by Erika Wilde
“Are you doing okay?” she asked, looking incredibly beautiful in a scarlet dress that Maddux had scowled at earlier for being too sexy on their sister, who was plenty old enough to wear whatever the hell she wanted, even if there was a lot of bare skin showing.
“I’d be a whole lot better if I could get rid of this fucking bow tie,” he groused as he tugged on the offending object, because Tempest knew how much he abhorred black-tie affairs and stuffy formal attire.
She playfully smacked at his hand to make him stop pulling on the bow. “I loosened it for you earlier, in Maddux’s office,” she reminded him. “So stop being such a drama queen and deal with it.”
He huffed out a laugh, but the mention of their meeting in Maddux’s office before the start of the ball had Hunter quickly sobering again. “I can’t believe, after all these years, Theodore is finally going to get his due.”
Tempest exhaled a soft breath as they continued to walk side by side through the elaborately decorated ballroom, keeping to themselves for the moment. “I know. But he ruined our lives, and it’s time he paid.”
Hunter nodded in agreement. For the past fourteen years, Maddux’s sole focus had been all about amassing their fortune from nothing for one reason only. His brother had created MadX-Tech with the help of an investor and built it into the billion-dollar corporation it was today, all with the intention of one day destroying the man who’d so callously ripped their family apart.
“I just hate that Maddux insisted on confronting Theodore alone,” Hunter said, glancing down at his sister. “I should be there with him tonight.”
“I understand how you feel,” she said, her expression surprisingly sage. “But Maddy has harbored the most anger and resentment over the years. The past has tormented him, and I believe he needs this moment, on his own, to heal some of his pain. He was the one who was there when our parents died as a result of the fire Theodore set at Mom and Dad’s restaurant, and he’s always felt responsible for what happened, even though it wasn’t his fault.”
Hunter’s jaw clenched as he downed the last of the bourbon in his glass before handing it off to a passing waiter. The fire had been deliberately set because Theodore had been extorting money from small businesses, and their parents hadn’t been able to pay that week. Fucking bastard.
“He’s lived with that memory and guilt for fourteen years,” Tempest went on, her argument a solid one. “That’s a long time for all that burning rage to build up inside of him toward Theodore. We need to let Maddy do this on his own and avenge Mom’s and Dad’s deaths, then maybe, hopefully, he can let it go and move on with his life.”
“You’re right,” he agreed, realizing that it was vital that this retribution belonged to his brother for all the reasons his sister had stated, even if that knowledge was hard for Hunter to accept.
“He promised to text us later and let us know when it was over,” Tempest said, giving Hunter’s arm a squeeze. “So please try and relax and enjoy yourself.”
Hunter didn’t think either was going to happen. Despite deferring the Theodore situation to their brother, it was difficult not to be a little tense knowing what was potentially happening somewhere on the upper level.
They stopped near what appeared to be an enchanted forest within the ballroom, with real trees wrapped in an airy fabric and twinkling lights. The entire room had been transformed into a wonderland, with beautiful crystal chandeliers, dramatic up lighting, candles floating in the huge marble fountain, and dozens of floral arrangements placed throughout the area. While Hunter was a no-frills kind of guy, it was hard not to appreciate all the hard work his sister had put into the décor for the ball.
“You did an amazing job with this year’s charity event. Even if it is a bit fanciful and frivolous,” he teased in an attempt to lighten things after their heavier conversation.
She let her hand slide from his arm and tipped her head as she regarded him with clear, amber-hued eyes. “Do you know why I chose fairy tales for this year’s theme?” she asked, but didn’t wait for Hunter’s reply, which he was grateful for because he had no clue as to what had prompted her decision. “Because everyone deserves a happily ever after. Maddux. Me. Even you, Hunter.”
Her voice softened at the end, but it did nothing to dissolve the bitterness that resided in his heart when it came to love and forever dreams. It was the shards of that deep, jagged pain that now protected his emotions when it came to forming anything more than a purely sexual relationship with a woman. He didn’t want or need love after losing his fiancée so tragically, but he was a man and sex was one of the few pleasures he allowed his body to enjoy. Beyond that, he wasn’t interested.
He gave his sister a sardonic smile. “Just in case you’ve forgotten, I had my chance at a happily ever after, and fate decided that I didn’t deserve it.”
“None of us will ever forget what happened to Natalie,” she said, her tone and expression compassionate, as it always was when the subject of his fiancée was brought up. “And sometimes life isn’t fair, but don’t ignore a second chance if it’s offered, because you do deserve it. What happened to Natalie wasn’t your fault.”
Hunter believed differently but didn’t argue. This wasn’t the first time his sister had given him, and even Maddux, a well-meaning lecture on finding a woman to settle down with because she wanted them to have someone to share their life with. But any kind of second chance wouldn’t ever be on Hunter’s radar, because he wasn’t opening himself up to that kind of devastating casualty again.
Losing his parents when he was a teenager in the manner that he had had been difficult enough. But compound it with Natalie’s senseless death and he just didn’t trust that the universe wouldn’t rip his world out from under him a third time—just to mock him for believing he could be content and fulfilled and settled with one special person. He’d had his chance, and he’d fucking failed at protecting the woman he’d loved.
“Dinner is scheduled to be served in about twenty minutes,” his sister said, breaking into his dark thoughts. “And I need to go and double-check that there aren’t any problems in the kitchen.”
Arching a brow, Hunter slid his hands into the front pockets of his dress pants. “Don’t you have people who do that for you?”
She laughed lightly. “Yes, of course, but you know me—”
“You need to be in charge of everything,” he finished for her.
His sister was a bit of a control freak, but then again, he supposed that’s what made her such a good businesswoman herself. At the age of twenty-six, she’d already produced one successful, lucrative company—Wilder Passions, an online monthly subscription service featuring the lingerie she designed and created. Now that the business was profitable, she was ready to tackle a second, more illicit project called Wilder Things, and Hunter had no doubt it would be just as fruitful.
Tempest gave him a sassy smile and tipped her head back, causing the long ruby earrings hanging from her lobes to sparkle from the overhead chandeliers. “Must be a sibling trait, because you and Maddux are the epitome of controlling, dominant alpha males.”
Far more than his sister probably knew, and he didn’t deny her claim or enlighten her further. In business, both he and his brother were assertive and decisive and had a low tolerance for bullshit. And for Hunter, that control spilled over into the bedroom and fucking a woman and keeping everything focused on the physical pleasure of the act. Nothing more, nothing less.
“By the way, where’s Kyle?” Hunter asked of the man Tempest had been casually dating for the past few months.
“He’s around, somewhere.” She shrugged, her lips pursing in the slightest bit of irritation. “Probably glad-handing his way through the party.”
Hunter had never connected with Kyle on a personal level, and neither had Maddux, but they’d tolerated him because he was dating their sister. But there was something about the man that Hunter didn’t completely trust, though up to this point, there had been nothing conc
rete to substantiate those feelings. “Trouble in paradise?” Damn, did he actually sound hopeful?
“There was never any paradise with Kyle,” she said, and sighed. “Kyle definitely isn’t my happily ever after . . . he just won’t accept the fact that the two of us are done on a romantic level.”
Hunter couldn’t say that that news made him unhappy, but the fact that Kyle was being so persistent definitely irked him. “I’d be happy to deliver that message for you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, I can handle Kyle, and plan to after tonight. I just didn’t want there to be any animosity between us tonight, or risk him making a scene. But enough about me,” she said, quickly changing the subject as she smoothed a hand down the lapel of Hunter’s tuxedo jacket, her gaze soft and imploring as it met his. “Please try and have a good time tonight, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.” It was a fucking lie, but it appeased his sister and that’s all that mattered to him.
Tempest walked away, and just as Hunter decided to head to the bar for another drink—because the only way he was going to get through tonight was with copious amounts of alcohol to dull his senses—a woman’s sharp gasp redirected his attention to a trio of females gathered on the other side of the large Corinthian-style column he was standing behind.
“Is that Elle?” a girl’s high-pitched voice shrieked incredulously. “I can’t believe she actually had the nerve to show up here!”
Curious despite himself, Hunter shifted his stance to get a better view of the women, then followed their gazes out the open double doors leading to the entrance to the ball, where one of the evening’s security personnel, Michael, was checking the verified guest list on his tablet.
Standing next to Michael was a stunning woman dressed in a beautiful flowing lavender-hued ball gown that accentuated the fullness of her breasts, the indentation of her waist, and the flare of her hips. The gown wasn’t as ostentatious and extravagant as those of most of the other women in attendance, who were all about flaunting their wealth. No, her dress was simple and romantic with a vintage feel, but that was part of the reason the gorgeous blonde stood out and drew Hunter’s attention. Sometimes, less was more, and with her natural beauty, she didn’t need excessive embellishments and frills.
Shockingly, his reaction and attraction to her were immediate and visceral, like a jolt of electricity awakening that part of him that hadn’t been truly captivated by a woman in a very long time. He’d spent years going through the motions because he was a normal man who liked and enjoyed the opposite sex, but this feeling swirling inside him was . . . different. And a little strange. And a whole lot disconcerting.
Yeah, he’d be smart to move right along and leave the beauty to her own devices. He took a step toward the bar before another snide comment stopped him short again.
“I thought you said you left her name off the RSVP card,” one of the other younger women said to the elder lady, her tone petulant.
“I did, Gwen.” Anger threaded through the older woman’s voice, who looked as though she might be the two girls’ mother. “She won’t be on the guest list, so I’m sure she’ll be turned away,” she added confidently.
“And where did she get a dress like that?” Another irritable comment from the female named Gwen. “I never saw her bring that gown home, and I just looked through her closet this morning.”
“She must have hidden it from us,” the other girl said, though she didn’t seem as catty or mean as Gwen.
Gwen pressed her lips together in an unflattering, I-just-sucked-on-a-lemon kind of pucker. “Well, if I would have seen it, my scissors would have accidentally cut it to pieces.”
“She really does look beautiful,” the other younger girl said, her voice almost wistful. “It’s like she had a fairy godmother who gave her a complete head-to-toe makeover. And from what I can see of those crystal-like shoes she’s wearing, they’re absolutely beautiful.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “For God’s sake, Claire, stop mooning over her outfit. We look far more beautiful in these custom-made dresses from Paris. Whatever that frock is that she’s wearing, it can’t even come close to competing with our designer gowns.”
Hunter wanted to beg to differ and set the girl named Gwen straight . . . that the woman she was disparaging was ten times more alluring than she ever could be. And it had nothing to do with the gowns they were wearing, but the elegant poise of the blonde compared to Gwen’s obnoxious disposition.
“Ahhh,” the older woman finally said, a triumphant smile curving her lips. “See, what did I tell you? Security is telling her to leave.”
“Thank God,” Gwen said, shaking out the voluminous skirt of her ball gown.
Hunter shifted his gaze again to the blonde just outside the charity event. The crestfallen look he saw on her face was so genuine and real it made his chest tighten with a startling, protective kind of emotion.
“Exactly,” the elder woman said, her voice laced with satisfaction. “We don’t need any other competition here tonight when you and Claire need to be the center of attention to find a wealthy man.”
“Oh, my God, did you see Hunter Wilder?” the girl named Claire said, pressing a hand to her heart. “That man is so hot and I call dibs on him.”
Gwen laughed sardonically. “What makes you think you’d catch the eye of a sophisticated, wealthy, good-looking man like that?”
Were these women for real? Hunter shook his head at the girls’ squabbling, over him, no less—as if he’d even be interested in either of them, and he was so done with their cattiness. They had no idea he was standing right beside the pillar in their peripheral vision, but in a moment of spontaneity, he decided to make his presence known and stop the blonde beauty before she could leave. Clearly, she’d been invited and had been deliberately left off the RSVP card, and Hunter was suddenly in the mood to deliver a bit of poetic justice to the trio of females, who were almost gleeful that security had turned away the woman in the lavender gown.
He moved forward, deliberately cutting in between the three women. “Excuse me, ladies,” he said politely, catching the widening of Claire’s and Gwen’s eyes, along with their startled expressions, as they realized who he was.
He strode out the double doors and down to where security was set up for the evening, knowing without a doubt that the three women back in the ballroom were watching to see what transpired. Despite all the reasons Hunter knew he shouldn’t get involved in this less-than-ideal situation, he was undeniably intrigued by the blonde. He also desperately needed a distraction for the evening considering what was transpiring with Theodore, and she clearly could use a date for the evening.
Halfway to reaching Michael, the blonde woman turned around to go, her embarrassment at being shunned almost tangible, and Hunter didn’t hesitate to stop her.
“Wait,” he called out, his voice firm and direct—the kind of tone that commanded attention, and it definitely worked to seize hers.
Complying with his request, she tensed and pivoted back around, her pink, glossy lips parting ever so slightly as he finished his approach and addressed security.
“Michael, is there an issue here?” he asked, glancing back at the woman, who was even more striking up close, with her pale, creamy skin, lovely features, and those big blue eyes that were regarding him cautiously, as if she expected him to berate her for attempting to get into the ball.
“There is no issue, Mr. Wilder,” his trusted security guy replied.
The woman standing only a few feet away from Hunter shifted uneasily on her feet, a look of uncertainty on her face. “Then what is the problem?” he demanded to know. “Why didn’t you let her through?”
“She provided an invitation and her identification, but her name wasn’t on the RSVP list, so I had to turn her away, which has always been standard protocol for these yearly events, sir.”
Michael confirmed what Hunter had overheard in the ballroom . . . that this woman was left off the RSVP card.
Deliberately so.
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Wilder,” she said, her soft, slightly husky voice and the mention of his name drawing his gaze back to her. She licked her bottom lip nervously. “There was a mistake with the invitation and the RSVP card. I don’t want to cause any trouble for anyone. I’m leaving.”
Crazily enough, the thought of never seeing her again sent a shocking sense of panic rippling through Hunter. “No,” he said, and didn’t question the adamant tone of his voice. “You’re staying.”
She inhaled a soft breath, and her eyes rounded in stunned surprise—so unassuming and ingenuous compared to the cunning, deceitful trio back in the ballroom. Her actions, expressions, and hints of vulnerability told him she was kinder and far more soft-hearted.
“But sir—” Michael began, equally shocked by the request.
Hunter waved a hand in the air, cutting off his security guy. “She’s staying, Michael. As my guest,” he said, in a tone that brooked no argument.
Stepping toward her, Hunter stopped less than a foot away and found himself so utterly and completely beguiled by her. Realizing how brusque he’d been up to this point, he allowed a charming, more sensual smile to lift the corners of his mouth. That kind of indulgent smile for him was rare these days, but there was something about this woman that made him want to put her at ease with him.
“I’m Hunter Wilder,” he said, introducing himself. “And you are?”
“My name is Elle,” she replied softly.
He arched a brow at her less-than-revealing reply. “And your last name?”
Her teeth grazed across her plump bottom lip as she contemplated her answer, and God, she had such a soft, lush-looking mouth. The kind that made him imagine all the hot, dirty ways he’d like to feel that mouth on various parts of his body.
After a few moments, she looked up at him through the long, thick lashes framing her blue eyes, her expression flirtatious and coy. “Tonight, it’s just Elle.”