by Lacey Silks
“Are you all right?” Frankie asked. “I told the caveman we should leave but he insisted on getting to you. He wouldn’t wait for the police, saying it could be too late, and I was so scared, Grace. Oh my God! I really thought he’d shoot you. The caveman was so strong. I tried to pull him out to safety—you know, someone that good-looking had to be important—but he wouldn’t budge. Those muscles were way too strong for poor little Frankie to drag out to safety.”
“Hunter. His name is Hunter.” As one of the paramedics checked him out, dabbing something to the side of his thick bicep, I couldn’t keep my gaze away from the man who had saved my life.
“Have you called Tristan Cross yet?” I asked.
Tristan was Emma’s older brother. We hired their services at times when we had movie stars and rock stars who drew more media attention. But with so many eyes on us today, I was sure the tabloids would be looking for any kind of gossip no matter what your Hollywood status was. And I wasn’t about to jeopardize my clients’ privacy by throwing them to the paparazzi hounds. I was proud of the reputable discretion at our salon and wanted to keep it that way.
“Yes, their security team will be here in a couple of minutes. The higher-profile celebrities are waiting at Caesar’s.” Frankie pointed to the door guarded by Olivier.
Caesar’s was our next-door restaurant. Olivier was a good friend and I knew he’d keep quiet about who was visiting me today, just as I wouldn’t say anything about who dined at his restaurant.
“They’re all okay?” I asked.
“Yes, they are. Marcie had already let them know we’ll add a free massage and spa treatments once the salon is back up.”
“My salon.” I felt the gash on my forehead bleed at the thought of the damage that had been done. This would definitely take a while to fix. I slouched as a bandage was fixed to my forehead. “Can you please ask Marcie to reschedule all appointments for the next week or so and call Carl to squeeze us in? Offer a discount to anyone who fusses.”
But I knew they wouldn’t. The wonderful thing about my clients was that most of them loved me. They’d wait it out, or if it was an emergency, they would agree to see their regular stylists at my friend’s salon. Carl was amazing but operated in New Jersey, which meant travel time for some. Hopefully they wouldn’t mind.
“How’s the head?”
I hadn’t noticed when Hunter approached. I reached for my forehead, saying, “It hurts a bit. Are you all right?”
“Nothing time can’t heal,” he said. “Listen, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to seem weird. It’s just that I had a rough couple of weeks.”
“That’s okay. You saved my life. Let’s call it even. I still can’t believe you’re talking.”
And that you’re so smoldering and sexy.
“Wait, what was wrong with you? Why didn’t you talk and…” I looked at the paramedic, who was pretending not to listen. I didn’t want to give him the details of how Hunter had stripped naked in front of me or our shower together. From the look on Hunter’s face, he must have known what I was thinking.
“I had a bit on my mind. The gunshots triggered memories… It’s complicated… Thank you for helping me out. With everything.”
“I need to drive you to—”
“—the mental institution? I may have scared Allie a bit and she just wanted to help. I’ll be fine.”
“I promised Emma I’d drive you.”
“How about I drive you home and we can talk about what happened today in peace?”
Was I about to agree to this stranger’s request? He was a stranger, wasn’t he? I mean, I’d barely met him a couple of hours ago, I’d seen him naked, I’d had my life saved by him, and now I was considering letting him drive me home, when I was supposed to be the one to drive him to a mental institution. Yet even though I’d only known him for a few hours, it felt like I’d known him for much longer than that.
“All right. It may be a few minutes. The police need to talk to me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Grace. Once you’re ready, we’ll go home.”
I gave my statement to the cops, telling them everything I could remember about the robber. The jerks who helped him with the heist said they were hired on the Internet with details given minutes before they broke in. None of them saw his face or had met him in person. He’d only promised to pay up once the job was done, so it looked like we had a cold trail. The culprit fled through the back garage and it was all my fault. When I thought about what could have happened to me if he’d been successful with his kidnapping, I cringed.
“Give me your car keys, Grace.” Hunter reached his hand out. Boy was it ever a big hand.
“I can drive.”
“You’re in shock. I have experience with these things. Let me drive you home. Emma’s building?”
“How did you know?”
“I worked for Cross Enterprises.”
“Worked?”
“I still do. It’s just that now I’m on a personal leave. Get in the car, Grace. You’re trembling.”
I hadn’t noticed my hands were shaking. Suddenly I felt weak in my knees and grabbed his strong arm for support, leaning against his body.
He held me there, brushing my hair with his fingers. The soft whisper above me eased the head rush I’d felt. “You’ve been running on adrenaline since the robbery. You need to rest.”
And slowly he opened the passenger door, helping me slide inside. I buckled up, leaning my seat back, unaware when Hunter had even gotten in the car or when he started driving. All I knew was that away from the commotion and the salon, I was finally safe—with a stranger, but safe.
Hunter held me under my arm as he walked me to my apartment. I leaned against him desperately, needing his stable stance. I found it odd that he was supposed to be the one in need of mental help, yet I felt like I’d just had my brain chewed out by millions of cockroaches. I handed him my apartment keys as if he’d been there thousands of times and let him guide me to my bedroom, where I lay down and passed out.
In my dreams, bullets flew past me as I bent back like Neo in The Matrix trying to avoid them. But one managed to hit me right in my chest. A red stain spewed over my white shirt. The hole in my body didn’t hurt. Although I’d been shot, there was no pain. Not until I looked down at the floor, where Hunter’s body lay motionless beside me. I crouched at his side, patting him down with my hands, looking for the source of the puddle of blood underneath. “Hunter! Hunter! Please, no! Hunter!”
I heard my own voice scream out his name as my eyes flew open.
“Shh. I’m here, Grace. I’m here.” His strong arms eased in around me, holding me to his firm chest.
Sweat beaded down my cleavage.
“You were shot. You were bleeding.”
“No, Grace. It was just a nightmare.”
Relief flashed through me as the events of today’s robbery slowly began making sense and I realized where I was.
“You’re here.” I reached up, cupping his freshly shaved jawline. He was so handsome and striking. The chiseled features of his face stood out prominently. It was difficult to believe that this was the same man who had walked into my salon this morning looking like a caveman. A man whom I’d promised a haircut but hadn’t given one to yet.
“Of course I’m here.”
“What time is it?”
“Six. Frankie and Marcie stopped by when you were sleeping.”
“They did?”
“Yes. All appointments have been rescheduled and Frankie booked people to clean up the mess at the salon. They’ll bring boxes with anything salvageable to the apartment. He said you should be back up and running in a week and a half. Your phone has been buzzing too. I turned off the volume.”
“Thank you. I don’t know how I got so tired.”
“It’s the adrenaline. Letting your body rest after a rush was exactly the right thing to do. If you don’t it can turn you into a zombie. Trust me, I know.”
My
stomach grumbled.
“Is that what happened to you?”
“You’re hungry.” Hunter ignored my question. “I ordered Chinese. It’s in the kitchen.”
A delicious aroma of Asian cuisine overpowered the room.
“Yes, but I need a shower first.”
“Need help with that?” His mouth curved up. “I owe you.”
“Yeah. How about when I’m a zombie, then I’ll take you up on the offer?” I chuckled, secretly wishing I could turn into a corpse, like now.
“You’ve got a deal. Listen. I know I didn’t get a chance to do so, but I want to thank you for helping me this morning. Hopefully I can make it up to you.”
“Anytime, Hunter. And please remember that we’re even. You saved my life. From a man who is still on the loose. He knew my business, Hunter. Quite well. And I felt like he knew me too.” A shiver of fear flew through me.
“We’re going to find him, Grace.” Hunter answered as if he’d read my mind. “Go take a shower and call Emma back. We’ll chat about the incident later.”
Washing up in the bathroom was like a remedy prescribed by the best doctors in the city. The water and soap removed the sweat from my body, along with the layer of emotions I couldn’t comprehend. Each time I thought about what could have happened back at the salon and how lucky I’d been to get away with nothing more than a scratch, the trembles returned. And then there was Hunter. A caveman who could now pass for Beckham’s younger buffed brother had saved my life and changed his personality with the snap of my fingers. I didn’t know much about mental health issues, but I did know that life’s scars were as difficult to remove as real ones. Should I have driven him, the way Emma had asked me? How long would Hunter stay here? Spending the night on my own wasn’t exactly at the top of my list, so the hope of keeping him with me overnight was completely selfish. And I was desperate to be selfish tonight.
I towel-dried my hair and wrapped myself in my cotton robe. Hunter sat on a stool by the kitchen bar, gesturing to the seat beside him.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yes. Thank you for waiting with me.”
“Of course. Where else would I be?”
“Rehab. Shouldn’t I drive you there?” I asked for the umpteenth time today. Was there any way I’d get an answer from him as to why he was supposed to go there?
And at that moment something passed between us. I wasn’t sure what it was, but the peaceful look in Hunter’s eyes and the vulnerability melted my heart. The idea of him leaving now just wouldn’t work. I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to know what had happened to him to put him in a speechless zombie state earlier. Would he tell me?
“Do you want me gone, Grace?” He swiveled the stool my way, patting the seat for me to sit down. I hopped up. My robe parted and my knee brushed against his leg. I held my breath before looking up into his beautiful blue eyes and whispering, “No. I need you here.”
“Good, because I think I need to be here too.”
The tension between us was like a wound fishing line holding a whale, ready to snap with a little tug. My pulse raced and I was beginning to worry I could become light-headed if whatever was happening here didn’t stop. While we sat only a foot apart, it felt too far. I wanted to be closer, much closer. I couldn’t help but feel that connection I always had when hope flourished in my chest—when I thought that the man sitting in front of me was “the one.”
Oh God! It’s happening again. Emma’s gonna kill me.
I’d promised my best friend I would stop thinking of guys that way. While she’d lost all hope a year ago when her boyfriend died, I vowed to find the spirit of Marcus, my fiancé, within another body and gave a fair chance to any guy I dated. Truth be told, most of them turned out to be jerks and didn’t deserve a second date, but Hunter had that aura about him that I hadn’t seen since Marcus died saving my life. Or was it just me again, fantasizing and mixing up reality with fairy tales?
“You were quite brave back at the salon.” Hunter interrupted my thoughts as he began plating my food and his at the same time.
“Too brave. Too stupid. I guess hanging around one of the bravest girls I know rubs off on you.”
“You mean Emma?”
“Yes. She’s like a sister to me. How well do you know her?”
“I’ve worked for Cross Enterprises for six years now. But that’s as much as I can say. I’m under a contract.”
“Oh. Secret stuff.”
“You could say that.”
“So why the mental institution?”
“Trauma.”
Well, that’s progress. It’s more than I got all day.
“You don’t seem traumatized.”
“Appearances can be deceiving, Grace. Another trigger and I could lose my ability to speak and move again.” He closed his eyes. “But when I remember those fingers of yours on my scalp… they brought me back. You brought me back.”
I reached for the chopsticks at the same time as Hunter. Our hands touched and we both froze. A frenzied current of longing passed between us, slowly weaving through my body and all those parts that swelled when I saw a hot guy. Except now, that hot guy was sitting within reach.
“I thought it was the gunshots that triggered you.” I cleared my throat and snapped the wooden sticks apart, somewhat breaking the tension.
“That too, but your fingers… they were magical.”
I felt my cheeks heat and the electrifying friction between us return. All it took were a few of his words.
“So you’re saying that I should drive you to this institution after all?”
“And if you do, will you sleep at night knowing the man who tried to rob you and kidnap you is still out there?”
Shit! There was no way I’d even catch a minute of sleep, all alone at my apartment. It didn’t matter that this building had top of the line security. How would I go get groceries? What about going back to the salon to check up on the construction? I shook my head.
“How about I make you a deal? You don’t drive me, and I’ll stay here with you. Keep you safe… if you’d like.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t. Don’t trust anyone, Grace. But you can call Tristan. He’ll vouch for me. I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to help find the guy, too.”
“I’ve already talked to the police.” I twirled the thin noodles onto my sticks.
“Right, and I’m sure they’ll drop all their murder investigations to find a moron who tried to rob you. Grace, the case will be on the back burner for months.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Let me find him.”
“Are you qualified?”
His brows rose up and down suggestively. “In more than one vocation.”
I laughed out loud.
“You don’t believe me?” Hunter reached forward and pulled my stool toward him. My legs rested between his. His hands were at my hips, gently pressing in though the thick flannel, holding me steady. My chopsticks slipped from my fingers but neither of us paid attention. The sizzle was back. That chemistry I’d felt earlier returned and fused deep in my chest, making my head spin.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Grace. I don’t want to overstep my boundaries as your guest, but if I don’t kiss you I may lose my mind and go crazy.”
“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
Were those words even mine? I didn’t have time to think because those perfect lips that had been covered with facial hair earlier that morning were now on mine, and I was about to faint.
CHAPTER 4
“Wait, wait…” I said against his mouth, gently pushing at his chest.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m not sure.” I struggled to fill my lungs.
“Grace, what’s wrong? You’re pale. Come here.” And before I knew it I was snuggled against Hunter’s chest as he carried me around the counter into the kitchen. He set me down on the tile floor and lifted my feet up in the air,
resting them against his thighs. The robe slid down my legs, revealing my panties, but I didn’t care. Drops of sweat rolled down my chest as I felt Hunter fumble with something above. A cool towel pressed on my forehead. My feet were braced on a stool and Hunter leaned over me, smoothing my hair back the same way he had in the shower at the salon.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you. I sometimes get like this when I get excited.”
Crap, did I just say that?
“Interesting, so how do you pleasure yourself without fainting?”
“It’s a different kind of excitement; it’s called hypertension.” I lifted my hand up to the towel on my forehead, pressing it harder. “My purse, pills…”
Hunter passed me the medication and a glass of water. His mouth curved into an odd smirk, and I wondered what he was thinking. I remained on the floor a few more minutes, long enough to notice that the odd smile on his face hadn’t disappeared.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked.
“Because I’d never met a woman who carried a vibrator in her purse.”
Shit! I forgot about that. And about the batteries I was sure were about to die.
He dangled the toy I’d been dared to carry in my purse. Never in my life had I thought another man would find it when I’d agreed to my best friend’s dare. Not that it didn’t come in handy at times.
“When was the last time you used it?”
Too long ago.
“Too private.” I shook my head lightly, pulling the wet cloth down from my forehead to cover my eyes. “Put it back.”
A low buzz sounded in my ears, immediately making my ass tense. On their own, my muscles responded to the familiar pulse on my sensitive skin.
“How about I put it here?” The rasp in his voice as he lowered the toy to the front of my exposed panties added another layer of vibration that my body was familiar with.
“Hunter… I… we just met.”
“And it’d be stupid of you to trust me.”
“Very stupid.” I nodded, but I couldn’t help but shift my hips slightly underneath the rubber toy.
