by Anya Summers
On her way, she passed Chase and Kara at the back of the room. Kara's petite frame, in a fitted black cocktail dress, hummed with nervous excitement. Not long after Veronica took her seat next to Katarina and Will, her cousin strode in, looking gorgeous. He was so happy and in love with Zoey it made Veronica's heart squeeze. Declan greeted guests as he walked toward the altar. Jared was his best man and followed close behind him, looking dapper in his tux, followed by Tobias, with a mile-wide grin on his handsome face.
The pastor from the nearby village, Hank Cameron, a rather lanky fellow of indeterminate middle age, took up his position on the dais with the groomsmen.
Suddenly the orchestra switched from the Moonlight Sonata to Claire de Lune. All the seated guests, Veronica included, swiveled in their seats as Kara opened the doors. Lucy sashayed in looking like an Amazonian queen, the frosted ice, form-fitting blue gown was absolutely stunning on her figure. Tobias met her midway down the aisle, escorting her to the front dais. And then Ophelia floated in, meeting Jared midway.
Veronica stood with the rest of the audience as Zoey appeared in the doorway. Wow! Her dress was stunning, the silver and gold threads and gems shimmering like starlight. Veronica sighed with the rest of the crowd. Zoey glided like a royal queen down the aisle toward Declan, with love shining in her eyes. It was bittersweet to witness the mutual love between the bride and groom, their faces glowing with sublime happiness as Declan met Zoey at the altar, when Veronica's own love life consisted of broken dreams and shattered illusions.
The pastor's voice rose in the conservatory as he spoke of love and commitment. And she couldn't help but feel sorry for her own wretched state of affairs. Hunter had been the only man she'd ever been with whom she'd wanted those things with. She'd believed him when he'd promised forever, promised to come back for her. She didn't regret loving him for one second, for he had given her the greatest gift of her life: Colin.
Zoey and Declan lit the unity candle while Delilah sang Ave Maria gorgeously. It was all making Veronica weepy and emotional. The sooner she could say her goodbyes at the reception this evening and retreat to her room, the better off she would be. No more opening old wounds and making them bleed.
A perfunctory glance at Hunter made her heart tremble. His green gaze caught hers, and it was filled with questions. Ones she couldn't answer, because they would lead down a path of no return. As much as Veronica knew telling him about Colin was the right thing to do, at the end of the day, more than her fears over paparazzi intruding on his existence, was the very real possibility that Hunter would make Colin promises, too. Promises he wouldn't keep which would devastate her son. He was such a loving, thoughtful little boy, he'd take it to heart and think he'd done something wrong.
She tore her gaze away from him with a shake of her head. Last night and this morning had been an amalgam, an anomaly she couldn't allow to happen again. The best thing she could do was retreat. In fact, it was the only logical action that made sense to her. Especially since all her emotions were in a jumbled, tangled weave after seeing him.
Declan and Zoey completed their vows and exchanged rings. The pastor finished his sermon and then addressed the audience with a beaming grin.
"Honored guests, may I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Declan McDougal. Declan, you may kiss your bride."
Before the assembled crowd, Declan gently cupped Zoey's face and kissed her brainless. Veronica cheered, clapping her hands, as around her there were a few whistles and hollers mixed in before he ended the kiss. They left the altar, happiness radiating from their being. It was infectious and Veronica found herself smiling even as her heart clenched with agony.
Veronica walked with Katarina and Will, avoiding Hunter's inquisitive stare as he did his usher duties, dismissing guests row by row.
"That was lovely. What did you think, Will?" Katarina asked as they filed alongside her.
Will stumbled and stuttered before he gruffly replied, "As far as weddings go, it was fine, I suppose. I don't know that I'm the expert on that."
"Men really don't get it, do they?" Katarina gave Veronica a secretive grin. It made her think of one man in particular who'd never truly understood.
"No, they don't. It's okay, Will, don't feel bad. I think it's more of a female thing," Veronica conceded, trying to give the poor guy a break.
Wedding guests strolled from the conservatory to the ballroom down a corridor decorated like an enchanted forest. The design spilled over into the ballroom, where wait staff zoomed about the place with silver trays weighed down with appetizers.
She had been assigned to a table with Katarina and Will. Veronica breathed a sigh of relief as the rest of their table filled up with people she didn't know. She wouldn't have to fend Hunter off throughout dinner. That was something, at least.
Declan, Zoey, and the rest of the wedding party arrived in the ballroom, with Bastian Dean introducing them from his perch with his band, The Harbingers, on stage. Veronica wished she could say she was paying attention to the bride and groom but her gaze kept straying to Hunter. He kept shooting glances her way all throughout dinner, setting her nerves on edge. Even when Jared stood up as best man and gave his toast, she glanced at Hunter and found his attention focused solely on her. She missed a good portion of what Jared had said, although apparently it was a hit, since there was barely a dry eye in the place.
Veronica wondered how soon she could make her escape.
Chapter 7
Hunter studied Veronica all night long. Something was up. Why the hell was she giving him the cold shoulder? He thought they'd made significant progress in the last twenty-four hours because they were no longer sniping at one another. And then there was the fact that this morning, he'd been buried inside her wet heat. It may have been ten years, but she was still the one woman who, with a simple crook of her finger, made him pant and willing to beg for scraps. Always had been.
He tracked her every move at the reception. She looked lovely this evening, in a dark blue dress, the bodice snug and form-fitting over her stellar breasts. God, he'd forgotten how fucking awesome she looked without her clothes on.
Everything about her called to him. The way she moved, the way she laughed, the way she felt as he buried himself in her warmth. All the feelings he'd had for her had been resurrected overnight.
It had been a long time since he'd considered wanting a relationship with permanence. All day long, Hunter had debated what he wanted when it came to Veronica. It was easy between them, at least between the sheets. As for the rest, god, he hadn't realized how much he'd missed her as he'd watched her interact at the rehearsal dinner last night, and then again now as she sat talking to Katarina Roberts, the blonde prima ballerina with the New York Dance Company and Manhattan Club member, and watching her laugh.
She was right in that he'd been the one to mess things up with them a decade ago. He'd been twenty-five, and the lure of fame and fortune had been a bit too tantalizing. He hadn't slept with his co-star, Layla Drake, until after the production company had leaked the story as a way to drum up publicity—and Roni had already given him the boot. Layla had been nothing but a salve to his ego. When Veronica had told him back then in not so delicate terms to shove it where the sun didn't shine, it had done a number on his head and his heart.
He'd been as broken up as she had been. A part of him had wondered, after everything they had shared that summer, how she could throw it all away and not listen to his side of the story. Why she hadn't believed him. Except the flame had always burned that much hotter, that much brighter between them, and to be honest, in hindsight, if the tables had been turned, he wasn't positive he would have listened to her side of the story, either.
Christ, he'd been such a fool.
But he'd missed the spark between them, the awareness of knowing precisely when the other person entered a room. He'd always felt her across the countless miles that had separated them. When they'd first met, he'd believed in his soul that they were
kismet, soulmates who had journeyed together through countless lifetimes. And when things ended, in his heart he'd known deep down, even if he couldn't admit it to himself at the time, that there wouldn't be another like her in his life.
And he'd been right.
After being with her again, feeling her writhe beneath him and moan his name, he wanted more from her. As The Harbingers switched to a slow number and the dance floor filled with couples, Hunter strode purposefully toward his quarry.
He had plans to ring the New Year in with Veronica screaming his name as she came.
Will Evans had already pulled Katarina out on the dance floor. They were a sight to see, considering Will was a good six and a half feet tall and built like a defensive lineman, beside Katarina's petite form, which barely topped five foot five.
Hunter sidled up behind Veronica, put his hands on her hips, feeling that electric current that zapped whenever they touched, and whispered in her ear, "Dance with me."
There was a small hesitation on her part, but he wrote it off as she relaxed under his hands. "Okay. Just one."
He led her onto the dance floor and pulled her in close. It reminded him of how he used to dance with her under the stars on the beach in her little town. She'd sneak out of her parents' house and they'd head to the beach or the standing stone, where he'd have a picnic spread out. He'd pull her into a dance and then make love to her under the stars.
He never took his eyes off her as they swayed on the floor. Other couples moved around them, but all Hunter cared about was the woman in his arms.
"Come to the Dungeon with me after this dance."
"What? Why?"
He leaned in close and spoke into her ear so no one else could hear. "Do you really need me to spell it out for you, Roni? I'd like to make use of the St. Andrew's cross, or any of the other scene areas that you might fancy."
At her strangled moan, he smiled into her hair, his hands caressing the delicate curvature of her spine.
"What do you say; want to ring in the New Year with me?" He placed nibbling kisses along her neck, seducing her to his way of thinking.
"Um, but we can't leave before the bride and groom," she said with a breathy moan.
"Declan will understand. They have plenty of guests who will stay until they leave. Do you want to ring in the New Year with me in the Dungeon?"
His hands traveled to her rear and pulled her taut against him so she could feel what her nearness was doing to him. At her indrawn gasp, he watched her pupils dilate as hunger flooded her gaze.
"Yes," Veronica moaned. "I need to say goodnight to Declan first, though."
A surge of possessive lust swamped him as the final notes of the song ended. He'd scored another victory with his Roni. She was his, always had been, and he planned to show her just how good it could be with them again. He started toward the ballroom doors with her hand firmly in his.
"Let me grab my purse." She headed in the opposite direction, back toward her table in the far corner.
"I'm right behind you." He kept her hand in his as he trailed behind her. There was no way he would let her get away from him.
Veronica retrieved her purse from the table she'd been at during dinner. Hunter caught sight of Declan and Zoey making their rounds. In an effort to extract Veronica from the reception before she changed her mind, he placed a hand on her lower back as he steered them toward the bride and groom. As they approached Declan and Zoey, his buddy glanced his way and sized up the situation with a raised brow and consternation written on his face. Declan frowned in displeasure. Hunter understood that Veronica was his cousin, but Declan didn't realize they had a history with each other—and, he hoped, possibly a future.
"Declan, Zoey, congratulations are in order. Zoey, you look absolutely lovely," Hunter said, flashing the bride what his agent Ira called his 'million-dollar smile'.
Zoey appeared unimpressed by his charm, but there was more friendliness in her reply than there had been previously. "Thank you for coming, Hunter. I appreciate that you made the trip."
Beside him, Declan said to Veronica, "I'm so glad you came. It's too bad Colin couldn't come up for this. He must be getting so big. How old is he now?"
Who the hell was Colin? Hunter glanced at Roni, who looked for all the world like someone who had just swallowed a pint of lemon juice.
"Um, yes, he's spending his winter holiday with his grandparents, where they are surely spoiling him rotten. He'll be nine in March."
Roni was a mother? When did that happen? Had she gotten married? Why hadn't she told him? Hunter looked at her then and said accusingly, "You have a son?"
Her face blanched white when she glanced at him and said, "Yes."
Declan intervened and gave her a big hug. "Thanks for coming, Roni. Bring Colin next time. He and I still haven't beaten the next level of Mario Kart."
"Will do," Veronica said, giving Zoey a quick hug as well. "You will both have to come and visit Campbeltown in the spring."
As she turned back to him, with a forced smile on her face, and indicated she was ready to depart, Hunter felt ice sludge through his bones. Why had she hidden the fact that she had a son from him? Granted, they hadn't been particularly chatty, but this morning, when they'd talked about her folks, she'd never once brought up the fact that she had a kid.
Fury slithered in Hunter's body as he escorted her from the ballroom to the back entrance stairs. They descended in silence. The air was thick with tension as Roni avoided his gaze completely. Her body vibrated like a leaf in the wind, and he knew something was off.
She had a son. An almost nine-year-old son.
He did the math over and over again in his brain, all while his heart did somersaults in his chest. He kept staring at Roni, at the woman he'd loved; hoping she would say something, tell him he was out of his mind for even considering that the child—her child—was his. They entered the Dungeon and he flipped the lights on, steering her into the nearest private room. Granted, there was no one else around, everyone else was upstairs enjoying the festivities. It made it easier, though. What they had to say to each other needed to be private, and he wanted no intrusions or interruptions.
The moment he'd shut the door behind them, he blurted out the question that had been burning in his chest. "Roni, is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Fear blossomed in her eyes and he spied the pulse in her neck fluttering in a staccato rhythm. "No."
"No, nothing at all? Not something along the lines of, 'Hey Hunter, I know it's been a decade since we saw each other, but you have a son. Just thought you should know?'" Fury unlike anything he'd ever known blazed through him. He stared at her, wondering how she could be so deceitful and conniving. His hands shook and he clenched them into fists to keep himself from grabbing her and shaking the truth out of her.
Veronica stepped away from him, shaking her head in refusal as her eyes welled with tears. "You can't know that."
He cut her off as his wrath exploded and he prowled after her. To do what, he wasn't certain—shake the truth from her, spank it out of her, or kiss it out of her. "I cannot believe you are going to deny it. You said he's going to be nine in March."
"So?" She was visibly shaking at this point but he was far too pissed to care.
"Roni, I know I was your first, and I can do the math. Is Colin my son? And please don't lie to me. I have too many people bullshitting me on a daily basis."
A guarded look passed over her features before she took a deep breath and replied, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yes. Colin is our son."
Our son. He had a child. A child who'd already lived the first nine years of his life—years that Hunter had missed. He felt like someone had landed a good swift kick to his solar plexus.
"I want to see him, meet him."
It dawned on him, then, that the only reason he'd uncovered the truth now was by a trick of fate. "Christ, Roni, were you ever going to tell me?" he accused.
She shook her head and wrapped her a
rms protectively around her body. "No. I don't think that's a good idea. I won't subject my son to your world."
"I have a right to know him." Hunter kept himself from touching her. If he touched her, he would give her the spanking of her fucking life.
"Don't you dare talk to me about rights! I have raised him all on my own, without your intervention, just fine. I'll not risk him, I won't have you making him promises that you don't intend to keep, and when it no longer is convenient for you, have you up and leave. I won't allow it."
"That's because you never told me about him," he exploded.
"And would it have mattered if I had? Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you would have been there when he fell off his bike and broke his arm two years ago? Or would have been there to help potty train him, or walking across the floor with him nearly round the clock when he was teething? No, you would have been on location somewhere, doing some movie starlet in your trailer."
"Regardless of what went on between us and how it ended, I deserved to know about him. And yes, I think a boy should know his father. Where else will he learn how to become a man?" He was a father. He had a son that he needed to get to know. Neither of his parents had been worth much, but at least Hunter had known who his father was before he passed.
"He has his grandfather. He doesn't need you, we don't need you," Veronica spat back, anger flushing her cheeks rosy, her eyes blazing fire. Even in his fury, he knew she was the most magnificent woman of his acquaintance. One he presently wanted to take over his knee and spank the daylights out of.
"But I can help give him a better life." He needed to be there for his child, give him the things he'd been denied growing up.
"Hunter, please, think of him and not of yourself for one minute. What kind of life will he have if it comes out that you, Hunter Clarke, star of Hollywood, has a son? You know what they will do to him. He won't even be able to go to school without being hounded by people with cameras. Do you really want that for an eight-year-old boy?"