by Kaylee, Katy
I wanted to call him out and tell him I thought he was an asshole. But this was partly my fault for wanting to believe in a fairy tale. He was an admitted playboy, and he’d never said we were exclusive. I figured the best option was to be calm but clear. I turned off my ringer and notifications, and then got in the shower to wash Hunter away.
I put ear plugs in my ears to close off the world, and then climbed into bed wondering why I was so bad at picking men. The two I’d allowed myself to care about both turned out to be cheaters. And in Hunter’s case, I’d risked my career.
I put my pillow over my head and groaned at my stupidity. What a laugh he and that woman would probably have about me.
27
Hunter
Monday
What the fuck happened? As I rode the elevator up to my office Monday morning, I still couldn’t figure out what went wrong on Saturday night. Why the fuck wasn’t Grace answering my calls or her door to tell me why she ran off and then sent me a Dear John text.
I replayed the night in my head. She looked stunning in her dress. She’d been hot for me as I gave her a tour of the mansion, teasing her senses so I could break one of her rules; no sex in public. When I’d thrust inside her body, finally, I felt like I’d arrived home. I swore I saw love in her eyes, or something close to it.
Ten minutes later, when she hadn’t found me in the ballroom, I’d gone looking for her. When I couldn’t find her, I began to panic. Visions of explosions and Sara’s battered face filtered through my brain. Had something happened to Grace? On my watch? Jesus, the idea of it almost brought me to my knees.
And then her text came through.
I can’t do this anymore and need to end this. I wish you the best.
What the fuck was that about? I texted and I called, but she never responded. Thirty minutes later, I was pounding on her door. No answer. Then I just got pissed. Fuck her if she wanted to be like that. So, I went home and spent the rest of the weekend fighting with myself over whether or not I should go back to her place and demand an explanation. Ultimately, I didn’t go, but it made for a long weekend and sleepless nights, which was okay because when I did sleep, the nightmares showed up furious and vivid.
I exited the elevator and headed to my office.
“Good morning,” Yvonne said with a smile like she’d forgotten how I’d come down on her for using my name to crash Roscoe’s party the other night. While I would have had no trouble picking Grace out of the masquerade crowd even if I didn’t know her outfit, I wouldn’t have known Yvonne from Adam. It was only when she sidled up to me, brushing seductively against me, that I knew it was her. Either she was seriously tenacious, or she was a stalker.
“Any messages?” I grumbled.
“Not this morning. You do have a meeting with Mr. Chase Raven in a few minutes.” She stood and walked over to me. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”
She pressed a manicured hand to my chest and leaned in. I could smell her perfume and see the swells of her breasts. At another time and place, I might have turned to her to fix the turmoil roiling in my gut. At this moment, though, I was put off by her and Grace.
“Ms. Nichols.”
“Yes.” She looked up at me, and I saw hope floating through her eyes.
“Are you attracted to me?”
She blushed, and looked down, but I didn’t buy her attempt at innocence.
I stepped away from her. “I think it will be best if we find someone else for you to work with.”
Her eyes narrowed as if she was assessing what I was saying. “So that you’d be free to see me without breaking the no fraternizing rule?”
“No. So I don’t have to deal with your attempts to seduce me. I’m not interested.” I walked into my office, shutting the door. For a moment, I thought maybe I should apologize to her. But then I decided she needed the direct message.
I went to my desk where I found a folder from Jacob. In it, he had good proof that our thief was from the linen service we used. I called down to my men in the security office and told them to look into it directly. If they came back with something more concrete, I’d be having a talk with the service’s owner.
There was a knock on my door, and for a moment, my heart leaped hoping it was Grace changing her mind.
Instead, Chase poked his head in. “We’ve got a meeting.”
I motioned for him to come in. “Did Yvonne leave?” I asked realizing she didn’t announce his arrival.
“She wasn’t there,” Chase said, sitting in the chair in front of my desk.
“I need to reassign her unless she’s quitting.”
Chase quirked a brow. “And here I thought you were doing a good job keeping your hands off the staff.”
“Fuck you, Chase!”
His head jerked back, and his eyes rounded at my outburst. He put his hands up in a surrender position. “It was a joke, Hunter.”
I stood, as hot, raging energy coursed through my body. Fuck deep breathing. I was pissed. Not at him. But he was there. An easy target.
“What’s going on, man?”
I went to my bar and poured a drink.
“It’s only nine in the morning. What’s going on that you’re going to start drinking so early?” He stood and moved toward me.
I hadn’t yet told him about me and Grace. Now there wasn’t anything to tell. He stood there, waiting patiently. Like he had all the time in the world.
Finally, he said, “Are you still in counseling?”
I downed my drink and then pinched the bridge of my nose, like that was going to help fix my life. “Yes and no.”
Chase walked over to my couch and sat. “I’m listening,” he said like my mother used to say when she caught us doing something wrong.
“Fuck.” I poured another drink, downed it, and then paced. “I haven’t been seeing Grace as a therapist.”
“Grace? You mean Ms. Reynolds?”
“Yes.”
“Was something wrong with her?”
I nodded. “There are rules about fucking your therapist.”
“Ah hell, Hunter. Really? Jesus.” Chase didn’t hide his disappointment in me.
“It’s not like that.”
“Really?” He pursed his lips. “What’s it like then? I can’t imagine you’re in love with her.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
He started to say something, then his mouth snapped shut. He stared at me for a moment.
“Do you think I’m incapable of love?” I wouldn’t blame him if he thought that. I’d thought it until Grace.
“No, I don’t think that.” He paused. “Are you in love with her?”
“Yeah, man, I think I am. But all of a sudden, she bolted. And I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t have an episode or lash out. It was all going so well.”
“What did she say?”
“Just that she couldn’t do it anymore, and then she wished me the best.”
Chase frowned. “So, you didn’t have a fight or something?”
“No.” Feeling a little more settled than before, I sat in a chair across from him. “I was abiding by her rules, so I don’t what the fuck happened.”
“Rules?”
“That whole you can’t fuck your therapist thing. She fired me weeks ago, but somehow, she got reported to the board about having an inappropriate relationship with a client. There’s an investigation. Even though she’s not my therapist now, she wanted to keep us on the down-low. I was planning to let you know today. About her, and that I’ve been going to a veterans counseling group, so technically, I’m abiding by your rules too.” The truth was, I was good at rules. The military was full of them. Following them kept me alive. So why were the rules fucking me over now?
“I’m glad about the group. We’ve all noticed a difference in you. I guess Ms. Reynolds had something to do with that too.”
I shrugged.
“I did get a call from someone about her,” Chase said.
&nbs
p; My head jerked up. “Who?”
“It was the licensing board wanting to know if I had any information about her, since she was renting from us in the building. I told him I didn’t know anything.”
I supposed that was a small victory for her. “Thanks.”
“It’s no one’s business about you, so I didn’t mention she was your therapist.”
“She’s not my therapist, though. I don’t know what the fuck to do, Chase. Did you ever have this with Sara?” I winced the moment the words were out as the image of her, battered and bruised, flashed in my head. “Jesus, I’m a prick. Sorry, man.”
“Don’t be sorry. I remember feeling completely poleaxed by Sara. I was deeply in love with her before I knew what was happening.”
I nodded.
“My only advice would be to try and talk to her.”
I glared at him. “I tried that.”
“Keep trying. That’s what I’d do if Sara walked out.”
I remembered how he’d been when she’d gone missing. He would have crawled over broken glass to find and save her.
“Are she and the baby okay?” I asked.
“They are most excellent.” He smiled so wide it was ridiculous. I had to smile back. At least one Raven was happy.
When Chase left, I pondered what he said. I didn’t want to beg for something Grace wasn’t willing to give, but I had a right to know what the hell had happened. And so, it was with anger I rode the elevator down to her floor, ready to confront her. I’d followed all her rules, including the one that had me staying away from her office in the Rookery so as not to make anyone suspicious. Well too bad now, Grace, I thought as I entered the waiting area of her office. I glanced at her door, and noted that the “In Session” sign wasn’t in place, but instead, it was on a cabinet to the side.
Good timing, Hunter. I strode to the door and opened it without knocking.
Her head shot up, and her eyes widened. She looked tired and pale, like her weekend was as miserable as mine, which begged the question, why did she break things off?
“Hunter.”
I worked to hold on to my anger, but it was hard because seeing her just made my chest ache. I held my hands up in surrender on the off chance I looked a bit crazed and was scaring her.
“If you don’t want me, fine, I’ll leave. But I deserve the right to know what the hell happened.”
She swallowed. “My expectations were…wrong and not fair to you.”
What the hell? “You figured that out ten minutes after a very nice fuck in the bathroom?” I shook my head, because she wasn’t making any sense.
Before she could say something else, I held up my hand.
“I get that I’m not good enough for you, but you just walked off. Fucking hell, Grace, I thought something had happened to you. I was scared shitless.”
Her eyes widened indicating that she hadn’t considered what disappearing would do to me. “Oh God, I didn’t think—”
“No, you didn’t. You’re a fucking therapist. How is it that your MO is to walk off without telling your date you’re leaving? That’s fucked up.” I noticed the f-bomb was a staple in my tirade but …well…what the fuck. I was pissed.
She looked down, and I felt some satisfaction that she appeared a bit ashamed. “You’re right. I should have told you I was leaving.”
“And why. What was that text about?” I leaned over her desk. The move was probably aggressive, but the truth was, I wanted to be near her. And I wanted to watch her eyes, to see the truth or untruth she might be telling me.
She inhaled a deep breath as if she was shoring up her strength. She stood, probably because she didn’t like the way I was towering over her. Why hadn’t she been this way when she made her hasty decision to dump my ass?
She lifted her chin and looked directly into my eyes. “Your other fuck buddy and I chatted last night.”
“What?” She might has well have been talking Greek.
“She told me that while I had you at night, she had you during the day.”
“I don’t fucking believe this,” I said raking my hands through my hair. “I’m not sure what pisses me off more…no, I do know. The fact that you’d believe I’d do that to you tells me you still see me as a fucked-up client.”
She sighed. “You are the one that bragged about a woman every night.”
I wasn’t sure if I was more shocked or hurt. “You haven’t heard a single thing I’ve said to you except that, have you?” I shook my head as I took a beat to figure out if I should fight or cut my losses. “I don’t know who you talked to because I haven’t fucked anyone since meeting you. I have a guess that it was my secretary, since I had to tell her to get the hell out of the party and to stop coming on to me.”
Grace’s eyes stared at me like she wanted to believe me, but I saw that she didn’t.
“You know what. I came here to find out what happened, and now I have. Have a nice life.” I turned and left her office.
28
Grace
Monday
“Hunter,” I called after him as he made his way through my waiting room. I should have let him go. That was what I wanted. And yet, I was afraid I’d gotten things wrong. “Stay and talk.”
He whirled on me. “Talk? That’s rich coming from the runaway date.”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” How could I understand human behavior so well, and yet, do things that defied that knowledge? Because I was a coward. All I knew was that he was right that I should have told him what I was doing. Considering his guilt following Sara’s abduction, I should have considered he’d think I was in danger. The part of me that wanted to protect my heart warned me not to trust him, and yet, his words were compelling.
You haven’t heard a single thing I’ve said to you except that, have you?
I had heard everything he said, but I was afraid to believe him. Then and now. How could I really be special to him? I supposed it was my guilt at being so terrible to him that had me asking him to stay so I could apologize.
“I’m sorry. I handled it all wrong.”
He glared at me. “That’s what you’re sorry about?”
I nodded.
His jaw ticked. “So, you still think I'm a liar and a cheat?”
It was interesting how much that seemed to bother him. “You were never monogamous in the past—”
“Bullshit,” he snapped. “In the past there wasn’t a relationship. I never promised anything to the woman, and they never expected anything. I never cheated or lied to them. Never.”
Guilt and yearning mixed in my chest making it hard for me to know what to do.
“I’ve spent weeks telling you there was something different between us, and one person tells you otherwise and you believe her?” he scoffed. “You don’t know or trust me.”
He started to turn to leave again.
“You’re right,” I blurted out.
He stopped at the door.
“I find it hard to believe you’re with me or that I’m enough. You’re an attractive billionaire. You could have anyone. Why would you want me?”
He turned, and for a moment, I thought he was going to say that he didn’t want me. Not anymore. But instead, he gave me a hard stare, and then said, “I thought you were real. You didn’t care about my money, you cared about me, or so I thought. Being with you soothes me. I feel more present in the world. And…I don’t know…call it chemistry or attraction, I just wanted to be around you.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Grace, to make you believe me. I’ve been clear since the beginning, and if you can’t trust that, what is there to say? I mean, aside from some random woman lying about me, has anything happened to make you question my sincerity?”
I shook my head as tears formed in my eyes. I really was a terrible person for doubting him, or at least, not confronting him when the woman told me she was with him. “It’s not you. It’s my baggage.”
He stared at me with his hands on
his hips. I was sure he was trying not to be swayed by my tears, but eventually, he guided me back to my office, shutting and locking the door so we wouldn’t be disturbed.
I sat on the love seat, but he stayed standing. “I’m listening.”
“There’s one thing about my past I haven’t told you.”
I saw his jaw tighten, but he continued to stand and stare at me.
“I told you I hadn’t ever had sex before you because I was busy with school and getting started in my private practice.”
He gave me a curt nod.
“What I didn’t tell you was that I did see someone for about a year in college. I thought he was perfect. He agreed to wait for intimacy.” I blew out a breath. “My mother had me young. I was an accident. I didn’t want that to happen to me because I saw how it derailed her life, and I had goals.”
The tension on his face lessened slightly.
“Anyway, I decided I didn’t want to risk getting pregnant and messing all that up. He seemed to support that decision.”
“But he didn’t?”
I shook my head. “He had another girlfriend. He saw me in the evenings and her by day, too.” Just like the woman had told me the other night.
“Fuck.”
“The experience scared me away from relationships. And I was successful at it until you.” I looked up at him. “I don’t know what it is either, but I couldn’t stop myself from wanting you.”
“You did on Friday,” he quipped.
“I was hurt and felt like it was happening all over again. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was just reacting.” I looked up at him. “I hurt you, and I’m sorry about that.”
“Look, I get how our pasts can fuck up our present. I’m living proof of it. But I’m not a cheater. I don’t want another woman, Grace. I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you. I don’t know how else to say it.”
The truth was, the fact that he was saying it at all told me volumes. Hunter wasn’t a man to talk about his feelings, and yet, on several occasions, he’d said things that let me know I was different. It was my own insecurities that made me doubt him.