Devastated (Anger Management Book 1)

by R. L. Mathewson

  Maybe she was looking at this all wrong, she told herself as her grip tightened around the bundle in her arms, only to feel her shoulders slump in defeat. She should tell him that she couldn’t go, but Kylie really didn’t think that was an option. Well, it probably was, but…

  She didn’t want Hunter to know.

  Besides, it would be all be over in a week. Until then, she would just focus on doing her job by ensuring that everything ran smoothly as she did her best to ignore the fact that she was two days away from being stuck in a large room filled with thousands of people and-

  “Fuck this!”

  Sighing, she headed downstairs, wondering why he made her job so difficult. For the past two weeks, he’d been…cranky. Well, not with her, but with everyone else because he never took his temper out on her. No, with her, he simply glared, pouted, and muttered until she had enough and took pity on him. Kind of like tonight, she thought as she made her way downstairs and headed towards the kitchen, not really surprised when he followed her since he didn’t like to be alone when he was like this.

  She used to call Ryan when Hunter got like this only to realize that wasn’t a good idea, especially since those times hadn’t ended well for Ryan. It had taken some trial and error, but she’d eventually figured out what worked.

  When she reached the kitchen, she placed her bundle on the table and debated between hot chocolate and Coke only to decide on Coke, because there was no way that she was going to be able to get through the next week without caffeine. She grabbed the tray from the cabinet and placed it on the counter while Hunter leaned back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, glaring.

  She grabbed two ice-cold Cokes from the fridge, the plate of chocolate chip cookies that she’d made earlier and placed them on the tray. When she went to pick up the tray, Hunter gently brushed her hands aside and picked it up for her.

  “Thank you,” she said, not really all that surprised when he continued to glare.

  Biting back a sigh, Kylie grabbed her bundle and headed for the patio doors. Once she was outside, she debated on the best spot to do this, only to settle on the lounge chair in the back. She dropped her bundle on the end of the lounge chair, turned around, waited for Hunter to place the tray down on the small side table and-

  “Ooomph!”

  Climbed onto the lounge chair and sat down between Hunter’s sprawled legs, ignoring his glare as she grabbed the comforter with a satisfied sigh and threw it over her legs. After a slight pause, Hunter sighed as he reached around her and pulled the comforter over her while she grabbed her iPad and leaned back against him. Once she was settled, she opened the document that she’d been avoiding all day.

  Hunter never complained about the manhandling, but then again, maybe that file that they both pretended didn’t exist had something to do with it. Maybe he’d read one of the many accusations that her family started about her beating her ex-husband and he now lived in fear, Kylie thought with a soft sigh and a roll of her eyes as she settled back to get more comfortable even as she couldn’t help but wonder what they’d said about her.

  She remembered all the rumors her parents used to spread when she was growing up. The horrible things they’d accused people of…

  One thing that she’d never understood was why all those people that happily listened to every juicy bit of gossip her parents had to share never once questioned whether or not her parents were saying the same things about them. They did, each and every time someone made the mistake of telling them anything. They’d take whatever they were told and exaggerated it, adding details, and accusations and within minutes of finding something out they were on the phone spreading their lies. Even as a child, she knew that her parents couldn’t be trusted.

  Then again, since these were the same people who’d turned a blind eye to what her parents were doing to her and happily believed everything her parents said, maybe there was a reason for that. She’d been thinking about this a lot lately, wondering what kind of person would happily believe the worst about a child they’d never met and treat that child like crap once they did. It never mattered how well-behaved she was, how polite and quiet she was, or the fact that none of them had ever seen her do anything her parents accused her of, none of them had ever questioned why the first thing out of her parents’ mouths was to warn them that she was a liar.

  Now she knew that her parents had been doing everything they could to make sure that no one believed her. It was the same thing they were doing now, and it let her know just how afraid they were that she was finally going to tell someone what they did to her, but honestly, they had nothing to worry about. Having people find out just how much her family hated her was the last thing that she wanted to happen.

  “What are you working on?” Hunter asked, as he wrapped his arms around her, letting her know that she was safe.

  “Not killing you,” Kylie said, as she looked down at the list of therapists that the Prosecutor’s office sent over this morning after Hunter’s latest court-appointed therapist decided that it would be in everyone’s best interest if he ran from the house crying.

  “How’s that working out for you?” he asked, as he grabbed one of the Cokes off the tray and popped it open.

  “Not well,” she said, unable to help but smile as she glanced back just as his lips pulled up into one of those devastating smiles that seemed to come easier these days.

  Chuckling, Hunter took a sip of his Coke and asked, “What are we doing out here, Miss Dumbledore?”

  “Freezing,” Kylie said, stealing his Coke and taking a sip before handing it back.

  “Is this another distraction?” he asked, taking a sip before he placed the Coke back on the tray.

  “Possibly.”

  “We could always go for a swim,” he suggested, giving a strand of her hair a playful tug.

  “You’re evil,” Kylie said, shooting him a mock glare that had him chuckling.

  “You don’t mean that, Miss Potter.”

  “I really do,” Kylie said, nodding solemnly even as she prayed that this wasn’t going to end with another swimming lesson, because she really wasn’t sure that she could handle another one right now.

  Not after he took her floatie away.

  Ready for the deep end her ass, she thought even as she threw a nervous glance at the pool.

  “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

  “Oh, so you’d be okay if I went back inside and called it a night?” she asked innocently, biting back a smile when his hold tightened around her.

  “Brat,” he grumbled, as he took the iPad out of her hands and placed it on the tray.

  “Umm, I need to go through that list before we leave in the morning,” she pointed out.

  “Ryan’s taking care of it. Now, tell me what we’re doing out here,” he said, as he wrapped his arms back around her.

  “That’s why,” she said, as they watched the night sky light up above them in red, white, blue, green, and so many beautiful colors that she could barely keep up with them before they disappeared only to be replaced with more fireworks that were somehow bigger and more beautiful than the last.

  “What’s all this?” he murmured, sounding pleased as he laid his chin against the top of her head.

  “The fireworks were delayed a week because of the weather and I figured since you didn’t get to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July that this would make the perfect distraction to keep your mind off tomorrow,” Kylie explained, as they watched the sky suddenly turn emerald, her favorite color.

  “You think you know me so well, don’t you?” Hunter asked, as he released his hold on her so that he could slide his arms beneath the comforter and wrap his arms back around her.

  “It’s my job,” she said, even as she had to admit that she never would have done this for anyone else, but Hunter was…

  God, she didn’t know what he was other than the fact that he left her…confused.

  Hunter didn’t say anything a
s they sat there watching the fireworks and once they ended, he helped her up, and-

  “Is that the only reason?” Hunter asked, as he shifted so that he was sitting on the lounge chair.

  “What’s that?” Kylie asked absently, as she picked up her comforter and folded it.

  “Why you take such good care of me?” he asked softly, as he shifted so that she was standing between his legs.

  “No,” she found herself saying.

  “Then why do you do it?” Hunter asked, sounding genuinely curious as he sat there, watching her.

  She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought of how to answer that, only to end up telling him the truth.

  “Because you make everything better,” Kylie admitted, as her grip tightened around the comforter, immediately wishing that she could take the words back as-

  “No, Miss Granger,” Hunter said, as he stood up and gently cupped her face in his hands as he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead, “that’s what you do.”

  Chapter 21

  Roman Palms Hotel

  “Hunter, are you listening?”

  “No,” Hunter said, unable to take his eyes off Kylie as she gave up doing whatever the hell she was trying to do with the boxes that his men had brought into the large lobby. With a sigh and a sad shake of her head, she mumbled, “This just isn’t going to work for me,” making his lips twitch.

  “You better enjoy this while it lasts,” Ryan said, as Hunter managed to tear his eyes away from the woman that absolutely destroyed him.

  “I’m planning on it,” Hunter said, as he took in the large foyer, taking note of the guests coming and going, the bellhops rushing to help guests with their bags, and all the women that he should be focusing on to make this week count, and found his attention back on the only thing that mattered to him.

  “I managed to get us a two-bedroom suite on the eighteenth floor,” Ryan explained, as he handed the hotel clerk his credit card.

  “What about Miss Davis?” Hunter asked, watching as several of his men walked over to talk to Kylie and couldn’t help but notice the way one of them smiled when he saw her.

  “I didn’t think that you would want her near the eighteenth floor knowing how these things go. So I got her a room on the tenth floor and asked Tim to keep an eye on her,” Ryan said, as Hunter sized up the man smiling down at Kylie, guessing that this was the man Ryan asked to look after her as he took in his neatly combed honey blonde hair, boy-next-door looks, boyish smile and-

  “They sent another letter.”

  “What does it say?” Hunter asked, shifting his attention back to Kylie, watching as she smiled at something that Tim was saying.

  “Pretty much the same as the other letters.”

  “Do they know where she is?” Hunter asked, as he leaned back against the marble-topped front desk.

  “No, but they were able to figure out that she worked for Shadow Security thanks to the business card your men left behind. I think they got spooked when they found out that Kylie was working for a company capable of taking a closer look into their past and decided to do some damage control,” Ryan explained, as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a white envelope.

  “I don’t need to see it,” Hunter said, knowing that it would upset Kylie if he looked at that letter.

  “Does Kylie know about the other letters?” Ryan asked, as he slid the envelope back in his pocket.

  “No.”

  “And we’re keeping it that way,” Ryan correctly guessed with a nod of understanding as he accepted his credit card back from the clerk with a murmured, “Thank you.”

  “She doesn’t need to know,” Hunter said, because that was the last thing that she needed right now.

  “I’ll put this one away with the other letters then,” Ryan said, picking up their room keycards off the counter as Hunter glanced back at Kylie as she headed towards the elevators with Tim by her side.

  “Good,” Hunter said absently, as he watched her walk away.

  “What do you want to do about her parents?” Ryan asked, as he gestured to one of the bellhops to grab their bags.

  “Destroy them,” Hunter drawled, as he plucked the keycards out of Ryan’s hand and headed for the elevators.

  *-*-*-*

  “I wanted to thank you for your help with everything.”

  “You’re welcome,” Kylie said with what she hoped didn’t look like a forced smile as she quickly made her way to the back corner, making sure to place her suitcase in front of her to buy herself a little space.

  Easily returning her smile, Tim pressed the button for the tenth floor before joining her against the back wall to make room for an elderly couple. As soon as they were settled, Hunter stepped into the elevator and-

  Immediately ignored her.

  Biting back a disappointed sigh, she reminded herself that she knew that this might happen. Hunter had been on house arrest for the past eight months and she’d been the only one there, so it made sense that they’d become friends. Now that he’d been allowed to leave the house, he-

  “We wanted to thank you for all the work you put in to help us, so we had a gift basket sent to your room,” Tim said, drawing her attention.

  “You got me another gift basket?” she asked, blinking up at the man smiling down at her.

  “We wanted to do something special for you.”

  “I love gift baskets,” Kylie said with a reverent sigh, because there was honestly nothing better than receiving a gift basket.

  Nothing.

  She loved everything about them from the baskets that they came in, to the large ribbon that tied it all together. Not that she would admit this or anything, but on the rare occasions that she actually decided to acknowledge her birthday, she would send herself a gift basket. Nothing too expensive. It was usually just a fruit basket, but God, did she love them.

  “We need to be back down here in an hour,” Ryan said, as he joined them in the elevator, pausing to press the button for the eighteenth floor.

  “Fine,” Hunter said, sounding bored while he stood there watching as the elevator doors finally slid closed.

  “I was actually hoping that I could take you out to dinner tonight to thank you and maybe go over everything for tomorrow,” Tim said, making her frown as she pulled her keycard out of her pocket.

  “Dinner?” Kylie asked, as she stood there, trying to remember the last time a man asked her out to dinner.

  “If you’re not busy,” Tim said, looking hopeful.

  She opened her mouth to answer only to have Hunter do it for her.

  “She’s busy,” he said, still not bothering to look at her.

  “Oh,” Tim mumbled, looking disappointed as she tried to figure out what Hunter was talking about. He’d given her the day off since there was nothing else to do until tomorrow morning. Everything was done and ready to go. His men had already set up the challenge, their displays, the tables were set up, the swag that she’d ordered was ready to go, the monitors were put up and the videos that they were going to display were ready to play.

  There was nothing for her to do until tomorrow when the convention unlocked the doors and let them back in so that she could finish setting up. She’d figured that she’d take it easy tonight, maybe check out the huge atrium displayed in the middle of the hotel, check out the baby alligators and walk around the lagoon, hit the hotel gift store because she was a sucker for souvenirs, and call it an early night since she needed to be up bright and early tomorrow morning to face several thousand people who were most likely going to make it impossible for her to sleep for the next few weeks.

  “Maybe we could meet for breakfast in the morning?” Tim said, looking hopeful as he grabbed his bag just as the elevator came to a stop on their floor and the elderly couple stepped off.

  “That sounds fi-,” she started to say only to frown when she felt the keycard plucked from her hand.

  “She’s busy,” Hunter repeated, as
he slapped her keycard in Ryan’s hands.

  Frowning, Ryan glanced down at the keycard only to end up cursing when Hunter shoved him out of the elevator before gesturing with a nod for Tim to get out.

  “Oh, come on!” Ryan snapped, stumbling back as Tim shot her a smile and murmured, “Goodnight, Kylie,” before leaving her on the elevator with the man that was seriously confusing her.

  “Why did you just do that?” Kylie asked, blinking at the closed elevator doors.

  “Why did I do what, Miss Buttermilk?” Hunter asked absently, as he pulled out his phone and checked something.

  “That,” Kylie said, gesturing wildly towards the closed elevator doors.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Hunter said, slipping his cellphone back in his pocket before reaching down and taking her bag for her as the elevator came to a stop on his floor.

  “Umm, what exactly are you doing?” she asked, blinking as she watched him walk off the elevator with her bag.

  “Carrying your bag to our suite, Miss Snape,” Hunter said, leaving her with no other choice but to follow him.

  “What are you talking about?” Kylie asked when she caught up with him.

  “You’re staying with me so that I can keep an eye on you,” Hunter said, as he walked to the door at the end of the hallway and slid his keycard in the card slot.

  “But…my gift basket,” she mumbled sadly, as she glanced wistfully back at the elevator doors as they slid closed.

  There was a heavy sigh and then Hunter was taking her hand in his and pulling her into the suite that he was supposed to be sharing with Ryan, whose job it was to keep him out of trouble.

  “I’ll buy you a damn gift basket,” the grumpy man said, as she was pulled into an incredibly beautiful suite.

  “What if it’s not as nice as the one waiting for me downstairs?” Kylie asked, somehow managing to bite back a smile when he leveled a glare on her and bit out, “It will be better.”

  “But, what if it’s not?” she asked, blinking innocently only to laugh when he picked her up with a growl and threw her over his shoulder. He carried her to the nearest bedroom where he tossed her on the bed with a, “Stay out of trouble, brat,” and a mock glare as he headed for the door, leaving her lying there, debating what she should do now.