Another frown creased her beautiful face, and he almost felt a measure of remorse. Almost.
“You’re not an easy man to track down,” she replied.
No, probably not. But that’d been on purpose. He didn’t bother telling her as much; he assumed she already knew he’d spent the last couple of months avoiding this exact scenario.
“Get on with it,” he urged. “But first, I need another beer.”
Without worrying about social etiquette, Hunter walked away from Dani, making a beeline for the bar. No one other than Max Adorite would have a fucking bar in his house, complete with hired help to man it. After placing his order, Hunter stood there, resting his forearms on the sleek wooden top while he tried to calm his nerves. Part of him wished he’d simply invited Kye to be here with him tonight. It would’ve made this a little less painful.
Or maybe not.
After nodding to the bartender when he delivered his Corona, Hunter downed half of the beer, wondering just how many of them he’d need to make it through this conversation without wanting to put his fist through the wall.
A quick glance behind the bar and Hunter figured there wasn’t enough liquor in the place to make this easy on him.
No matter how much he wished there was.
Casting a glance at Dani over his shoulder, he noticed she seemed deflated. As though she was lacking the bravado she’d had moments ago.
“What is it?” he questioned roughly, turning to face her.
“You know what?” Dani shook her head. “Never mind. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. No matter what I say, you’re still going to hate me.”
He considered probing her for details, but she was right. He didn’t need to hear them. It wouldn’t change a thing, so he admitted as much. “You’re right. Nothing you can do or say will ever change the way I feel about you. Nothing.”
Her eyes widened, and this time Dani flinched, as though the heat of his words had been a physical blow. As with her excuses, he didn’t care how he affected her. She’d earned his anger, his disdain, his … hatred.
Dani’s mouth opened but then closed quickly. Hunter forced himself to stay rooted where he was, glaring back at her, daring her to say something.
With a nearly imperceptible nod, Dani squared her shoulders, spun around on her heel, and left the same way she’d come.
Hunter should’ve been relieved, only he wasn’t. He had to remind himself that Danielle Davidson was his past, and he damn sure didn’t have room for her in his future.
No matter how much … he really didn’t hate her.
KYE STERLING WALKED IN HUNTER’S front door a little after midnight. He’d been surprised to see Hunter’s Yamaha YZF-R1—one hell of a sports bike—out front. He figured the party would’ve lasted well into the morning hours. That was how family get-togethers at Kye’s folks’ place normally went, anyway. Back before his parents’ world came crashing down when Kye’s baby brother died. Toby Sterling’s life had been taken far too soon at the age of nineteen. At that point, family functions had ceased and Kye and his four older sisters were left making their own way. Which they all seemed to have done. Separately.
Nope, the Sterling family didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas together much anymore. They chose to send cards and texts, but rarely did they try to meet up. As much as he wished it didn’t bother him, it did. He very much missed his family, longed for that sense of normalcy he’d once known. Granted, without his brother, it wouldn’t have been the same, so maybe it was for the best.
When he stepped into Hunter’s living room, Kye noticed the house was dark, which likely meant Hunter was passed out. The guy slept like the dead. Since Kye had only come by to give the man a sit-rep on Danielle Davidson’s progression after she’d left the party, waking him up wasn’t necessary. Kye would simply grab a bottle of water, lock the door behind him, and catch up with the man in the morning.
Silently setting his keys on the side table by the door, he started for the kitchen. Maybe he could have a beer. Hang out here for a little while. Come morning, Hunter would never even know he’d been there.
From his left, a throat cleared, and instinct had Kye pulling his SIG Sauer .45 from the holster on his side. The pistol fit perfectly in his hand, an extension of himself. He peered into the darkness and made out the form of a man on the couch.
“Fuck, Hunter. Announce yourself, would ya?”
“Come here.”
Oh, hell. Kye knew that tone. Hunter was in a mood—something Kye had long ago gotten used to.
And yes, maybe this was the real reason Kye had opted to do a face-to-face with Hunter tonight, instead of making a quick phone call. He’d had a feeling Hunter’d had a shit night and Kye wanted to be here to help him sort it out.
Kye set his SIG on the counter separating the kitchen from the living room, then headed toward the couch. Before he could even get there, Hunter was on his feet. Strong arms banded around him, firm lips crushing to his. The man tasted like beer and need and, yes, fury. Hunter was in rare form.
Although Kye had five inches on Hunter, it always seemed the man had all the control. Perhaps that was because Kye preferred it that way. He allowed Hunter to back him against the wall while warm hands wandered beneath his shirt.
“I need you naked,” Hunter growled, his calloused hands sensually scraping Kye’s chest. “Right fucking now.”
Kye knew there would be time for talking later. He’d learned that trying to talk Hunter down from the proverbial ledge was the equivalent of interrupting a toddler during a temper tantrum. It usually only made things worse.
Hunter made quick work of removing Kye’s shirt as well as his own. When their bare chests came together, Kye groaned, loving the feel of Hunter’s skin on his. The man was getting bigger, more defined. His chest was cut to perfection, all hard angles. Clearly, he was spending time in the gym, likely trying to compensate for whatever was lacking in his life.
Rough hands tore at Kye’s jeans. Instead of helping Hunter, he merely leaned back against the wall and waited. He knew he would be rewarded eventually and Hunter always liked things his way.
“You want to tell me what happened?” Kye figured it wouldn’t hurt to try to talk.
“She fucking happened,” Hunter barked, dropping to his knees in front of Kye.
“She— Aww, fuck.” Hunter’s lips circled the engorged head of his dick and Kye lost his train of thought. He reached for Hunter’s head, twining his fingers into his thick, dark hair and holding him there. “Oh, fuck. Your mouth’s so fucking hot.”
Hunter wasn’t gentle, but Kye was used to that, too. The man bobbed up and down on Kye’s dick, sucking him hard enough to draw a long moan from deep within. Kye fumbled on the wall, searching for the light switch so he could see. When he finally found it, he flipped it on, bathing the room in bright white light.
Seeing Hunter on his knees in front of him… “Holy fuck.”
But it wasn’t merely the sight of his dick tunneling in and out of Hunter’s lips that caught Kye’s attention. It was the heat and anger that burned in Hunter’s light gray eyes. The man was in rare form tonight, angrier than Kye had ever seen him.
Apparently, Hunter was done with the foreplay part of tonight’s events, because he surged to his feet once again and slammed his mouth down on Kye’s. He wasn’t about to fight, because he craved Hunter. Any way he could have him. The man was moody on a good day, so this wasn’t a surprise. Nor was his reasoning. There was only one woman who had the ability to push Hunter to his breaking point.
“How did it go with her?” Kye asked when Hunter began sucking on his neck. Not that he really cared to know. At least not right now.
Hunter pulled back and looked into his eyes. The molten silver was glowing hot and bright. The man looked downright lethal. Not to mention horny as hell.
Rather than answer, Hunter grabbed Kye’s arm and pulled him toward the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. Kye had
enough warning to put his palms down on the granite top. Before he could turn around, Hunter was at his back.
“Take your jeans off,” Hunter commanded.
Kye managed to shove them down and even toed one boot off, but that was as far as he got when Hunter’s hand landed in the middle of his back, forcing his chest down onto the counter.
“I need your ass,” Hunter growled. “So fucking bad.”
Kye relaxed when Hunter forced two fingers inside his asshole. Thankfully the guy’d had the sense to have lube on hand. Evidently, he’d been planning this.
Those fingers didn’t linger for long, but it didn’t matter. Kye was ready for him, eager even. He enjoyed Hunter’s meltdowns, especially when Hunter wanted to fuck him senseless. In the beginning—nearly three months they’d been doing this—he’d been stunned. Now, he expected it.
Hunter’s cock breached his ass and Kye took a deep breath, pushing against the intrusion. The man was big and hard and not at all gentle as he withdrew before slamming in again.
But heaven help him, it felt so damn good. Better than any sex he’d ever had.
“Fuck, yes,” Hunter hissed. “So fucking tight. So goddamn hot.”
Hunter’s palms gently ran up Kye’s back and he knew the man was reining it in. He always did. Shifting so he could use the counter as leverage, Kye forced Hunter to take a step back. When he did, Kye thrust his ass against Hunter’s hips, urging him deeper.
“Oh, yeah,” Kye groaned, desperate for more.
“You like that?” Hunter’s voice was coarse as his hand fisted in Kye’s hair, pulling his head back. “You like when I’m rough with you?”
Fuck yes, he did. But this wasn’t rough. Hunter was just getting started.
“Don’t go easy, damn it,” Kye hissed. “Fuck me…hard.” The last word came out on a grunt when Hunter rammed his hips forward, impaling Kye on his cock.
Hunter obliged, hammering into him, one hand gripping Kye’s hip firmly as he did, the other tugging on his hair, just the way Kye liked it. The only thing Kye could do was hold on. He allowed Hunter to use his body and he enjoyed every second of it.
“You’re gonna make me come,” Hunter announced.
Kye reached down and palmed his dick, stroking roughly while Hunter continued to plow into him over and over, harder, deeper. So fucking deep.
“Aww, damn. That’s so good,” Kye muttered, feeling his release building. It wouldn’t take much to send him over, but he had to wait for Hunter.
“Goddamn,” Hunter ground out. “Kye… Fuck…”
When Hunter roared his release, Kye let himself go. His breath slammed into his lungs, his heart beating a rapid tattoo in his chest. It took him a few seconds for the world to stop spinning and for his legs to steady.
As he stood upright, preparing to talk to Hunter about what had happened tonight, he noticed Hunter wouldn’t look at him. He didn’t make eye contact, which was the first clue that something was seriously off. More so than usual.
“Hey,” Kye said softly.
Hunter still didn’t look at him. Instead, he grabbed his clothes and walked right out of the room, mumbling, “Lock the door when you leave,” as he did.
Okay, so he was apparently going to play it that way, huh?
And that part—the cold shoulder. Yeah, Kye damn sure didn’t care much for it.
Not one fucking bit.
TWO
Fifteen months later, February
Present day
“I won’t lie to you, Dani,” Hunter told her. “I care about you. Fuck, I’d go so far to say that I love you, but this is who I am. This is what I need. I long ago stopped trying to kid myself.”
Dani’s nipples hardened between his fingers and she sighed when Kye began kissing her shoulder, moving closer as his hand slipped beneath her panties. Only it wasn’t supposed to be Kye in his dream. It should’ve been Josh, he knew, but he couldn’t seem to change it.
Hunter glanced down, loving the sight of Kye touching her so intimately.
To his surprise, Dani spread her knees wider, giving Kye better access.
“Oh, fuck, baby,” Hunter groaned, pleased by her acquiescence. “This is everything I’ve ever fucking wanted.”
THE SHRILL SOUND OF THE phone ripped Hunter from his dream, bringing forth his stark reality. He was lying naked on his bed, covered in sweat, the blankets somewhere on the floor. His heart hammered against his ribs while his chest expanded, blessed air filling his lungs.
Hunter inhaled deeply, groaning on the exhale as he peered over at the nightstand and grabbed the offending object.
“Son of a bitch.”
His hand clutched the phone, threatening to crack the case, but he refrained. Barely. He threw the damn thing across the room, none too gently, settling somewhat when it hit the wall and bounced to the floor. No way could he talk to RT right now. Hell, he couldn’t talk to anyone right now.
His chest hurt from the pain of knowing he was awake, that the world he was living in was not the same as it once had been. This world, it was dark and gray. He spent his waking hours stumbling through, hating every second, most of the time wishing he didn’t even exist.
All because of her.
Hunter had no fucking clue why this damn dream wouldn’t release him from its brutal clutches. It had been more than a year since he’d seen Dani on Thanksgiving, definitely long enough for him to move on with his life. But no. It couldn’t be that easy for him. For the past fifteen fucking months, he’d relived it over and over every time he closed his eyes.
The phone rang again, but Hunter pushed himself up and got to his feet. He dragged his sorry ass to the bathroom. He needed a shower and some coffee. Maybe then he’d be able to deal with whatever the hell RT—or anyone else, for that matter—wanted.
Until then, they could all go fuck themselves.
Something had to give. Hunter couldn’t keep having this damn dream. It had started as Dani and Josh, a memory of that long-ago night when they’d started down the path that had ultimately changed his life. But Josh was dead, and Dani was gone. Their ghosts shouldn’t still be haunting him. But they were.
Except, in recent months, the damn dream had morphed into something else entirely. As more days passed, the memory of Josh was fading from his mind, replaced by a man Hunter knew he had no business dreaming about.
A man, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to get out of his head.
The same man who was currently asleep in his bed.
*
“For fuck’s sake, RT, I’m walkin’ in the door now,” Hunter hissed when he answered his phone, at the same time stabbing the button for the elevator.
“Good,” RT stated firmly. “Because I think you’ll wanna be here for this.”
“Be here for—”
Hunter didn’t even get the chance to ask what RT was talking about before the call ended.
“Asshole.” He glared at the blank screen, then shoved his phone in his pocket as he stepped in the elevator. A minute later he was walking into the lavish lobby of Sniper 1 Security.
His mother had decorated this space, her goal to give it a masculine, professional feel. She’d succeeded with the rich wood-paneled walls and various paintings to go along with the dark furniture and plush carpeting. Hunter used to love walking into the office; now he dreaded it.
“Good morning, Hunter,” Jayden Brooks, Sniper 1 Security’s receptionist, greeted with a sweet smile. “I didn’t realize you were back in town.”
“Not for long,” he said, keeping his eyes focused on the door that would lead to the back offices.
“Well, it’s good to see you.”
“Yeah, thanks. You, too,” he grumbled back, then opened the door that would lead to the inner sanctum. He bypassed the few agents sitting in the bullpen but managed a nod when someone called out a good morning.
It wasn’t a good morning. The look on his face should’ve told them that.
Hunter heade
d right for the conference room. When he turned the corner to step inside, he heard Ryan Trexler release a breath.
“What’s so fuckin’ urgent that you have to start callin’ me so fuckin’ early?” Hunter griped.
“Good to see you, too.” RT’s tone was polite, respectful, just as it always was.
For a fraction of a second, Hunter felt bad for being such an ass.
That passed quickly.
RT’s attention dropped to his laptop. “In case someone didn’t inform you, we don’t hold regular office hours around here. Some of us have been here since before dawn.”
“Some of us are idiots,” he countered.
“That we are,” Conner confirmed when he stepped into the room behind Hunter. “Glad you could grace us with your presence.”
Hunter glared at his older brother, then glanced back at RT. “What’s the urgency?”
“Have a seat,” RT instructed. “We’re waitin’ on someone.”
“Who?” They knew Hunter didn’t like surprises.
“You headin’ back out, Con?” RT asked Hunter’s brother, his gaze never leaving his laptop screen.
Obviously they weren’t going to bring Hunter up to speed.
Assholes.
Conner shook his head. “Wasn’t plannin’ on it. Gonna stick around the house for a while. Need to take care of some shit. Spend some time with my kiddo.”
Hunter knew exactly what Conner meant. Being close to home was sometimes a necessity. Although his brother had just come off a short assignment in Florida, Hunter was finally getting used to being in one place for any length of time. As it was, Hunter had been focusing on out-of-country assignments, until a year and a half ago. It all started as a way to put off the inevitable encounter with Danielle, something he’d been trying to avoid if at all possible. Since that was no longer an issue thanks to their brief encounter the Thanksgiving before last, he had no reason to continue the escape-and-evade bit. He knew Dani was still in Dallas, but she seemed to be avoiding him as much as he was avoiding her.
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