Reforming Hunt

by Jules Barnard

  Abby laughed. “That’s how you want to spend a Saturday night?”

  “Heck yeah. I’m here for you, girl. You said Vicious has Noah tomorrow night?”

  “Vicious” was Maria’s nickname for Vivian. “Yes. They’ll probably feed him junk food all day and night so that when he comes home, he won’t be able to settle down.”

  “That’s typical grandparent behavior. You can’t fault Vicious for that.”

  “I know, I know,” Abby said, and sighed. “It’s just hard to not look at everything they do as an attack.”

  “Which is why we’ll talk it through someplace where we won’t have to whisper.”

  “True. I don’t want Noah knowing anything about what his grandparents are up to, though he’s smart. I’m sure he senses the tension. I might not like what his grandparents are doing, but I want him to have a good relationship with them. Even if their main goal in life these days is to get me out of the picture.”

  “And on that uplifting note, is it a date? Tomorrow night?”

  Abby nodded, but she wasn’t so sure Trevor’s parents would ever give up, no matter what ideas she and Maria came up with. Trevor’s parents were extremely wealthy, with a lot of influence in Lake Tahoe and beyond. She feared she was a gazelle going up against a lion.

  She didn’t know what she’d do if she ever lost Noah. But she was prepared to do anything to make sure it never happened.

  It wasn’t until Maria pulled into the Club Tahoe parking lot that alarm bells sounded inside Abby’s head. She’d been so content to not have responsibility for a few hours that she hadn’t paid attention to where they were headed. “Why are we here?”

  Maria put the car in park. “I thought we’d go to the Fireside Lounge. They rotate the bar menu, and this week is ground turkey apple sliders.” She waggled her brows. “Island mules are the drink special.”

  Abby closed her eyes and slowly let out a breath. “Can we go somewhere else?”

  “Why?”

  Hunt, that’s why.

  Maria stared at her, perplexed.

  “I come here every day to drop off and pick up Noah,” Abby said.

  “For the kids’ program. But you’ve never come here to chill. This will be fun.” Maria opened her car door and stepped out. When Abby didn’t immediately exit, Maria hung her head back inside. “Don’t make me drag you. Because I will. You need to get out. Even if we’re not mingling socially, you so need to be among the land of the young and single.”

  Abby unlatched her seatbelt. She had no rational excuse, and she didn’t want to give Maria the truth. Telling Maria about Hunt—what he’d done for Abby, her unnerving attraction to him—would only give her dear friend ammunition to ask uncomfortable questions.

  Club Tahoe wasn’t purely a singles hangout. There were plenty of families and couples who stayed at the resort. It couldn’t be that bad. Besides, what were the chances Hunt would be here? If he was a normal person, he’d run as far from Club Tahoe after work as he could get.

  Apparently, Hunt wasn’t normal.

  As soon as they entered the Fireside Lounge, Abby caught sight of Hunt at a table with a large group of men and women in the far left corner. And there was a woman perched on Hunt’s lap.

  Abby’s throat grew tight. He was single; of course he’d be with another woman. Many women, most likely.

  As though sensing her presence, Hunt looked up and glowered.

  “You’re sure I can’t talk you into going somewhere else?” Abby said to Maria, but it was too late. Maria was already making her way to a two-person table. Right next to Hunt and his friends.

  Abby ducked her head as they walked across the room. Great. Just perfect. Why was he here? He should be at Blue Casino, drinking and hitting on women there.

  How in the world would she be able to relax with Hunt staring her down? And why was he staring her down? He was the one with an attractive woman on his lap. The woman’s chest was so close to his face that he could have turned his head and motorboated her breasts.

  God, this was awful.

  Abby straightened and plastered on a smile, ignoring Hunt’s table as they approached the two-person table next to them. Until Maria took the seat that forced Abby to face Hunt and his friends.

  She was here to get out and form a plan about Noah’s grandparents. Who cared if Hunt was here too? She could ignore him and the butterflies he caused.

  They ordered the famous sliders and island mules, and Abby tried to look anywhere except at the scene in front of her. The men with Hunt must be his good friends. They were laughing and having a nice time. Except, it seemed, Hunt, who hadn’t lost his frown, though at least it wasn’t directed at her anymore.

  Now that Abby paid attention—because of course she was still looking, even if she told herself she wouldn’t—she realized that one of the women at the table was the program manager from Club Kids. Abby had met Kaylee and her baby when Kaylee returned from maternity leave.

  “So, I’ve been thinking about your problem,” Maria said, breaking into Abby’s thoughts of Hunt. “What if you get a roommate to help you split expenses?”

  “I tried that a couple of years ago when I considered finishing my nursing degree. Have you interviewed people in this town for a roommate? It was nuts. Half of them were high on something, and the other half were too young.”

  “Abby, you’re not even thirty.”

  “I realize that, but I might as well be forty-five. I’m not a partier, I don’t do drugs, and I have a son to think about. There’s no way I’ll let anyone remotely sketchy into my house.”

  Maria’s mouth twisted. “That does make it a challenge.” She waggled her head. “I could always move out of my place—”

  “No,” Abby said. “You love your apartment. And you won the lottery with your roommate.”

  “True. But what will you do? Vicious is putting on the heat. Every week you come into work with something new she’s done.”

  Abby dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know.” A pounding at her temples increased at the mention of Vivian, a.k.a. Vicious. She raised her head to flag the waitress for a glass of water, and saw Hunt walking past their table with the woman who’d been sitting on his lap.

  He was an attendant at Club Kids whom she barely knew. He was good to her son, that was true, but other than that? She shouldn’t care. She really, really shouldn’t care.

  Maria eyed her staring at Hunt. “You know who he is, don’t you?”

  Abby sipped the water the waitress placed at their table. “One of the guys we met at the Blue Casino club.”

  “No, I mean, who he really is. He’s a Cade, one of the richest men in town. Maybe in the state.”

  Abby shook her head sharply. “What are you talking about?”

  “Hunt Cade. The guy you were flirting with at the Blue Casino club. He and his brothers own this place.”

  “Hunt owns Club Tahoe?” Abby’s voice came out high-pitched.

  “I thought you knew that the night we met him.”

  Abby stared at Maria in exasperation. “How would I know that? You dragged me out, because I never go out.”

  Maria winced. “Sorry. You’re right. You’ve lived in isolation. Anyhoo,” she said, and winked. “He’s a hottie and said to be a massive player.” She eyed Hunt’s ass as he left the lounge with the woman. “I wouldn’t mind a piece of that. In fact, I thought you were going for it. Had I known you weren’t interested, I would have turned the tables. I only held back because it seemed like you two had chemistry.”

  “Nope, no chemistry.” Lie. But no way Abby would admit the butterfly invasion when Hunt was near.

  Of course Hunt was a player. He’d never acted like one with her—well, not since that first night. Since then, he’d been nothing but kind and attentive to her and Noah. “He seriously owns this place?”

  Maria nodded.

  That explained why he’d hang out after work. He wasn’t just a daycare attendant or manager—whate
ver she’d assumed him to be. He had a stake in Club Tahoe’s success. “Are those his brothers?”

  Maria glanced behind her. “I think so. I’ve never met them, but they look alike, don’t they? And they’re hot, like Hunt.” She pouted. “Taken though, from what I’ve heard. Except for Hunt. No woman’s been able to lock him down for even a week.”

  Great, and this was the guy Abby’s son admired.

  “Hmm,” Maria said.

  “What is it?”

  “Hunt Cade, player extraordinaire, just walked back into the lounge. Alone.” She waggled her eyebrows again. “Are you sure there’s no chemistry between you two?”

  Chapter 10

  Hunt’s brothers were idiots.

  “You didn’t go home with her?” This from Bran, the monk. Before he met Ireland, that was. Now, he wasn’t so monkish.

  “What’s going on?” Wes looked at his wife Kaylee. “You work with him. Is Hunt sick?”

  “Not to my knowledge. Has Hunt ever turned down a woman?”

  “Never,” his four idiot brothers said in unison.

  “Enough.” Hunt rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t up for it.”

  “You were an hour ago,” Levi said. “And if I’m not mistaken, this was a woman I’ve seen you with before. It’s because you’ve already had her, isn’t it?”

  “No,” Hunt growled. Though, truth be told, he tried to avoid being with a woman more than once, and it had nothing to do with being an asshole. The opposite.

  Hunt wanted women happy when they were with him. If he went out with a woman more than once, they might get the wrong idea. And that would ruin the work he’d put into making them feel good. He preferred to not ruin a good thing. Though he’d considered taking a second shot with Carrie tonight. Which was odd.

  Carrie had sauntered over and sat on his lap as soon as he’d shown up to the lounge. She was smart and beautiful, and he’d considered a round two, because hey, he wasn’t getting any younger.

  Being around kids and families must be wearing off on him. And he’d needed a distraction from a certain club mom he couldn’t stop thinking about.

  Carrie had been laying it on thick, and he had a hard time turning down a lady. It went against his need to protect and please them. Typically, he made himself scarce when he saw someone from his past, but Carrie caught him unawares and his resistance depleted.

  Until Abby walked in.

  What was she doing here? According to her, she didn’t go out. But there she was, with the same friend from the Blue Casino club.

  As far as Hunt knew, Abby never came to the Fireside Lounge. It was one of his main haunts, and he’d never seen her here before. But tonight, the first night Hunt considered moving past single nights with a woman, and Abby walked in and ruined it.

  He couldn’t concentrate. Certainly not on the beautiful woman on his lap. His entire focus had zoned in on the woman at the table next to him with her hair pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head, tendrils of hair that she kept tucking behind her delicate ears falling around her face.

  Delicate ears?

  Hunt didn’t notice a woman’s ears. He didn’t care if they were large or small or delicate. What was the point? A woman was more than her ears. But he noticed everything about this woman.

  Did she know what she was doing to him?

  Probably not. She didn’t seem aware of how pretty she actually was. Abby never dressed to impress, and he suspected she thought no one noticed her ears or eyes or toned, round ass that would fit in the palm of his hand perfectly.

  Hunt frowned. He had been thinking about Abby constantly, and it was seriously pissing him off. She was a mom. He never dated moms. They needed more than he had to offer, and he knew his limits.

  But somehow his body and mind weren’t in unison. Because the next thing he knew, he stood and walked over to Abby, ignoring his brothers’ whispered comments behind his back, and the logical part of his brain telling him to sit the fuck down.

  “Hello,” he said to Abby. He smiled at her friend. “Fancy seeing you two here.”

  “Another pickup line?” Abby said.

  “I wouldn’t dare.” He pulled up a third chair and sat at their table.

  “I’m Maria, by the way.” Her friend leaned forward, looking over his shoulder. “Are those your brothers?”

  “According to my mother,” he grumbled. Typically Hunt was fine with his brothers’ probing questions. He had nothing to hide. But not tonight. Tonight, his brothers were annoying as hell.

  “Maria was just telling me you own Club Tahoe.” Abby said it like an accusation.

  “Part owner,” he corrected her. “I share it with my brothers. Is there a problem?”

  She pressed her soft lips together. “You could have told me.”

  Hunt scratched his head. What had he done wrong now? “I didn’t mention it because most people already know. The place was my father’s.”

  “Oh,” Maria said, eyes sympathetic. “I heard about that. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  Hunt tapped his finger on the table, staring into Abby’s confused eyes. “My father died a couple of years ago. He left this place to me and my brothers.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Abby said.

  He shrugged. “It was a while ago, and we weren’t close.”

  Maria stood. “I think I’ll just”—she waved toward the bar—“check on the food.”

  Maria left and made her way to the bar. She was giving Hunt and Abby space, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he wanted all kinds of space to be with Abby. On the other hand, he was certain it wasn’t a good idea.

  “But you’re so good with kids…” she said.

  He lifted his eyebrow. “And that means?”

  “If you weren’t close to your father, how are you good with kids?” She clenched her hands. “I mean… I don’t mean to say…”

  He decided to save her. “I want to be different than my father. Kids are important. They need attention and support.”

  She seemed surprised, and then she shot him a saucy look. “It’s interesting you say that. I’ve heard your philosophy on women is quite different than the one you have for children. It appears you’re allergic to romantic relationships.”

  “Ouch,” he said, and forced a grin. It was the first time that sort of comment stung coming from someone other than his brothers.

  “Good thing I didn’t let things go anywhere the night I met you,” she said.

  He frowned. What was that supposed to mean? “I’m a nice guy.”

  She huffed out a breath. “I’m sure you’re a good person. And you’ve been kind to Noah. But nice guys commit to women they care for.”

  She had him spinning in circles. What was she talking about? “Maybe I haven’t met the right woman?”

  She waved him off and took a large gulp of her drink. The mule, if he wasn’t mistaken. “That’s what they all say.”

  He’d been called a player. Many times. But for some reason, he didn’t like the implication from her. “Some guy treated you wrong, and now you hate all men?”

  She glared at him, and his balls shriveled up.

  Damn. Note to self: Abby had a scary evil eye.

  “Why are women called man haters when they call out bad behavior from men? I don’t hate men. I have a son, for goodness’ sake. But men get away with too much, and women are held accountable.”

  “So you were treated like crap by someone.”

  She sighed, and her evil eye softened. “Trevor, Noah’s dad, was a good guy. He never cheated on me. But he was irresponsible.”

  “He didn’t marry you after you got pregnant.”

  Her shoulders tensed. “No… Yes… It was more than that. He thought he had all the time in the world to marry me, set up a trust. It turns out he didn’t.”

  Hunt could imagine. The woman was working herself to the bone to take care of Noah. Not to mention the things she’d told him about Noah’s grandparen
ts. Noah’s father hadn’t thought ahead.

  People probably believed Hunt irresponsible too, but they’d be wrong. If Hunt ever had a kid, he’d take care of his son, full stop. He wouldn’t leave things to chance the way Noah’s father had. “Don’t blame all men for one man’s mistake.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think about men, let alone take the time to put blame on ones I hardly know.”

  “You sure about that?”

  Her gaze darted to the bar, where Maria was talking to a decent-looking dude. “I should get going. Noah’s grandparents canceled at the last minute, and I had to find a new sitter. I want to make sure Noah fell asleep okay.”

  It was early, according to Hunt’s standards. And this was why he avoided moms. They had responsibilities he wasn’t ready for. He’d be a good dad when the time came, but now? No way could he picture that.

  Hunt lifted his chin. “You haven’t even eaten your food.”

  Abby glanced at the bar where the food was sitting in front of Maria. “I’ll take it home.” She stood, and he did too. She wrung her hands. “Hunt, I appreciate you being kind to Noah, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t get too close.”

  The fuck? “Noah’s a good kid, and he’s been at the club for a while. It’s natural I’d know him better than the other children, but I treat him like I do all the kids.”

  She sent him a look.

  “Well, mostly.”

  “If it’s all the same, I don’t want him getting too attached,” she said. “It would hurt him if you suddenly weren’t around.”

  He stepped closer, sensing the electricity that ignited when he did. Sparks flying between their bodies the way they had at Blue Casino, and every other time he’d been in proximity to this woman. He’d felt none of that when Carrie was sprawled all over his lap. But Abby was a foot away and he wanted to break past the electrical current and pull her to his chest. “Where is this coming from? I’m not going anywhere.”

  She tucked that stubborn lock of hair behind her ear. “Maybe not. I don’t know. But now that I’m aware of your reputation, I think it’s best.”