by Jill Shannon
Hunter laughed at Daniel's confession then told them, "Follow me." They talked about their lives as they made their way over to the group.
Holding the paintings, Hunter walked over to Yankee, Angel, Judge, and Skylar. "Hey, guys. I'd like to introduce you to Goose and Maverick. They are members of the V.A.'s Motorcycle Club. They heard what we were doing and wanted to help out."
Goose handed Judge an envelope. "You're doing a good thing here. I can't tell you how many burned soldiers we have transported over the years. No child should have to go through that. So, if there is anything else we can do to help, let us know."
Judge accepted the envelope from Goose. "We can't express our gratitude enough to you and your brothers. This donation will go a long way in helping," he said, shaking both of their hands then stuffing the envelope in the inside pocket of his cut.
Goose and Maverick said their goodbyes after setting up plans to go riding with the Demons before they left.
Hunter turned his attention back to his friends and couldn't help but complain about the woman he had encountered at John Lawson's booth. "I just met the most disagreeable brown-haired, blue-eyed female I've ever encountered in my life."
Hunter started to explain what had happened, when Skylar screeched out, "Willow! What are you doing here?" She wiggled out of Judge's arm and shot into the arms of the newcomer. Releasing Willow from her arms, Skylar introduced her, "Willow, this is Judge, Yankee, Rachel, and Saint. Everyone, this is my little sister Willow." Skylar turned her attention back to her sister, but Willow's eyes had narrowed in on Saint.
"Still don't think I know what I'm talking about," Willow asked Saint sarcastically.
"Skylar, you have got to be kidding me. This is your sister?" Hunter asked, exasperated.
Skylar's focus returned to the tension between Saint and Willow. "Was this the most disagreeable female?" she questioned, a smile broadening on her face. She looked at her sister, telling her, "Daddy always did say you were like a rattlesnake in a pit waiting to strike. I see you've already begun to make friends."
"We'll see about that!" Willow exclaimed as she tugged Skylar away to talk privately.
Hunter watched the exchange between the sisters. Now, knowing she was related to Skylar explained a bit about Willow. Willow. He repeated her name in his head, like the willow tree, slender, and graceful. While she was talking to her sister, the handsome man Hunter had seen her with approached him.
"Willow seems to have forgotten her manners. Hello, I'm Luca, Willow's diving partner," Luca introduced himself, empathizing the diving part to Hunter. "If you have a few minutes while the sisters are catching up, I'd like to speak with you."
Hunter had no idea what this man might possibly have to say to him, but he agreed. "Let's go get a beer." He then turned to Judge and told him, "When they're done, let Willow know she can find Luca in the beer tent. Also, can you take these paintings from John Lawson? His donation for the auction." Hunter handed him the covered paintings, "You can give them to anyone in the Demons' tent. They'll know what to do with them." Judge gave him a head nod, and they were off.
"What do you and Willow dive for?" Hunter figured to get the essential information out of the way as they walked.
"We are salvage divers. We work mostly with military ships or submarines. We even did an airplane once, but Willow didn't enjoy that one. Occasionally, a private firm will hire us to salvage through a yacht that might have sunk. Things like that, what do you do?"
"I own a private security firm. My team sets up security systems in homes and businesses. We also do private investigating. I'm pretty good at digging things up on people." He also owned the gym he was at last night and was a part-owner in a bar the Celtic Demons ran, but that information could wait. Hunter chuckled. "That's why I'm the secretary with the Demons. I can find whatever information Judge might need."
"That sounds very interesting," Luca commented as they entered the tent.
Hunter bought their beers, and they found an empty table. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Willow."
This piqued Hunter's interest. "I'm listening."
"What I am about to tell you needs to stay between us. Do I have your agreement?" Luca waited for Hunter to confirm he wouldn't say anything. "A few years ago, Willow had a horrible experience with a bully."
Hunter's body immediately reacted to what Luca had said. A protective feeling ran through his body even though it was in her past. He made a mental note to find out who the bastard was and prayed he ran into the son-of-a-bitch someday.
"Since then, she has kept to herself. She goes to work and then goes home. I believe you can change that for her." Luca had put it all on the table.
"What makes you think that?" Hunter couldn't believe his fortune. His grey eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought of being with Willow. However, he kept his cool and listened to what Luca had to say.
"If anyone knows Willow, it's me. I saw the way she reacted to you at the gym and just now over the painting. She's scared of being hurt again. Yet, if the right man came into her life, I believe she would open up like a beautiful flower."
"And why haven't you attempted to make her blossom?" Hunter had a bitter edge to his voice, thinking of Luca being with her.
"Believe me, if she had been open to it, I would have added the water to make her grow myself. However, she prefers me as her diving partner; trust is a big thing in our business. I wouldn't do anything to lose that trust. My life depends on it." Then he raised the bottle of beer to his lips, taking a sip.
His statement eased the tension in Hunter's body. "I understand what you mean. I was a Navy SEAL. Trust is also a big part of my lifestyle." First, his dream, then the twins, and now this reminder. Hunter got a faraway look in his eyes, thinking of his military brothers. Shaking the thoughts away, he asked, "So, what does any of this have to do with me? If you saw her reaction at the gym and here, you know both were pretty negative responses."
"That's how she deflects. She's built a wall around herself, but I believe you're the right man to break down her barriers if I got the right impression of you." Luca took another sip of his beer, relaxing back in the chair. Throwing the challenge at him had Hunter contemplating Luca's words, when he added, "If that's what you would like?"
Hunter thought about what Luca had said. "What makes you so sure I'm that man?"
"The way she reacted to you, of course, but I also saw your reaction to her. Why didn't you pursue her at the gym?"
Hunter couldn't believe he was sitting here having this conversation but was intrigued to see where it was going to go. "I was going to approach her when she finished on the treadmill, but then you walked up. I thought you were a couple. I don't get involved with taken women." Hunter finished his beer.
"So you would be open to getting to know her?" Luca finished his beer as well, then he told him, "Her family is planning a birthday celebration for her. Why don't you come? That's why I'm here; I'm dying to meet her family. I've heard so much about them."
Hunter thought about that and said, "I can't just show up at her party. She doesn't even know who I am."
"Well, you can rectify that right now." Luca saw Willow approaching. "Spend the rest of the day with her, and tonight, I will get you the invitation." Luca got up from his chair as Willow got to the table, saying to her, "Sit. I'll go get the next round." He put his hands on the back of his chair, indicating she should sit there.
"I thought we were going to go to the car auction and then the race?" Willow asked, standing by the chair, eyeing Hunter sitting in his chair, her body turning to Jell-o when his unique grey eyes met hers.
"Sit, we have a few minutes before it begins. Talk to Hunter while I go get our drinks." Luca took her by the shoulders and forced her to sit in the chair then left the two of them alone.
Hunter started the conversation, seeing that she was nervous sitting there alone with him. "I believe we got off on the wrong foot." He reached his han
d across the table. "I'm Hunter; it's nice to meet you, Willow."
"I thought Skylar said your name was Saint?" She reached her hand out to grasp his. When their hands connected, something electrifying ran through both their bodies.
Hunter felt the shock down to his toes in his boots. He never wanted to let go of her hand. No woman had ever affected his body this way, at least not since he had gone through his training to become a Dominant. He reluctantly let go, telling her, "Saint is my road name, my given name is Hunter Murphy."
Willow pulled her hand back when he released it. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but she was sure she had never felt anything like it. "Road name, is that the name the Celtic Demons gave you?"
Hunter chuckled at her question. "Yes. Once Judge knew the capabilities I had with a computer, he started saying I was a saint, and it stuck." She didn't need to know it was his call name in the navy at this time.
Willow laughed at Hunter's explanation as Luca returned with their beers. "What an odd way to get a nickname." Willow was starting to relax and enjoy herself. She took the bottle that Luca extended to her.
"Road name, not a nickname," Hunter corrected her as Luca sat in another chair at the table. "Luca says you dive, sounds like a different career choice. What made you choose salvage diving?"
"I am a marine biologist. I used to dive for research, but then the world started becoming careless with our oceans and bodies of water. These spills and wrecks were destroying marine life underwater. People think that if a ship sinks, it just rests on the ocean floor, but they forget about the diesel and other bad toxins that seep from them. I decided if there was a way to retrieve them from the ocean, I was going to do everything I could do to remove them."
"Sounds very noble, but some ships are unreachable. You can't recover all of them," Hunter countered.
"Yes, I understand that, but I'd still like to think I'm doing something good for our environment. I know I'm doing more than our government is doing." She tipped the neck of her beer bottle toward him then put it to her lips, drinking.
At the mention of the government, Luca said, "Willow, did you know Hunter was a Navy SEAL," trying to hint to her that he might take offense to her statement about the government.
Catching his drift, Willow extended her apologizes, "I'm sorry if you have a loyalty to our government, but you have to admit I make a strong argument."
Hunter hadn't taken offense to her comment. He was too mesmerized watching her drink her beer. But, getting his shit together, he responded, "I get what you're saying. There are certain fields that our government could do a better job with." Sipping his beer, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was so passionate about what she did. "Maybe we could go diving sometime?" He threw the question on the table.
The thought of diving with Hunter sent another shiver through Willow's body, and before she knew what she was saying, she blurted out, "I think I'd like that."
A smug smile formed on Luca's face. He finished the contents of his beer and got up from the table, saying, "Willow, I'm going to visit the mud wrestling tent. Why don't you go with Hunter to the car auction and race? I'll catch up with you later, so we can ride together back to the hotel."
"I could always bring you," Hunter interjected. "That is if you don't mind riding on the back of a Harley?"
Luca watched Willow's face; he could see she was gearing up to say no. So, before she could reject Hunter's offer, he jumped in, "That's perfect. I'll drive the rental car to the hotel and meet you there later to go to your parents' house." Luca got a grin on his face. "If I meet someone in the mud wrestling tent, do you think your parents would mind if I brought them to your birthday party?"
Willow didn't know what to say. First, her friend and partner was leaving her in the hands of a stranger. Then, he was asking to bring another total stranger to her party. "Sure, why not? The more, the merrier, right?"
Luca could hear her sarcastic undertone. "Don't be like that, Chica, Hunter will take good care of you." He looked to Hunter to confirm his words, and with a head nod, he continued. "You knew this was the first vacation I've been on in years and that I was going to experience as much of it as I could. It starts here." Luca was putting his foot down. "Plus, you need to start living your life again. I've seen the two of you eyeballing each other this whole time. So, don't tell me you won't even give it a chance?"
"Fine, go," Willow expressed.
As Luca leaned down, kissing her cheek, he whispered, "Be nice to him, Chica. I get the feeling he could be your penguin. Give him a chance." Then, he stood, extending his hand to Hunter. "I'm leaving her in your care. If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible."
"No worries; I'll take good care of her." Hunter shook his hand, giving him a head nod of thanks.
Before Luca left, they heard from behind them, "You'd better take excellent care of her, Saint," Skylar said, then added, "She's my little sister." Skylar and Judge had walked up at Luca's comment.
At that point, Willow spoke, rising from the chair. "Don't worry about me, Skylar. I remember everything Dad taught us." The girls laughed together, having their own inside joke.
Judge chimed in with his own comment, "Sky, relax. Saint will watch over your little sister."
Willow and Skylar both turned on Judge, the expressions on their faces telling him his comment wasn't necessary. Willow explained, "I'm turning thirty tomorrow. I'm not so little anymore."
Judge held his hands up in a surrendering motion. "I'm sorry. Is someone a little touchy about getting older?"
"Screw you, Judge," Willow snapped. "Come on, Hunter. I'm ready to go see the car auction now."
Hunter got up from his chair, finishing his beer. He looked at Judge and said, "She told you." Then he smiled as he followed her out of the tent.
When he caught up with her, he gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Could we walk instead of run?"
"How does she put up with him? He's so bossy." Willow was seething over Judge's comment about her birthday. Maybe she was a little touchy about turning thirty, but he didn't have to say it out loud.
They had slowed down to a reasonable step. "He's normally right." He watched Willow's eyes grow big at his response. "He has an innate way of reading people. He, however, never learned how to think before he speaks, at least not to women." Hunter chuckled, thinking of all the fights he had witnessed between Judge and Skylar, all because Judge had blurted something out of his mouth without thinking first. "Was he right?"
Willow bowed her head and watched the path they were walking. "Maybe." She looked up at Hunter. "I thought by now I'd be married with a house, a few kids, and a dog."
"Some people are meant to have the house and two-point three kids. Some people aren't, but it's not to say you couldn't still have them some day."
"Did you want the house and kids?" Willow asked as they arrived at the car auction.
"At one time, but now I'd settle for the woman." Hunter went on to explain, "Years ago, I thought I had found my soul mate. Until I came home from overseas and found her in bed with another man. After that, my respect level for women hit an all-time low." He hesitated in telling her about the lifestyle he led now, but Hunter knew if he wanted her, he needed to be honest with her. "Now, I have contracts instead of relationships. I find my partners to be more giving and less clingy that way." Hunter placed his hand on the small of her back as he directed her through the crowd.
"What do you mean, contract?" Willow was enjoying Hunter's protective hand on her back.
"I don't do normal relationships," he whispered in her ear.
Willow stopped walking, looking him square in the face. "Are you into kinky things?"
People close to them turned to look at him. He placed his hand on her back and guided her to a more secluded area. "You could say that. I'd be willing to train you if you'd like to try. I think you would make a perfect submissive, and I'm sure you will find it extremely satisfying, but only when you are ready."
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br /> Willow had heard the terms submissive and Dominant before but really didn't understand the exchange between the two. "I think I'd like to get to know you a bit first if that's okay?" She turned from looking at Hunter, to look at the 1969 Chevy Camaro on the auction block.
Hunter stood behind her; her perfume was intoxicating. "I think I'm going to like getting to know you, Willow Lawson."
They spent the rest of the afternoon together. Hunter was very attentive to everything Willow said to him. He actually paid attention when she spoke to him. She was the first woman in a very long time whom he wanted to hear what she had to say. She fascinated him; her emotions swung with the topic she was speaking about. She had a beautiful smile on her face as she talked about her work that changed to a frown when she explained about finding bodies in some of the wrecks she scoured through. A faraway look filled her radiant blue eyes when she described the reefs she had explored. There was a soft expression on her face when she spoke of her family. He could listen to her soothing voice until the day he died. A peace Hunter hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime settled in him just by being near her. Plus, she definitely had a rocking hot body to match her incredible intelligence.
Willow had been so nervous about being alone with Hunter, especially after he had told her he was a Dominant. Being that nervous always made Willow talk too much. So, that's what she did; she told him about her work and the things she had found, and he had been consoling, which was a trait she didn't think men had. It had surprised her when he asked her questions and then paid attention to the answers. The only man she knew who did that was Luca. He had told her a little bit about his time in the military, yet she felt like he had held some things back. A tiny voice inside her head told her something terrible had happened and to leave it alone for now. That was when she realized she had let down her walls. This man, in the matter of an afternoon, had broken down her barriers. She felt like she could talk to him about anything and feel safe doing it. She noticed the looks they got as they walked to the racing area. They didn't look at Hunter's dark-colored shirt, that looked two sizes too small stretching across his muscular chest, or his jeans that fit snugly to his ass, or even his boots. No, they looked at his cut with the Celtic Demons' patch on his back.
