Sweet As Sin

by Ana Jolene

  As the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, he guessed he shouldn’t be so surprised that so many people looked up to him. Hutch just didn’t expect the response to be this overwhelming. The whole stint with the admirers when they’d first arrived at the hotel was nothing in comparison. This was admiration on a whole other level.

  Maison grabbed a hold of his arm. He didn’t want to make such a big deal of it, but this was the second time she’d touch him so casually. Did that mean she was getting used to him?

  She quickly dragged him towards the mass of people all sitting together as they watched his father up on the stage. To his surprise, a few people recognized him and greeted him also.

  When he could finally sit down and watch his father, Matthew was already well into his speech. Not surprisingly, he spoke with great elegance and authority. Hutch could see that some people were even taking notes as he spoke while others settled for filming him instead.

  Beside him, Maison laughed and clapped as his father recited a joke. It wasn’t particularly original. In fact, it was a little on the cheesy side, but Hutch found himself chuckling along anyway. Soon, he was applauding with the rest of them.

  He was proud to see his father up there, speaking in front of thousands of people talking about his growing company and business ethics. If all these people here looked up to Matthew, maybe he should do the same.

  Hutch would be the first to admit that he took a lot of things for granted. Take his leg for example. Only with its loss did he learn to miss and appreciate it.

  He thought about what his father had said to him the night before. Did he really look for things to hate him for? A lot of their fights were over stupid things. What if he tried respecting his father more? Would that help their relationship?

  It was just like his adjustment now. He never thought he’d be able to find something he might enjoy in Moonrise Beach simply because he was too focused on what he’d loss with the Army. But thankfully Sam had shown him that he could find enjoyment here too.

  If he could learn to see his father the way all these other people did, maybe he wouldn’t hate him so much and they could get over their strained relationship. The notion was so simple yet he knew it would take a while for that to change.

  After his father’s speech, they’d celebrated with drinks. This time he took it easy with his choice and opted for a beer instead.

  Hutch wasn’t sure if it was because his father was in a good mood after doing his presentation or if his change in thinking had really helped him, but they all chatted for the next several hours before returning to their rooms.

  Hutch had just gotten out of the shower when his father walked over to him. “Could you do me a favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “Drop these over to Maison’s room for me. I’m beat and would like to shower too.”

  “Okay.” He rose, taking the files from his father and moved for the door.

  Maison was situated just next door, so he really didn’t mind doing this for his dad. Besides, he really wanted to see Maison again.

  When she opened the door for him, he was surprised to see her already in her pajamas. Apologies quickly spilled from his mouth. “I didn’t realize how late it was.”

  “I’m really tired.”

  “Then I’ll let you get some sleep.” He handed her the files. “My dad asked me to give these to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  For a moment, Hutch felt stupid for standing there and staring at her, but he couldn’t look away. Maison’s hair was wet from her shower and her long, blonde locks rested at her shoulders.

  The pajamas she wore were pale pink and cozy-looking, likely to combat the evening chill, but what amused him the most was the fact that they had little white snowflakes all over them. “I know it’s cold, but it’s not that cold,” he teased. When Maison frowned, he pointed at her pajamas.

  “Oh!” Her cheeks flushed instantly. “I, um.” He could’ve sworn that she got even redder as he stared at her. “Well, I don’t have any reason other than that they’re warm.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “They’re cute. It suits you.”

  Maison flushed even further.

  “All right then, Snowflake. Get some rest.”

  He turned away before she would say anything to the playful nickname he’d given her. His little Snowflake could be too cute sometimes.

  Hutch went to bed, thinking about Maison and her cute snowflake-covered pajamas.

  THIRTEEN

  On day two of the conference, Matthew was scheduled for an intimate Q&A with some of his “fans.” Maison chuckled to herself as she thought about Matthew’s reaction if he heard her calling them that. Although they certainly adored him like any other Hollywood celebrity, Matthew still kept things very professional. She wouldn’t be surprised if he scolded her calling them that again.

  At least things between Matthew and Hutch were improving. She hated seeing them argue. At the bar last night, they’d been talking to each other again and it gave her so much pleasure to simply sit between them and enjoy each other’s company.

  Today, however, she was feeling even more tired than the day before. “Oh no,” she muttered as she wondered if she’d somehow caught a cold. Her body ached in various places and she was feeling sluggish. The only thing missing was a headache.

  Maison blearily stumbled out of bed and instantly regretted it as twin points of pain lanced through her temples. Dammit, why the hell had she stayed up so late?

  Although she’d already been dressed for bed at nine, after Hutch had dropped off the files from Matthew, she’d spent some time going over them. Before she knew it, several hours had passed and she realized that she’d have to get up in another four hours.

  She’d stumbled into bed in the early morning but she knew the day ahead of her was going to be tough. She could barely stand up without wanting to keel over.

  Nevertheless, she pushed through her fatigue. She was thankful that she had the foresight to shower the night before. Now all she had to do was put her clothes on.

  Finally dressed, she texted Hutch that she was going to go grab some breakfast before meeting them. Some food and coffee would definitely enliven her.

  By the time she was done eating, she felt marginally better. Her headache was gone but that feeling of grogginess remained. A second cup of coffee would definitely be required in her near future.

  When Matthew and Hutch finally arrived, they both sported twin looks of concern. “Are you all right?” Hutch asked immediately.

  God, did she really look that bad? “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

  “Didn’t sleep well?”

  “More like, I didn’t sleep at all.”

  “Don’t tell me you went over the files again instead of sleeping,” Matthew said.

  Maison felt herself blush.

  “Maison,” he scolded. “You didn’t need to do that. You could’ve done that when we got back to Moonrise.”

  “I know. I was just curious and wanted to double-check that everything is where it’s supposed to be.”

  Hutch grinned at her. “You’re such a perfectionist.”

  Matthew shook his head. “No, she’s crazy. Next time I won’t be giving you anything until we get back.”

  “But—”

  “Come on, let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”

  Because she didn’t want to be late either, Maison allowed Matthew to lead the way. She was surprised that he knew where he was going. Maybe he didn’t need her after all.

  “So what’s on the agenda today?” Hutch asked. “Just the Q&A?”

  “Yup. And then we’re free to do whatever we want.”

  “Not anything. We do have to fly back tomorrow,” Matthew gently reminded her.

  “Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on getting drunk,” Hutch replied.

  As Matthew got prepared for his big moment, he asked, “Do you guys want to grab some breakfast or something?”
/>   Maison shot him a look. “Considering how that went yesterday, I think I’m going to say no.”

  Her boss grinned at her. “I think I’m capable of keeping my shirt clean for ten minutes, Maison.”

  “We’ll see about that. Besides, I already had breakfast.” She looked to Hutch.

  “I did too,” he added.

  “Good. So we’ll just go out front and find a couple of seats there, okay?”

  Matthew nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Maison.”

  “No problem.”

  Together, she and Hutch moved to the front to find seats. The crowd today was much smaller, but there was still a little raised podium that Matthew would be on while he answered questions. They settled for a spot closer to one of the walls, leaving the best seats in the house for his fans.

  As soon as she sat down, Maison let out a long sigh. Man, she must be really tired. Hutch glanced down at her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.”

  “Well, good thing all we have to do now is just sit here for an hour. You can take a nap if you want.”

  “I’m not going to sleep!” She wasn’t that tired and it would look terrible if Matthew Hewitt’s assistant was caught sleeping during one of his Q&As. Hutch flashed her a sexy smile.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you, Snowflake.”

  “I don’t need you to cover for me. And what’s with you calling me Snowflake? Stop, it’s annoying.”

  “I find it amusing.” His sexy smile widened as she let out a growl.

  Instead of arguing with him though, Maison ignored his sexy smirk and focused back on Matthew. He’d just stepped up to the podium and introduced himself. As expected, cheers and applause erupted. How the hell did Hutch think she could sleep through all that?

  As the Q&A began, her head started to feel heavier and heavier. Maison did her best to push past it but it was already dark in the room and her eyelids kept drooping down.

  For a moment, she allowed herself to close her eyes. Man, she wished she had a pillow to rest her head on but she wasn’t lucky enough to have one on hand.

  Whatever. In a second she would open her eyes again.

  She just wanted another moment to rest.

  Hutch had been surprised when he looked over to see Maison with her eyes closed. He was even more shocked when her head started to dip sideways. He fought the urge to laugh. He couldn’t believe Maison Lane had actually fallen asleep!

  Instead of laughing out loud like he wanted to, Hutch stayed still as her head found a spot on his shoulder. He had to scoot down a little more in his seat so that she could comfortably lean on him, but he wasn’t going to complain.

  From this position, he could smell her scent. Light yet intoxicating, Hutch got lost in thought as he imagined what it would be like to share a bed with this wonderful woman. He thought it’d been adorable when she’d worn her snowflake pajamas and now he couldn’t stop himself from imagining her in anything else.

  When Maison’s soft snores sounded in his ear, he had to stifle his laugh or fear waking her. She was more tired than she’d let on. A part of him even felt angry that she wasn’t taking better care of herself. Maison was always doing something for others when she should be worrying about herself more.

  He let her sleep through the entire Q&A. Although there were a lot of people around them, no one seemed to notice her snoring away.

  He found it funny that she was currently using him as a pillow. Did that mean she was getting used to him? Maybe even feeling comfortable with him?

  He looked down at his shoulder and took in her beauty. He knew Maison was self-conscious about her looks, but had she always been that way? He didn’t see anything wrong with her appearance and he wondered if there was something else playing a part in her insecurities. He didn’t believe Maison’s misconstrued body image was a result of her own thinking.

  Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open and her head lifted. “Wha—” She looked adorably confused for a second before realization hit her. “Oh my God! Did I fall asleep?”

  Hutch grinned at her. “It’s okay, Snowflake. You dozed off a little but no one noticed.”

  As expected, her cheeks flushed. “I can’t believe I just did that!”

  “Relax. It’s fine. I was watching over you.” His hand came over her leg to offer more reassurance but she let out a little squeak.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  Hutch smiled again. “It’s okay. No need to beat yourself up over it. We’re all a little tired this morning.”

  “I didn’t sleep on you, did I?” Horror masked her features. “Oh God, I did, didn’t I?”

  He could only grin in response. “I make a good pillow.”

  Groaning, Maison got to her feet and he did the same, following her over to where Matthew was. Now that he was done, they had the rest of the day off.

  He could hear Maison’s voice above all the chatter. “Great job! You were perfect.” Funny, how would she know that if she’d been sleeping through the whole thing?

  He stifled a laugh. “Yeah, you were great,” he agreed.

  “Thank you.” To his surprise, Matthew patted him on the shoulder.

  As Hutch tried recovering from his surprise, a man he was fairly certain he knew walked up to them. “Matthew, hey. I just wanted to congratulate you. You’ve done an amazing job these past few days.”

  His father looked surprised by the newcomer, but a second later, his professionalism was back in place. He shook the man’s extended hand. “Brian, it’s good to see you here. Maison, you remember Mr. Melwood, right?”

  Maison stepped forward. “Yes. Hello, sir.” As they exchanged pleasantries, Hutch went over what he remembered about this guy.

  From what he could recall, Brian Melwood also worked for Gleam Enterprises. However, his focus was on the international side of things. His father’s partner, Clive Davenport, had brought him in in an effort to expand their business overseas. But he knew there had always been a subtle thread of tension between his father and Mr. Melwood.

  When Brian’s gaze landed on him, surprise flashed over his features. “Hutch? Is that you?”

  He stepped forward. “Yes, sir.” His father may not like the man but Hutch would always be cordial to everyone he met.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. I didn’t know you were going to be here. I heard you were working for Gleam but I didn’t expect you to tag along on the trips as well.”

  Tag along. Like he was a little lost puppy. Hutch gritted his teeth. “My father was kind enough to invite me.”

  “Well, good. I hope you’re enjoying your time in London.”

  “I am. It’s been fantastic. But I am looking forward to returning to the warmer weather.”

  “Ah, too chilly for you here?” Brian laughed. “Me too. I can’t want to return to Moonrise. Hey, will you be attending the charity event when we return?”

  Charity event? No one had mentioned anything about a charity event.

  His expression must’ve revealed his confusion because Maison said, “It’s for the American Cancer Society. Gleam Enterprises has done it every year since your mother passed.”

  Oh right, he knew all about that. What he didn’t realize was that it was happening so soon.

  “You’re free to come,” she said. “I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to.”

  “Will you be there?”

  “Of course.” While the idea of dressing up made him want to strangle himself, he’d loved the chance to see Maison in a dress again.

  “Maison, do you have a date?” Brian asked.

  Beside him, Maison flushed. “Ah. No. I don’t usually go with anyone since it’s a work thing.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone needs a date. What about you, Hutch?”

  “Considering that I didn’t know it was happening until just a moment ago, no. I don’t.”

  “No girlfriend?”

  Hutch glanced at Maison who was still flushing. “Unfortunate
ly, no.”

  “Well then, since you two don’t have dates, why don’t you go with each other?” Brian suggested.

  “Ah, I’m not sure that’s really necess—”

  “That’s a great idea,” Matthew said.

  Both he and Maison turned to him in surprise. “What?”

  “Oh come on, it’ll be great. Hunter and Owen will be there too. I just need to convince Dacey now.”

  Hutch laughed. “Yeah. Good luck with that.” Dacey was the most hardheaded out of all of them.

  “Wonderful,” Brian chimed. “I guess I’ll see you then.”

  Hutch nodded. “See you then.”

  After he left, he turned to Maison. “What the hell was that all about?” she wailed.

  “Don’t mind him. He’s just a little chatty.”

  “No, I mean about the charity thing!”

  He stiffened. “You don’t want to go with me?”

  “No! I mean, yes, I do. But I just think it would be better if—”

  “Maison, if you don’t want to go with me, you don’t have to. I won’t force you. But I am going to be there.” He’d do it for his mother. And, he thought, for his father too. It’d be nice to be able to go and support him again.

  “Are you sure you want to go with me? I mean, you can bring someone else—”

  “I want to go with you.” He smiled down at her. “In fact, there’s no one else I would rather go with.”

  As his words sunk in, Maison’s cheeks reddened adorably. “O-okay. In that case, I’ll go with you.”

  “Great. I’ll pick you up.”

  “It’s fine. I can get there myself.”

  “Maison, let me pick you up.” He couldn’t stand the thought of her standing there alone, waiting for him. “Please.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh fine. We’ll talk about it more when we get back to Moonrise Beach.”

  He smiled. “Perfect.”

  Now all he had to do was find something to wear.

  FOURTEEN

  The return trip was pleasant and quick, mostly because Hutch loved spending uninterrupted time by Maison’s side. Although he was tired, he wouldn’t allow his fatigue to make him miss a single moment.