Sweet As Sin

by Ana Jolene

  Maison sat there, completely shocked by Hutch’s words. They were diplomatic but still managed to shut Mickey’s mouth in the process. She glanced over at their audience, seeing their frowns turn into smiles.

  She was smiling herself and in an effort to comfort and thank Hutch all at once, she wrapped a hand around his. Hutch turned to her, surprise flashing over his features before he asked, “Want to dance?”

  Maison flushed immediately. “Oh, I’m not good at dancing.”

  “Don’t worry, just follow my lead.” As he dragged her to her feet, she felt her heart start to pound wildly. From the corner of her eye, she caught Mickey’s gaze and flushed. He was glaring at them, obviously not pleased by Hutch’s words. Hutch chuckled in her ear. “Relax, Maison. It’s just dancing.”

  As they reached the dance floor, one hand reached out to grab hers while the other went around her waist. Hutch then pulled her closer until there was nothing but a slither of air between them. “That’s it,” Hutch whispered as they began to sway to the music. Oh God! She couldn’t believe she was doing this! She looked up and their eyes met before the corners of his mouth twisted up in a sly grin. “What are you thinking about?”

  “I’m concentrating on not stepping on your toes.”

  His chuckle ran through her. “Don’t worry. You’re so tiny I doubt I’d feel it.”

  “But I’m wearing heels.”

  “And they look wicked good on you. I’ve never seen legs so long before.”

  Her cheeks heated at the compliment but instead of focusing on that, she said, “Thanks for saving me back there.”

  Hutch scowled. “I don’t know what his problem is.”

  “I don’t either but he’s always been a little bit of a jerk. Don’t know how that’s possible since Clive is such a nice guy.”

  “Maybe he’s adopted.”

  As they laughed together, Hutch brought them closer. “I probably shouldn’t say this but—” He broke off without finishing.

  “But what?”

  “Mickey likes you.”

  Maison groaned. “Ugh. I know.” But she definitely didn’t return the sentiment.

  A smile twisted Hutch’s lips and it made him look so handsome that her heart skipped a beat. “What? Don’t return the feelings?”

  “You’re joking, right? It’s been a long time since I’ve been kissed but even then, I’m not that desperate.”

  “Really? I mean, you look absolutely gorgeous. Who wouldn’t want to kiss you?

  She shrugged, feeling her cheeks heat again. “I guess I’m too shy.”

  “I think I know of a way to fix that.” Before she could do anything, Hutch dropped his lips to hers.

  Maison could do nothing but gasp, which only gave him an opportunity to dip his tongue inside her mouth. To her utter embarrassment, she let out a moan, feeling both thrilled and scared with everything that was happening.

  Oh God! What the hell was she doing? Was she kissing him back? As the shock of his lips on hers disappeared, arousal flared in its place. And when Hutch’s arms tightened around her that was when she really lost it.

  Maison snapped her eyes shut, allowing herself to just let go. As her mouth fell open, Hutch’s tongue darted inside, brushing against hers. Instantly, her body grew wet and needy. Wow. She hadn’t known his kisses would be that drugging.

  Then again, maybe she did. And maybe that was why she closed herself off from him so much. But she could only resist him for so long. Now that she knew just what Hutch Happa-Hewitt was capable of, she would always want him. And that scared her more than anything else.

  No. No.

  Seizing back control, Maison pushed him away and ran for her life.

  Hutch couldn’t even get a word out before Maison was gone. One minute she’d been in his arms, kissing him back fiercely, and in the second, she was gone.

  He could see her rushing for the doors while everyone else around them turned to glance back at him. What the hell? What had he done? “Maison, wait!”

  “What happened?” Hunter asked as he rushed to his side.

  “I don’t know!” They both started to run after her. “Did you see which way she went?”

  “This way.” Hunter pointed towards the ladies’ room and Hutch darted for it.

  He knocked once on the door but heard no response. “Maison!” he called out. “Can we talk?” Had he pushed her too hard? Had he hurt her in some way? Fuck, it was killing him not knowing what he’d done wrong!

  The door opened and Hutch stepped back, but it wasn’t Maison’s beautiful blue eyes staring back at him. It was an older woman, beautiful and svelte in her own way, but she didn’t hold a candle to his Snowflake.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, “but whoever you’re looking for isn’t in there. No one is in there actually. It’s just me.”

  Hutch cursed. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I checked myself.”

  Disappointment flooded him. “Okay. Thank you.”

  With a sad smile, the woman left, leaving Hutch feeling more forlorn than ever. Everything had been going perfect until she ran away from him. What did he do wrong?

  Dammit. Had the kiss scared her off? It’d been the best damn kiss of his entire life, so why the hell had she run off?

  Despite what the woman had said to him, he darted inside the washroom, checking the stalls for Maison. He needed to apologize. But just as the woman had said, all of them were empty. If she wasn’t here, then where the hell had she gone?

  He headed for the front entrance, scanning the crowd for her. “Did you find her?” he asked Hunter when he reappeared by his side.

  “No. I think she’s gone.”

  No. He couldn’t accept that she’d just run away like that.

  His father appeared a second later. “What the hell happened in there?” he asked.

  “Maison’s gone. Have you seen her?”

  “No. I just saw her run out here.”

  Shit. What had he done? Neither his father nor his brother said anything as he hunched over and dropped his head into his hands. Had he ruined everything between them?

  SIXTEEN

  After returning from the charity event, they all arrived home with uneasiness still rolling through them. Hunter still wasn’t sure what exactly had happened with Maison and his brother, but Hutch was still clearly upset about it. He’d gone straight to his room without a word and slammed the door behind him.

  Hunter wanted to go to him and ask him what happened but figured it’d be better to give him some time to settle down first. Besides, Owen’s babysitter was still downstairs. Returning to the first floor, he paid Cybil and showed her out. When she was gone, he turned back to find Owen already fast asleep on the couch. Turning off the cartoons, he scooped him up in his arms and carried him back to bed.

  His heart warmed as he gazed down at his son. Things obviously hadn’t gone well tonight but he still felt grateful that his kid was healthy and happy. Hopefully, the rest would fall into place soon.

  Closing the door to his bedroom as quietly as he could after tucking him in, he returned downstairs to grab a glass of water. As he quenched his thirst, he loosened the tie at his throat and let out a long sigh. Man, he hated dressing up. It was always such an annoyance, but every year Gleam Enterprises held this event in honor of his mother, so Hunter would endure the dress-up game for her.

  He thought he was the only one downstairs when there was a rustle and then his father called his name. Hunter froze. Was his father still trying to work? Even after coming home late from the party?

  He made his way to his office and peered inside his office. “What is it?”

  Matthew sat behind the big desk in the center of the room. Behind him, the curtains of the window were pulled back, allowing the moonlight to come in. “Sit down. There’s something I want to ask you . . .”

  Oh no. Hunter hated going in his father’s office. Not only did it bring back bad memories of when he was being scolded as a kid, bu
t he could also guess what his father wanted to talk to him about. Hesitantly, he walked inside and sat down in one of the chairs before his father. “How’s Hutch?” Matthew asked.

  “He’s upstairs and he’s still upset.”

  Matthew nodded. “I don’t know what went wrong tonight but I’ve already tried calling Maison.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She didn’t answer, so I left her a message and asked her to call me back.”

  Now it was his turn to nod. Hopefully she was okay and tonight was just a simple misunderstanding. “In that case, I think I’ll go to bed.” He started to stand.

  “Not so fast.” Matthew motioned him to sit back down. “There’s something else I have to ask . . .”

  Hunter’s stomach tightened. Shit. He was going to ask him again, wasn’t he?

  Matthew leaned forward and gazed at his face. “When are you going to take over Gleam?”

  Shit. There it was. The question he hated hearing.

  It was a question that his father had asked him many times over the years, and each time, he’d always given him the answer he didn’t like. This time, however, instead of asking him if he could take over Gleam, he’d asked when.

  As if time would change his mind.

  It wouldn’t.

  Hunter replied with a cool smile. “Are we really going to do this again?”

  “Yes, we are.” He folded his hands together. “You’ll find I’m a very patient man.”

  At that, Hunter snorted. “You? Patient? You’re kidding me.” His father didn’t have a patient bone in his body.

  “Maybe patient isn’t the right word. But I am determined. So, let me ask you again, when are you going to take over Gleam?”

  “I told you already, I’m not going to do it.” The CEO thing had never fit his personality. He’d been born an athlete and when his injury had happened and forced him to pick another career path, he’d been happy working at the coffee shop. He couldn’t even wear a tie for more than a few hours tonight. How could his father expect him to wear suits to work every day? No. Taking over Gleam was never going to happen.

  “I’m getting older,” Matthew said. “I should be retired already but I’m still working.”

  “If you hate it so much, then you should retire.” Money wasn’t an issue for them and his father should be able to retire very comfortably.

  “I want to know the company is in safe hands before I do.”

  “You have Clive for that.” His best friend and business partner had been there for him since the beginning.

  Matthew shook his head. “The position is meant for you.”

  Hunter rose to his feet. He was really getting tired of this conversation. “But I don’t want it so stop trying to force me into it.”

  Matthew stood as well. “What do you plan to do then? Since your divorce you haven’t been doing much.”

  “Having been doing much? I’ve been raising Owen all on my own!”

  “Then I suggest you reconsider my offer. After all, you’re going to need to support Owen somehow.”

  His hands formed a fist and Hunter gritted his teeth. His father could be such an asshole sometimes. No, scratch that. He was always an asshole. There was never any leniency or second chances. Matthew always expected perfection from himself and everyone around him. He was so sick of it!

  “I’m not working for Gleam, okay? So you can stop asking me.” Before Matthew could argue with him, he walked out and quickly climbed the stairs. He was so done with having this conversation.

  Only when he was in the safety of his bedroom did Hunter allow himself to relax. Man, that conversation had really riled him up. He thought by now his father would give up this dream of having him take over his place in the company, but apparently not. He was still as pushy as ever.

  Tonight he’d stepped over the line when he brought Owen into it though. Didn’t he realize he’d just gotten out of a divorce a few months ago? Things were still shifting beneath his feet and until he found his footing again, Hunter planned on taking it slow. That didn’t mean he wasn’t providing for his son. He was doing his very best with his time and efforts, but apparently, his father didn’t think it was enough.

  Would becoming the CEO of Gleam Enterprises really solve all his current problems? Hunter highly doubted it. Which was why he continued to turn down his father.

  And he would continue to do so because although he was closest in temperament to his father, he was never, ever going to follow into his footsteps and become the cold bastard his father was.

  Since her return from London, Maison realized that she hadn’t yet seen Rissa, so after making a quick call to her to see what she was up to, she learned that her Little Sister had a school project due soon. And since she felt bad for not checking in sooner, Maison offered to help.

  That was how Maison and Rissa spent their Sunday afternoon. It thrilled her that Rissa was really opening up to her more and she felt like things were finally progressing well with them.

  The teen’s latest art project involved creating a model of her ideal house, complete with mini tables and mini chairs and mini windows. Maison remembered a time when she had to do something similar in high school, but unlike her, Rissa was an overachiever and the plans she had made seemed elaborate and complex. She had no idea how they would be able to bring them to life, but they were going to try.

  Luckily, Rissa’s talent was art. She could paint, draw, and design, making her a lethal threat and quite the artist. But despite her natural-born talents, Rissa’s mother had always discouraged her daughter from pursuing any kind of career in that field. She said it was because it didn’t bring in any money and that saddened Maison.

  It bothered her that her mother couldn’t support her just because she thought it wouldn’t pay the bills, and it especially bothered her that the only contact she had in her daughter’s life was when she was scolding her for something. Every time she did that, it dimmed Rissa’s sparkle and the girl didn’t need anything more weighing down her life.

  That was also why she’d agreed to help her. Rissa had brought over all the materials and tools she’d need to create her model home. Oh boy. As Maison stared down at the cardboard, foam, fake moss, and wire, she suddenly felt overwhelmed. How the hell were they going to do this?

  Lucky for her, Rissa seemed to know what she was doing and took the lead. As they started measuring out how big they wanted the model, Maison moved to make the four walls and the roof. “How was your trip?” Rissa asked, breaking the silence.

  “It was great. Matthew did a wonderful job.”

  “I’ve never been to London before.”

  “Oh, it’s beautiful.” It was then that she recalled the conversation she’d had with Hutch and sadness consumed her.

  “What’s wrong?” Rissa asked.

  “Huh? Nothing’s wrong.” She didn’t want to talk about what had happened at the charity event. The memory still stung. “Come on,” she pushed. “Tell me.”

  But Maison simply shook her head. After measuring out the pieces, she started on cutting the cardboard. When she was finished, Rissa proceeded to glue the pieces together.

  Despite the good process they were making, Maison felt bad about not answering earlier and she couldn’t help but notice how quiet Rissa was. “So how are things at school?” Maison asked, trying to make peace with her.

  “It’s okay.” Uh oh, were they back to two-word answers? Or was she mad at her for not sharing more information?

  “What happened with that guy you like?”

  “You mean Boone?”

  “Yes. Boone. What’s going on with him?”

  The younger girl shrugged. “Nothing really. I actually haven’t talked to him recently.”

  That made Maison frown. “Really? How come? The last time we talked about him, it seemed that he was interested in you.”

  “I don’t know actually. We were talking every day and then one day he just . . . stopped.”

&n
bsp; Her frown deepened. “That’s weird, don’t you think?”

  “Yes!” Rissa exclaimed. It was the first real emotion she’d seen from her today. “I don’t know what happened. He’s even started talking to another girl!”

  Uh oh. That didn’t sound good. While she didn’t personally know this Boone character, a girl had to be careful if a guy could swap between girls so easily like that. Too smooth guys were often too much trouble.

  Kind of like another guy you know, she thought.

  Maison shook her head, trying to dispel thoughts of Hutch from her mind. She didn’t want to think about him.

  “So is this new girl his girlfriend now or something?” she asked. “Or is she just a friend?”

  “I don’t know.” Rissa’s expression turned dejected and the usual spark in her eyes faded. Maison was well acquainted with that look. She’d seen it just this morning in the mirror.

  “You know what?” she drawled, hoping to elevate the mood. “Forget about Boone.”

  To her surprise, a smile curled Rissa’s lips. “You sound mad.”

  “Mad? Why would I be mad?”

  “I don’t know. Something tells me you’re not thinking about Boone anymore. Want to talk about it?”

  Crap, was she really that transparent? When she’d woken up this morning, she’d been faced with her regret of last night. What she’d done to Hutch was completely, totally unforgivable and she hated herself for her loss of control. What the hell had happened? One moment she was happy to be by his side and then, suddenly, she was running away from him. Had his kiss really freaked her out that much?

  When Rissa simply stared at her, Maison sighed. “Okay, so maybe something did happen last night . . .” But talking about it would be difficult. She was already embarrassed and it would only bring her awareness back on her anxiety.

  “Well, don’t leave me hanging!” Rissa exclaimed.

  Maison shook her head. “I’m sorry, I just don’t think this is appropriate. I shouldn’t even really be talking about this with you.”