“Sasha Hamilton, you’ve still got the sweetest ass I’ve ever seen.”

I froze.

Please, God, tell me I imagined that voice.

After jamming the final pillow into its spot, I shifted around on the ladder, held onto the top rail, and looked down. Sure enough, there was Edward O’Leary, with his eyes locked onto my ass, which was wrapped in a super tight skirt.

The O’Leary’s had moved in next door when I was nine-years-old. Their family mirrored mine: husband, wife, and two kids. I instantly became friends with their daughter, Holly, but that friendship only lasted a year before she was sent to boarding school in New York and I never saw her again. Edward, however, stuck around, and he and Drew became friends, which meant he was at our house a lot. When I turned sixteen, Edward noticed me. He was ten years older, but that didn’t deter him from asking me out, or making his intentions clear. I said no, but that didn’t stop him from trying. Not only were Edward and Drew friends, but so were our fathers. It was assumed, and often implied, that Edward and I could bring our families together. I found him sleazy then, and I found him sleazier now.

“Hi, Edward,” I muttered, as I started my descent down the ladder. “What are you doing here?”

“Dad’s not well, and I couldn’t visit Monroe and not see my favorite girl.”

I swallowed hard and ignored his favorite girl comment. “What’s wrong with your dad?”

When I reached the bottom of the ladder, I stood before him and cringed as his eyes traveled eagerly over my body, lingering on my breasts.

See, total creep.

Creepiest of the creepy.

Creep factor one billion.

“All those years of drinking at Hamilton’s have caught up with him. Liver disease has got him,” he revealed when his eyes finally met mine.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“He won’t be around for much longer, so I’m in town to finish some business for him." he said, his voice changing drastically and almost sounding scary. “Also, thinking it’s time I got to take you out.”

I should have known it was coming. Every time he came to town, he asked me out, and every time I said no. If it would have been a friendly catch up, I’d consider it, but there was nothing friendly or innocent about Edward’s intentions.

“I’ve been asking for twelve years. There’s only so much patience a man has," he said low, stepping toward me. “What’s it going to take to get you to come out with me?”

I don’t know what possessed me. Maybe I experienced a brief moment of insanity. Maybe I felt sorry for him because of his Dad’s illness. All I knew was that I wanted him to finally get the point that nothing was ever going to happen between us. Right now, desperation was making me do a ridiculous thing.

“Next week, and it’s not a date. It’s one dinner. One hour. That’s it.”

A smug smile spread across his lips. “I’ll pick you up at eight. We’ll go to Da Maria’s.”

“I’ll meet you there,” I replied quickly.

He gave me another once over, licked his lips, and left.

A chill ran down my spine.

What the hell had I just agreed to?

* * *

“Sasha Abigail Hamilton, get your sweet ass over here and start explaining,” Missy demanded the second I stepped inside her 1950s inspired diner.

“What’s up?” I asked casually as I pulled out a stool at the counter and hauled myself up.

"Please, for the love of god, tell me I did not see O'Leary slither out of Sass," she said, leaning over the counter and staring at me with wide eyes.

Best friend code meant Missy knew, in great detail, all the levels of creepy Edward O’Leary possessed. She’d been there numerous times when he asked me out, she was the first person I called when he slapped my bikini-clad ass, and she was the one who put her finger down her throat and pretend to vomit when he started hanging around us like a lost puppy.

I already knew her reaction was going to be explosive, so I took a deep breath and told her the truth. "I'm having dinner with him next week."

"What!" she shrieked loudly, causing everyone around us to look our way. "Are you drunk? Babe, you cannot be serious?”

"I'm going to lay it out to him one last time. If that doesn’t work, I’m making up a boyfriend, or grabbing the closest man and laying a hot kiss on him, and diverting him that way.” I sighed in frustration. “I don't know what else to do.”

She started looking around the diner, swinging her head from the door to each corner, before moving back to me. “Where is the camera crew? Am I getting filmed right now? This has got to be a joke.”

I laughed. “I’m not joking.”

Her eyes narrowed. "You do realize he is obsessed with you."

"I wouldn't call it obsessed.”

"Do I need to remind you of the hundred roses he had delivered to your place on your eighteenth birthday? We both know it was because you were legal and he wanted to get in there, and by there I mean your vagina. How about when he turned up on your first date with Danny and then joined you two for dinner? Or, oh, what about when . . . "

I cut her off. "I get your point."

A customer moved in beside me and thankfully took Missy’s attention. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about Edward O’Leary, so I needed to move to my usual booth by the window and hope Missy forgot about what she saw. Swinging around to flee, I took one step before slamming into a solid wall. A solid wall that moved, grunted, and engulfed my senses with a unique scent of sandalwood and leather. My hands shot up, grasping anything to prevent my fall, and a strong arm slid around my waist. I found myself getting drunk off the scent swirling around me, and I dared to shift my gaze from my hands to travel up the wall of chest in front of me. I sucked in a breath as a sharp jaw peppered with flawless stubble greeted me, followed by plump, inviting lips, and finally eyes that were the most stunning shade of dark blue I’d ever witnessed. Those stunning blues were staring back at me and showing a hint of humor, but also a shitload of interest.

Then it hit me.

The same euphoric feeling I’d felt at Hamilton’s last night.

It was him.

It was his eyes that had washing over me and made my skin come alive.

“Sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

My body shuddered with delight as his voice, which held the rough edges of an uncut diamond, wrapped around me and squeezed the breath out of me.

“You were at Hamilton’s,” I gasped, looking up at this man who suddenly felt nothing like a stranger.

His eyes flashed. “You saw me?”

I shook my head and let pure honesty fall from my lips. “No, I felt you.”

Something shifted between us. I’d read about it so many times in my favorite books and heard people say they’ve experienced it, but I never truly believed it. But right there, in the middle of Missy’s Diner, I became a believer. Because right then, with my hands still on his chest and our eyes locked tight, nothing else existed but the two of us. The world could be spinning out of control, yet all I saw was him. All I felt was him.

I stood speechless, staring at this fine specimen of a man. Since when had Monroe men looked like him? More importantly, since when had I become a starstruck woman who allowed herself to get or swoony over a man?

“I’m enjoying the feeling of your hands on me.” His voice rumbled so low that it vibrated through my core. “But I’ve got a call to make, so I’ve got to break the connection we’ve got going on.”

My cheeks flamed, and my hands shot off him so quickly it was as if I was touching a hot plate. “Crap, I’m sorry.”

“Never apologize for that,” he mused, the side of his mouth lifting into a smirk. “Having the hands of a beautiful woman on you is what every man wants, and I sure as fuck have no complaints about yours being on me.”

His intense gaze dropped to my body, travelling enticingly over every curve and inch of me. He did this not once, but twice. I don’t think I took a breath. Who was this man? Even though I’d cursed my outfit when Edward O’Leary ogled me, now I was silently high-fiving myself.

“Your phone call?” I breathed when his eyes came back to mine.

“Phone call is the last thing on my mind, sweetheart.” He shook his head subtly. “Fuck, you are something else.”

The suggestive tone in his voice shot fire through my veins. I had no doubts, he claimed the title of the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on.

I tore my gaze from his and allowed myself the pleasure of taking in all that he was. Well-worn jeans caressed his muscular thighs and encased his slim hips. His black t-shirt fit snug against the chest—a chest I knew by touch was defined, firm, and gloriously all man—and a black leather jacket completed his look. His hair was a mass of chocolate brown crazy, and it gave the impression that he’d either just crawled out of bed or ran his hands through it wildly. Not only was he sexy, he was also beautiful.

“Believe me, so are you,” I admitted, my brow rising suggestively while my voice sounded like a purr. “And completely unexpected.”

The edge of his lips twitched, and impatiently I waited for what he’d say next. We’d stepped into some weird yet enjoyable flirt fest, and I didn’t want it stopping any time soon. But wanting something didn’t guarantee you’d get it. Abruptly, it all came crashing to a halt when his face twisted hard, and his attention left me and narrowed in on something or someone behind me.

“Fuck,” he hissed, his blue eyes turning dark and his strong jaw ticking with aggravation.

It was then that I was slapped in the face by a high-pitched voice behind me. “Baby, I’ve got us a table.”

You have got to be kidding me!

I scoffed and swung around as my blood turned ice cold. The owner of the voice stepped into view with daggers shooting from her eyes as she glared at me. Moving toward Mr. Blue Eyes, her super white blonde bob bouncing with every step she took, she slid her arm around his waist and stepped in close when she reached him.

“Want to tell me why you had your hands on my man?” she hissed. Her pencil thin brow rose accusingly.

“Kat.” Blue eyes warned in a scarily intense voice. His eyes flashed quickly to mine, before narrowing on hers. “Pull the claws back in.”

I couldn’t hold back the knowing grin from hitting my lips. Of course, he was spoken for. He had a vibe about him, an allure and intrigue that got your attention at first sight. But he’d got my attention before I even saw him. What was with that? A feeling? I felt him? What the hell? The fact he had a woman shouldn’t have surprised me. He was a walking threat to women’s libidos, so of course someone had snapped him up. It was just a shame that I wouldn’t get to see if he had the equipment to give one-night-stands a whole new meaning.

“Bitch, are you ready to stop looking at my man like you want to fuck him right here?” she spat, giving me the once over. “Yeah, he is my man.”

I did not appreciate being called a bitch. I didn’t usually cuss, but she deserved to receive the wrath of Sasha.

“Unlike you, I don’t fuck men when I just meet them.” I went for the low blow first. She gasped, and I swear I heard Mr. Blue Eyes laugh. “It’s not often you see men like him in Monroe, so when they give you attention, which I did not ask for, you sure as hell take it.” I shot him a look that screamed pissed off before turning back to her. “So, you might want to keep your eye on your man. Good looks and the potential of what’s underneath aren’t everything, and probably not enough to justify you acting like a raging bitch in the middle of a family friendly diner.”

After hurling him into the fire, and putting her in her place, I spun on my heel and strutted through the diner toward my usual booth. My heart pounded and adrenaline pumped through my veins. I hadn’t felt that frantic rush of attraction to a man in a long time. To be honest, I don’t think I ever had. It was safer to ignore it and push it aside. Thankfully, he’d given me reason to ignore and forget all about his devastatingly confusing presence. I shook all thoughts of him out of my head and dropped my gaze to the menu. I didn’t need to look at it because I always ordered the same thing, but focusing on the words stopped me from looking anywhere else.

A glass of diet coke appeared in front of me, and I smiled up at the waitress before she dashed back to the counter. I lifted the glass to my mouth, placed the straw between my lips, and sucked back. I distracted myself in the current scandal hitting Hollywood and swiped through a gossip site on my phone. Although I was doing everything to distract myself, the feeling of his eyes burning into my back became too strong, and I broke. I lost the battle. Shifting my head to the side, I looked over my shoulder and my eyes locked with his. The blonde furiously tapped away on her phone and seemed to be talking to him, but his attention was all mine. His brows pulled tight, his jaw ticked, and his seductive blue eyes became intoxicating. For a moment, I became drunk on all that he was, but then reality sobered me up.

“Hey.”

I jumped at the roughness of Drew’s voice beside me and broke my trance on Mr. Blue Eyes. My heart broke seeing my brother, and betrayal swarmed me. Our conversation the previous night played on a continuous loop in my head. I watched him closely as he slid in opposite me and unloaded his phone and keys from his pocket. He looked tired and on edge, and the usual stubble that covered his jaw had grown into a thick, light brown beard that now covered his entire jaw and edged down his throat. I could count on one hand the amount of times I’d see him over the past six months. Our relationship changed a year ago, and I had no idea why. Gone were the days of daily conversations, Sunday night dinners, and random text messages. He’d become distant, and I hated it. Somewhere along the way I’d lost my brother, and I had no clue where to find him. Now, he was asking me something that he should never ever ask.

The identical green eyes we shared went into battle in an intense stare off across the table. This could go on for hours before one of us broke. The Hamilton’s were blessed with resilience, but we were also cursed with being obnoxiously stubborn.

Drew was the first to break, and he did it with a long sigh. “We need to talk about Hamilton’s. I want to buy you out.”

It felt like shards of glass began stabbing me in the heart as I allowed Drew’s words to penetrate. I desperately wanted to believe that I hadn’t seen those forms last night, or that I misheard him now, but his eyes never lied to me, and now as I stared at him all I saw was brutal, honest truth staring back at me.

“You cannot be serious,” I whispered, my heart hurting, and my lungs squeezing painfully as I tried to control my breathing.

I couldn’t remember a time when Hamilton’s wasn’t a part of my life, and now Drew wanted me to sell my share?

“Why?” I asked as anger spiked through me. I could not believe he had the audacity to ask this. “Why the hell would you want to take away my last piece of Dad?”

He dropped his head and fisted his hair. Frustration rolled off him while his jaw ticked. Now, as I watched him, it hit me just how much I missed him. After we lost Dad, it was us against the world. Losing Dad had encouraged my hidden demons to rear their ugly heads. But I had a kick-ass brother who wrapped me in his arms, kissed the top of my head, and told me we were the Hamilton kids, and we would be okay.

I had that brother for a year. Then the distance began. The visits became less frequent. He started missing our Sunday night dinners, important dates no longer existed, and my calls went unanswered. He became a stranger to me.

“It’s not about taking the last piece of Dad away from you.” He sighed, and his eyes flashed to mine. “I promised Dad that I'd do right by you, and it might not seem like it, but I'm doing this for you. Every fucking thing I do is for you, Sasha. You've got to believe that.”

Once upon a time I did believe that.

“I need you to answer something for me.”

“Anything,” he replied.

“What did I do?”

His brow scrunched. “What do you mean?”

“There’s got to be a reason why you’re sitting opposite me asking me to sell the bar, and why you’ve pulled away from me.”

“Listen to me.” He leaned over the table that separated us and dropped his voice. “You’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. You’re the best thing in my life, Sash, so get that thought out of your fucking head.”

I sucked in a desperate breath as I took in his. He’d never lied to me before, and for my sanity, I needed to believe him. The simple truth was that I needed my brother in my life, however I could have him. I just had to pray that one day he’d fully come back to me. Clearly, his demons were screaming louder than I could have ever imagined.

I leaned over and grabbed his hand, and held it tightly in mine. His gaze dropped to our hands before his eyes came back to mine. Something only the two of us would share passed between us. The reminder of the worst form of rejection, and the heartbreak of cruel memories taunting us at the worst times had been thrust onto us. His eyes flickered and his jaw tensed, and I knew I was about to lose him again.

“I’ve got to get to a meeting. But please think about what I said. I’m doing this for you.”

Just as quickly as he arrived, he once again disappeared.

In more ways than one.

* * *

Standing at the counter, I tapped my nails loudly on the polished wood as I waited for Missy to finish with her customer. I needed to pay my bill and go back to Sass so I could concentrate on something other than my conversation with Drew.

The space beside me became occupied, and I knew exactly who it was. It was like a switch turned on and my body became hyper aware of him.

“You okay?" Mr. Blue Eyes asked in a low voice that hit every inch of me. "Was he giving you trouble?"

“I'm fine," I answered with a forced smile when I met his gaze. "And no, he wasn't giving me trouble."

“But here you are paying for his lunch,” he shot back just as quick, his eyes narrowing on the bill in my hand.

What could I possibly say to that? Instead, my mouth decided to speak without thinking. “What’s your name?”

He stared at me so powerfully, in a way that felt like he was looking directly into my soul and discovering all of my deepest secrets. It was unnerving, yet weirdly intoxicating.

“Hunt,” he announced, locking me into his stare yet again.

“Your name is Hunt?”

His lips twisted slightly. “Yep.”

“Short for Hunter?” I asked, intrigued by the name Hunt and wishing it didn’t sound as sexy as it did.

“Just Hunt.” His eyes twinkled.

Whoa, his baby blues were lethal. Sasha, he has a woman, I chanted silently to myself while nibbling on my lip. I needed Missy to hurry up. I needed to get out of here and away from him. I stared at her, hoping all of our years of being best friends had given us some kind of mind connection and she’d feel my desperation and come to my rescue. All I got was her laughter as she joked with Crazy John who’d obviously arrived after Drew left. She avoided looking up at me.

After what seemed like an hour of waiting and an hour of silent awkwardness, Missy sauntered toward me, smirk on her face, and her eyes bounced between Hunt and me. Why she was smirking, I did not know.

“Want to clear my bill today, Miss. I’m heading out of town for a few days on a job.”

What kind of a job would a man like him have? His body had the potential to be used as a life-altering weapon, and his eyes held the kind of intensity that could make someone admit their wildest secrets. As I sorted through potential jobs he could have, he spoke and caused me to suck in a breath.

“I'll cover her bill too."

What the hell!

I whipped around to face him, my disbelieving eyes wide. “I’ll pay for myself.”

“Add it, Missy.” Hunt ignored me and focused on Missy.

No longer was she smirking. She was now smiling big.

“Sassy, let the man pay for your damn lunch,” Crazy John rumbled from the end of the counter. “When’s the last time you had a good-looking chap buy you lunch? We all know I don’t swing that way, but I know a good-looking chap when I see one.”

This was not happening.

I sucked in a deep breath. “We don’t live in the 1950s anymore. I’ve got money, and I can pay for myself.”

Crazy John looked over my shoulder and focused on Hunt, completely ignoring me. “Sassy's stubborn as hell, so you might need to buy her a few lunches before you crack her.”

Please, God, tell me this was not happening.

“No one is cracking me as you so nicely put it,” I huffed, rolling my eyes dramatically for good measure. “I will pay for myself.”

“Add it Missy,” Hunt instructed from behind me, clearly not listening to a thing I was saying.

Was I invisible?

“As I said, we don’t live in the 1950s anymore,” I stated firmly as I felt myself transforming into an independent woman. “I work hard, I own my own business, I have a savings account, and guess what, I can pay for my own lunch.”

“Sweetheart, whether it’s the 50s, 80s or twenty-fucking-twenty, you should not be standing here with an unpaid bill. Another thing, you sure as fuck shouldn’t be left paying the bill for a man who sat opposite you and made you look like you’ve now got weight of the world sitting on your pretty little shoulders."

My body tingled in all the right places at hearing him call me sweetheart, while my heart pounded at his observation of how I felt. How had he clawed into my brain so quickly, and how had he read my body language so well? He exuded alphaness from every pore, and he clearly didn’t give a shit about who witnessed it in all its glory. This was bad for my libido. No, this was extremely hazardous to my libido, because he had a woman.

I needed to pay my bill, leave, and forget about my encounter with Mr. Blue Eyes, who transformed into Mr. Intense, and was now Mr. Alpha.

“Oh, I like this one. He might be the only one who can handle the sass, and we all know the sass is humongous,” Crazy John hooted from down the counter.

Did the word humongous really just come out of Crazy John’s mouth?

Missy pinched my bill clean out of my hand and moved to the register. I was still trying to get my head around what was actually happening.

“Sixty-eight dollars and thirty-five cents,” Missy’s cheery tone announced, her attention on Hunt.

I focused on him as he opened his wallet, pulled out a hundred dollar bill, and slid it toward Missy. “Keep the change. You know I’ll be back.”

“Your lunch is covered,” he said softly, and it was the first sign of softness I’d witnessed from him. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. He dropped my stare and gave Missy a brief smile. “See you soon, Missy.”

Before he left he gave me one last look over, which allowed me one final glimpse at those blue eyes before he stalked out of the diner and left me speechless.

What the hell just happened, and more importantly, who the hell was this man?