One-Click Buy: November Harlequin Presents

by Susan Stephens

  ‘Because you don’t get the time?’

  ‘A bit.’ Hunter shrugged. ‘And because I’ve never felt the need. If I need to relax I’ll get a massage or…’ He didn’t finish his sentence, but turned his head towards the house and craned his neck upwards, staring at the mountainside, squinting into the sunlight.

  ‘Come and see inside,’ Lily suggested.

  ‘See what I’m buying?’

  ‘I haven’t said yes.’

  ‘Yet.’

  She didn’t respond, just guided him toward the house. Pulling out her keys, she almost tripped over a large picnic basket on the verandah.

  ‘How on earth did this get here?’

  ‘Abigail.’ Hunter shrugged. ‘I told her to arrange lunch for us.’

  ‘But how did you know the address?’ Utterly perplexed, she led the way as he carried the basket and followed her through to the kitchen.

  ‘Mortgagee’s auction in Red Hill in two weeks—that’s more than enough information for Abigail.’

  ‘She’s efficient, then,’ Lily said, giggling a bit as Hunter rolled his eyes.

  ‘So she keeps telling me.’ They were wandering through the house, Hunter’s knowing eyes taking in every detail as he chatted. ‘She wants me to change her job title from Personal Assistant to Personal Secretary and Diary Planner.’

  ‘And what did you say?’

  ‘I didn’t say anything—I haven’t told you the best bit yet. She didn’t ask! She actually wrote a letter and—wait for this—she posted it to me. We see each other for twelve sometimes eighteen hours a day and now she’s posting me letters! She must have thought I’d take it more seriously if it was a formal request.’

  ‘And did you?’ A reluctant smile wobbled on Lily’s lips.

  ‘Absolutely. I wrote back to her saying that she can call herself what she bloody well likes so long as she stops hounding me with stupid requests. I suppose I should post it really.’

  They were in the study now. Lily flicked on the light, which promptly popped. Despite a bay window it was the one dark room in the place, courtesy of a vast gum tree shadowing the window, but even in the semi-darkness it was beautiful and Lily let out a pensive sigh. ‘This is my favourite room—or was.’

  She had expected him to move on. Already she’d sensed his restlessness in the bedrooms and realised he was nearing his boredom threshold but, maybe sensing something in her voice, instead of a cursory glance, he came over and wrapped his arms around her, and they stood for a moment in silence, taking in the book-lined walls, the piles of red-gum wood stacked beside the fireplace.

  ‘Was?’ It was Hunter who finally broke the heavy silence.

  ‘Dad and I used to spend a lot of time here…’ Lily gave a small shrug, kicking herself for giving him an opening. ‘When I was studying psychology, I used to be working away at the desk and he’d sit in that recliner…’ She pointed to a well-loved leather chair.

  ‘You’re a psychologist?’

  ‘Not quite,’ Lily corrected. ‘I dropped out after my second year.’

  ‘That wasn’t very motivated of you,’ Hunter admonished, but his teasing tirade halted as he saw the anguish on her features. ‘How come?’

  ‘Dad was sick—we needed the money. I did some waitressing and some work at the library—that’s how the motivational workshops started. They had some groups that met and I’d often pop in and listen. One night one of the speakers didn’t come so I stepped in and found out I really did have something to say, that I really was good at guiding people with their problems and helping them to set goals. It sort of snowballed from there.’

  ‘You should have gone back and completed your studies.’ Hunter was blunt and as Lily looked at him the denial that had been on her lips faded, that tinge of regret for past choices made ebbing as finally she nodded.

  ‘I know,’ she said slowly. ‘I just…’

  ‘Didn’t?’

  ‘Couldn’t.’ Screwing her eyes closed, she dragged in a deep breath, pain filling her as she glimpsed her past, but she slammed the shutters down in her mind, absolutely refused to go there, instead shaking her head as if to clear it. And when it did, when the memory was gone, when she opened her eyes, everything was OK. Hunter was smiling softly down at her.

  ‘How about lunch?’ He let her go then and wandered off, giving her a moment to regroup, to blow her nose and wipe away tears she didn’t want him to see from her cheeks. Aware of her reddened eyes and not quite ready to face him, instead she went to the laundry and fished out a fresh light bulb from the cupboard under the sink before heading back to the study.

  Aware that if she didn’t do it then her mother would, Lily pulled out the heavy desk and balanced the chair rather precariously on top of it. The ceilings were so high in the house that changing a light bulb was a serious balancing act, and one no fifty-year-old woman should attempt! Tucking the new energy-saving bulb in her top, Lily climbed onto the desk and then up onto the chair—one hand firmly on the ceiling for support as the other screwed out the old one. It was a manoeuvre she’d done fifty, maybe a hundred times before, but never with such stunning consequences.

  Just as she had screwed it in and was about to climb down, a vice-like grip wrapped around her legs, the chair tumbling over as she was hurled over a pair of very broad, very tense shoulders.

  ‘Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, Lily?’ She was too shocked to answer, the world upside down for a moment till Hunter unceremoniously dumped her on the floor. ‘You could have been killed!’

  ‘A heart attack would be more likely!’ Lily squealed. ‘You scared the life out of me.’

  ‘Why the hell didn’t you ask me to do it?’ Hunter demanded. ‘One slip and you could have broken your neck. Of all the bloody, irresponsible things to do!’ He stopped shouting then, raked his hand through his hair, his eyes livid in his pale face as Lily blinked back at him. ‘Next time ask for help.’

  ‘Next time,’ Lily retorted, smoothing down her skirt and taking a deep breath ‘don’t interfere.’

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘I COULD stay like this forever.’

  Hunter’s words caught her by surprise. The argument that Lily felt had blown in from nowhere had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and they were lying on the picnic blanket, staring up at the blue, blue sky, filled with that dreamy feeling of sleepiness that came from having eaten way too much. And even though it was exactly how Lily was feeling, she’d never expected him to feel the same, had thought that at any moment he’d leap up and start packing up, that the novelty of peace would soon wear off for him. But Hunter wasn’t in a rush to go anywhere and, rolling onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow, Lily gazed down at him, saw that unscrupulous face for once relaxed, his eyes closed, his mouth slightly open, and she wanted to reach out and touch him, wanted to press her lips to his.

  So she did.

  Delivered gently a soft slow kiss, and he let her, didn’t move a muscle as she took from him what she wanted, no contact other than their lips, pure unhurried pleasure, like an extra helping of dessert, just because it’s there, just because you want it…just because you could.

  ‘Kiss me until I take you again,’ Hunter growled as Lily pulled back and smiled at him. She wasn’t even shocked by him now—he was so incorrigible, so blatant and unapologetic with his want that he made it more acceptable somehow. He rolled onto his side but only faced her for a second, his eyes moving to her breasts, parting her gaping top and burning her with his gaze. She watched his hand move down to his jeans, saw the bulge of his erection, knew it was for her, a parcel waiting to be opened. A quiver of expectation rippled through her at the goodies that lay ahead, but her smile turned into one of confusion as Hunter pulled an army knife out of the picnic basket, fiddling with all the little instruments and very slowly, very surely selected one, his eyes flashing with pure desire as inched his way over to her.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Her voice was thick with lust, not
scared, just mounting excitement as he drew the tiny blade towards her.

  ‘Peeling my fruit,’ Hunter answered, his warm fingers delving into her cleavage and pulling out the centre of her bra, the blade cutting through the flimsy fabric. He took the weight of her breast as it fell ripe into his hand, taking her nipple in his mouth, kissing it as she had kissed him, unhurriedly, decadently—just because he could. ‘Lie down!’ His words were a throaty order, and Lily shivered with expectation as she complied. Hunter slowly unzipped her skirt till it was completely open, taking off her shoes till she was wearing only her top and panties, parting her knees. Under any other circumstances she’d have been embarrassed by such exposure, nervous even, yet she didn’t feel that way with him in the slightest.

  She trusted him.

  The admission jolted her.

  He was seemingly the most untrustworthy of men and yet somehow she knew better, somehow she knew that in his hands she was safe, that in his own way he actually did care about her.

  ‘I like my new toy.’ He was staring down at her, soft dark hair flopping over his forehead, his eyes squinting in concentration, fiddling with that damn army knife again. Lily gave a little gasp as he opened up a tiny pair of scissors, could feel a bubble of moisture welling between her legs, nervous, excited all at the same time.

  ‘This is my favourite set of underwear.’

  ‘I’ll buy you some more,’ Hunter answered, catching her tentative eyes with his supremely sure ones. ‘You’re beautiful, Lily.’

  She felt it.

  Not just in herself but in them. The time spent with him was completely unregrettable, the instincts that had led her to bed with him last night had been so right. And Lily was glad, so glad she’d captured the amazing energy that had engulfed her and gone with it, because today was surely the best of her life and one she’d remember for ever. He was the teacher, showing her herself, the woman inside, and she wanted to learn, wanted to explore with him her body and all its capabilities.

  ‘Do you ever think of going back to your studies?’

  He was trimming the silk ribbons that held together her panties with the tiny scissors, and she could only laugh that he could carry on a normal conversation while doing something so incredibly intimate. But it made it easier somehow to answer him, easier to stare up at the sky, feeling the warm sun on her face and his tender hands on her body. She gave in to the moment and revealed a little more of herself.

  ‘Sometimes.’ Lily closed her eyes as she thought about it, but Hunter didn’t wait for her answer.

  ‘Do you regret giving up?’

  ‘I had no choice,’ Lily countered.

  ‘I asked if you regretted it?’

  There was the longest silence, Lily’s heart thumping in her chest as she admitted what she never had before—even to herself.

  ‘Every single day.’

  ‘Would you do it again?’ Hunter pushed. ‘I mean, if you could rewind the clock.’

  ‘Don’t.’ Screwing her eyes closed, Lily tried to block out his words.

  ‘Why don’t you go back now?’ Hunter’s questions were relentless, his instincts spot on.

  ‘I’ve thought about going back part-time—but I need to work.’

  ‘Not if you marry me!’

  His statement forced her eyes open. ‘Hunter.’ Lily swallowed as her eyes locked with his. ‘It couldn’t work out.’

  ‘It’s only for a year,’ Hunter pointed out. ‘A year that could change a lot of things for both of us.’

  It could. Lily blinked at a future that was financially secure, of saving her mother from the indignity of losing her home—of chasing dreams she had let go for all the wrong reasons. But her wonder turned into a frown of confusion as she stared back at Hunter.

  ‘I just don’t get why you need to do this,’ Lily attempted, aching for insight into this most complex man. ‘I understand Emma’s problems, but why does it have to be you fixing them?’

  ‘Because I can,’ Hunter said simply, then gave a very wicked smile.

  ‘There has to be more.’ Lily tried to continue the conversation, to understand, but the subject was closed. She felt a stirring inside as she looked at him looking at her body with pure lust. ‘Pass me your glass.’

  ‘I thought you didn’t drink.’

  ‘Sometimes I make exceptions.’

  She knew what he was going to do, bracing herself, drenched in arousal, her breath coming in tiny gasps just at the thought of him, watching as he poured the pale liquid, feeling its icy coolness, replaced in a second by his warm tongue, stroking her, making her giddy. Confusion flickered in as he stopped for a moment and it was like they were reading each other’s minds, the question answered before it had even been asked.

  ‘There could be so many perfect days, Lily.’ Another skilful stroke of his tongue beguiled her as she begged her mind for logic.

  ‘You don’t have to sell your home…’ Another decadent kiss, his hair tickling her thighs as she quivered in his mouth, tears streaming down her face as emotion ripped through her, her neck arching as he teased her with possibility. She didn’t want him to stop, her body begging for him as again he looked up. ‘You can finish your studies, even work occasionally, have a few one-on-ones with your patients in that study.’

  Her head tightened as she fought to keep him out, as he crept in and exposed her hidden hopes, unveiled dreams she hadn’t even dared envisage. ‘You can be everything you want to be, have everything you’ve ever wanted—if only you say yes.’

  He was unzipping his jeans, his potent erection beguiling her.

  ‘I won’t last,’ he warned, and it didn’t matter a scrap because neither would she, yet still he made her wait. Her eyes were wide with arousal as he stroked himself against her, teasing her with the delicious prospects on offer.

  ‘Marry me, Lily.’

  He wasn’t asking her, he was telling her. A flash of silver told her he was close had her breath bursting in her hot lungs. She wanted him inside her, wanted him beside her—wanted every last thing he could provide.

  ‘Yes.’

  She wept the word as he stabbed inside her, her orgasm hitting before he’d even entered, a frantic urgent coupling that had them both dizzy, the sweet, sweet sensation of him spilling inside her as once again Hunter got his wicked way.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE cool feeling of the gold as he pushed the ring on her finger confused her.

  Her signature on a piece of paper was such a paltry summing up of what was taking place and she wanted to call an urgent halt, to tell the magistrate that he didn’t love her, but as she took the pen Lily knew it didn’t matter a scrap.

  Legally they were husband and wife.

  He kissed her over and over, kissed her for the sake of her family, who were enthralled by the romance of it all, for the press that were duly gathered and for the duties in life that were ever present, confusion building with each sip of champagne, each offer of congratulations. Hunter was so absolutely convincing, so elegant and charming that at times Lily almost felt as if it were real, almost relaxed and enjoyed herself, but it only compounded her misery when reality hit.

  Arranging a hasty wedding was absolutely no problem when you had an open chequebook and Hunter Myles was the groom. The formalities had been followed by the most tasteful of receptions at an exclusive five-star hotel and the whole day had run so smoothly it was as if the wedding had been months in the making. Every detail had been taken care of, from the stunning white-gold diamond solitaire on her finger right down to Emma playing the violin for them as the bride and groom took to the floor, the strains of music so emotive, so beautiful that as Hunter held her close, as she leant her exhausted head against his chest and closed her eyes, inhaled his scent as he gracefully led, it was so easy to lose herself to the fantasy that everyone believed, that love had raced in and swept them to this moment.

  ‘You look amazing.’ Hunter pulled her closer, lowered his head so that his mouth was by her
ear, his breath caressing her as he spoke. ‘You feel amazing.’ She didn’t answer, just let his words sweep over her, wished that Emma would play on for ever, that somehow this dance would never end. ‘Today’s been perfect, I’m so proud…’

  ‘Don’t.’ Her eyes snapped open, stiffening in his arms. Losing the rhythm of the music, she tripped slightly, but Hunter steadied her, held her tighter as she struggled to keep up, the fantasy, the moment doused because he’d taken it too far, spoken to her with the tenderness of a real groom on his wedding day. ‘Don’t pretend that it’s real.’

  ‘But it is, Lily’ His deep voice was back in her ear, lulling her back to the rhythm again. ‘You are beautiful and I am proud to be here with you, so stop fighting it.’ His lips were grazing her cheek as her eyes fluttered closed until softly his mouth found hers—kissing her back to safety, quelling her protests, her fears before releasing her from the haven of his arms. And Hunter was right. It was easier to stop fighting it, to be beautiful and proud for as long as it could last, so for the rest of dance she gave in, allowed herself the luxury of the moment that was theirs.

  As the music finished the dancers stopped to applaud and Lily stared in awe at his sister, full of admiration for her talent because, quite simply, she’d never heard anything so beautiful—or seen someone shine so much as they played—the violin was almost an extension of Emma, the emotion coursing through her and out through the instrument. ‘She plays beautifully,’ Lily commented, but Hunter wasn’t listening, a frown on his darkening face as he peered across the room.

  ‘Who’s that lech talking to her?’ Hunter’s voice had a very proprietorial ring to it but Lily laughed as she followed his gaze and saw who Emma was talking to.

  ‘That’s my cousin, Jim, and he’s certainly not a lech—he’s delightful.’

  ‘He’s all over her.’ Hunter’s voice was clipped. ‘What the hell’s he doing?’