‘Went wrong?’
‘I’m only asking for twelve months, Lily. Twelve months would give Emma a chance to get her life back without worrying about me, give my investors and sponsors a chance to calm down—then we both walk away with no regrets. I’ll buy you that house—’
‘You’re actually serious?’ Lily gaped at him, open mouthed. For most of the conversation she’d thought he’d been joking. Not about his sister, of course—there was nothing to joke about there—but it was starting to dawn on her that Hunter’s marriage proposal hadn’t entirely been a whim. Even if he’d only thought about it for five minutes, he had actually thought about it.
‘Oh, I’m completely serious,’ Hunter said in a voice that told her he was.
‘Why me?’ Lily asked.
‘Why not you?’ Hunter countered. ‘You’re beautiful, funny, very sexy…I can think of a lot worse ways to spend the next twelve months.’
‘But you could have anyone. Why not Abigail or—?’
‘Because they’d go and do something stupid like fall in love and think it was for ever,’ Hunter interrupted. ‘Whereas you and I know that there’s no such thing.’
‘Right.’ Pulling back the sheet, he climbed out of bed, leaving Lily reeling as, naked as the day he was born but infinitely more desirable, he picked up his mobile, punched in a number and promptly cancelled his appointments that day. ‘Think about it,’ he mouthed, before turning his back on her and giving an incredibly complicated list of orders for the unfortunate Abigail.
And strangest of all—she did. As she stepped out of bed and in somewhat of a daze headed to the shower, as she massaged shampoo into her hair and hastily shaved her legs in preparation for their impromptu outing, it wasn’t the amazing night they’d shared that filled her mind. Instead, it was the amazing future Hunter was offering that consumed her.
Not the house. Though that would be good.
Not the car.
Not the money.
But him.
Twelve, exclusive months with this enthralling, breathtaking man.
How could she not think about it?
CHAPTER FIVE
‘NICE?’
Hunter glanced over at her and Lily gave a nod. She could literally feel the tension of the past few days seeping out of her as they left behind the city.
Choosing what to wear for a day in the country with someone so divine was no mean feat. She’d promptly ruled out the shorts and sandals she’d usually put on, just in case Hunter decided to visit some smart restaurant on the way. After umpteen agonised combinations, finally she’d settled on a khaki skirt that zipped up at the front, a white cotton blouse that knotted at the waist and some cream espadrilles—and then had spent an inordinate amount of time applying make-up that hopefully didn’t look like she was wearing any as Hunter had drained the entire contents of her hot-water system and then had had the nerve to ask her to fetch an overnight case that he kept in his car!
And now here she was snuggled in the soft leather seat of his car as it ate up the miles, sneaking surreptitious looks at Hunter. Out of his suit he still cut a very impressive dash—unshaven, dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt. Those piercing eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, he looked sultry and dangerous and utterly untamable. His toned body brimmed with a restless sexual energy that had Lily fluttering with awareness. Absolutely the type, Lily thought with a smile, that mothers warned their daughters about.
‘I needed this,’ Hunter said. ‘I haven’t had a day off in as long as I can remember. Not a real day off,’ he elaborated. ‘You know, without my computer or phone.’
They’d left their mobile phones behind. A small detail but it had seemed so deliciously reckless at the time as they’d planned their temporary escape from the world.
‘I feel as if I’m playing hookey from school!’ Lily smiled, stretching out her legs in front of her and wallowing in the gorgeous feeling of elation and freedom.
‘Did you do that?’ Hunter asked a hint of surprise in his voice at her admission. ‘You look like such a good girl!’
‘I only did it once.’ Lily visited the memory and then laughed. ‘Actually, this feels nothing like playing hookey from school. You’re right, it was completely out of character for me. Some friends and I went to the movies, but I spent the entire time panicking we’d be seen or that the school would have noticed and rung my parents, so that it wasn’t enjoyable at all. I think I still dread my mother finding out! What about you?’
‘I did it all the time.’ Hunter shrugged.