More, Please(32)

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 money. You were also preventing your father from siring another heir, weren’t you? He took a bunch from your mom that wasn’t his, and if he’d had another kid, he would’ve split the inheritance. Or cut you out entirely.”

Hunter’s jaw tightened, the green from the dash illuminating his handsome features. “You must’ve had a long chat with my father.”

I laughed. “I might’ve…goaded him a little. He’s just so creepy. And such an asshole. I would advise you not to watch the transmission.” I glanced out the window, wiping under my eyes to clear any straying makeup. “He spelled out why he’s such an ass to you. Basically, he thinks you betrayed him. That’s all you really need to know.”

“I did know that. He’s not as sly as he thinks he is. He wanted to sit on his empire with his son pulling strings and helping him with his unethical tricks. Since I wouldn’t, I became the enemy.”

“And I thought my mom was bad…”

“Can’t even compare. Your mother is narcissistic. My father is…”

“Evil.”

Hunter kept his silence for a while. The rumble of the car filled the space as the streetlights flashed by. The scenes from the night flashed by with them, my memory highlighting all the things that could’ve gone wrong. All the things that almost did go wrong. I got lucky. Barely, but I did get lucky.

“Are you mad?” I asked in a whisper. “That I went to his house, I mean. Are you fighting trust issues or anything?”

He glanced over before moving his right hand off the steering wheel and taking mine. “No. I’m not mad. Or suspicious. I can’t say I wouldn’t have been, though. If you hadn’t recorded it, and if Kimberly hadn’t explained… You know me. Better than anyone else. You can read me.”

“It’s not hard. A person just has to pay attention.”

“Not many would. Or do.” His fingers threaded in between mine. “I was afraid that I’d be too late. That something would happen and you wouldn’t be able to get away. I underestimated you.”

I scoffed, still staring out the window. “That’s not hard. Even Kimberly said I was terrible at espionage. You should also know that I had to touch his…you know. It was gross, but it had to be believable. I don’t want to go to jail.”