“I’m so glad you came with me, Erin.” His hand squeezed high on my thigh and his warm, inked finger pressed so close.

My eyes fluttered closed and a smile turned my lips. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“I don’t know how I ever traveled without you.”

Hunter tucked me under his arm and escorted me into his home in the warm afternoon light. Without saying a word, Hunter opened the front door and guided me straight to his cozy master bedroom and the duvet-covered king bed. With dark hair cascading around me, Hunter snuck it between his fingers and then brushed his nose in the clean locks at my neck. I heard him inhale and then a small groan escaped his lips.

My fingers went to his waist and my nails dug into the muscles at his sides, sinewy and tight beneath the pads of my fingers. My pussy ached to feel him. A small sigh fell from my lips as his hands found their way up to my neck and wrapped around at the nape. Warm, rough palms abraded my skin and sent chills flittering through my insides and between my legs. I shifted and tilted my head to the side, begging him silently to fuck me. To use me and possess me with those intense, calculating eyes.

“Stay with me,” his rough voice growled, and my stomach fell to the floor.

“Yes,” I uttered, my breath so light it left my head swimming. His arms wrapped me up then, and he pushed us both back on the bed, pulling the white cotton around us. His leg thrown over mine, wrapped up in his arms, I fell asleep to the smoky scent that seemed to emanate from his neck, entering into a dreamland where real life fell away, and all that was real was him and I, here. Pure and unhurried, without a thought in the world. As I closed my eyes, I made my decision.

Tomorrow I would finally make it official.

I sat in a silent waiting area anxiety pressing in on me.

I fished my phone from my purse to check my messages in an effort to distract myself from the upcoming meeting. Hunter was usually up and checking in on me long before now. Realizing my phone was dead, I plugged it into the charger I kept tucked in my purse and waited for it to power on.

A barrage of messages from one demanding Hunter Ellis lit the screen up before my phone rang, echoing through the quiet room. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I caught the disapproving glances before I answered the call.

“Hello,” I hummed, a smile in my voice.

“Where the fuck are you?”

“What? I left a note—” I stumbled, my brain failing to comprehend the harsh language he rarely used.

“And why was your phone off—are you okay?” The anger in his voice gave way to desperate urgency.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, still in shock. “I left a note on the coffee pot. I had errands to run, and I didn’t realize my battery had died until just now.”

“Fuck.” I heard him sigh on the other end. “I’m not even out of bed yet. I saw you were gone and thought the worst possible thing—wake me up next time. I’ll take you myself,” he finished, his voice weary.

“Okay,” I said softly, melting into his concern. “You’ve got a showing tonight; do you want me available?” I asked, referring to a showcase at a prestigious gallery.

“Yeah, definitely. Are you around today?” he said, and I felt the fight in his voice fading. Something deep down warmed and curled inside me. Maybe Hunter needed me as much as I did him.

“I’ve got a few things to do. What do you need?” I offered, my anger long gone.

“I just work better when you’re around,” he replied before a series of beeps echoed over the line. His burner phone. “Fuck. What now?” he grunted, and my brain landed on just one of the unanswered questions I had that surrounded him. But before I could give it half a thought, he said, “I’ve gotta go. Just…be careful, Erin.” And the line went dead.

Be careful? I frowned as I stuffed my phone into my bag and waited for my name to be called. I chewed on my bottom lip.

A secret. I knew Hunter had one; I felt it in my bones. I just couldn’t place my finger on it quite yet.

Until one thought occurred to me. With anxiety coiled in my gut, I rushed from the waiting area without concern for yet another missed appointment and stumbled into the bright sunlight, my mind swirling with the one idea I’d been dumb enough to overlook. Hunter had a girlfriend. Or worse, a wife.

“Fuck,” I mumbled and slouched onto the nearest bench as tears trailed down my cheeks.

twelve

I’d slipped on a sequined dress and added a few soft curls to my hair, and with an enticing floral scent emanating around me, I’d directed the driver to the address of the event I’d promised Hunter I would attend with him tonight. If it weren’t for my commitment to the job, I would have bailed and curled into the fetal position all night, my mind running away with the possibilities of Hunter’s secret. There was no other indication he was involved with someone else, and I would know, wouldn’t I? I was his PA, spent time in his home, in his bed.

My muscles coiled as the cab slowed to a stop at the curb. I handed the driver a twenty and yanked at the hem of my dress as I ducked out of the cab and into the gallery, hoping Hunter was still here.

“Welcome.” A man nodded with a smile and passed me a glass of champagne.

“Thank you,” I murmured as I stepped into the tight space lined wall-to-wall with bodies. Women in designer gowns, men in modern suits with skinny ties and shiny, wing-tipped shoes. I turned to leave, prepared to drop the champagne back onto the waiter’s tray, when a warm hand snaked around my waist and a smoky scent curled around my nose. “I was wondering when I’d see you again.”

And just like that, my knees buckled. My head swam and my hand tightened on the glass of champagne so tightly I vaguely wondered if it would snap into fragments in my palms.

“You’re late,” Hunter murmured and swooped the glass from my hands, lifting it to his own lips and downing it before setting it on a tray. Butterflies rattled the cage of my stomach.

“I’m sorry.”

“I was worried. You should have called.”

“You could have called me,” I retorted, my mind still simmering with his secrets.

“I shouldn’t have to.” His dark greens boiled with something dangerous that had me nearly choking on the oxygen filling my lungs. “Let’s get out of here.” Hunter wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me from my thoughts, steering me around the maze of bodies, aiming for the doors I’d just entered.

“Where are we going?” I asked, hoping his anger was short-lived. He was a live wire, intense, but never unfair, though I still sensed that something lurked just below the surface. The way his eyes cut around the room as if he was always assessing, the wheel’s in constant motion. And then the second phone he always dismissed all else for.

“Dinner? They’ve been feeding me shit finger-foods for two hours. I want a fucking cheeseburger,” he growled and I burst into laughter, forgetting my anxiety and getting lost in his vibrant energy.

“Sounds perfect,” I grinned and squeezed my hand in his.

“Good.” He smiled back, then leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the apple of my cheek. “Glad you came, Erin.” He uttered the last words with his tone lowering just enough to have blood pulsing straight to my clit.

“Me too,” I whispered and was about to kiss his lips before he interjected.

“Can you walk in those things?” Hunter glanced down at my feet.

“Not really.” I frowned and cursed myself for forgoing the wedges I usually preferred.

“Then hop on.” Hunter turned and with his palms rasping my sensitive thighs, heaved me onto his back. I laughed and smacked at his shoulders, squealing for him to let me down but he held on tightly.