Leading the Witness

by Chantal Fernando

  “I was not flirting.” I quicken my steps.

  “You weren’t not flirting,” she replies, teasing me. “Just admit it. You are so into him, and now you have no excuses to hide behind anymore. I for one can’t wait until the two of you finally fuck. I’m team Riler. Or does Huntley sound better?”

  “Please, Callie, never say that again,” I advise her in a dry tone. “And yes, of course I like Hunter. I mean, what’s not to like? But my divorce just went through last week. Last week. It’s not smart to jump into something.”

  “I know,” she agrees, but then adds, “You know I’m just teasing you. Yes, I think Hunter would make you happy, but I see where you’re coming from. You should do what’s right for you, because you know what?”

  “What?” I ask.

  “I may go on about how hot Hunter is, but he’s the lucky one to have you, not the other way around,” she says, reaching out and squeezing my shoulder. “Although, for the record, imagine how hot the birthday sex would be. Especially after over a year of no sex.”

  Birthday sex sounds fucking fantastic, but I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’m in no rush right now, and I hope that Hunter is okay with that, because Callie is right, I do want him.

  We find the second bathroom, but that one is taken too.

  “Dammit,” I groan, just as the door opens and a dark-haired beauty walks out, bumping straight into me.

  “Shit, sorry,” she says, blue eyes flaring. “I keep bumping into people everywhere I go tonight.” She wipes her hands on her tight white jeans.

  “Hey, if that’s the worst you do tonight, I’d say you’re doing well,” I point out, shrugging it off.

  She laughs, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. “You make a good point.”

  I watch her movements, and it hits me exactly what she was probably doing in that bathroom.

  “I have my moments,” I reply, glancing to Callie. “Do you want to go first?”

  Callie nods and disappears into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  “Are you okay?” I ask the woman. I wonder if this is what I looked like when I was stupid enough to take cocaine back in the day. I remember the rush, the loss of reality, and the addictive yet temporary feeling of euphoria that the high would give me, but I also remember the rest of it. The way I hurt everyone around me, the way I lost control of my own life and who I am. I feel sorry for the beautiful girl, and I hope she’s just taking something as a party drug, and that’s it. I wouldn’t wish a drug addiction on my worst enemy.

  “Yeah,” she replies, offering me a smile. “I’m good. I’m going to head downstairs. Was nice meeting you.”

  “You too,” I say, and watch her leave.

  Does Hunter know people are taking drugs in his house? I wonder how he knows this chick. Should I say something? Or is this none of my business? I don’t exactly have any proof, and I can’t tell him how I do know about it, considering my previous drug use never came out in court. I still don’t know whether Jeremy told Hunter any of that, but he hasn’t said anything to me. Callie comes out, and I quickly use the bathroom, then we head back downstairs and make our way to the kitchen.

  Callie tucks her hair back behind her ear and glances up at me, her brown eyes filled with mischief. “So, do you want to catch up on those shots, or no?”

  I study her. Blond. Petite. Unassuming. Maybe even sweet-looking. But the chick’s middle name should be Trouble. “Are you trying to be a bad influence on your boss?”

  “Maybe,” she replies, grabbing a clear shot glass and starting to pour. “Or maybe I’m just looking out for you, because it’s a party and you never let loose. You’re always working, stressing, or overthinking. How about you just let your hair down and enjoy yourself for once?” I can’t be sure, but I think I hear her mutter something about Hunter under her breath afterward.

  “Fine.” I catch the shot she slides my way.

  “You doing a shot without the birthday boy, Riley?” Hunter asks me as he walks into the kitchen, coming up to stand right next to me. He smells good. I want to lean closer to him but refrain. Callie pours Hunter a shot and we all clink them together in a toast to Hunter.

  “Happy birthday, Hunter,” I say, before we down the ice-cold liquid. I make a face as the taste hits me, but the other two don’t even flinch. Hunter picks up my present that he’d left on the table and smiles to himself.

  “I should open this now,” he says, ripping open one side. Callie steps back and mouths “Kiss him,” before disappearing outside, leaving Hunter and me alone once more. I watch, a little nervously, as Hunter rips the rest of the paper and opens the box where there are two items—hand wraps to wear when he’s boxing, and a wallet monogrammed with his initials, HB.

  I saw his hands in the pub one day, and he told me he’d been boxing at the gym bare because he lost his wraps and kept forgetting to pick up some new ones. I figured I’d save him a trip. I would always see his worn wallet, and when I finally asked him why he didn’t just get a new one, he told me that his mom once told him it’s bad luck to buy yourself a wallet. She told him that it’s good luck for someone to gift it to you instead, with money inside, no matter how much the amount. So inside the wallet is a twenty-dollar bill.

  “You are so thoughtful, Riley,” he says, voice low. “I love them both, thank you.”

  He pulls me into a hug, and I rest my cheek on his warm chest. I’m glad he likes them, really glad. I close my eyes for a second and allow myself to block everything else out except being in his arms. “You didn’t have to get me anything,” he rumbles. “But those are the best gifts I’ve ever received. I guess the even better gift is knowing that you actually listen when I ramble on.”

  I laugh at that, lifting my head and smiling up at him. “I’m happy you like them. I had no idea what to get a man who has everything.”

  “Not everything,” he murmurs, hand tightening on my lower back. I press my hands against his chest, but then he pushes his body away, putting some space between us. I take the hint and drop my hands completely, the two of us just silently watching each other.

  Behind the lust, and the want, his eyes look right into my soul. He sees me. I don’t know how it happened, or why, but this man in front of me really sees me. It makes me feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, but also accepted and not alone. It’s why my guard was always up around him. Why I was so standoffish. It’s why I didn’t like being around him, yet craved it at the same time.

  Sometimes you just don’t understand what you have with another person. Maybe there’s a draw, or a tether between the two of you, one that sometimes doesn’t make sense, and I have to wonder why it’s there in the first place. I believe that you make your own fate, and if you want something bad enough you need to fight for it, because nothing worth it comes easily, but why do I have this soft spot for the man standing in front of me? It makes no sense. Maybe connections hold no logic, no explanation, and maybe it’s just up to you what you do with them.

  Up to me.

  Preston walks in, interrupting us, and saving me. “Okay, who has a condom on them? It’s kind of an emergency. Some lube would be great too.”

  Nothing or no one can ruin a moment like Preston.

  chapter 13

  HUNTER

  IF IT WOULDN’T HAVE upset Riley, I’d have punched Preston right in his face. After being his wingman and hooking him up with the girl he wanted, he comes and ruins my moment with Riley, and is now asking me if I have fucking condoms in front of her.

  I sigh, gritting my teeth as I reply. “Go into my bathroom, in the cabinet on the top shelf.”

  Riley flashes me a look of amusement mixed with suspicion.

  Does she think I’ve slept around a lot in my life? Because I kind of have. That doesn’t mean I’m not a good man though, or that I can’t be loyal to one woman. I would be to her.

  “Thanks,” Preston remarks cheerfully, disappearing upstairs.

  Wait, where exactly is he
planning on fucking this chick? I suddenly feel a migraine coming on.

  “He’s your friend,” is all I can think of to say to Riley, noticing the judgment in her hazel eyes I know she’s trying to hide but is failing miserably.

  “Is he?” she asks, lips kicking up at the corners. “Because he seems pretty comfortable with you. And you did invite him.”

  “Only because I knew you wouldn’t come without your squad,” I admit, which is only half true. I do like all the staff at Riley’s, and Preston has grown on me. Callie is hilarious too, and she’s also friends with Kat, which makes her a friend of mine, but I don’t really care who came tonight except for Riley, and there’s no way she would have come alone.

  “My squad?” she asks, laughing. “If anyone has a squad here, it’s you, Hunter.”

  Feeling like we’re navigating into dangerous territory, I decide to change the subject. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m feeling a little hungry.”

  “Nice change of subject,” she murmurs, amusement obvious.

  Taking her off guard, I cup her face in my hands and look her square in the eye. “Don’t know what rumors you’ve been listening to, but how am I meant to have a squad of women when wanting you seems to be a full-time fucking job?”

  “No one asked you to apply for said job,” she fires back, eyes narrowing to dangerous slits.

  My temper spiking slightly, and without thinking, I kiss her. Not even a gentle kiss, no, nor a long one, just a quick, punishing, sensual kiss that has her lifting on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around my neck. She tastes better than I’d ever imagined, her soft lips and taste making me hard as a rock. When I pull away, I look her in the eyes and say, “No one had to ask me to apply for the job, but I know I’m more than qualified for it.”

  She lets go of my nape, eyes wide, and takes a deep breath. I kiss her forehead, then walk to the dining table to grab a tray of food, needing a little space from her, then place it on the kitchen counter in front of her. The tension between us builds, neither of us knowing what to say or do next. I decide to leave the ball in her court, but she pretends like the kiss never happened. I wait until she picks up a sandwich first, before I dig in and grab one too.

  “Did you have all of this catered?” she asks, licking a little bit of mayonnaise off her lips.

  Fuck.

  That kind of looked like . . .

  Never mind.

  I allow the change of subject, even though she called me out on mine.

  “Yeah, I did. It’s not bad, right?” I ask her, grabbing another sandwich.

  “Cheffy would have done a better job,” she says, lifting her chin. The twinkle in her eyes lets me know she’s just messing around.

  “I didn’t even think of asking you if you catered,” I reply, chewing.

  “It’s okay,” she replies, picking up a piece of chicken and avocado sushi and dipping it in the soy sauce. “I should add sushi onto my menu.”

  “If you’re taking requests, can you add some oysters onto there too?” I ask, flashing her a charming smile. “I love oysters.”

  “Consider your request noted,” she tells me, just as Cleo walks into the kitchen, looking extremely drunk, and wraps her arm around me, bringing her face close to mine.

  “Your lawyer friends aren’t so bad, Hunter. And they managed to tell me a few good stories about you that I can bring up at dinner next time,” Cleo says, looking pretty happy with herself. “But as for right now, I think it’s time to make my exit.”

  I turn to Riley and watch as an odd expression plays over her features, and it hits me what this might look like. If a random man came up to Riley and hugged her and spoke with such familiarity, I’d probably be wondering what the fuck too.

  “Cleo, this is Riley. Riley, this is my sister, Cleo.” I introduce the two of them.

  Riley looks surprised, and something else. Sad? Regretful? It confuses me.

  “Nice to meet you,” my sister says to Riley. “Although we already met in the bathroom.”

  “You did?” I ask, glancing between the two of them.

  “Not officially,” Riley says, masking her expression, and smiles back at Cleo. “I didn’t even know Hunter had a sister.”

  “I’m embarrassed by her,” I lie to Riley, getting an elbow in the stomach from Cleo. “She’s my only sibling and a general pain in my ass.”

  “It’s the other way around,” Cleo tells Riley. “Can you imagine having a brother who looks like this? All through school I had every bitch in heat trying to get me to hook them up with him.” She narrows her eyes into an evil glance. “And nothing has changed.”

  I shrug, claiming innocence. “I don’t believe any of that is my fault, baby sister.”

  Cleo turns back to Riley. “He doesn’t think anything is his fault.”

  “I can see that.” Riley nods with a contemplative expression on her beautiful face. “Or he just charms his way out of it by making a joke or saying something so inappropriate that no one knows what to say or how to react to it.”

  “Nailed it,” Cleo replies, shaking her head at me. “Finally, a woman who sees through your bullshit.”

  “You both going to gang up on me on my birthday?” I ask, looking back and forth between the two. “Pretty sure today is the day you tell me about all my amazing feats and qualities, not have a group discussion about my supposed flaws.”

  “See, ‘supposed,’ ” Riley murmurs to Cleo, who nods, repeats the word with finger quotation marks.

  “He doesn’t actually believe he has any flaws,” my sister continues. “I could tell you some stories.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t,” I insert in a dry tone. I glance down at my watch. “Didn’t you say you were leaving?”

  She laughs and reaches up on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. “See you at family dinner tomorrow.”

  Fuck.

  I forgot about that.

  “I’ll be there.”

  Cleo says ’bye to Riley, and then the two of us watch her head to the front door.

  Preston returns with a black box of condoms and an exasperated look on his face. “You have two upstairs bathrooms. Two. And they are huge. Seriously, how many do you need?”

  Riley covers her smile with her hand, but the amusement doesn’t leave her eyes. “Where are you going now?”

  “To find the chick and take her somewhere. My house is too far. The car works,” he says, pushing out his lips in thought. “Or the bush outside this house, perhaps.”

  He leaves and we both watch him. Riley openmouthed, and me just plain old fucking confused.

  “He’s . . . weird,” I conclude.

  “I only hire weird,” she replies, turning to me and resting her hands on my chest. “I’ve never seen him hooking up before, this is a new experience for me.”

  “The bush outside my house?” I say, cringing. “Jesus Christ.”

  “What?” she teases, bracing her elbows on the black marble counter. “Never had sex in the bushes?”

  “Not in my own bushes.”

  She laughs and pours us both a shot.

  “Why? Have you?” I ask, watching as she licks a drop of vodka off her finger. I’ve never wanted to be a liquid more in my entire life.

  “No,” she says, tilting her head and studying me. “I have not. Is it a rite of passage?”

  “Maybe,” I reply, accepting the shot, lifting my chin and downing it. Jaxon and Scarlett walk in, hand in hand, and I don’t miss the look Jaxon gives me. He likes Riley, I know he does, and he also knows her situation. She’s un-fucking-available, and he thinks I should keep my ass away from her.

  I’m trying.

  “You two leaving?” I ask them, as Scarlett comes to my side, smiling up at me.

  “We are. It’s getting late and I have work in the morning,” she tells me. Scarlett works in a library, and I know she loves her job. Sometimes on her days off she will drop by the office with cupcakes and baked goods for everyone, for no apparent
reason other than that she had some free time and thought of us. “Thank you for inviting us, I had a great time.” She steps over to Riley and pulls her into a hug. “I’ll drop in for lunch sometime this week.”

  “Sounds good,” Riley says, a gentle look on her face. “Get home safely.”

  She loves Scarlett—I think everyone does.

  Jaxon rests his hand on my shoulder and says, “There will be a present on your desk on Monday.”

  Then leaves.

  I call after him. “What present?” but I’m ignored.

  “What the hell is he up to?” I say to myself. “I hope it’s doughnuts and not something else.”

  Riley laughs under her breath. “I’m sure it can’t be anything too bad. What trouble could Jaxon get up to?”

  “You’d be surprised,” I mutter under my breath.

  Callie walks inside, an odd look on her face. “Preston just left with some woman, after making out with her in front of everyone.”

  “Be glad that’s all you saw,” Riley says sarcastically, shaking her head.

  Callie laughs and then drags both of our hands to lead us back outside. “It’s a party, people. Let’s dance.”

  And so the moment my birthday hits at midnight, I spend it dancing between two beautiful women.

  One, a new friend, and the other, something completely different.

  chapter 14

  RILEY

  CALLIE AND I TAKE a cab home, which is how we got here because we knew we’d be drinking. Hunter walks us to the cab, opens the door for both of us, and then pays the driver our fare. He also says something I don’t hear clearly, but it sounded like he told him that we better arrive home safely.

  Who said chivalry was dead?

  We wave at Hunter through the window, then turn to each other as the vehicle heads to my apartment, where Callie is staying overnight.

  “I had a really good time tonight,” she says, laying her head back and closing her eyes. “And after seeing Hunter’s house, I think that was all the motivation I needed to get back into my law career.”