing by pauses to look at us. “Are you alright, miss?” he asks.

  “She’s fine,” Matt says.

  The man ignores him, waiting for me to confirm I am indeed all right. I could say no, he won’t let go of me, but I’m not about to instigate a fight. Instead, I nod and give what I hope is a sheepish smile. “I’m fine, thank you,” I say. “Just a stupid argument.” I glare pointedly at where Matt still holds onto me.

  He releases me and the man keeps walking.

  I start to walk away, hoping this will be the end of it. The longer I spend with Matt, the harder it’s getting to stay so angry at him. I can feel myself starting to cave in, to at least want to hear how he thinks he can justify all of this.

  It isn’t the end of it. Matt closes the gap between us in two long strides.

  I keep walking, not even looking at him, and he falls into step beside me. “Look I get why you’re angry. Really I do. I would be too. And I know you don’t owe me anything, but please let’s just grab a coffee or something and let me explain.”

  “I’ve told you, I’m running late for class,” I say.

  “Okay. Dinner tonight then. We’ll talk, and I swear I’ll tell you anything you want to know. After that, if you never want to see me again, you have my word I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Fine,” I hear myself say before I have a chance to really think it through.

  Curiosity has gotten the better of me. I have to have some answers so I can get closure and move on. At least that’s what I tell myself, because it’s an easier truth to swallow than the real truth. The truth where I want Matt to be able to explain things in a way that makes sense to me. In a way where I can forgive him.

  Not that it matters. We’re done. I was just a pawn in his James Bond game. He only wants to explain to ease his own conscience. I’m about to open my mouth to tell him I’ve changed my mind, and I don’t want to hear it.

  “I’ll pick you up from your dorm room at seven. See you then,” Matt says before I have a chance to speak.

  “Whatever,” I say, cursing inwardly that he got in before me and I lost my chance to change my mind.

  “See you tonight.” Matt turns and walks back towards the car which has been idling at the curb waiting for him.

  I have to admit he’s good. He sensed I was ready to call the whole thing off, so he got the hell away from me before I could tell him no. I could still text him and cancel, but we both know I won’t do that. We both know I have way too many questions to back out of this now.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Callie

  I wait nervously for Matt, pacing the floor of my dorm’s entrance way. I am wearing a short black dress and high heels. I have no idea where Matt is planning on taking me, and I don’t care. I haven’t dressed up for him. I’ve done it to make myself feel confident. I don’t want a repeat of the last time we went for a meal and I felt so out of place.

  I check my phone for the time. It’s only ten to seven. I keep pacing. I am so nervous I can taste the coppery adrenaline in my mouth. I tell myself to calm down. It’s not like it matters what I say or do. Matt and I aren’t a thing. We never were anyway except in my own head. I suddenly know tonight is going to be a disaster. At least today hasn’t been a total write off.

  I didn’t get much of my paper done in the library, but I did manage to talk to the librarian about my job hunt and she told me about a part time position in the library which they usually like to fill with a student. I filled out an application form there and then and I had a good feeling about that. I love books and I let it show as I chatted to the librarian. I think she liked me too, which is a good start.

  The door to my dorm opens and there he is, early. He’s dressed in fashionable ripped jeans and a cream colored dress shirt. I get a whiff of his no doubt expensive aftershave as he spots me and steps closer to me.

  He kisses my cheek before I can stop him and I try to ignore the tightening in my stomach as his lips touch my skin and I smell the scent of him beneath the aftershave. “Hi,” I mutter.

  “Hey,” he says. “You ready?”

  If he finds it strange that I’m in the lobby of the building instead of letting him up to my room like I usually do, he doesn’t mention it. I nod tersely and he pulls the door open for me. I step through it, thanking him more out of habit than any real gratitude.

  He leads me to a gleaming red Maserati and opens the door for me. I get in and he closes the door and hurries around to the driver’s side. He gets in.

  “Another one of your brother’s cars, so you could impress the poor girl?” I ask sarcastically.

  Matt looks at me and I can see the tension in his face.

  I feel a pull of guilt which I ignore. He’s brought this on himself.

  “Actually it’s mine. So was the other one. And I have another couple too. I would like to impress you Callie, but let’s be honest. It’s going to take more than a flashy car for me to make a good impression on you.”

  He’s got that much right at least. I make a non-committal grunt.

  Matt pulls away from the curb and we drive off. The car doesn’t so much growl as it purrs. It’s smooth, almost silent, and I have to admit that under any normal circumstances, I’d love this car.

  That’s the thing though isn’t it? These aren’t any normal circumstances. Normally, when Matt and I are together, the conversation flows easily and we end up laughing at something stupid, but tonight, there’s no laughter. There’s not even any conversation. There’s just this awkward sil
ence that hangs in the air, a physical thing, a barrier that I’m not sure we can ever break through.

  It occurs to me that even if Matt manages to give me an explanation for all of the lies, one I can live with, we still can’t be together. I don’t fit into his world, and I refuse to be his project, the little poor girl he saves from her shitty life.

  Whatever happens between Matt and me tonight, this will be the last time I see him. The notion sends a pang of regret through me, but it also eases some of my tension. I don’t have anything to be nervous about. Nothing is riding on this. It’s just my chance to get some answers before I forget about Matt altogether and get on with my life. “Why did you take the train every day if you have, what, four sports cars?” I ask.

  “Five,” Matt says.

  I frown at this answer.

  He smiles apologetically. “Sorry… but I did promise you total honesty. It’s not four cars, it's five. I took the train that first day because I wanted to talk to you, to see if you could give me anything I could use. But after that? Honestly Callie, I did it because I wanted to get to know you better. I would rather have walked home through snow and rain with you than driven home without you.”

  Well, the first part of that is honest at least.

  “Look Matt if we’re going to do this, then you need to know that you don’t have to try and make me feel better. I know I was just a piece of the puzzle to you, a game, and I can make my peace with that. So you don’t need to try and make out that you actually wanted to be around me.”

  Matt laughs.

  It’s a sound that surprises me and I frown.

  He shakes his head and glances at me before turning his eyes back to the road. “You’re giving me much more credit as an actor than I deserve. You were never part of any sort of game.”

  His words should soothe me, but they don’t. Instead, they put me on edge. Could it be possible? Could what we had have been real? I can’t let myself go there. Instead, I focus on the questions swirling through my mind. I decide to start with the smaller ones, leading up to the real issues. I don’t think I’m ready to ask the big questions yet. “When we went to that restaurant, you lied about knowing the owner didn’t you? You just paid full price?”

  “Yes and no,” Matt says. “I paid full price because I chose to. I own the place.”

  “Oh…” I pause, taken aback once more.

  That certainly explains why he was confident we wouldn’t be turned away, and it explains why all of the staff were so familiar with him. It does give him a few brownie points though. None of the staff seemed nervous around him, and he treated them all with respect.

  “Who was the man who interrupted us at the table to buy you a drink?” I ask.

  “I still don’t know,” he says. “He never did call. I think he just recognized me and wanted to say hello.”

  “At least, he knew who you actually were, so he had one up on me I guess,” I say bitterly.

  Matt glances at me again, and then he pulls next to the curb.

  I look around, but there’s no sign of anywhere we could be eating here.

  Matt turns to face me, the engine still running. “Listen to me Callie. If you only believe one thing I tell you today, then make sure it’s this. I didn’t tell you everything, and I should have. I see that now. But I have never lied about who I am. Everything you’ve seen of me has been the real me. The money, the power? They’re just material things. They’re not important. What’s important is who I am as a person, and that hasn’t changed.”

  “You’re telling me that a billionaire businessman genuinely enjoyed drinking cheap wine from the bottle in the park?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes. And I enjoyed watching you squirm in that cooking lesson doorway. And I enjoyed running through the rain with you and sharing popcorn with you. I even enjoyed the terrible college party. You know why? Because of you Callie. I would happily go and sit in a field in the middle of nowhere as long as you were with me.” He doesn’t wait for an answer, he just pulls back and starts driving again.

  My head is swirling. He isn’t acting any different from the Matt I knew. Ok, maybe he’s a little awkward, but then so am I. He’s not acting like he suddenly thinks he’s better than me, or like I am nothing but a nuisance that needs to be shut up and made to go away.

  I suddenly realize we’re heading away from the city center and I frown slightly as I look out of the window. I don’t recognize any of the buildings here. “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “The one place I could think of that you might actually want to go,” he replies. “My apartment. I’m going to cook you dinner and then we’re going to talk for as long as it takes me to convince you to give me another chance.”

  I’m still not sure there’s enough time in the world for that to happen, but I can’t help but smile a little when he says he’s taking me to his apartment. It’ll be nice to finally see the place he’s been keeping me away from since the moment we met. “It’s a proper bachelor pad isn’t it? Like a real dive. That’s why you’ve always kept me away from it,” I say, my tone light.

  “Yeah, that’s it. I’m a total slob. Pizza boxes all over, half empty cans of beer on every surface. But don’t worry, I had my housekeeper take care of it all,” he replies.

  My head turns quickly to look at him. A housekeeper? I relax when I see the twinkle in his eyes.

  “I’m just kidding Callie. As if I’d leave half of the beer.”

  Against my will, I feel myself laughing and the tension between us starts to fade a little.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Callie

  When we pull up outside of a swanky looking apartment building, I’m pleased to note it is indeed in Felton. At least, he was honest about that much. He didn’t mention the fact it’s in the really expensive end, but then again, I never asked.

  I don’t wait for Matt to come and get my door. I get out of the car myself, looking at the building with its steel and glass entryway complete with an actual doorman.

  A man appears, seemingly out of nowhere and Matt hands him his car keys. A doorman and a valet. I wonder if he was really joking about the housekeeper. He probably has a butler too.

  Matt comes to my side and offers me his arm.

  I debate not taking it, but I find myself slipping my arm through his. Fireworks sizzle in my stomach when we touch and my pussy clenches. Clearly, my body isn’t on the same page as my mind on this one.

  Matt leads me into the building, greeting the doorman on the way in. He leads me to the elevator. He presses the call button and the door pings open. The elevator is huge, mirrors on every wall. We step in and I look anywhere but at my own reflection.

  Matt pulls a credit card sized card out of his pocket and pushes it into a slot. The button for the penthouse apartment lights up when the card goes in the slot and Matt presses it.

  I swallow hard. I am so far out of my depth here.

  The elevator moves upwards and I remember the last time I was in an elevator with Matt. We were in a hotel, going up to a room to celebrate my promotion. I wanted to jump on him in the elevator but we weren’t alone. Now we are, and although my body still wants to jump on Matt, my head is in control, and it’s giving me a resounding no.

  Finally, the doors ping open and the moment passes. I step out of the elevator into a short hallway with only one door leading off it.

  Matt steps around me and unlocks the door with the same card he used in the elevator. He pushes the door open and gestures for me to enter.

  I go in and gasp when I see the place. The living room, dining area and kitchen are one huge open plan room, big enough for my childhood home to fit in and still have space left over. The wall opposite me is all glass, giving me a gorgeous view over the city. We’re high enough up that even with the glass wall, the place feels private.

  I take a step forward and then I slip my shoes off, conscious of my heels on the hardwood flooring. I move them to the side of the door and look
around again. The kitchen area is immaculate, the countertops and appliances gleaming. There’s a big mahogany table with eight chairs beside the giant window at the kitchen end. In the living room area, a big black leather couch takes center stage, a glass coffee table in front of it. On the wall, a huge TV.

  Opposite the window is an aquarium, lit up, and full of fish of every color built into the wall. Bubbles float lazily up to the surface where they pop, each one giving off a tiny spray.

  The whole apartment is decorated in muted creams and browns. Tasteful, masculine, yet far from a bachelor pad.

  “It’s beautiful,” I breathe.

  “Thanks,” Matt says. “Although I can’t take much credit for it to be honest. Give me a restaurant and I can design you a perfect dining area, but give me a home, and I’m lost. This is all Chance’s design skills. He’s the arty one.”

  “Your brother?” I say.

  Matt nods.

  “Yeah. Chance is the arty one, Seb is the numbers guy, and I’m the foodie. Everything I told you about my childhood was true. My mom really did instill a love for food in me. I guess that’s why I was attracted to the restaurant side of the business. And now you know why I didn’t train to be a chef. My dad would have never allowed it. Our paths were clear. Grow up and get involved in the business.”

  “You make it sound so normal. Like growing up a billionaire is nothing,” I say.

  Matt shrugs. “The thing is, to me it is normal. It’s just the way it was. Come on, sit down. I’ll pour us some wine and then put our dinner on. Are you hungry?”

  I give him a small nod as I walk to the long counter that separates the kitchen area from the rest of the room. Tall stools run the length of it and I perch on one of the stools, watching Matt as he goes to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of rose wine.

  “You did say you preferred rose right?” he says.

  I can’t help but smile as I nod. Maybe Matt lied about a lot, but it’s becoming clear to me that while we were together, he did listen to me. I told him in the restaurant we went to that I would have ordered rose wine.