Chapter 13

“I can’t believe you made Aunt Cady snort at dinner. You’re supposed to be Mr. Doesn’t Like Anyone and suddenly you’re the life of the party?”

Hunter gave her a look as he stirred their mugs of hot chocolate. “Are you upset or surprised, Mal?”

She drummed her fingers on the counter. “Surprised, I guess . . . ,” she mused. “You’ve made a point to not be particularly social so far.”

He made a small sound of amusement and picked up the mugs, nodding his head for her to exit the kitchen before him. “True, but that’s just because most of the people here annoy me. Your family is great, Tom’s family I know already, and if you haven’t noticed, I make Mrs. Yardley laugh all the time.”

Mal frowned as she flopped down on her couch and reached for her cocoa. “I guess that’s true. She’s nice enough. The dad’s a quiet guy, but that’s okay, too. Tom’s sisters are fantastic. I’ll add them to the normal list.”

Hunter chuckled and sat down next to her, flinging his arm on the back of the couch around her. “I’m sure they’re very pleased to be there.”

Mal made a face. “Fine, fine, I like Tom’s family, okay? And I didn’t think I would. Well, his parents and sisters, at least. His brothers . . .” She made an indecisive hand gesture.

Hunter chuckled and sipped his drink. “I would love to take you to one of my family reunions. You could analyze the lot of us and have a field day.”

“Stop that,” she muttered, leaning into him. “I’m not a people person. Particularly with rich people.”

“Snob.”

Mal shifted uneasily against him and could feel his quiet laughter.

“Sorry, sweetheart, you’re going to have to get used to it,” he said with a sigh, pulling her closer. “With your talent, you’re going to be spending a lot of time around people, maybe even rich people. Be as antisocial as you want in your private life, but you’ll have to at least pretend to be a people person sometimes.”

“Selectively social,” she corrected, and sipped her cocoa.

Hunter snorted and took a drink from his own. “Right. Sorry, I forgot.”

Mal looked up at him for a moment. “There is one question I forgot to ask you earlier.”

He looked back at her in surprise. “Really? I remember feeling almost interrogated before you finally nodded off.”

She elbowed him hard, and he grunted a laugh. “Seriously, though,” she said, sitting up. “Where do you actually live? I know you probably have condos or houses in a lot of different places, but where is home?”

He made a face in thought. “Right now, Atlanta.”

“Really?” she said, unable to hold back her own surprise.

“And what is wrong with Atlanta?” he asked defensively.

“Nothing,” she assured him quickly. “I just figured you’d be somewhere a little more . . . I don’t know, famous?”

Hunter laughed, leaning his head back against the couch. “I’m not famous, babe. Atlanta is a great city, and we’ve done very well there.”

“What do you do for work?” Mal pressed, turning to face him. “I know you went to business school, and clearly you have some real estate stuff, like this resort.”

“Currently, I am president and acting CEO for my own corporation.”

“You own your own company?” Mal was impressed, in spite of herself. “On a big scale?”

He shrugged. “Several companies, actually, but under the same family, so to speak. Each has their own vice president.”

“But you’re the boss.”

“Yes . . . sort of. And I’m a stakeholder in several other companies, corporations, and organizations. I dabble in real estate.”

Mal shook her head. “Dabble. Right. And what do you all do in Atlanta?”

Hunter chuckled again. “Biomedical engineering. Some sales, some design, some research, some pharmaceuticals, and a bunch of other stuff with people much smarter than me. Currently, I’m at our biggest location in Atlanta. Headquarters can stay there as far as I am concerned, but they don’t need me. I’m considering moving over to a smaller branch to try to build up more.”

“Where would you go?” she asked, truly curious.

He shrugged. “Chicago, Dallas, Columbia . . . My mom wants me to come to Baltimore sometime in the near future, so that’s always an option. Audrey suggests Seattle all the time, since that’s where she is. Or I could visit the overseas branches. London is always a good idea, right?”

Mal stared at him in wonder. “Uh-huh,” she murmured, settling back. The man could quite literally go anywhere and be successful. Nothing was out of the question, and with his drive and skill set, he would revolutionize any place he went. He held all the power in the world in his hands, and he knew how to use it.

“Did I lose you there?” he asked, nudging her.

She shook her head and leaned against him. “You take a pretty active role in work, don’t you?”

He nodded, resting his chin on her head. “I try to. I can’t get away from the boardroom entirely, but I think hands-on is a good way to go—assuming I don’t get in the way. I don’t want anyone feeling like I’m looking over their shoulder, but if there are improvements that need to be made, I’ll step in. I think I’d get bored if I just sat in my crummy office all day, ruling the empire by mobile device.”

Mal patted his knee. “Yeah, I’m sure you have a really crummy office there, dude.”

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “It has a shocking lack of artwork. Know anyone that could help me out there?”

She slowly sipped the last of her cocoa. “I think Dan might have some pieces that could work for you.”

Hunter moved his mouth to the side of her neck just below her ear. “I don’t want Dan’s help . . .”

She arched her neck with a shiver. “No? Well, Taryn is pretty good too. I can put in a good word for you.”

He snatched her mug away and set it on the table behind the couch and turned, forcing her to lean back against the armrest while he loomed over her, his arms bracketing either side of her.

“Not Taryn,” he murmured with a slow shake of his head, leaning down to kiss her chin, then down the column of her throat.

“No?” she gasped, trying to find some sense of wit before he disintegrated the last of her thoughts.

“No,” he said simply, coming back to place a slow, leisurely kiss on her lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck with a sigh when a knock on the door interrupted what was destined to be a fantastic make-out session.

“Seriously?” Mal said to the ceiling, frowning.

Hunter laughed and pulled her up to a sitting position. “You expecting anyone?”

She gave him a look as she rose to her feet. The knocking came again, more insistent, and Mal folded her cardigan around her. Whatever this was, it had better be good or she would be seriously ticked off. She opened the door to find Caroline standing there in sweats and an oversize T-shirt with her hair loosely braided over her shoulder and a large Coach tote on her arm.

“Caroline?” Mal asked in surprise.

Her cousin wrinkled her nose. “Can I claim sanctuary here tonight? I’m about to kill people.”

Mal laughed and stepped back, scratching at her hair. So much for her evening plans . . . “Sure,” she said with a shrug.

Caroline grinned and stepped in, dropping her bag. “Thanks,” she said heavily. “Seriously, when it’s my turn, remind me how nuts this is, okay? I’m gonna elope.”

Mal nodded knowingly. “Noted.”

Caroline turned to look around the place and saw Hunter sitting on the couch. “Hunter?”

He smiled and waved. “Hey.”

Caroline whirled to face Mal, eyes wide. “Am I interrupting something?” she whispered loudly.

Mal glanced nervously at Hunter, who only lifted a brow and smiled. “Uh, not really?” she answered awkwardly.

Her cousin’s eyes narrowed. “Uh-huh. You’ve got maybe three minutes before Jenna gets here, so . . .”

“That would be my cue to leave,” Hunter announced as he got up from the couch.

Mal turned to him with a wince. “I’m sorry,” she said, coming over to him.

“What for? Girls’ night with your cousins seems like a good idea to me.”

She made a face. “Yeah, but . . .” She looked up at him and sighed impatiently.

His smile told her he understood. “Yeah,” he said quietly, stroking her cheek. “But there’s always tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at the usual time.”

Mal pouted. “Okay.”

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Call me later?” he whispered.

She nodded, unable to keep from playing with his shirt, taking note of the taut skin and muscle she could feel beneath.

He gave her a wink and headed for the door, grabbing his leather jacket from the bench. “Caroline,” he said politely as he passed her. “Have a good night.”

“You too, Hunter,” she replied, never once looking away from Mal, arms folded over her chest. The minute the door closed, Caroline came over to her. “You have thirty seconds to tell me what that was,” she said, eyes dancing.

Mal’s throat and mouth seemed to stop working as she scrambled. “Um, would you believe me if I said nothing?”

Caroline snorted once. “Nope. I saw the two of you just now, sister, and that ain’t nothing.”

Mal rubbed her hands over her face. “I have no idea what it is,” she admitted. “It just happened and it hasn’t stopped and . . . I like it?”

Caroline grinned slowly. “Oh, girl,” she said, heavily accenting her southern drawl. “That boy has worked you over like nobody’s business.”

Mal made another face. “Am I pathetic?”

“Heck no,” Caroline laughed, shaking Mal’s arm. “If I didn’t have Ryan, I’d be all over that myself. You guys got plans?”

Mal smiled, unable to resist the contagious excitement Caroline was giving off. “We do sunrise photo shoots every morning, and tomorrow he’s taking me to jazz night down at the pavilion.”

Caroline seized both her arms. “Mal. You have got to let me do your hair and makeup for that. And I have a dress for you.”

“No,” Mal said at once, shaking her head. “I’m going as me, and nothing you have will fit me.”

Caroline glowered at her so darkly that Mal was actually nervous. “Who said I was going to make you anyone else? You have to sleep at the Hen House tomorrow night anyway, and I do so happen to have a dress that will fit you. I pulled some aside for you on Designer Day since you wouldn’t touch a thing. I promise, it is totally you, and it will drive Hunter absolutely crazy—in a good way.”

Now that sounded like an idea Mal could get behind. She chewed her lip in indecision.

“Come on,” Caroline begged. “Don’t you trust me?”

Mal met her eyes for a long moment, then sighed. “Yeah, I trust you. Okay, you’re hired.”

Caroline squealed and hugged her quickly. “This week just got that much better!”

Mal hesitated a long moment, then winced. “Caroline, do you know anything about . . . Hunter’s past?”

Caroline pulled back with a sharp look. “His past? What, like, his record?”

Mal shook her head. “No, no, I mean . . .”

“Ohh,” her cousin said knowingly, nodding now. “Girls. Gotcha. Not much at all, only that it’s been a while for him. He was with a girl for a really long time, and I think it got pretty serious. But they broke it off, and rumor is that now she wants him back. Could just be rumor. It’s not like he’s heartbroken and pining, so she’d have a tough time getting him back, if it’s true.” She frowned at Mal. “Why?”

So the ex was real. Real and really wanting Hunter back.

Great.

“I . . . I don’t know.” Mal wrinkled up her nose and knitted her fingers. “I don’t know why he’s . . . with me. I don’t match, you know? I’m not his type.”

Caroline gave her a look. “I saw him looking at you, sweetie. He thinks you’re his type, and I’m pretty sure he would know.”

A knock at the door effectively ended the conversation.

“That will be Jenna,” Caroline said with a sad smile. “The girls were on a roll today, and she’s had enough. I’m gonna go make popcorn.”

Mal went to the door and opened it, stepping back automatically to wave Jenna in. She was wearing absolutely no makeup and looked downcast but still was gorgeous.

“Really?” she asked in a small voice.

“Please,” Mal said with a laugh, waving her in again. “I think we could use a Disney night. What do you think?”

Jenna smiled and instantly pulled Mal in for a tight hug. “Oh, thank you for being you.”

“You’re welcome.” Mal replied, returning the hug as best as she could although she wasn’t a hugging person.

Jenna stepped back and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail. “I just can’t take those girls tonight. I hated that I had to have so many bridesmaids, and I know they’re mostly tacky girls with no taste and less morals, but friends are hard to come by in my world, you know?”

Mal had no idea, but she nodded sympathetically all the same.

“And they’re not all bad,” Jenna said as she sat down on the couch. “Not all the time, anyway. Maybe this is too long. But it’s my week and my wedding, so they can shove it.”

“Hear, hear!” Caroline bellowed from the kitchen.

Mal laughed and shook her head. “Caroline, I think there’s Fresca in the fridge. We’ll need that too!”

“Heck yeah, we will!”

Jenna grinned up at Mal. “You are the best, you know that?”

Mal had to smile in return. It was impossible not to. “So are you, sweetie. So what are we watching tonight?”

“You have to ask?” Caroline called out.

“Little Mermaid,” they all said in unison, the sisters with glee, Mal with a smile.

Of course.

“No singing this time,” Jenna scolded loudly, turning her head to yell at her sister.

“You are the one who has to sing the daughters of Triton song,” Caroline shot back as she appeared. “Just because you can remember all the names.”

Mal laughed and took a bowl of popcorn from her. “You can’t?”

Caroline sniffed and sat down as Mal rummaged for the DVD amid the house’s massive collection. “Of course I can now. Aquata, Andrina, Arista . . .”

Mal rubbed her eyes and glanced over at the couch, the light from the TV casting warped blue shadows over everything. Jenna was sprawled across the couch, while Caroline was on the floor below her. Both had several pillows and blankets around and under them, and both were fast asleep.

Mal had dozed off in the middle of their second movie, and it appeared they had as well. She reached for the remotes and turned everything off, grabbed her phone, and stumbled into the bedroom, crawling into her bed. She looked down at the phone, checking the time, and then decided that she could call Hunter like he’d asked. If he didn’t pick up, that was his own fault.

Besides, she wanted to hear his voice again.

He picked up after two rings. “Hi,” he murmured sleepily, his voice rough, but she could hear the smile.

She smiled back. “Hi.”

There was silence for a few seconds, and then she heard rustling from Hunter’s side. “So . . . ,” he drawled suggestively, “what are you wearing?”

Mal burst out laughing and pulled her covers up under her chin. “Flannel pants and a high school T-shirt,” she answered, trying to match his tone.

His low laugh rumbled in her ears. “That is so sexy.”

She snickered and then sighed. “I’m sorry. I really wanted to spend tonight with you.”

“Oh yeah?” Hunter replied, his tone pointed and amused.

“Not like that!” she protested, drawing another low laugh from him. “You know what I mean.”

He exhaled audibly. “I do. And I’m sorry too. But I am glad you spent time with your cousins.”

“Me too, actually. They aren’t like the other girls.”

He made an amused sound. “No, they aren’t. Did you think they were?”

Mal sighed and made a face. “I don’t know. No, I guess not.”

“Did you have fun?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

“You sound surprised.”

She smiled as she thought about it. “I am. It’s been years. Literally, at least ten. But tonight, we watched our same favorite Disney movies, Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty, and we laughed at all the same parts we used to, and . . . I don’t know . . . I forgot how much I like them.”

That seemed to satisfy him. Then he asked, “So why’d you come if you didn’t know you liked them?”

“Money,” she said bluntly, feeling a hint of shame. “Opportunity. And I remembered being kids together, and we had a ball back then. I couldn’t say no to that. To her.”

“I’m glad for that, Mal,” he told her softly, and again, she could hear him smiling. “I can’t tell you how much. Whatever it was that convinced you to come, I’m . . . I’m glad.”

Mal closed her eyes. “Me too,” she finally answered, trying to keep her voice calm.

Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

“I miss you,” Hunter groaned petulantly at last.

Mal snickered softly. “You saw me three hours ago,” she reminded him.

“Too long,” he grunted. “I miss you.”

Mal didn’t know what to say. Did she tell him the truth? Did she play it off and back away from the tension she was feeling?

“Mal?”

She swallowed hard. “I miss you too,” she finally whispered as something in her chest burst and stole her breath.

Somehow, Hunter knew. She could hear it in the way he exhaled, could imagine him smiling in the dark, like she was.

“Good night, baby,” he said, his voice a caress. “Sleep tight.”

She looked up at the ceiling, shaking her head. “Good night.”

She hung up, set the phone on her nightstand, and curled into a ball on her side. A small squeal escaped her, and she grinned into her fisted hand, burying her face.

Where in the world was Mallory Hudson, and what had happened to her?