Hunter was right. Tonight was a celebration of a wonderful love forged in the aftermath of Miss Hattie’s death and Callie discovering that her biological brother, Mac, hadn’t died in childhood as she had been told by her adoptive parents. Callie and Jax had found love after knowing each other for most of their loves. Friendship had blossomed into love, although if you listened to Jax he would say that he’d loved Callie ever since they were kids on the playground. They were an inspiration for anyone who dared to dream that love was out there waiting for them. She wanted to be brave like the two of them, to reach out for the brass ring and hold on for all she was worth. She wanted to take risks instead of hiding her heart away behind a brick wall.
She wanted the fairytale!
“You've always had this way of cutting straight through to my heart,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper.
Hunter intently searched her eyes for a moment, his eyes glimmering with an awareness and a fierceness that make her shiver. It was as if he could see straight through her, right to the core of her soul. She could've sworn he saw the truth she'd been hiding all these years. She loved him! Madly. Deeply. Passionately.
His features softened and a hint of a smile tugged at his full lips. “That's because I know you. Inside and out. The last ten years has done nothing to change that. Matter of fact, ten more years could go by and I'd still know you like the back of my hand.” He reached for her hand and turned it over so that her palm was facing upwards. Gently, he raised her palm to his lips and began kissing it with a tenderness that made her ache inside. When he stopped she had to force herself not to beg him to continue searing her skin with his kisses.
“We better get back in there before they start wondering where we are,” Hunter suggested, his voice sounding regretful. “After all, we’re part of the wedding party.”
As he held out his arm, Olivia looped hers through his and began walking with him towards the French doors leading to the ballroom. She stole a sideways glance at him, marveling at his rugged looks and his natural-born swagger. He looked jaw droppingly handsome in his crisp white shirt, dark tie and tailored slacks. Just looking at him sent a jolt straight through her heart.
No other man had ever had this effect on her.
No other man had ever made her want things that were so outside of her reach.
No other man would ever do—now that she'd been on the receiving end of Hunter's tender kisses and his zest for life.
She seriously doubted as to whether any man could measure up to the fascinating Hunter Rawlings.
Hmmph! What a fool she'd been. She’d thought that she could get close to Hunter without falling for him. Whereas prior to his return he'd been a haunting memory, now Hunter was a flesh and blood man who stirred her very soul. They'd connected on a level that far surpassed her dreams. She didn't want to imagine what it would feel like to lose him all over again. The first time had brought her to her knees.
A terrible feeling washed over her as the cold, hard truth slapped her in the face. Losing Hunter a second time was going to devastate her, leaving her just as scarred inside as the last time they’d said goodbye.
“Love is everything!” Fancy Tolliver
Chapter Twelve
By the time they made their way back to the ballroom, Mae and Jack were slow dancing on the dance floor. It was the first time he’d actually seen his mother and Olivia’s father in a romantic light. They're really in love, Hunter realized as he watched Jack gracefully twirl his mother around the dance floor. For a moment he was mesmerized by the sight of them as they shared a quiet moment in each other's arms. Mama looks happy, he thought. Truly happy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her look so joyful and vibrant. Second chances. They seldom came along in life, yet mama and Jack had managed to grab hold of a second chance at love.
Who was he to begrudge them?
Being around a bunch of happy couples was doing crazy things to him. He was feeling nostalgic and sappy. His heart was overtaking his mind. His thoughts kept going back to Olivia and the feelings she aroused in him. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. In a lifelong partner. And although she was stunning, it went so much deeper than purely a physical attraction. It went straight to his heart. The same heart that had been encased in ice for the last decade. He'd been so busy building his empire that he hadn't spared a moment for loving relationships. Or was there a part of him that had always been holding out for Olivia?
Second chances. Was it possible that he had a second shot at a life with Olivia? Could the two of them bridge the gap of the last ten years and start over? And, if there was a possibility for them to be together, had he ruined it by buying Renault Industries out from under her father? Had he sabotaged himself by doing the one thing that Olivia might find unforgivable?
He was kicking himself. He'd missed another golden opportunity to come clean to Olivia. He didn't know what had come over him, but he'd been so captivated by her radiant beauty that he'd forgotten the main reason he'd invited her out to the terrace in the first place. Once he'd been alone with her his mind had been consumed by her sweet, gentle nature. All he'd wanted to do was spend the rest of the evening by her side.
Or maybe he’d just been chicken.
It was imperative that he made it through this rehearsal dinner and discovered a way to break the news of his acquisition, not only to Olivia, but to Mama, Jack and his siblings. It was time to man up.
Spotting his brothers standing a few feet away from the dance floor, Hunter walked over to join them.
“Why aren't you two out on the dance floor?” he asked as soon as he reached their side.
“I have no desire to make a fool of myself doing the Electric Slide,” Braxon said with a shake of his head as he watched rows of people bending and sliding to the thumping beats.
“What about you, lover boy,” Joshua said in a teasing voice. “Why aren't you spinning Olivia around the dance floor?”
Hunter glared at Joshua. “Clearly, the two of you need to find your own woman since you can't stop asking questions about mine.”
Once the words rolled off his tongue Hunter knew he'd made a fatal mistake. The reaction was instantaneous. Braxon let out a loud whistle and Joshua clapped his hand to his mouth and let out a loud, “Ooh” sound.
“So you're acknowledging she's your woman?” Braxon asked with a wide, toothy grin.
Joshua clapped him heartily on the back and said, “That didn't take long. I see you still have that magic touch.”
He felt as if two pesky gnats were buzzing around him, determined to see him get rattled. “One more word out of either of you and you'll be picking your jaws up off the floor,” Hunter said through gritted teeth.
“Calm down,” Braxon said with a chuckle. “We love Olivia. She'll make a great sister-in-law.”
Hunter leaned in towards Braxon so that their faces were inches away from each other. “Did I stutter? One...more...word,” he said ominously.
Braxon frowned, then took two steps backwards. “Absolutely no sense of humor,” he muttered.
“Let's go get a drink and cool down,” Joshua suggested as he stepped between his two brothers and led them in the direction of the open bar.
All three began walking towards the bar in lock-step, drawing admiring glances from most of the eligible women in town. A few of the married ones too, Hunter noticed. He knew all too well what the combined effect of the three Rawlings brothers did to women. It happened all the time whenever they were together. Full-on stares. A chorus of whispers. Female appreciation. At times, a few over-the-top come-ons. Sadie had always called it “The Curse.” As she explained it—“the curse of having three gorgeous, buff brothers”. Every time she said it, Hunter couldn’t help but laugh. At the moment, the Rawlings brothers were in full effect.
“Who invited him?” Braxon snarled, his posture stiffening and his mouth turning upwards in disgust as he gazed off into the distance.<
br />
Hunter turned his head, the hairs on his arms beginning to prickle before he even laid his eyes on his childhood nemesis. Marcus Devroe. He was standing next to the bar with a drink in his hand, his eyes focused like a laser beam on him and his brothers.
There was no point in denying that Marcus was a stylish man. With his chocolate colored skin, wavy short hair and warm brown eyes, he was classically handsome. Marcus stood at roughly 5'11, he would wager, allowing Hunter to have an edge in the height department, a fact that pleased him to no end. Although he hadn't laid eyes on Marcus in a decade, something told him that he hadn't changed a lick in all these years. He still had that mean tilt to his mouth. He still oozed contempt.
He'd always hated Marcus as much as Marcus hated him. They'd grown up in the same area, attended the same schools, knew the same people – but they were as different as night and day. In his eyes Marcus was nothing more than a spoiled brat who'd been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. As a teenager he'd zipped around town in his daddy's Mercedes, breaking all the rules but never being called on it because his family had money and status. It had been that type of “I’m-better-than-you” attitude that had served as an impetus for Hunter to leave Savannah. Hunter could see the same entitlement radiating from his beady, amoral eyes.
When they reached the bar, Hunter nodded his head in curt acknowledgment of Marcus' presence. If for no other reason, he felt obligated to show he'd risen above petty childhood grudges. Nobody in this town could ever say that mama hadn't raised him right. And it didn't take a genius to figure out that the tide had turned—he was the one who'd risen to unimaginable heights in the world of business while Marcus was just treading water at Renault. A company Hunter now controlled!
“If it isn't wonder boy,” Marcus said with a mean edge to his voice. His lip was curled up in distaste and his dark eyes glittered like embers from a dying fire.
Hunter flashed an easygoing smile, despite the anger brewing inside him. Keep it cool, he warned himself. He didn't have to justify himself to this punk. Although the media had once dubbed him “wonder boy,” he hated the way Marcus tossed the moniker around as if it was something to be ashamed of. It wasn't. Not by a long shot. In some circles it was his badge of honor, a symbol of success. No matter what childish games Marcus played, he was determined to let it roll off his back. Tonight was about Callie and Jax, not a spoiled little rich boy with a chip on his shoulder.
“Nice to know you've read my press clippings,” he quipped. “I’m impressed.”
Marcus twisted his mouth into an ugly sneer. “I see you're already sniffing around Olivia like a dog chasing a bone.”
Hunter gritted his teeth and resisted the impulse to smash Devroe in his perfectly formed nose. The sound of Olivia's name coming from this jerk’s mouth grated against his insides like nails on a chalkboard. He stepped forward until he was nose to nose, eyeball to eyeball with Marcus, with less than an inch between their chests.
“Whatever happens between the two of us has nothing to do with you,” he growled as a primal feeling swept over him. Marcus wanted Olivia. His Olivia. He could practically smell it on him. It wasn't going to happen, not if he had any say in the matter!
“I just hate to see you strut back into town and use her up, then spit her out,” Marcus spit out, his features full of disdain. “Just like last time.”
“I'd just hate to see you lose all your teeth,” Hunter ground out. He had his hands fisted at his sides and he clenched and unclenched them in a desperate bid to keep a lid on his rising anger. Tonight is about Callie and Jax. Callie and Jax. He repeated the words over and over again in his head, using it as a mantra to remind himself of everything that was at stake. He couldn't afford to lose control.
Dear God. Please give me the strength to walk away. I’m better than this!
With Marcus goading him, it felt like he was fighting a losing battle.
Braxon moved forward, quickly stepping between the two men before Hunter could take matters into his own hands and take a swing. He appreciated his brother's gesture since he knew all too well that a man like Marcus wouldn't hesitate to file a lawsuit against him for assault, all in the hopes of getting a financial windfall. Luckily, life had taught him to play it smart rather than react impulsively to volatile situations.
“What's wrong? Wonder boy can't fight his own battles,” Marcus said in a taunting voice.
Braxon was right there in Marcus' face, staring him down with all his might. “You ought to be grateful that I'm standing between you two. Have you forgotten the past so easily?”
Braxon was referencing all the schoolyard fights between them after Marcus has taunted Hunter about being poor. Hunter wasn’t proud of it, but he’d beaten Marcus every time.
Marcus looked at Hunter and said, “All that money has made you soft.”
“Let's take it outside, Devroe. I'll show you soft,” Hunter growled. Joshua pulled at his brother's arm, using his massive strength to hold him back as he surged forward.
Braxon edged towards Marcus, his voice sounding cocky as he said, “It must really burn you that he's one hundred percent a self-made man, Devroe. Unlike you, he doesn't have to kiss up to his father to access the family funds.”
Marcus let out a harsh laugh. “Your father didn't have a penny to his name, now did he?”
A fierce anger exploded within Hunter as he heard Marcus' below the belt comment. Marcus Devroe had just dragged their beloved father into the fight, slurring his good name in the process. A ferocious, animalistic sound emanated from Joshua as he lunged forward, bulldozed into Marcus and toppled him to the ground.
**
The moment Olivia spotted Marcus and Hunter in the same area, a trickle of fear crept along her spine. Marcus had never liked Hunter, even back when they were kids. She'd always suspected that Marcus was jealous of Hunter's combination of charm, good looks, intelligence and athleticism. For someone like Marcus who was used to being the best and the brightest in the room, Hunter's stunning achievements made him pale in comparison. Particularly now, since Hunter had established himself as a mogul with his company, Rawlings Corporation.
When she saw Marcus and Hunter in each other's faces she hurried over to the bar, intent on putting a stop to the tense standoff. By the time she made her way over to that side of the room, Marcus was on the ground being held by Joshua. Sweet, easy going Joshua had him pinned to the floor. Marcus was putting up a decent defense, but he couldn't match Joshua's brute strength. Hunter and Braxon were trying to pull Joshua off Marcus, but he possessed the strength of a bear as he tussled like a wild man. Sadie stood to the side looking helpless, tears gathering in her eyes as she watched the out of control melee. Something in Sadie's shattered expression told Olivia that she was at her breaking point. Something had to give.
“Enough!” Olivia shouted as she stood over the two combatants, drawing all attention towards her. Joshua scrambled to his feet with a dazed expression on his face and beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. He blinked a few times and looked around him as if he were disoriented. Within seconds Marcus staggered to his feet, a look of pain crossing his face as he clutched his ribcage. He paused for a moment to collect himself, smoothing his ruffled suit jacket and tucking his white shirt into his waistband.
“I'm pressing charges against that animal!” Marcus seethed as he glared at Joshua.
“You'll do no such thing!” Olivia said in an indignant voice. “This man served three tours of duty protecting the freedoms we take for granted. In my book that makes him a hero. He's made incredible sacrifices for this country and for every person in this room.”
Hunter shot her a look of gratitude that quickly made its way straight to her heart. Although she'd spoken from her heart, it buoyed her spirits to know she had Hunter's stamp of approval.
“Everyone needs to settle down so this night isn't completely ruined for Callie and Jax,” Olivia ordered, her features fierce and forbi
dding as she eyeballed the group of men. “You’re just fortunate that so many people are on the dance floor and the music is loud. Get yourselves together!”
Braxon and Hunter grabbed hold of Joshua and led him towards the terrace, presumably to give him a few moments to cool down his hot temper. Marcus watched the Rawlings brothers walk off, then with a disgusted shake off his head he stormed off towards the vestibule.
Olivia watched as Sadie followed Marcus through the double doors. Unsure of her intentions, she followed closely behind Sadie, pushing the doors open just in time to see her pull roughly at Marcus' sleeve.
“What happened to you?” Sadie asked as Marcus whirled around to face her. “When did you become so hard, so incredibly cruel?”
Marcus' lip curled into a sneer. “Let's see,” Marcus said in a hushed tone. “It was probably around the time I lost you.” The air between them was highly charged and crackled with electricity. Something elusive simmered in the air between them.
Upon hearing Marcus' words, Sadie's face fell and her lips began to quiver uncontrollably.
“Marcus, I never--,” Sadie said, her eyes moist with tears.
He held up his hand, abruptly cutting her off. “Let's not take this walk down memory lane, Sadie. We both know how the story ends.”
Marcus turned on his heel and walked away from Sadie, who crumpled the minute he was out of sight. She let out a sob and raced down the hallway towards the bathroom. Neither Marcus or Sadie seemed to realize that Olivia had witnessed their encounter, and under the circumstances, she had no intention of bringing up the matter with either one of them.
Olivia hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She felt like a voyeur since she'd witnessed such a private moment between two people who were both in pain. She had never suspected there was any kind of history between Marcus and Sadie. Judging by their conversation, not only did they share a romantic past, they shared some serious unfinished business.
A Moment in the Moonlight (Secrets of Savannah Book 2) Page 12