by Gina Kincade
He refuses to move. "We don't have to."
"Hunter, it's your Birthday, your party. Your friends came to celebrate you." The way that she talks to him, keeps him in check, makes him think that she will be one hell of a mother, able to handle the little nugget growing inside her. If someone has told him a year ago that he will find himself living with a woman as refined as Blanche, and that he's about to become a father, he would have thought that person was high. Life can be a bag of surprises.
There's a knock on the door, which startles Bee.
"Yeah," Hunter shouts. Although he knows that Bee is right, they need to get move on, he stays seated, holding Bee down to keep her from getting up.
Marianne's concerned voice filters through the door. "Hunt, are you guys okay in there? Dinner's ready. And Red just got here."
Red. Now, that's another complication. Red told Hunter earlier that she’d be bringing Wolfe to the party. He hasn't dealt with that situation yet. Though now it doesn't feel like it should matter. The past is the past. Yes, he'll continue to care for Red, and yes, he'll keep questioning Wolfe's true dedication to his fiancée. A little too many mistakes have happened for him to completely be off his guard.
But then, there's Blanche. It doesn't take a genius to know that she has some dislike on Red, judging by her assumption of catching him with Leona—which Bee thought was Red—and by the way Bee stiffens against him when Marianne mentioned the other woman's name.
Where does he stand in all of this? Should he just let everything fall where they may? What if it all topples down and he is asked to make a decision? Will Blanche ask him to choose?
"I guess that's our cue to get up." Bee presses a kiss on his lips before she shimmies away from him. A warmth trickles down her legs. Hunter watches her pull the hem of her dress down, ironing the fabric with her hands.
Hunter sorts himself up, while Bee makes her way to the door. She gives him one last glance before she steps out. One thing for sure, this Birthday will be one to remember for years, Hunter thinks to himself as he pockets the delicate torn lace he picks up from the sofa.
TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC, Blanche reminds herself as she takes stares at herself in the bathroom mirror. Around her chin and right cheek is a touch of redness from Hunter's beard. It will be a challenge for her not to squirm while she sits at the dinner table with Hunter's friends and family sans underwear.
When she opens the door, she's met with Jason, speaking with a man who's possibly the best looking guy she has seen, after Hunter, of course.
"Blanche! I'd like you to meet Lucas Wolfe Wainright, one of the most prominent venture capitalist in all of America." Jason waves a hand toward his companion. "This is Blanche, my assistant and Hunter's..."
"Girlfriend," Blanche finishes for Jason, who grants her an amused, yet delighted look from Hunter's brother. She extends a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wainright."
"Please, call me Wolfe." As he speaks, Blanche recognizes the strength in his tone. She doesn't doubt that he's powerful indeed. "I'm Red's fiancé."
"Oh!" Why not? A beautiful man like him engaged to a beautiful woman like Red? Talk about power couple. Blanche refuses to let herself squirm under his gaze. "Red's great." She hopes that she sounded sincere.
"We should head to the dining room."
Both men move aside to let Blanche walk ahead of them, but she doesn't want to risk them knowing that the lack of panty lines on her dress means the lack of panties. Period. So she matches their stride.
"I have a distinct feeling that I've seen you somewhere before, Blanche," Wolfe's timber is rich and low.
From what she knows of this man, it is possible that they have come across each other at some point in the past. She cannot risk him knowing that. She opts for the normal response. "I think I have one of those faces."
"You can't expect me to believe that. A woman as striking as you is not easy to forget." Blanche blushes at his statement. She's aware that he isn't flirting with her. It's something a man like Wolfe Wainright is used to saying to women. "You haven't been to the city for long, I've been told. Where are you from?"
"Boston," Blanche replies quickly, and she's thankful that they've reached the dining room, where everyone else has been seated. She eyes Hunter, whose forehead is furrowed, looking like he's got murder in his mind as she walks in with Wolfe. She walks to him and kisses him on the cheek before sitting down.
"You okay?" he asks.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Hunter's eyes narrow at Wolfe who sits beside Red, across from them. There is something amiss here. Blanche knows of Hunter's feelings for Red, whether it is still there or not, she cannot tell. But it doesn't quite explain Hunter's clear dislike for Wolfe. Instead of delving into those unknown and unclear paths, she turns to Trisha on her other side.
"Where did you disappear off to?"
Even if Blanche doesn't answer, the heat rushing to her cheeks is enough of a reply. Trish snickers and Blanche joins her. Then Marianne and Jason walk in with their meal.
DINNER WENT WELL, DESPITE the feeling there's something going on between Hunter and Wolfe and Red. Blanche tried to listen to clues during the conversation around the table, but no one seemed to mind it except her. Or everyone else chose to ignore whatever it is.
While she helps Marianne do a quick clean up in the kitchen, Bee wonders if Hunter lied to her about his relationship with Red.
"I heard you agreed to come to Maine with us." Mare's voice brings her back to the present.
"Yeah. I guess I did."
"That's good. You'll meet Mom and Dad. They will love you." Mare pats her hand. "You should head back out there and mingle. It's your boyfriend's birthday after all." At the word 'boyfriend', Mare winks at her. "I'm so happy for you guys. I love my brother-in-law but he can be a bit stubborn at times."
Should she ask Mare about Red and Hunter? Or is it a topic that's better left between her and Hunter? Will he be willing to open up to her? And what if his answers aren't what she's expecting?
Blanche smiles at Mare. "He's been great lately."
"Who's been great?" Hunter asks as he plasters himself behind her, wrapping her in a tight, yet soothing embrace. "I hope you're talking about me," he whispers in her ear, and a sharp tingle hits her from where she felt his breath down to the tips of her toes.
"Of course I was." She turns around, circles her hands over his neck and brings him in for a deep kiss.
Aside from what is unclear between Hunter and Red, Bee full out desires Hunter. She wants their relationship to work, because it feels right. The question of it lasting is another matter. Dizziness swoops in when the kiss ends. She sways in Hunter's arms. Their gazes lock. Fiery lust ignites within her. Bee ruffles through Hunter's hair, and all of a sudden she feels the heat pressing against her hip.
"We should go home. Now," he growls the last word in her ear. Will he ever get enough of her? She sure hopes not.
"What about your cake?" Bee flicks her head to the side.
Hunter looks over her and sees the decadent double chocolate cake on the island. A slow smile spreads on his face. He whispers, "We'll take it home and I'll eat the icing off of you." Then he nips on her earlobe. The warmth between her legs turns lava-hot. She's all too aware of her missing underwear.
"Okay you two, don't make me grab the hose. Let's fire up these candles and bring the cake out for everyone to enjoy. Then, you can go home," Mare says as she places candles on the cake. "Go out there, Hunt. You too, Bee, I'll light it from here. I don't trust you two with these candles. You're exceeding too much heat."
Hunter laughs out loud, leaving Mare with her task, while Bee blushes as she walks behind him. As soon as Blanche enters the living room, where everyone has gathered once again, Wolfe steps up to her. She's immediately on high alert. There is just something about him that's making her nervous.
"I think I know where I recognize you from. You lived in Chicago before Boston?" Blanche pales, but she doesn't confirm. Wolfe continues
, "Weren't you Andres Lavulin's protégé?" Wolfe searches her face for an answer. His forehead creases. "You're Perry Fitzpatrick's fiancée."
Her pulse quickens as she realizes Wolfe has recognized her. Events can easily domino once this happens. First, her mother has found her, and she's brought Andres to dinner. What point has Reyna tried to make? Her mother has called many times during the day, and Blanche chose to ignore them. She isn't going back with Reyna. Nothing can make her return to Perry.
But with Wolfe's knowledge, and now, clear connection with Perry, there is a bigger chance that the man who has caused her so much pain will find her. Her surroundings blur, she reaches for something to give her support. A hand catches her. She looks up to see Wolfe's eyes full of concern. He mouths words to her, but everything seems a jumble.
Marianne enters the room, leading the group in a slow rendition of the Happy Birthday song. Hunter shakes his head while everyone sings to him. His eyes dart to where Blanche stands beside Wolfe, holding onto the man. And sees her faint.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The heaviness over her body renders her immobile as she comes to. Was she asleep? Did she pass out? She hears him groan over her. What is he doing?
"Perry?" Her voice comes out hoarse, like she hasn't spoken for a while. All she hears back are mutters and curses. She tries again, "Perry, what's going on?"
She is flat on her stomach, her arms pulled behind her, held tight by Perry's hand. He adjusts himself over her, sitting on her naked thighs. Blanche tries to look over her shoulder, but he won't let her turn. All he does is push her back on the bed. A sharp pain cuts through her when he presses down on her back. She panics, as she tastes the distinct iron flavor in her mouth - blood. Only then does the rest of the acute pain surface. Her legs throb. Her face feels numb and swollen. One eye is heavy. Her scalp is tender. There is pain and heat in her stomach.
Blanche focuses on what happened before she fainted. From one hard punch on her face. Perry. She confronted him. She told him they're over. But what did he do? He beat her up. Punches, slaps and kicks, until she fell. And now, what is he doing?
"Perry, please...You're scaring me." It may be the wrong thing to say. He's never gone this far before.
"Suck it up, princess." His words are clear, soaked in malice, and follows them with a menacing laugh.
Tears prickle her eyes, sting the wounds. Blanche chokes on her scream as the man she's loved for years does the unthinkable.
A beeping wakes her up. No, it wasn't the sound that brings her back. It was her memory, her nightmare. She sucks in a gasp, clamoring to push air back into her lungs. Instincts kick in as one of her hands fly on top of her stomach.
"Blanche? Baby, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here." Hunter's large, warm hand covers hers over her belly. His eyes are red, full of worry.
"The baby?"
Hunter nods. "Our baby's fine. Healthy." His calloused fingers caress her face. "You fainted, and we took you here. They did some tests. It's your sugar, babe." His voice sound restrained.
"Gestational diabetes?" she asks. She's read about the condition as a possible complication during pregnancy. Hunter confirms with a nod.
"Rest up, babe. Go back to sleep. I'll be right beside you the entire time." Hunter leans down to kiss her lips, soft, warm, engaging. She responds to it, pulling his head with her hand, so she can have more of him. He pants when she releases him. "Wow."
"Sorry," Bee says with a shy smile on her face.
"No, it was great. I just..." He doesn't continue, but Bee follows the movement of his hand to his chest, splaying his fingers over where his heart is. His face lights up into a beaming smile. "You know we can't do anything here. And with a kiss like that, I want to jump into bed with you."
Laughter bubbles out of her. "You wouldn't."
Hunter looks up and straight across to the closed door. "They've already tried to kick me out once tonight. I promised them I’d behave." His hand returns to caress her cheeks. "Go back to sleep, babe."
Sleep? How can she tell him she doesn't want to? Not if it means her nightmares return. The memory of what Perry did to her has turned into what bad dreams are made of. The first night she slept on Hunter's couch, that first night they met and he took her to his apartment, was the first time her nightmares have disappeared. She didn't take much notice then, chalking it up to exhaustion, hoping that she's finally found her courage again.
At the bar, when Hunter pressed her against the wall outside the bathroom, she could have felt fear and anxiety. She could have fought him off, screamed, kneed him in the balls. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw a mirror of her own emotions. Hunter was as afraid and as lonely as she felt. With that knowledge, she found her courage. She was safe with Hunter.
That hasn't changed. Hunter might have done a few stupid things, but she believes him when he says that he is sorry. She believes that he will keep his promises to her. And that is a huge difference between Hunter and Perry. Perry has promised her everything, the world even, but he did so only to appease her at the moment. To shut her up. To control her. To blind her. When he told her he loved her, there was no spark in his eyes. When he asked her to marry him, he did it in front of a massive crowd, and with all the theatrics he could muster. His kisses did not warm her. His touches did not soothe her. And what she thought was lovemaking was nothing more than something to pass his time. No foreplay, no climax, nothing for her, all for him.
The last time he touched her, there was no finesse in it. He did it to hurt her, to embarrass and shame her. To empower her, and make her feel like she was worth nothing. Perry is no Hunter. Yet, he has somehow returned as her worst dream.
Blanche scoots over to one side of the bed. "Sleep beside me? It’s a little squished, but there's room."
Hunter doesn't hesitate. He walks over to the other side of the bed, joins Blanche under the covers, and holds her in his arms. When he takes one of her hands, the one that doesn't have an IV running through it, and brings it to his lips, Blanche's heart leaps. It's too soon to say that she is falling for him, but she respects and appreciates whatever could be blooming. Hunter brings their joined hand over the swell of her belly, nuzzles her neck, and with a low rumble of a lullaby, Hunter sings her to sleep.
"SHE HAD A NIGHTMARE," Hunter tells Bee's best friend, Trisha, as they wait outside the hospital room. Before letting Blanche go, the doctor does his last checkup. "She was muttering his name. Perry. Over and over." Hunter's eyes focus on the white wall across them.
"That hasn't happened in a while. She used to get really bad ones during her first weeks here. I wondered what triggered it," Trisha says. "How's your hand?"
Hunter rubs his right hand with his left. The ache has long gone, the single cut on a knuckle closed up. Maybe punching Wolfe wasn't the best move, but at that time, it felt satisfying. If his brother and a few of his friends weren't able to pull him off the other man, he would have done a lot more damage.
"It's okay now." What made everything worse was when Wolfe and Red came to the hospital last night, and the billionaire ordered the best care for Blanche. Hunter's pride was hurt. How dare Wolfe think that he couldn't take care of his own? But Jason calmed him down, and told him to let the man help, for Blanche's and for his baby's sake.
"I think she's scared that Perry will find her and do worse than before."
"Over my dead body." His voice is cold and serious. "If he ever comes near her, I won't let anyone stop me from killing him."
"Yeah, that's a smart thing to say out loud," Jason says as he joins them. Hunter lets his brother pat him on the shoulders. "Hey, Trisha," Jason waves at her, then returns his attention to Hunter. "How's Blanche?"
"They're releasing her today, after this final check up." Hunter cocks his head to the side.
Jason nods. "Good. We need to talk." He eyes Trisha who's keenly listening.
"I'm going to get a cup of craptastic coffee." Trisha excuses herself, but doesn't get to take a step be
fore Jason stops her.
Jason lifts his hand up. "Stay. It would be helpful if you can confirm what I found out."
Trisha arches a brow at the two brothers. They're both good-looking, tall and muscular, but the similarities end there. Hunter matches every soft look on Jason with his edgy style, tattoos and a don't-mess-with-me attitude. She still can't believe that Hunter punched a billionaire. Witnessing that sent Hunter to her most badass list. She returns to leaning on the wall.
"What's this about, Jay?"
"Blanche." Jason collects his thoughts before he continues. "She's not who we thought she was. Don't get me wrong. It's nothing bad. In fact, it's the complete opposite. And only after talking to Wainright that I understand why she fabricated her story."
"Uh-oh. I'm not sure I should be around for this," Trisha says, pushing off the wall, ready to bolt.
"No," Jason pleads with his eyes. "Please."
"What's going on? What do you mean fabricated?" Hunter is irritated. Not only is his girlfriend in a hospital, but also his own brother is telling him that Bee isn't the person they know?
"You remember when I said that Blanche is a genius? That she's learned everything about my business within a day? Well, I wasn't wrong. She's a musical genius. I think you've met her mentor, Andres Lavulin? If you know anything about Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, then you'd know him. Blanche is one of the best, if not the best, in the organization. She's like the Beatles of classical piano."
"What?" Hunter runs a hand through this hair and squeezes his eyes shut before turning to Trisha. "What's my brother talking about?"
Trisha hesitates for a bit, and confirms, "He's right. Bee’s the greatest pianist alive, but she wants to leave that all behind. She wants freedom from it all, from her mother, who doesn't treat her like a daughter but a piece of property, and from Perry, who thinks he owns her."
"Perry Fitzpatrick?" Jason asks. "Wainright told me he's ruthless. He thought it was what made Blanche upset and faint. He said he was in an event just last week, and Fitzpatrick was there, claiming that he's still engaged to Blanche. He's been telling people that she's been ill to explain her disappearance, but Wolfe could tell his excuses were suspect."
