by Carmen Green
“That’s when you started at Wright Enterprises?”
“Yes. My grandfather was a stickler for my earning my paycheck. He made me get my broker’s license. I’m thankful now. I know both sides of the business.”
“How’d you meet Marc?”
“We met at a seminar on women improving themselves in sales. He was a presenter, and I was really into his topic Navigating Shark-infested Waters. He took me to dinner and wined and dined me. Treated me with respect, and I fell for him. I should have known things were too good to be true. Here I was thinking I was so clever by leaving guys my age alone when I was getting played by a master.”
“You can’t let that stop you from falling in love again.”
“Yes, I can. I don’t need love. My family is supposed to love me, and look at how they treat me. Marc was supposed to love me, and that was a mess. Had he not died, I probably would have never found out. Forget love.”
Every muscle in her body ached and Alex bent over, then stretched to try to ease the pain. “Hunter, I swear, I’m never getting married ever again.”
He touched her then, caressing her arms, brushing her hair away from her face. “Don’t say that. You’re hurt that Marc betrayed you, and you’re making generalizations.”
“No, I’m not. I don’t need a husband to make a living or have a baby. Go on a cruise, get old. Die.”
He stroked her jaw and, despite everything, she tilted her chin toward his comforting hand. “Be quiet. You’re talking nonsense.”
“I am not.”
“You’re a hardhead. Shh,” he said, and Little Sweetie yipped. “Not you, your mom. She’s talking crazy.”
The dog stared at them for a few seconds then lay back down. “That’s the laziest dog in the world. Why are your shoulders back up?”
“You hurt my feelings.”
Hunter leaned Alex back so that her hair created a pool in his lap.
“How’d I hurt your feelings?”
“You said I’m a hardhead when I’m not. I try to listen and follow everyone’s directions, but everyone wants to tell me what to do, and it’s hard not to yell. People think just because I’m young, I’m not as smart as them. Now I’m being made a fool of, and you think I’m a hardhead.”
“Hey,” he said, stroking her cheek.
She looked at him.
“You’re pouting, and I’ve never seen you do that before.”
“It beats crying.”
“Somebody told me it’s good to cry,” he said, caressing her hair, his gaze so tender she wanted to climb inside and languish in the comfort.
“Maybe it is. It’s always been seen as a sign of weakness in my family.”
“You know that’s not true.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I’m sorry, Alex.”
No man had ever apologized to her. She was startled by her emotions as tears rose in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and the feeling dissolved, but she didn’t want to tell Hunter how close he was to pushing her emotions over the edge.
Hunter kicked off his shoes. “Move over,” he told her and scooted down until they were lying next to each other. Hunter threw the chenille throw she’d bought a few weeks ago over her legs. “I said I was sorry.”
“I forgive you.”
“I think you can do better than that,” he said, and tilted her chin up and pressed his lips into hers.
Alex opened for him and licked his lips, inviting his tongue to come out and play. He kept it inside as she prodded with the tip of hers, teasing his lips in a game of seduction.
His moan signaled the wall coming down and she sealed his lips with hers, closing the deal, when their tongues met. Sparks flew. This was what she’d been missing. This body-to-body feeling of being desired.
“Don’t cry, Alex,” he said, kissing her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not crying.”
Tenderly he guided her lips to his jaw. “Kiss me here,” he said.
She kissed his jaw and neck. “You taste good. Come on. Let’s finish this work before this goes too far.”
Neither moved.
Her back was to the cushions and he covered her with the blanket. She felt cocooned from the outside world. Safe from all she’d been going through. For the first time in days she didn’t feel panicked or worried. Alex spread the blanket over him too and he chuckled. “I’m not cold. You’re the one with shorts on.”
“Why aren’t you taken, Hunter? You’re handsome and you’re a good guy. It’s hard to believe women in Atlanta leave you alone.”
“I usually date older women.”
Unsure what to make of his statement, she waited a few minutes. “Why?”
“In my opinion, younger women don’t know what they want. An older woman knows her own mind. She’s through playing games and she’s formed a belief system that no one can influence. She’s busy with her life and she doesn’t need me to give her everything.”
“Don’t you want to be wanted?”
“Wanted yes, needed, no,” he said.
For a moment Alex thought about what he said. “What’s the difference?”
“The thing about need is that eventually it becomes a power struggle. When a person wants you, you have the option of wanting them back. When they need you, you’re indentured to them. I don’t want to need someone’s love again.”
“When did you need it before? What happened?”
He shook his head and smiled at her. “Do we have to get into this?”
“Why not? We’re talking about all the dirty secrets of my life. Why not yours? Fair is fair, Hunter, the man with the trust issues.”
“Fine,” he said, smelling like chicken and cologne. He searched for a comfortable position, but that only worked him closer to her. Now his jeans were pressed against her midsection.
“I was with a woman named Sonia and we’d been together for a couple years. We knew each other, and I thought we’d get married once we were free from the military. She’d been in the service for four years as a medic, so she’d seen her share of injuries, and so when I got hurt, I thought we could weather the storm.”
“Were you two living together?”
“Yes. We had an apartment at the base. Anyway, she got word that I was hurt, and the first thing she wanted to know was how bad. They told her, of course.”
“Did she come to you? What happened?”
“She didn’t come. She waited five days.”
Alex looked at Hunter and it might have been the recessed lighting over the paintings, but it looked as if bars had come down across his eyes. Though years had passed, he couldn’t disguise the hurt tonight. “She didn’t want to be with an injured soldier. She saw the carnage daily. She didn’t want to live with it. By the time she got there I was being prepped to be sent to Germany. Sonia was a very proud woman, and she explained her feelings, although I knew what was going on in her mind. We parted right then. She returned stateside, cleaned out the place and left.”
“What a selfish bitch.”
His laughter rippled through both of them, and his troubles escaped through the empty bubbles.
“Are you kidding me? She left you? You’re a war hero. If you ask me, you got lucky. Can you imagine living with somebody that resents you for not being able to use your arm? I think your arm is very happy right now.”
Hunter cradled her. His lips closed over hers, and he kissed her as gently as he could. “It is.”
“Harder,” she told him.
He deepened the pressure of his kiss.
“No. Hold me tighter.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m not her. You can’t break me.”
He held her tighter and couldn’t get enough of kissing her. “Tighter, Hunter.”
“Baby, you’re asking for trouble.”
“She sure is, especially since she’s still married.”
Hunter nearly leaped off the sofa, but Alex held on to him.
“We do have some explaining to do.”
Alex sat on her legs and noted the shocked expressions on Willa’s and Jerry’s faces as Hunter and Little Sweetie sat next to her. “Y’all sit down. You know Hunter. I have something serious to tell you both. I’m going to have to swear you to secrecy and then break it to the family tomorrow.”
Willa took off her jacket and sat down while Jerry glowered at Hunter.
“Jerry, there’s nothing to be angry about. I’ve got some bad news. I’m sorry to tell you but Marc died three weeks ago in a plane crash. But to complicate things even further, Marc was married to two other women.”
CHAPTER 11
Hunter expected an explosion of questions, but Jerry and Willa embraced Alex, offering their condolences.
“Guys, I’m okay,” she began, but their sadness enveloped her, wearing down her tough exterior until she had to take time to soothe their shock at her loss. Theirs, too. Marc had been Jerry’s brother-in-law. He hadn’t known Marc to be a cheating husband, so he had mixed emotions that vacillated between anger and disbelief.
“How could he do that to you, Alex? You’re a good person,” Willa consoled her.
“If he weren’t dead, I’d shoot him.” Jerry’s words were quiet but held menace.
“Hunter, will you get us some wine? The bar is in the corner, but the ice chest isn’t full.” Alex’s expression pleaded for patience.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Hunter took the ice bucket to the kitchen, got the ice and waited a few minutes, giving them some time alone. He straightened the kitchen from Alex’s cooking, replaying tonight’s events in his head.
There wasn’t much about Alex that he didn’t want, except anything long-term and she wanted to go it alone. He’d take right now, because things now would get better.
He wiped down the refrigerator not really understanding how she’d gotten seasoning on the door, but the cabinet doors over the refrigerator caught his attention. They were set back at least two feet and with Alex being so short, he’d almost bet she wouldn’t put anything in them. But would Marc?
Hunter stood in front of the refrigerator and tried to reach the cabinet handles and couldn’t. If Marc had wanted to hide something in plain sight, would he go for the one place Alex couldn’t reach?
Excitement built in him, but he contained it. He’d wait for Alex and they’d explore together. Too much had gone on behind her back.
Crystal wineglasses hung from the rack and he slid them down and poured the wine just as Jerry walked into the kitchen.
Hunter turned to ascertain his mood. Jerry offered his hand and they shook.
“Sorry for jumping to conclusions. My sister explained everything. I appreciate all you’ve done for her. She really likes you.”
“I like her a lot too. I want to help her.”
“She needs a lot of help.”
They stood in silence, jazz serenading the quietness.
“Alex is in a bad position,” Jerry went on. “My family won’t stop until they get what they want from her. I’m not sure why she fights them.”
He gazed through the opening at the women who hugged on the sofa. For a second, Alex rested her head on Willa’s shoulder then lifted it and put her hands on Willa’s cheeks. They laughed softly. Then Alex answered the phone. A moment later, she put it down and they leaned forward, talking in hushed tones.
“Alex believes in Wright Enterprises. She told me how your grandfather made her get her broker’s license. She’s got the skills, but no respect. You could help her by being her biggest supporter.”
“I am, but I don’t want any part of the company.”
Surprised, Hunter looked at him. “Does she know?”
“No, but I’ll tell her in good time. Look at them. That’s the way I like to see them. Young and happy.”
“She’s a grown-up, too, Jerry. She can handle being an adult. Give her some credit. She knows what she’s doing. She wants the responsibility.”
“You sure?” he said, still looking at his sister through rose-colored glasses.
“Positive. Keep an eye on her and see for yourself.”
Hunter thought about the letter Alex had received a few days ago. The handwriting looked feminine, but that was to his untrained eye. It could have been male. He could have been trying to warn her to leave while she still had a shot at being happy. Hunter hoped Jerry would stay loyal to Alex. She needed a soldier in her corner.
“You want to grab that for Willa?”
“Sure.” Jerry picked up the glass. “You’re going to help her get to the bottom of this mess about Marc? About whether she’s his real wife or not?”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“Whatever else she needs. We’re together in this,” Hunter told him.
“I got that when we walked in. Are you worried at all that it’s a rebound relationship?”
“No. Alex and Marc had a lot going on. I’m not trying to take his place. We’ve got something different. All I can say is that I’ve never done this before and neither has she. So we’re in this new territory together.”
“I’ve been there. You’ve got to live for today. I’m there with Willa.”
“She’s cute,” Hunter said, watching the girls blot each others tears. “I think they might need another minute.”
“Yeah, they cry about anything,” Jerry said with a shake of his head.
The men shook their heads, confused.
“You hungry? We’ve got some extra chicken,” Hunter offered, not wanting to walk back in the living room yet.
“Sure,” Jerry said. “Why not.”
Hunter opened cabinets and pulled down more plates and served up the food. He looked back at the cabinet over the refrigerator, believing in his heart it held some of Marc’s secrets.
“You won’t desert her?” Jerry asked.
“No. Never.” He’d never said that before and his injured heart skipped a beat. He would definitely go home tonight to regroup.
“Good. She doesn’t deserve that.”
“I’m not that kind of man. But can you do me a favor?
“When you get in those meetings with your father and brother, stand up for her. She needs support. She worries that no one is there to help her.”
“I didn’t realize how important that was to her. I thought she had them under control. They’re pissed as hell that she keeps having Mervyn thrown in jail. He’s scared of her now.”
“No kidding.” Hunter laughed and Jerry joined him.
“Yeah, and dad doesn’t know what to do. Alex actually has him worried that he won’t have the company he grew up in to run in his old age. She’s making them accountable and he’s scared. I wish they could meet halfway, but he hasn’t been nice to her and she isn’t budging on how things should be run.”
“Good. She’ll be glad to hear that. Will you ask Willa to send an e-mail requesting your dad and brother be at the meeting at ten? That should give Alex enough time to get in and get her thoughts together about how she’s going to tell them about Marc.”
“No problem.” Jerry peered at the girls again. “Willa’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. I hope she’ll marry me one day.”
“You got it bad for her, don’t you?”
“I played professional football for five years and had I don’t know how many concussions. That last one almost killed me. I was in a coma for five days. I’ve looked death in the eye, and now I know what’s important. The company isn’t it. My sister needs to focus on her personal life and be happy. She doesn’t understand that nothing inside the doors of Wright Enterprises will bring her happiness. When I walked in here tonight I was pissed off. But hearing what I’ve heard, I know what she needs to do. Move on.”
“Did you talk much to Marc?”
“Sure, but not about anything in particular. He was a likable guy. He blended well. That was the thing with him. He traveled a lot, knew a lot about a lot of things, and he seemed t
o love Alex. That was important to me. She seemed happy. He liked to cook. He was always in the spices, always in the cabinets looking for something or another. Ordering things from places nobody had ever heard of. I’m a bachelor. I came a lot of times just to eat. Damn liar.” Jerry pulled silverware from the drawer and carried the wine into the living room to the ladies.
* * *
Hunter stacked the last dish in the dishwasher and waited for Alex to finish her goodbyes at the door. He heard it close just as he pressed the button to start the machine and wiped down the stove and sink. Everything else was clean. He leaned against the counter as she appeared in the doorway, her heels clicking against the hardwood in soft taps, Little Sweetie asleep in her arms.
Even after fifteen hours, Alex still looked sexy. Hunter knew it was time for him to go home. He could only get in trouble from here. “Mr. Smith?”
“Ma’am?”
“My brother is sleeping with my assistant.”
He chuckled. “I figured as much after our talk tonight.”
“They left because they thought we wanted to be alone.”
“Where would they get that idea?”
“Could be because I was kissing you when they walked in,” she said, standing in front of him.
“You were kissing me? I thought I was kissing you?”
“My memory is foggy. I might need an instant replay.”
She put Little Sweetie in his doggie bed by the deck door and tiptoed back to Hunter with her arms outstretched. She wasn’t smiling, and even though he knew kissing her now was a bad idea, stopping wasn’t an option.
He caught her, lifting her off her feet.
She didn’t kiss him as he expected. She held him for a long time and when he tried to let her go she wouldn’t release him. “What’s wrong?”
“Renee and Danielle called while you were in the kitchen with Jerry. The attorney wants to meet with us day after tomorrow at two o’clock. They have reached a decision.”
Her heart pounded and he held her tighter. “Yes, that’s it,” she whispered. “Tighter.”
“Come on.” Hunter tabled the idea about looking in the cabinet tonight. Whatever might be there would keep.
“You’re staying,” she said as he walked her down the wide hallway to her bedroom.