by Jess Bryant
Millie didn’t look at Hunter when she sighed, “We’re going to the Manor at Brentwood. I assume you have directions to the Turner acreage.”
“I do. Thanks, honey.”
She snorted, “Are you going to continue to call me by all of these ridiculous pet names this weekend?”
“Nope.” Hunter was grinning again when she looked back at him, “I’m just looking for the one that fits, beautiful.”
Millie felt her cheeks heat again and quickly turned away. It was going to be a long weekend if he kept this up. She breathed a heavy sigh as she thought of all the lying and pretending that she would have to do this weekend to make this date with Hunter seem real, not just to Joshua but to her family as well. It wasn’t just about keeping her ex at bay. It was also about showing all of them that she’d moved on so that they’d give up on the notion that she would ever get back together with Joshua.
“We have about an hour with all this traffic so fill me in on Prince Douchebag and the rest of the Turner clan. We have to make this believable, babe. I need the dirt.”
Millie grinned at the silly nickname he’d given her ex. No doubt he’d picked it up from Lemon. Their boss had called Joshua that for a while now. It was funnier coming from Hunter, or maybe that was just her own bias to the man sitting to her left. She bit her cheek and snuck a glance at him as he hit the highway. He was smiling again and she couldn’t help but believe that job or no job, favor or no favor, Hunter was enjoying himself and this situation they’d found themselves in.
He wasn’t lying. He wasn’t pretending. And that was a problem, because if she wasn’t really careful, she’d let down her guard and admit that wanting him to touch her had nothing to do with their fake date. Pretending to like Hunter wasn’t going to be a problem because she didn’t need to pretend at all.
4
Hunter stared up at the huge stone house that could only be called a mansion and tried to reconcile the girl sitting next to him in the Range Rover with the kind of girl that had grown up in a house like this. Millie Turner was really Camilla Turner. He’d found that out during his online search the day before and he still couldn’t manage to think of the two personas as the same person.
Camilla Turner had grown up with every luxury. She’d gone to the very best private schools. She’d had a golden road paved for her straight to the high offices of the Turner Bell Record Label building in downtown Nashville. She’d had access to private jets and exclusive restaurants and she could have snapped her fingers and done whatever she wanted. She’d had it all and never needed to work a day in her life if she didn’t want to.
But Millie Turner had left the extravagant world she’d been born into so that she could forge a path all her own and she’d done it by getting her clients access to those exact amenities she’d forgone for herself.
She’d started out as a receptionist for one of the downtown management agencies but she’d quickly climbed the ladder with nothing but hard work and determination. She’d been a second assistant to a few mid-level artists, an executive assistant for an advertising director and then she’d landed the gig as Lemon Kelly’s personal assistant. The rest was history. She was one of the most well-liked and respected PA’s in all of Nashville and she’d accomplished it without throwing her last name around for leverage.
If Hunter had thought she was fascinating before, he’d become absolutely obsessed since he’d gone digging and found that the girl was far deeper and more mysterious than he could have imagined.
Once she’d realized he knew who she was and there was no point trying to deny it, she’d finally opened up to him a little during their drive. She’d told him all about her older brother, Colin, and Reed, the love of his life. She’d explained how Colin had kept his sexuality hidden from their father for fear of condemnation and nearly lost Reed forever. She’d even told him about Colin standing up to their father, Reed at his side, as he told the judgmental old bastard that they were getting married. The way she’d smiled as she spoke about her brother had confirmed all that Hunter needed to know about the guy.
His sister adored him. He was living his truth. He was happy and in love. And there was absolutely no way Millie would risk ruining her brother’s big day by causing a scene about Colin’s choice of best man being her ex-fiancé.
That was Millie, always thinking of everyone but herself. At work, she constantly put the demands and needs of her clients ahead of her own desires. He thought it was about time that someone in her life put her first and he’d decided before they even pulled into the long, winding, gated driveway of the Turner Estate, that someone was going to be him.
“Do try to close your mouth, would you? It makes you look terribly common.”
Hunter flipped his gaze to Millie at the pretentious, southern belle drawl she’d affected and saw her grinning. God, she was so beautiful. Since the moment he’d picked her up she’d seemed tense, nervous and lost in thought. But for just a second, right here and right now, just the two of them alone in the car before they faced the firing squad, as she’d called it, she seemed lighter and her eyes twinkled with mischief.
“Oh my God.” He put his hand to his chest and feigned a shocked expression, “Did Millie Turner just make a joke?”
“Oh shut up.” She laughed as she pushed open her own door and stepped out. “I joke.”
“Not with me you don’t.” He pointed out as he did the same.
“Yeah well…” She started to say something else but before she could get another word out the front door of the big house crashed open and a loud voice called out.
“Mills! You’re here! Finally!”
Hunter tensed instantly, moving around the car to put himself between Millie and the man that came rushing down the stairs towards her. It was pointless though. She was moving too, rushing forward and straight into the arms of the tall man that picked her up and twirled her in a circle as she laughed. Hunter watched them, realizing belatedly that the man was clearly her brother from the resemblance between them. He stood back and let them have their moment now that he was sure there was no immediate threat to Millie’s safety.
He caught movement behind them on the stairs and glanced up as more men came out to see what all the commotion was about. Hunter held himself straight and tall, wanting their first impression of him to be that of a man worthy of Millie’s time, attention, and ultimately her affection. He clocked each of them as they moved towards the duo that was still clutched together, talking in low voices as if the rest of the world had faded away.
The first man to follow Colin out of the house was thin and lithe with longish dark blonde strands tied back away from his sharp, angular face. Striking blue eyes met Hunter’s and a mischievous smile tilted at his lips as he traced him from head to foot, not even bothering to be coy about it. When he finally met Hunter’s eyes again his smile seemed to convey utter enjoyment at whatever it was he’d found during his perusal.
Reed Meyers. Colin’s fiancé was a strikingly handsome man. Even if Hunter hadn’t found their engagement announcement online and seen the photo of the two of them, he’d have known from Millie’s description that this was the man her brother was marrying. He wasn’t polished down to the bone like the others. His hair was slightly disheveled and instead of slacks and a button down like Colin wore, Reed had chosen simple dark denim jeans, Converse and a t-shirt Hunter was fairly certain said something inappropriate but was camouflaged by the plaid shirt he’d left open over it.
Hunter had a feeling he was going to like the guy instantly based on nothing but his refusal to adhere to the dress code of the others.
When Reed reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned his attention to Colin and Millie, embracing them and joining in their quiet, hurried conversation. Hunter watched them out of the corner of his eye but Millie seemed happily lost to their attention so he turned his own gaze back to the two men that were still standing at the top of the stairs.
The older man would have been rec
ognizable from a much greater distance. Hunter had seen his name and photograph in newspapers and magazines for years. He may have only popped up a handful of times in the search Hunter had done about Millie, but despite his absence from her current life online, he made a big presence in person now.
Chuck Turner was a tall man with broad shoulders and a body like a refrigerator. His biography said he’d played college football for the University of Tennessee but had chosen the family company over a career in sports. Even now, he had the build of an athlete, if not one that had long since retired and turned his passion for the game to pursuits of food and drink. The end of his nose and his cheeks were slightly ruddy but his dark eyes were as sharp as a hawk when they narrowed on Hunter. He started down the stairs, slow and deliberate, and with none of the happiness Reed had seemed to exude when he’d noted Hunter’s presence.
Despite the fact the legendary Chuck Turner was bearing down on him, Hunter moved his attention to the other man on the stairs and this time, he didn’t bother even attempting a smile, not for Millie’s ex-fiancé.
Joshua Bell looked just as he did in his online profiles. Young, confident, and wealthy. His dark hair was cut short. His jaw was clean-shaven. The gray suit he was wearing looked custom cut to his stocky frame. He looked as all-American as they came on the surface, but underneath, in those narrowed, silvery blue eyes something dark glinted, and Hunter had known enough men in the service with anger issues to recognize it instantly. Hatred bubbled just beneath the shiny exterior, the kind that led to nasty vile words and sometimes, even violence.
Hunter knew with just one look that Millie’s ex had done more than just cheat on her. From the way the man looked at him with barely contained rage, his fists clenched at his sides, it was clear he wanted to do some physical damage. He seemed to barely be restraining himself, and when he flicked his gaze over to Millie it was Hunter that considered doing bodily harm to the asshole without so much as a proper greeting.
Whatever Joshua Bell may or may not have done to Millie in the past, that one look alone had Hunter on high alert. That bastard wasn’t getting anywhere near Millie. Not now. Not ever again. He didn’t even deserve to share the same air as her and if he tried, Hunter would knock it out of his lungs.
“Millie. Where are your manners? Introduce us to your guy, already.”
It was Reed that had spoken up and somehow that didn’t surprise Hunter at all. He forced himself to stop glaring at Millie’s ex and turn his attention to the group gathered just a few feet away now. Millie’s eyes had gone up the stairs to find her ex and she ducked her head before glancing at Hunter, as if only just remembering he was there.
“Oh, uh…” She stumbled for words as she met his gaze and he gave her a reassuring smile as he stepped closer, “I told you I was bringing a date and…”
“Now, baby, we talked about this.” Hunter cut her off, suddenly unhappy with the idea of her explaining him away as a last-minute date, “There’s no need to downplay it. This is your family after all.” He slid his arm around Millie’s waist, tucking her into his side as he extended his free hand, “I’m Hunter St. James, Millie’s boyfriend.”
He felt Millie stiffen at his side but he didn’t let her go. He’d told her that he was going to touch her this weekend and she needed to get used to it in a hurry. Especially considering the looks of shock that were being passed around by the other men in her life.
“Boyfriend?” A growl came from behind Chuck Turner and Hunter glanced up to see that Millie’s ex had come down the stairs to hear the introductions and now he was leveling his glare on Millie, the question of their relationship all but a dare.
“You…” Colin looked from his best friend to his sister and his lips pursed before he shook his head slightly, “You never mentioned that you had a boyfriend, or even that you were dating anyone.”
Millie opened her mouth but Hunter cut her off before she could say something that might contradict what they needed these people to believe. What he needed them to believe. His protective instincts had gone into overdrive the moment Lemon called him, but seeing Millie in the middle of this mass of strong, powerful men that clearly wanted her to bend to their will, he could think only of keeping her as close to him as possible.
That meant he needed them to know that she was his, fully and completely his. If they thought he was her boyfriend they might take it easier on her this weekend. It might keep her ex from coming after her and it might keep her family from pushing her to get back together with the asshole.
“Well, that’s our Mills, isn’t it?” He shot Colin a knowing look, “She didn’t want to upset…” He trailed his eyes to her father and then to her ex before returning them to her brother, “… anyone, before your big day.”
Colin was still frowning but his expression instantly softened when Reed took his hand. Millie had been right about them. They balanced each other. The shorter man smiled at Hunter again, no leering this time, just understanding, and gave a quick nod.
“That sounds about right.” Colin finally sighed and gave his sister a long look, “Mills, you should have told me. You know you can always tell me anything.”
Millie gave a small smile, “I know.”
Only, Hunter didn’t think that was true. He thought there was a lot that Millie didn’t tell her brother. Not just that she had a fake boyfriend because she didn’t want to show up to her brother’s wedding alone. She hadn’t told Colin the whole story about what had happened between her and his best friend either. Hunter didn’t know the whole story, not even close, but he knew enough to draw some conclusions and he found it strange that the brother she was clearly so close to hadn’t put it together.
Either she was a better liar than he’d ever given her credit for, or the men in her life were being willfully blind to it.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Hunter.” Colin gave his sister a final glance before turning his attention to Hunter and offering his hand, “I’m glad you could get time away from work to make it.”
“I didn’t want Millie to be alone this weekend, so thank you for making room for me.” He shook hands with Colin and then accepted the introductions her brother made for his fiancé and his father.
Colin turned to introduce the ex as well, “Oh, and this is Joshua. He’s the Best Man for the wedding.”
Joshua didn’t extend his hand or say anything. Hunter didn’t move to force him into a greeting. They stared at each other for a long moment and then Millie tucked herself closer into Hunter’s chest. He smiled; happy she had finally taken the initiative to use him the way he’d intended to be used. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, resting his fingers on her hip and giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
“We should take our things up to our room and get settled before dinner.” Millie glanced up at him, speaking to him instead of the others and his stomach clenched.
He’d never had the chance to be this close to her. She was right there. Her soft body, against his. The smell of her lavender shampoo tickling his nose. If he leaned down even just an inch or two, he could brush his lips over hers but he didn’t think she was ready for that, and he didn’t want the first time he kissed her to only be for show, and it would be if he did it right now.
“Let me grab our bags.” He kissed the top of her head instead, “And you can lead the way.”
Hunter pulled away from her and went to the back of the Range Rover to retrieve their things. He heard Chuck say something to his daughter in a low tone and watched through the back window as she shook her head and hissed something back too low for Hunter to hear. Her ex had already turned and headed back up the stairs when a blonde woman came out onto the top step. She said something to him but he responded only by grabbing her wrist and dragging her back inside with him. Hunter frowned but pulled the bags out and hefted them over his shoulder just as Millie appeared at his side to take her dress.
“Thanks.”
“Of course. If I’m not here to carr
y the heavy stuff, why even bring me?” He winked but she didn’t even smile.
“Follow me.”
“Not a problem.” He smirked as he shut the hatch and turned to follow her, realizing the others were already heading back up to the house. “I like the view from back here.”
Millie made a noise that he thought was annoyance but he only grinned and followed her up the stairs. Inside, the manor was just as grand as it looked from the outside. Pristine hardwoods and antique furniture that looked too expensive to sit on filled every room. He wondered again about the girl that had grown up in this house that looked as if it had a look but don’t touch policy. Maybe keeping him at arm’s length was something she’d learned long before her relationship with Joshua ended.
They went up two flights of stairs and Millie finally opened a door at the end of a long hallway. She stepped aside and let him follow her in, closing the door behind them. Hunter placed their bags on the big four-poster bed situated in the middle of an oversized octagon shaped window that overlooked a pasture. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings.
It took him a moment to realize that at one time or another, this must have been the attic of the old house. It was large, with vaulted ceilings and one of those octagon shaped windows on each wall lit the place with bright light. It was both like the rest of the house in that it was furnished with grandiose furniture and all of the exposed hardwoods and beams were sanded to shine but also different. It was decorated in soft pinks and creams and floral wallpaper. He smiled as he realized that this wasn’t just some random attic room Millie had chosen for them.
“This is your room, isn’t it?”
