~Hunter~
I don’t want to go, but I really need to get to Rex’s place. Quietly, I ease myself off the mattress, gather my clothes from the floor, and find clean ones in my suitcase. There’s a chair across from the bed and I sit down, leaning back, thumb under my chin, finger resting against my mouth, and take a moment to admire Autumn; her dark locks flowing across the pillow like a waterfall, long, lush eyelashes sweeping down her cheeks, lovely face fitted with those perfectly shaped lips. And she’s very sweet. Very sweet. I close my eyes as visions of those plump lips wrapped around my cock last night come rushing back. I’m already hard again.
She wakes up just as I’m adjusting myself; her arms stretching above her head, eyes fluttering open. She’s perfect. I’m so accustomed to waking up with women who have a full face of makeup on—God forbid I should see them without their eyeliner—but not Autumn. She really is a natural beauty. As I think about it, her name fits her perfectly, like the prettiest of fall days; the trees alight with oranges and golds. Beauty in its purest form.
“Hey,” she mutters, rubbing her eyes, her voice sleepy, downright sexy as hell.
“Morning, sweetheart, did you sleep well?” I ask, toeing on my shoes.
“Yes, you?” She sits up, the sheet falling away, those pink nipples drawing my attention.
I clear my throat, attempting to stand up without my dick requesting an audience. “Very well, thanks.”
“Oh shit,” she calls out, springing from the bed, “I need to shower quickly and get downstairs for the seminar.” She unzips her suitcase and begins digging through it, yanking out various items of clothing as I walk up behind her.
“So, listen, I have to get going.”
Immediately, she stops what she’s doing and faces me. “Okay,” she tells me, and I think I hear a touch of disappointment in her voice. Maybe I’m looking for something that isn’t there.
“I was thinking,” I ponder aloud, my fingers caressing her cheek, “maybe we could have dinner tonight when the seminar’s over?”
“Yes, I’d like that,” she responds, making me instantly grin.
“Great. I’m going to spend the day with my brother.” I drape her tousled hair over her shoulders. “How about if I pick you up at… say, six?”
“That’s perfect. Oh, can we go somewhere casual? I didn’t bring anything that dressy to wear.”
“Absolutely. I’d prefer it.”
“I’ll walk you out,” she offers, and I stare down at her delicious body. The only place I want to go is back to bed.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetheart. I’ll never leave.”
She giggles before rising up on her tippy toes, softly brushing her lips against mine. “I had a great time yesterday, thank you.”
“As did I, Autumn,” I reply, noticing she winces when I say her name. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she claims, painting on a smile.
“Hmph. Okay,” I relent, though I’m not sure I believe her. “So I’ll see you tonight.” I grab the handle on the door, but turn back. “I think I need one more kiss before I leave. You know, just to tide me over.”
A larger than life smile envelops her face before she takes two steps to stand in front of me. She holds up a finger, waving it. “One kiss.”
My arms dart out to grab her, catching her by surprise, towing her to my chest. She giggles, the happy sound tugging at my heartstrings.
I won’t lie. Not about this. I like the sound of it—a lot.
With one gaze into Autumn’s soulful blue eyes, my mouth tenderly meet hers. She parts her lips, luring me in with that warm tongue, and I groan at her sweet taste, willing her closer. Angling her head to the side, I deepen the kiss and she melts into me, curling the fingers of her hands into the hair at the nape of my neck, a shiver rippling down my back. I love the feel of her mouth, I’m not anxious to leave it.
All too soon, though, her lips become lighter against mine and she breaks the kiss, leaving me wanting more of this, more of her.
“Until tonight, sweet Autumn.” I wink, roving her body and those magnificent blue eyes one last time before I head out.
“Until tonight,” I hear her say, as the door closes behind me.
“Great. The elevator’s out of service,” I mutter to myself, scanning the fifteen flights of stairs I have to climb to get to Rex’s apartment. Exhausted, I lift my suitcase, trudging up the stairs at a snail’s pace, wiping a bucket of sweat along the way. By the time I make it to Rex’s door, beads of moisture are dripping from my forehead. They need to get that damn elevator fixed.
He opens the door just as I’m about to knock. “Well, well, if it isn’t my rich tycoon of a brother. Nice of you to show up whenever you feel like it.”
“Good to see you, too, Rex,” I retort, walking inside, dropping my suitcase, and plopping down on the brown leather couch. “Man, those stairs are killer. You need to make sure they get that elevator fixed.”
“What’s wrong, pretty boy?” he cackles. “Upset we don’t have all the modern luxuries that you have in Manhattan?” He drops down beside me on the sofa, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.
“Fuck you,” I sneer.
“Ooooh, you swear now?” He chuckles, and I smack him across the head.
When his head falls forward, I spot yet another tattoo that I don’t recognize. It’s a pair of angel wings with a dagger running through their center. “You got another tatt?”
“Yeah.” He touches his hand to the back of his neck. “I got it about two weeks ago. One of the guys at the shop did it.”
“It’s really good.”
“Thanks. You should think about it, bro. I’d love to ink that virgin skin of yours.”
I knot my hands behind my head. “I know you would.”
“You want a beer?” He pushes up from the couch and heads toward the galley kitchen.
I glance down at my watch. “It’s only ten, but sure, what the hell.”
He spins around, gesturing with his hands as if he’s balancing them. “Wow, what’s with all the swearing? You’re really teetering on the edge. I like it.”
A gust of air leaves my mouth and I shake my head. As he walks off, I can’t help but notice his relaxed swagger, a twinge of jealousy puncturing my chest. Ripped jeans, concert t-shirt, tattoos. He has such a laid-back attitude and loves what he does. I release a frustrated sigh. If only it were that simple.
I’m a bit of an overachiever, always have been. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be successful, but the need to have it happen consumed me after my father died. There was no way I’d live under my mother’s thumb. I didn’t want to have to rely on her for anything. Plus, she always acted like I owed her something, and I owed her nothing.
I drove myself into the ground with my studies. Everything else fell to the wayside. Nothing else seemed important. Straight A’s through middle school, honors classes in high school, and then finally achieving my ultimate goal—admission into Harvard.
By the time I graduated, I had my pick of offers with various companies around the country. Still wanting to be in New York City, I took a position at a venture capital firm. I worked my ass off, earned several promotions, then took that knowledge, and moved on. A few years later, at the age of twenty-five, I started my own software company, and the rest is history.
Rex comes back out with two beers, handing me one. “Here, man.” Collapsing back down on the leather couch, he flicks the cap off, tossing it on the table. He tips the neck of his bottle against mine. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” I chug the liquid, draining the bottle quickly.
“Whoa. That was fast.” He takes a sip, nodding toward the kitchen. “Another?”
“No thanks. Maybe in a bit.”
“So, you want to tell me why you didn’t show up last night?”
I recline my head back against the sofa, exhaling a breath. “I met someone.” My mind immediately drifts to Autumn and I smile.
“Damn, that good, huh?” he asks with interest, setting his beer on the table, slanting his body in my direction, his arm propped against the back of the sofa.
“Yeah, that good.”
“Which billionaire’s daughter is she?” He laughs, slapping his knee, and I turn my head to glare at him.
“She’s not a billionaire’s daughter. She’s just a normal girl.” I hesitate for a beat, regretting the words once they leave my mouth. “I told her about Tyler.”
“What the fuck?” he snarls, throwing his hands up in the air. “Why the fuck would you do that?”
Sitting up, I lean my elbows on my knees, steepling my fingers against my chin. “I’m not sure. It just happened, and to be honest, Rex, I felt a lot better once I told her. She actually said some things that helped me.”
“I’m sorry, bro,” he apologizes, grasping my shoulder. “That wasn’t fair. You’re entitled to tell whoever you want about it. I guess… I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about Ty a lot, you know, seeing as his birthday’s coming up.”
“Yeah, I know. I had a nightmare last night for the first time in years. I was a mess. She helped get me through it.” I drop my head in my hands, a sigh traveling up my throat. “Do you… blame me, Rex?” I ask, eluding his gaze, not wanting to see the look in his eyes when he answers the question I’ve been avoiding all these years.
“What?”
Astonished brown eyes stare back at me when I finally glance up at him. “Do you blame me, for not looking after him, for not protecting him? Because if I had, maybe he would still be here,” I admit, my stomach hardening, heart heavy with grief.
“Fuuuuck. Is that what you think? Fuck no, Hunter. I’ve never blamed you. You want to know who I blame?” he bites out, his teeth grinding together, tattoo pulsing violently against his neck. “I blame our fucking mother, that’s who I blame. For not being present when she should’ve been, for not knowing there was something wrong. For cheating on Dad. Shit, I blame her for fucking everything.” He moves closer, cupping my knee, expelling a deep breath. “But not you, bro, never you.”
I press the heels of my hands against my eyes, forcing back the years of guilt threatening to pour out, tearing me apart, draining oxygen from my lungs. I don’t want any of it. I just want my baby brother back.
“I think we need more beer,” he calls out, before bounding to the kitchen to grab a whole six-pack. “I know it’s kind of early to be drinking, but what the hell, right?” He comes back a minute later, and with a flick of his thumb, pops the caps on both our beers. “To Ty!” he shouts, raising his beer bottle high in the air.
“To Ty,” I cheer, sucking it down before smacking it hard on the table.
Rex finishes off the last of his beer and opens another. “So tell me more about this chick from last night. How did you meet?”
“We met in the train station, actually,” I answer, fighting back a smile. “We ended up sitting together on the way here. I don’t know, Rex. She’s not like the women I usually spend time with and I like that. There’s something about her that kind of sticks with me.”
“I gotta hand it to you, bro, women just flock to you. The money, the good looks, the Rolex watch,” he jokes, honing in on my wrist.
“You’re one to talk. I’ve seen those women fawning all over you in the tattoo shop.”
“Speaking of which,” he details, blowing out a breath. “I did a nipple tattoo the other day, and holy shit, this chick had some of the nicest tits I’ve seen in a long time. It’s times like that where professionalism really sucks.” He laughs to himself. “So… are you gonna see her again?”
“Yup. Tonight.” I feel another smile coming on, and I’m helpless to stop it. It’s genuine, just like Autumn.
“Motherfuck,” he utters, running a hand through his dark, spiked hair, “there goes our trip to the strip club and my lap dance.”