completely relieved.
“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked.
His gaze went to my hair and then down to my clothes, lingering on the brooch for a second. He looked back at my eyes. “Did he touch you?”
Tears of relief came to my eyes. “No. He didn’t do anything. I’m okay.”
Hunter pulled me in, squeezing me tightly to his chest.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in a breathy voice, not able to properly breathe with his bear hug, and not caring.
“First, I need to sort this out—” Hunter released me and turned toward the street. “My car is over there. It’s unlocked. Get in and wait for me there.”
“No!” I stepped into the middle of the path hastily, putting my hands out. “You can’t go in there!”
His expression closed down into one of suspicion. “Why?”
I took the vial and the waiver out of my clutch and held it up to Hunter. “One, because I drugged him, which is illegal. Two, because I got what I came for. This absolves your contract. Or…absolves Rodge’s portion—I’m not really sure how it works. But Kimberly’s lawyer drew it up, so it’s binding. All you have to do is file it and you should be okay.”
Hunter took the waiver slowly, scanning the writing before glancing at the moon. He must not have had enough light to see what it said. He took the vial next, wiggling the little bottle. The remaining pill clattered against the plastic. His gaze hit me again. “How did you get him to sign this without—”
“Can I explain in the car, please? I have no idea when his maids will check on him. I’d rather not get caught out here.”
Hunter glanced at the door again, his expression turning into a mask of cold anger. The small hairs on my neck rose as his upper body muscles flexed against his shirt. He wanted to go in and have words with his father.
His chest rose before he exhaled loudly. He brushed the stray hairs from my face before sliding his arm around my shoulder and leading me back to his car parked across the street.
Once on the road, I asked again, “What were you doing there?”
“I came home—excuse me. I showed up at your flat after I took care of some things. Kimberly and Janelle were there watching the remote transmission from your brooch. They didn’t think I’d be over…”
“I didn’t either. Earlier today you didn’t think you would…”
“Two nights without you is too many.”
Shivers raced across my arms. I couldn’t help the delighted smile, masked by the darkness in the car.
“You were just sitting down to dinner. I…wasn’t happy when I realized where you were.” His voice dropped in pitch, the anger at the discovery burning hot. “Kimberly tried to explain, but I was already headed for the door. She played the video as she chased me to the car. What was being said finally sank in as I was sitting into the seat. I watched the whole thing then. Listening to you two explaining what you were doing. She told me why…”
“I couldn’t let you lose everything for me.”
His hand balled into a fist in his lap. “My father isn’t the most trustworthy person. What if you’d got yourself in too deep and couldn’t get away?”
I reached into my clutch and pulled out the pepper spray. “Then I would’ve sprayed him.”
Hunter rolled his shoulders, getting onto the on ramp to cross the Bay Bridge. “I wish you hadn’t done that. This. Any of this. This shouldn’t concern you.”
“But it does. You wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me. Also, did you know that Blaire can’t have kids? She doesn’t want them.”
“Yes. I do. She threw that in my face at one point. It wouldn’t have mattered. She was a means to an end. She wasn’t any more cruel than I was. We each wanted certain things. I’m the one that backed out. She deserved more.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, right. She was in it for the money.”
“So was I.”
“No harm, no foul, then. Plus, you can’t tell me you were just in it for the
“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked.
His gaze went to my hair and then down to my clothes, lingering on the brooch for a second. He looked back at my eyes. “Did he touch you?”
Tears of relief came to my eyes. “No. He didn’t do anything. I’m okay.”
Hunter pulled me in, squeezing me tightly to his chest.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in a breathy voice, not able to properly breathe with his bear hug, and not caring.
“First, I need to sort this out—” Hunter released me and turned toward the street. “My car is over there. It’s unlocked. Get in and wait for me there.”
“No!” I stepped into the middle of the path hastily, putting my hands out. “You can’t go in there!”
His expression closed down into one of suspicion. “Why?”
I took the vial and the waiver out of my clutch and held it up to Hunter. “One, because I drugged him, which is illegal. Two, because I got what I came for. This absolves your contract. Or…absolves Rodge’s portion—I’m not really sure how it works. But Kimberly’s lawyer drew it up, so it’s binding. All you have to do is file it and you should be okay.”
Hunter took the waiver slowly, scanning the writing before glancing at the moon. He must not have had enough light to see what it said. He took the vial next, wiggling the little bottle. The remaining pill clattered against the plastic. His gaze hit me again. “How did you get him to sign this without—”
“Can I explain in the car, please? I have no idea when his maids will check on him. I’d rather not get caught out here.”
Hunter glanced at the door again, his expression turning into a mask of cold anger. The small hairs on my neck rose as his upper body muscles flexed against his shirt. He wanted to go in and have words with his father.
His chest rose before he exhaled loudly. He brushed the stray hairs from my face before sliding his arm around my shoulder and leading me back to his car parked across the street.
Once on the road, I asked again, “What were you doing there?”
“I came home—excuse me. I showed up at your flat after I took care of some things. Kimberly and Janelle were there watching the remote transmission from your brooch. They didn’t think I’d be over…”
“I didn’t either. Earlier today you didn’t think you would…”
“Two nights without you is too many.”
Shivers raced across my arms. I couldn’t help the delighted smile, masked by the darkness in the car.
“You were just sitting down to dinner. I…wasn’t happy when I realized where you were.” His voice dropped in pitch, the anger at the discovery burning hot. “Kimberly tried to explain, but I was already headed for the door. She played the video as she chased me to the car. What was being said finally sank in as I was sitting into the seat. I watched the whole thing then. Listening to you two explaining what you were doing. She told me why…”
“I couldn’t let you lose everything for me.”
His hand balled into a fist in his lap. “My father isn’t the most trustworthy person. What if you’d got yourself in too deep and couldn’t get away?”
I reached into my clutch and pulled out the pepper spray. “Then I would’ve sprayed him.”
Hunter rolled his shoulders, getting onto the on ramp to cross the Bay Bridge. “I wish you hadn’t done that. This. Any of this. This shouldn’t concern you.”
“But it does. You wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me. Also, did you know that Blaire can’t have kids? She doesn’t want them.”
“Yes. I do. She threw that in my face at one point. It wouldn’t have mattered. She was a means to an end. She wasn’t any more cruel than I was. We each wanted certain things. I’m the one that backed out. She deserved more.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, right. She was in it for the money.”
“So was I.”
“No harm, no foul, then. Plus, you can’t tell me you were just in it for the
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