I only nodded, unable to form any words.
“You’re leaving; I’ll take that.” She swiped the drink from my hand and was taking a sip before I could even protest.
“Nice meeting you, Erin.” The oversized man took my hand in his own again.
“It was nice to meet you too…what did you say your name was again?”
“I didn’t,” he smiled a slick grin that had fear raising the hairs on the back of my neck. “Best to keep it that way, for your safety and mine.” He winked then, as if his last statement should impress me. I glanced to the blonde that had shimmied up to his side and was looking up at him with moony eyes.
“Of course.” I smiled with polite naiveté I was struggling to possess. “Have a good night.” I felt Hunter’s hand wrap in mine as he escorted me from the room.
“Now, to dinner!” Hunter led as we made our way back down the cushioned steps and out into the cool Chicago air.
“Sir.” The driver nodded when we approached, a slight wry grin on his face as he held the door for us. Crawling in, I felt Hunter’s rough hands whispering behind my bare thighs and I suddenly didn’t care where we were going, as long as it was just us, him and I, together. I didn’t know if I would get answers tonight, I didn’t even know if I knew the right questions to ask, I only knew that with his strong fingers twisted in mine, I felt safe and nothing else beyond that mattered.
Hunter ushered me out of the car with a firm palm at my back ten minutes later. “I hate this thing.” He worked his tie between his fingers and whipped it behind him across the leather of the car, then ran a hand through his formally styled hair. I smiled as I watched him transform into the comfortable Hunter I was used to seeing. The one that I knew, that I loved.
That I loved. The thought made my chest burn and my eyes tighten with tears.
It took my breath away, I thought I knew love, I thought I’d had love, but I’d been wrong, so wrong.
“Dinner first, then I take you home.” He tightened his hand, as if sensing my unease. “You okay?” He stopped and turned to me. His ruffled hair and dazzling verdant eyes glinted in the evening light. The white cuff of his shirt unbuttoned and the sharp black of his jacket lured me in, begged me to curl into his arms and hold on tight to him, tight enough for dear life.
“I’m…” I paused. “Okay.” I sighed, feeling like it might actually be true at this very moment and pressed up on my toes to place a soft kiss on his beautifully sculpted lips. I pulled away and watched as Hunter’s eyes fell closed, and right on that evening-lit street, his forehead fell to mine as he exhaled.
“Good. I promise I’ll tell you everything when I can, but I’d never let anyone hurt you, Erin,” he said softly, in a register lower than normal, that had love undoing my heart one beat at a time until it felt like it might burst. “I’m so glad you’re still here.”
“Of course I’m here. I’m your PA, you need me, right?”
“You’re right.” He stopped, his voice serious and deep with emotion. “I do need you.” His hands tightened around mine, and my tummy turned more twists than it ever had in my life.
“I have a confession,” Hunter said after our dinner was cleared and we sat with a half-drunk bottle of wine between us at the private table.
“Oh boy, here we go.” I took another long drink of my wine in jest. He quirked a smile at me that allowed happiness and hope to bloom in my belly. For just a split second I forgot about John Ellis Walker and the bimbo and everything else that had left my head spinning. This was it. This was the real deal. I loved him.
“You know that secret you think I don’t know?”
My heart dropped then. Fell straight to the floor between my too-high heels and splintered into painful shards.
“I—I don’t know…” I stuttered, my brain running away with what he could or couldn’t know.
“This only works if I’m up front with you, Erin, and I haven’t been. But tonight it’s all on the table.”
“Okay,” I whispered, my brain still stalling on the idea that there was so much more that I didn’t know about Hunter, frozen in fear that he finally knew the one secret I’d carried down deep.
“Sometimes I get an assignment from JW, and with my certain skillset, well…I was hired to…” He pressed his bottom lip between his teeth, his eyes darting away. My stomach curled and burned, vomit making its way up my esophagus. This wasn’t going to be good. Not a chance.
“H—hired to what?” My hands shook beneath the stark white linen of the table where we sat. I watched Hunter’s throat constrict with a slow swallow. I imagined the lump that was probably lodged there, at least if it matched mine at all.
“I was hired to watch your husband.”
To be continued…
Book Two coming November 2015.
Add Blindsight Book Two on Goodreads.
also from Adriane Leigh
Steel and Lace: The Complete Series
The Morning After
Light in Morning
The Wild Series: Wild, Ridge, Slade
Beautiful Burn
Blindsight: Books One, Two, Three
acknowledgements
First, I have to thank my editor, Lisa, at Adept Edits who accepts my demanding last-minute ‘process’ and helps me craft sloppy sentences into sensical ones! I wouldn’t be the writer I am without you challenging me every step of the way!
I am so blessed to call Neda, Amy, Nelle, Terri and my SmutSisters very dear friends. Thank you for your unwavering support and all-hours of the day chats that remind me to suck it up and just keep on! You keep me sane through this crazy ride.
Robin and Yaya…you ladies are Hunter Ellis’ lifesaver! Thank you for picking up Blindsight at the last minute and giving me your hilarious two cents! Your suggestions are priceless!
Raine, EK, Jay, RK, Katie, Kristy, Alessandra and so many other outrageously talented authors I not only have the good fortune of knowing, but calling friends. Thank you for your love, kind words, support, and laughs!
And I couldn’t do this job without the help from my hubby. Thanks, Babe, for feeding me at 5pm when I’ve been in the writing cave all day losing my mind, and thanks to the incredible support system that is my family, putting up with me while I freely lose my mind in books every day.
And to my very favorite people in the world…book people! I’ve been so blessed to meet so many readers at book signings, chatting books with all of you is the cherry on top of this wonderful whirlwind!
♥ Adriane
about the author
Adriane Leigh was born and raised in a snowbank in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and now lives among the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan lakeshore.
She graduated with a Literature degree but never particularly enjoyed reading Shakespeare or Chaucer.
She is married to a tall, dark, and handsome guy, and plays mama to two sweet baby girls. She is a voracious reader and wishes she had more time to knit scarves to keep her warm during the arctic Michigan winters.
Stay up to date with Adriane’s new releases here: adrianeleigh.com/contact/
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