Chapter Twelve
Finally, the damn meeting was over and Hunter couldn’t wait to get the hell out there. If he left now, he could make it home in under an hour.
Home to Lila.
The very thought of her brought a smile to his lips. Closing his laptop and shoving it into its case, he was ready to leave when Thomas walked over to him.
“Hunter, are you okay?” Confusion crinkled his friend’s forehead.
The question took him aback. For the first time in a while, Hunter felt great. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been walking around with this shit-eating grin all day. It’s kind of creepy, man.”
Usually a comment like this would have made him scowl, but nothing could rob him of his good mood today. Plans for the megaplex were going accordingly: in fact the new arrangements he’d proposed a couple months ago were working out better than he anticipated they would. His passion for his job had returned, but it was different. Hunter realized it was only just that. A job. And he wouldn’t allow it to consume him as it had before. “Is there a reason why I’m not allowed to smile? It’s a beautiful day.”
Thomas narrowed his eyes. “Okay. Who are you and what have you done to Hunter Jamison?”
“Can’t a man be happy for once?”
“But you’re never happy.”
Hunter should have been offended but he knew Thomas had a point. It made him feel guilty at how he must have come across to others in his depression. “Sheesh. You make me sound like a miserable bastard.”
“I wouldn’t be a good friend if I lied to you. I haven’t seen you like this since…”
“Before my accident? Don’t worry. You can say it.”
“Now I know something’s up. What’s going on? First you come into the office whistling. Then, during our meeting not once did you halt Peter in the middle of one of his pompous tirades. Your tolerance is usually pretty low for his crap. To top it off, you’re referring to your accident so casually. What’s the deal with you?”
Hunter sighed. There was no point in keeping quiet. Thomas would get it out of him eventually anyway. He was also the only person who knew of Hunter’s agreement with Lila because Thomas had wanted to know why he had pushed so hard to change the plans for the megaplex.
“Walk with me to my car.” Hunter pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in Ernest’s number.
The driver answered. “Are you ready, Mr. Jamison?”
“Yes. I’ll be out in ten minutes.”
“I’ll have the car out front.”
“Thank you.” He flipped the phone shut.
“Okay, shoot,” Thomas prompted.
“There’s really not much to say other than someone special showed me what an ass I’ve been. It’s never easy to change, but I’m trying.”
Thomas adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “I’ve been telling you that for years, but you never listened to me.”
“You never put it as eloquently as Lila.”
Thomas’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “Lila? As in Lila Saunders, the woman who could have cost this company hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of dollars? The very one you’re practically blackmailing?”
Heat swamped his cheeks and Hunter was sure his face was bright red. He didn’t care to be reminded of how he and Lila had come together. Deep down, he knew she wouldn’t have looked his way had the circumstances not thrown them together, but the last two months of her stay had meant something to him. He liked to think she actually enjoyed being with him. Not once did she flinch when she looked his way, instead, she had a ready smile that seemed like it was just for him.
She continually sent his body into a tailspin like he’d never experienced with any other woman, and Hunter was glad to face a new day knowing Lila was a part of his life. His cock stirred as he thought of what he intended to do to her later tonight. A more passionate woman, he doubted he’d meet.
When Hunter had first met her, he’d only seen the surface, but as he got to know Lila better, he saw her inner beauty shined as bright as her outer shell. She was a rare jewel.
“Yes. The same one,” he finally replied, tight-lipped.
“Don’t get all defensive now. I’ve never seen you so over the moon, especially over a piece of ass.”
Hunter halted in mid-stride and turned on the other man, baring his teeth. “If you refer to her as a piece of ass again, I’ll knock your teeth in. Her name is Lila. Use it.”
Thomas held up his hands. “Whoa. I meant no offense, and it’s not more than what you yourself have called your other women.”
“But she’s not them.”
“I guess she’s not if you’re getting so riled over her. I’m just saying.”
“Saying what?”
“If you keep walking around with that dopey grin on your face, I may begin to think you’re in love.”
“I’m not¯” Hunter broke off, wondering if there was any validity to Thomas’s words. For so long he’d scorned that emotion, never seeing any proof of its existence. His mother, who seemed to throw that word around so freely, was on her fifth husband. Most of the married couples in his social circle were either bitterly unhappy or trying to put on a front for the rest of the world, while the others didn’t bother to pretend.
Was what he felt for Lila more than just lust, friendship and companionship? She made him smile without trying and he missed her when she wasn’t around. When she was with him, Hunter didn’t want to let her out of his sight. Was that love? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t have the right to use that word in conjunction with her because in a month she’d leave him. The very thought caused him pain.
“Finish what you were going to say,” Thomas interrupted his thoughts.
“I don’t know. Look I have to get home, but I’ll call into the office tomorrow so you can fill me in on how your meeting went with the Carver group.” When he would have moved on, Thomas grasped his arm.
“Wait. I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
Hunter sighed. “You didn’t. I’m just being overly sensitive.”
“She must be a remarkable woman. Not only has she managed to tame the Beast, you’ve been wearing your hair tucked behind your ears. You didn’t even turn your head when that jackass in the meeting kept staring at you.”
Hunter hadn’t noticed. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t dwelled on his scars in weeks. As a force of habit, he touched the imperfect side of his face. Maybe he was healing on the inside so much that the outside didn’t matter as much anymore, another thing he had Lila to thank for.
“No. I suppose I haven’t and yes, she is pretty special.”
“Have you told her how you felt?”
“What do you mean?”
A knowing smile split Thomas’s face. “I think you know. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Hunter didn’t bother to dwell on his friend’s words. Ernest was outside waiting for him.
His driver hopped out of the car and opened the door for Hunter. “Good afternoon, Mr. Jamison. I trust your meeting went well?”
“Yes, thank you.” He was about to get into the car when he remembered something important. “How are the grandkids by the way?”
In all the time the Coates had worked for him, he hadn’t bother getting to know them, too wrapped up in his own world to even care. It was through Lila he’d learned more about his two employees in two months than he had in years.
Ernest’s grin widened. “They’re doing wonderfully. Mary is taking ballet classes, dances like an angel that one. Nathan is into soccer. As you know, his eighth birthday is coming up. I’d like to thank you again for giving Maddie and me the time off to attend.”
“Anytime. Please don’t hesitate to ask for time off when you need it. I think the two of you are due for a paid vacation pretty soon.”
“You’ll have a devil of a time convincing Maddie of that. She’s not happy unless she’s busy.” Ernest chuckled. “Now let’s get you home. I’m sure Miss Lila is waiting for you.”
At the mention of Lila’s name, he slid into the car. Usually, Hunter worked on his laptop on the ride home, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Thomas’s words came back to him. Did he love Lila? He went over it in his mind the entire way home.
When Ernest pulled the car to a halt, Hunter opened the door and got out, not bothering to wait for the engine to shut off. He hurried into the house and called out. “Lila!”
When he didn’t get a response, he tore upstairs to the library where she spent a lot of her time. She wasn’t there. His next stop was the kitchen. Maybe she and Mrs. Coates were chatting over tea? It amazed him how Lila had even made his normally stiff housekeeper unbend.
Mrs. Coates was there, but Lila wasn’t. “Have you seen Lila?” he asked without greeting.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Jamison.”
Suddenly remembering his manners, he grinned. “Good afternoon.”
His housekeeper smiled. “Miss Lila was out back, the last I saw her.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t stick around for her reply before heading out to the backyard.
Grinning broadly, he paused when he saw Lila running around the yard with the dogs. Her face was animated and she was laughing at Shadow and Deja’s antics. She presented a lovely sight. He wondered if he’d ever get used to how lovely she was. Somehow, Hunter doubted it.
He saw she was wearing one of the new outfits she’d bought recently, a hot pink track suit. They had come to a compromise about her clothes. He had Ernest take Lila to her favorite department store to pick out anything she liked, which turned out to be mainly casual clothes. But at night she wore the items he’d selected for her. Hunter was glad he’d relented on that subject. She seemed happier because of it.
He observed her tossing a stick and the dogs running after it. Her face fell and a wistful look suddenly turned into a frown. Something was wrong. Hunter could feel it. His heart skipped a beat as he watched Lila maintain that sorrowful expression. Yes, something was definitely the matter.
“Come on, guys,” she spoke to the dogs, “time to go in.”
As the three made their way toward Hunter, Shadow and Deja noticed him first. They barked and then ran toward him in their excitement, tails wagging.
Lila’s eyes widened in surprise at his appearance and then her smile reappeared, but it couldn’t erase from his mind what he’d just seen. As she drew closer, he noticed her eyes were red. She’d been crying! He’d bet his last dime on it.
“Hi, Hunter. How did things go at the office?”
“They went well. Did you do anything exciting today?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Playing with the dogs has basically been the highlight of my day. You’re home earlier than I thought you’d be.”
Hunter raised a brow. “Is that a problem?
“Not at all.” He studied her face for a moment. She seemed distracted.
Grasping her chin, he dropped a light kiss on her lips. “Are you sure everything is alright?”
She lowered her lids and nodded. “Lila, I thought we were going to be honest with each other. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“It’s nothing.”
“I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and looked as though she was debating on whether she could open up.
“Are you unhappy with me?”
Her head came up sharply. “No! You’ve been great company.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“I’m so used to keeping busy I’m going out of my skull. Plus I’m getting major cabin fever. I’ve only been out of this house a couple times since I’ve been here and it’s wearing. I know what our arrangement is and I have no right to complain, but…”
Hunter felt like a jackass. Of course she’d get bored staying cooped up in his house all day. Why hadn’t he thought to provide her with something to occupy her time? He’d been so caught up in his own needs, he hadn’t dwelled on her. He had a nagging feeling she hadn’t told him everything.
“There’s more isn’t there?”
“I miss my dad. This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing him. When I talked to him last night, he sounded happy actually. With the construction beginning, he’s getting a lot of business from the workers who come in for lunch.”
“But?”
“But I miss him and even though he says he’s doing fine, I worry.”
“Would you like to go home and visit him?” The words were out before he realized what he was saying, but there was no taking them back once he’d said them. When he saw the pure joy flit over her face, he knew what he had to do.
“Do you really mean that? You’d let me go home and see him?” Her eyes lit up and her face became more animated than it had been in days. He hadn’t realized how unhappy she was until this moment. So wrapped up in the joy she brought to his life, he hadn’t stopped to consider how she must feel. Of course Lila missed her father; he was after all the reason she was here in the first place. And seeing how full of joy she’d become at the mention seeing her father, Hunter knew he couldn’t deny her that pleasure.
“Yes.”
Just as quickly as it had appeared, the light dimmed from her dark eyes all of a sudden. “I can’t.”
“Why not? I’ll have Ernest drive you there.”
“For how long though?”
He shrugged. “For a few hours I suppose.”
Lila shook her head. “That’s okay. It wouldn’t be enough. I appreciate the gesture though.”
Hunter’s stomach lurched and it felt like it was twisting in knots. He knew the direction this conversation was heading but he found himself saying, “If you’d like I can arrange for you to spend a couple days with him.” The thought of her being away from him even for that short period of time caused him pain, but he knew he had to offer because she wouldn’t ask.
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, and looked as though she was contemplating his suggestion before shaking her head again. “Thank you, but no. I have another month in our agreement. It wouldn’t be fair to you considering how you’ve honored your end of the bargain. I need to do the same.”
Her statement was like a sledgehammer to his heart. Did she only view the thing between them as mere duty? Just as he was beginning to suspect his feelings for her were so much more than sexual attraction she’d dealt him a painful blow. The sad part was: Lila probably wasn’t aware of what she’d just done.
Had he been a fool to think she’d come to care about him a little? Did it even matter? Hunter had known things would eventually come to an end. If it truly made her unhappy to be here with him, how could he even justify keeping her? Sure they had a deal, but could he really live with himself knowing she was counting the days until she was out of here? He should never have thrown this offer at her in the first place. But now that he had, he’d have to deal with it. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. Besides, we can add two more days on if it makes you feel better.”
With a smile she leaned forward and brushed her warm lips against his cheek. “You’re a sweetheart, but seriously, I can hold out for a little while longer to see him. I’d much rather make the rest of our time together special.”
Hunter wanted that too, more than he could ever put into words, but Pandora’s Box had been opened and dammit, there was no closing it. Though it pained him to ask, he had to at least gauge if she felt something deeper for him than just the mere friendship she’d offered. “Lila, what are you plans for when you leave here?”
A brief frown flitted across her lips. “I haven’t really thought about it, but I’ll definitely spend a couple weeks with Dad and help him around the shop if it needs it, though I suspect he probably won’t need much assistance in that arena. Then I guess I’ll go back to work at the hospital.”
“I see. Do you like your job?”
“I love it. I’m actually excited at the prospect of going back.”
Hunter forced himself to get the words out for the next question. “Is there anyone special you left behind?”
“If I did, it would be over now considering what I’ve been up to these last couple months,” she laughed. “Why?”
“Just curious. I find it hard to believe a beautiful woman like you would remain single for long.”
Lila rolled her eyes. “You’re not harping on looks again are you?”
“No. Just wondering.” He took a deep breath. “Have you ever been in love?”
It took several moments of silence before she spoke. An unreadable expression entered her eyes he couldn’t discern. Finally, she shook her head. “No. Once, I thought I was but I was wrong. Besides, I have had a knack for attracting the wrong kind of men.”
Like myself, Hunter thought. Lila didn’t deserve to be here with a bastard like him. She had a life to get back to and he was keeping her from it. What was the point in holding her for another month when she’d only end up leaving him anyway? It wouldn’t be any less painful to let her go in four weeks than it was now. In fact each day that passed would cause him agony because he knew the day he’d have to let her go was drawing near.
Hunter stared into her lovely face, memorizing every line of her face, from the tilt of her chin to the curve of her lips. She was the definition of pure beauty. He knew what he had to do. His heart squeezed within the confines of his chest and it became difficult to breath.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “I guess you’re probably wondering what’s up with the twenty questions.”
She grinned. “Well, it did cross my mind.”
He scratched the back of his head. “Actually, I uh, didn’t quite know how to broach the subject, before, but I needed assurance you had plans once you leave here. As it turns out, it’ll be sooner than we both anticipated.”
Her smile fell in an instant. “What do you mean?”
This was harder than he thought it would be, but he steeled himself to remain firm. “I mean go home to stay. I think it’s time to bring this arrangement to an end.”
Her mouth opened and her hand went to her throat. Judging from the stricken expression this wasn’t good news, but surely he was misinterpreting her thoughts.
“Have you grown tired of me?”
If he wanted to do the right thing, he’d have to sever the ties right now while he still had the strength. “Don’t take it personally, Lila. It’s why I only asked for three months, because that’s how long it normally takes for me to grow bored with the current woman in my life. I just didn’t think it would happen with you so soon. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my end of the bargain. As a matter of fact, if you pack now, Ernest can probably get you home by dinnertime…unless you don’t mind having one last quickie before you go.”
Her jaw dropped. “How can you speak to me like this? You don’t really mean it. I thought things were going well.”
“Oh, they were. And I appreciate your company, but you knew as well as I, this would be ending. Better sooner than later, right?”
“How can you be so cold about the whole thing? I thought we were friends.”
Hunter wanted to take her in his arms and kiss the hurt he saw lurking within the depths of her eyes. “We were friends…out of necessity. I would have said anything to gain your compliance.”
Her lips thinned. “I don’t believe you.”
“Why not? Is it so hard to believe that someone could get tired of you? Now, who’s the one hung up on looks? You’re not as hot as you think, Lila.”
“You son of a bitch,” she whispered.
“I know.” His lips curved to a smug grin. “But let’s end things amicably.”
Her hurt was then replaced by fury. Her fists clenched in front of her and for a moment he braced himself for a punch. She didn’t. Instead, the fire left her as soon as it had come and she dropped her hands to her sides. “All this time…I thought you were a good person, someone I liked very much, but you were having a good laugh behind my back. I was just another bed warmer to you. All those things you’ve shared with me in these past weeks have meant absolutely nothing. Have they?”
It had meant the world to him, Hunter wanted to shout, but now that he’d set on this course of action there was no turning back. “They did mean something. You were a great lay and for that I thank you. But you’ve also showed me that if one woman isn’t repulsed by this mug of mine, I’m sure I can find another who won’t be either. I simply have to go out and find myself another Pollyanna type.”
She gasped.
Lila, I’m sorry. “Don’t look so surprised, sweetheart. We had a good thing. Now it’s time to end it.”
“So it’s true,” she whispered.
Hunter frowned. “What is?”
“You really are a beast. You had me fooled. I believed I’d finally seen the real man aside from what the media portrays you as. But they had it right all along.”
“I never pretended to be anything other than I am.”
“No. I was the fool. But never again. Goodbye, Hunter.” She hurried past him and if he wasn’t mistaken, he saw her dark eyes shining with the suspicious gleam of tears.
When he heard the door slam behind her, indicating she’d gone back inside, his shoulders slumped. To say those things to her had been the most difficult task he’d done in his life. But deep down, Hunter knew he couldn’t hold her anymore. He finally knew the meaning of the word love—letting someone go, even though it was killing you inside.