Clearly the Chase family wasn’t only well off, they were freaking loaded, not to mention moving in what were obviously influential social circles. Interesting when Hunter was almost the complete opposite. He’d never cared about money or social status or image. In fact, she could remember arguments he’d had with Vin when he’d been totally scathing about such things. Which made watching him with his family fascinating.
Ellie propped her chin in her hands, staring across the tables scattered throughout the ballroom to the bar set up at one end of it. Hunter had gone off to get a beer and had been waylaid by his father. She couldn’t stop staring at Hunter. Black suit, white shirt, simple and austere as a priest. Yet there was nothing priest-like about the aura of darkness and intensity that surrounded him. An elemental danger that had more than a few women casting glances in his direction. It made her want to touch him as she had before they’d left. Run her hands over his warm, tanned skin…
She picked up her wine glass and took another sip of the expensive champagne, suddenly dry-mouthed with want. The past four days she’d tried hard to give him the space he’d asked for, but going back to their old relationship had been difficult. Especially considering she’d thought she’d never have to deal with all the little sister crap again. Like all the heat and desire between them had never happened. A problem when it only made her want to get closer to him. Cross the distance he kept putting between them.
On the other side of the room, Hunter shook his head at something his father said, his whole posture broadcasting unease. Ellie frowned. She’d noticed his discomfort earlier, when they’d first arrived. In fact, now she thought about it, the whole evening he’d been radiating a kind of wary expectation, like a solider in enemy territory, constantly on the lookout for attack. His father too, although outwardly pleasant, had been stiff. Very formal and precise, asking her tight questions about “Vincent” and how the business was doing. As if he couldn’t have found that out from Hunter.
Ellie’s frown deepened as she watched the interaction. Hunter was smiling but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. It looked more savage than anything else.
How weird. There was a funny dynamic going on in the Chase family, that was for sure, and it made her curious to find out what. Mainly because any insight into what made Hunter tick would be welcome.
“You’re fascinated by him, aren’t you?”
Ellie turned abruptly in her seat as Elizabeth Chase, Philip’s second wife, sat down beside her. An exquisite ice-blonde in her late forties or early fifties, Elizabeth was clearly much younger than her husband and had trophy wife written all over her. She wore a simple wrap dress in ice blue that was simultaneously modest and yet managed to show off every inch of her perfect figure.
“Fascinated by who?” Ellie asked, feigning innocence. There was something about the woman she didn’t much like, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
Elizabeth gave her a knowing smile. “Hunter, sweetheart. Oh come on, it’s obvious. You haven’t been able to take your eyes off him all evening.”
Ellie shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. “He’s a friend.”
“I think he’s more than that, isn’t he?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “Does he know you’re in love with him?”
Cold shock crept down Ellie’s spine. “I’m not in love with him,” she said, far too fast, the words echoing in a way she didn’t want them to.
Elizabeth merely smiled as if Ellie had proved a point. “Of course not.”
Ellie wanted to keep protesting, but she knew it would only dig the hole she was in even deeper. She grabbed her wine glass again and took another sip. “I think he’s hot, that’s all.”
The other woman glanced over the ballroom toward where Hunter and his father stood. “Of course he is. But be careful of him, my dear. He’s a dangerous man. And you’re…well, you’re a little young for him.”
“I’m twenty-five,” Ellie said, probably pointlessly.
“That’s young. Believe me, I know.” Elizabeth kept her gaze on the two men across the room. “He was your babysitter, wasn’t he?”
Ellie stared at the other woman. Where was she going with this? “Uh, yeah. He did on occasion. Not anymore, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“I’m sorry, is there something you wanted to say to me?”
Elizabeth lifted an elegant shoulder. “Only that you should be careful not to get hurt. His tastes don’t usually run to younger women.”
How the hell would she know what Hunter’s tastes were? And, more to the point, why did she care? The woman was starting to sound like a jealous ex-girlfriend. “Well, thanks for the tip,” Ellie said, not sure what else to say. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
At that moment a hand settled on her shoulder, warm and not a little possessive. She went still, knowing without having to turn, that it was Hunter.
“There a problem, Liz?” His voice had a sharp edge to it she’d never heard before, and she couldn’t help glancing up at him. His expression was set, hard. And something glittered in his eyes. Something dark.
Elizabeth appeared to be unfazed by his apparent unfriendliness. “No, of course not, Hunter. I was only saying hello to Ellie here. She’s certainly grown up, hasn’t she? Seems like only yesterday you were babysitting her.”
The hand on Ellie’s shoulder tightened, the tension in the air almost palpable. “Not yesterday. Not for the past ten years.”
“Ten years? Well, doesn’t time fly?”
A look passed between the two of them, a look Ellie couldn’t interpret. There were undercurrents here. A complex mix of anger and hostility and something else she couldn’t put her finger on. The intensity of it scared her.
“Hey, Hunter,” she said, attempting to sound bright and casual. “I feel like dancing. What do you say?”
“Yes, Hunter, do go and dance,” Elizabeth agreed. “Then you can ask me afterwards.”
“I don’t want to dance with you,” he said with so much flat certainty that Ellie blinked.
But Elizabeth didn’t. She only smiled again. “Don’t be silly, darling. Of course you do. You have to, anyway. Not to do so would be rude and you wouldn’t want to be rude, would you?” She gave him a calm, level stare that Ellie found unnerving. “I suppose I can’t force you though. Perhaps I’ll sit here with Ellie and fill her in on some embarrassing stories about you.”
Hunter’s fingers dug into Ellie’s shoulder, his grip hurting, and she had to stifle a gasp. “Actually,” she forced out, striving for a normal voice, for some reason unwilling to let on to this woman what effect her seemingly innocuous words were having. “I’d rather dance than listen to stories.” She reached up, put her hand over Hunter’s, felt how cold his fingers were. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Yes, go.” Elizabeth fluttered her fingers at them. “You heard the girl. Dance. Don’t stay here on my account.”
Beneath her hand, Hunter’s grip mercifully eased. Getting to her feet, Ellie twisted around, keeping hold of his hand, lacing her fingers through his. Then she led him away from the table and over to the dance floor, suddenly worried and not sure why. The interchange with Elizabeth had seemed harmless yet…those undercurrents she’d sensed were in no way harmless.
“What’s going on?” she asked as she put her hands on his shoulders, drawing close. It was a relatively slow song, which gave her the perfect reason to touch him.
His face looked carved from marble, hard and cold. Only his black eyes seemed to have any life. A stranger’s eyes. Full of anger.
“Nothing,” he said. He wasn’t even looking at her, his gaze off over her shoulder.
“So you nearly broke my damn shoulder over nothing?”
At that he looked sharply back at her. Then he stopped dancing and pulled aside the neck of the black lace over-dress, examining her. “Jesus Christ.” His voice was low, rough. He touched her skin gently, and she couldn’t help shivering. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.”
Ellie eased away from him, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. “I’m okay, I wanted to know what the deal with you and Elizabeth is.”
“No big deal, it’s only that we’ve never got on.” Hunter reached for her again, warm hands spreading over hips, pulling her close as they began to dance.
Tension eased inside her. Oh, she’d missed being close to him these past four days. Missed it so much. “Do you get on with anyone in your family?”
“What makes you say that?”
“You never talk about them. And you’re all so weird with each other. In fact, it’s like you don’t want to be here.”
“I don’t want to be here. And no, if you must know, I don’t get on with any of them.”
“Why not?”
Hunter looked down at her. “I thought you weren’t going to ask questions.”
“Hey, how was I supposed to know your family was out of bounds? Anyway, you have to expect a few questions, considering you invited me to this wedding.”