Chapter Five
Dani
“Oh my god, I can’t believe you! I leave you for ten minutes and when I come back, you are making out with Hunter Maddox!” Justine crowed with delight as we made it back to her car on the street.
“You know who he is?” I asked as I climbed into the car.
“Who, Hunter? Everyone knows who he is. He’s prime real estate around here. I can’t believe you kissed him! He’s so hot, Dani!”
I touched my lips. If we hadn’t been caught, I would have thought it was all a dream. Maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.
“How did it happen? You have to tell me everything!” gushed my cousin.
“I honestly don’t know. I can’t really explain it. We didn’t really talk.” I tried to replay our conversation, but our steamy kiss was all I could think about. All the words jumbled in my head, as if they’d happened, but I couldn’t remember. If Justine hadn’t come, who knows what would have happened?
I paused. “Justine, who is this Hunter Maddox person?”
She giggled.
“Hunter? Just the most eligible bachelor in like, the entire United States. I’ve only known him for as long as I’ve known Kristi, but the man is legendary. Big heartbreaker in high school, even bigger heartbreaker now.”
“Did he go to school with you?”
“Oh no, he didn’t. He’s almost forty.”
I gasped. Forty? I was only eighteen! I’d known that he was older than me, but I was surprised he was that much older. “What was he doing at a high school party?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “That seems weird and desperate.”
“Oh gross, he’s not like that,” Justine prattled, as she started the car and turned down the highway back to the house. “He’s Kristi’s uncle. He lives two hours away but comes over during the summer to visit Kristi and her brother. Plus, he has a business or something.”
I took a deep breath, calming down. So he wasn’t some creepy stalker. “Oh, so he was supposed to be there. I get it.”
“I actually don’t really know,” said Justine airily. “Kristi mentioned a few weeks ago that he was going to be in town, but it’s not like we expected to see him or anything. Hunter doesn’t hang out with us, he’s forty, like I said. It’s just that he stays at their house when he’s in town.”
“Oh,” I said in a small voice.
“Kristi and Aaron basically send the summer doing whatever they want. Their mom always disappears for a few weeks, so they’re essentially on their own. Their uncle is supposed to watch them, sort-of, but he’s busy too. The Maddox Media empire is pretty large after all. Besides Kristi and Aaron are pretty old, so it’s not like they need a babysitter or anything.”
“Maddox Media? That sounds familiar,” I said, brow wrinkling as Justine turned into the street where her house was.
“No shit, it’s the biggest media company around. You know the TX network? They’re in charge of that. Hunter’s like, a billionaire,” Justine added in a hushed voice. “It’s totally nuts! Every woman’s trying to land him.”
The TX Network was one of the most popular channels on TV and hosted a variety of popular shows. I wasn’t much of a TV person, but even I knew this network, what with its hits in the last couple years.
“Oh my god,” I said, as Justine parked her car. “I could tell he was rich, but that’s really crazy.”
“See? Prime real estate,” she said as she got out of the car. I followed her into the house. “He’s super rich and super cute! A perfect combination if you ask me.”
Once we entered the house through the garage, Aunt Melanie ambushed us. “You girls shouldn’t have gone like that! Justine, you know your curfew is in effect all summer.”
“Mom, we were just at Kristi’s house.” My cousin rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s not even that late. Eleven p.m. isn’t so horrible.”
“And what were you doing over there?”
I was starting to get the impression my cousin didn’t have the ironclad grip on her parents that she’d told me about.
“Oh, just a few friends were over. A nice little summer party.”
Aunt Melanie eyed the girl warily, as if she didn’t believe us. I was praying she wouldn’t ask me about our whereabouts because I’ve always been a bad liar. My aunt looked between the two of us as I kept my mouth shut, expression innocent. I stole a glance at Justine, who kept her face emotionless.
“Well, it’s getting pretty late. And you guys have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so you two should get to bed.”
“Of course, Mom,” Justine said, kissing her mom on the cheek before making her way down the hall to her room. I did the same, wishing Aunt Melanie a good night and following Justine down the hallway to our room. My cousin talked for a bit while getting ready for bed, just some nonsense stuff about hair and make-up. She didn’t ask any more about Hunter and I didn’t offer any more information about our kiss.
I was glad that she didn’t inquire anymore.
I didn’t really want to talk about it, for fear that the more I talked about it, the more real it would get. It was okay that it was just in my head – like a sweet fantasy or a dream. Because what was I thinking? He was the most eligible bachelor this side of the Mississippi, whereas I was a chubby teenage girl. There was no way he’d be interested in someone like me. That was magical thinking.
But the more I tried to push Hunter out of my mind, the more he lodged himself there. It was crazy. Why was I so attracted to him? He was gorgeous and rich and much too old for someone like me.
But why had he kissed me? As I settled into my bed that night, I thought back to the wonderful moment. It had made me feel alive, nerves tingling, every part of me on fire.
I closed my eyes. And when I slept that night … I dreamed of Hunter Maddox, blue eyes flashing, big body pulling me close.