by Marie Harte
“I’ll let you get settled in while I catch up on a few things in the study. Yell if you need me.” He left before he could give in to the impulse to touch her once more, curious to see if the silken remembrance of her skin had been all in his mind. And knowing it hadn’t been.
ALEX SIGHED AS SHE watched him go. Max had told her to accept her feelings for Hunter and not to fight their connection so hard. But Alex didn’t yet know how she felt about the enigmatic man who made her pulse rocket.
She wondered if she ought to just confront Hunter about their obvious unease with one another. Surely two professionals could agree to work together and ignore the heated chemistry between them.
As Alex unpacked, she considered the best way to approach Hunter about the matter. But the sight of a blooming geranium on her nightstand stopped her.
She stared at the flower, her gaze drawn to the vibrant red petals. She peeked into the other guest room and saw a pink geranium sitting in a similar position on the nightstand. Then she remembered the many plants throughout his house. It was oddly telling of his character that he had surrounded himself with life.
Hunter didn’t seem a man of many words. The innate stillness in his being seemed to suggest a thoughtfulness, an enduring patience that she’d found curiously absent in his dealings with her. For a solitary man, his devotion to the living things in his home hinted at a need for companionship.
Then again, maybe she was reading more into this than there was. But she couldn’t deny that Hunter’s collection of plants added another fascinating dimension to the man, as did the tasteful art on the walls. Not a naked girlie calendar in sight, she thought with a smile.
She’d noted a Rocco and a Stiver in the living room, prints by two accomplished artists who depicted the Civil War in all its glory. She’d also noticed a few nature scenes and resolved to look again later.
A yawn and growing lethargy convinced her to nap. Giving in to the urge to relax, Alex curled up in the soft bed and gave way to sleep. It didn’t surprise her when her thoughts drifted, once again, to Hunter Greye.
ALEX WOKE TO THE SCENT of something incredible. She sat up and pushed a soft blanket from her body, uncomfortable at the thought of Hunter putting it on her and seeing her while she slept. She quickly stood and stretched. Then she ran a brush through her hair and left her room to follow the wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen.
The windows showed the deepening evening. Bright halogen lights illuminated the granite counter upon which he worked.
Busy stirring something that appeared to be spaghetti sauce, Hunter looked very male and yet very much at ease in his kitchen.
“What’s for dinner?” Alex shoved her hands in her back pockets and rocked on her heels as she watched him work.
“Spaghetti and my famous sauce,” he said without turning to face her.
“Sounds and smells great.” Silence filled the room. “Um, can I help?”
Hunter nodded to the refrigerator. “Yeah, you can grab me a beer.” Alex handed him one, then grabbed one for herself. She sat at the counter and watched him.
He finished stirring and turned with the counter to his back, nursing his beer while he studied her.
“Thanks for the blanket,” Alex blurted.
“You looked cold.” He shrugged and continued to stare at her.
She saw more than lust in his gaze. Confusion, interest, and...affection? The possibility staggered her. What if Hunter felt the same longing she did? What if he wanted more from her than a roll between the sheets? What then?
She cleared her throat and told herself to stop daydreaming. “What? What are you staring at?”
“I’m just getting to know you,” he said sarcastically, and Alex could see that he didn’t appear overjoyed to have her in his home.
So much for the affection she thought she’d seen in his eyes.
“You know, you and Cole look a lot alike, yet very different.” Hunter cocked his head in contemplation. “You’ve both got the same coloring, the same jade green eyes that darken when you’re pissed off. Yet he looks like a miniature Max, while you...”
“While I...?” she prodded.
“You don’t.” He frowned. “You know why we’re here, right?”
Alex nodded. Time to straighten things out, finally. “Yes. We need to work together on this case, and we need to be able to trust each other implicitly. And quite frankly, right now, we don’t.”
Hunter nodded but didn’t say anything, his eyes hooded as he stared at her.
“I think we’re uncomfortable with each other and not just because we work for different firms. This odd link we seem to share isn’t helping.” Alex decided to tell him what Max had told her. “My uncle told me something today.”
“What did he say?”
“He said that whatever’s happening between us is a Sainte thing. Apparently, you’re reacting to my brain chemistry. He said it’s no big deal and to just accept it.”
Hunter set down his beer and moved around the counter to stand by her. “Accept it? How exactly?”
Alex eyed him warily. Looming over her the way he did, Hunter looked fierce.
“It’s not as easy as it sounds, Alex. It’s pretty disconcerting to suddenly find yourself feeling things you know come from someone else.” His eyes seemed to burn as he studied her. “I know we need to work closely together to solve this case. I can try to do that.”
“Good.” Alex tried not to look as nervous as she felt. Being this close to Hunter made her nerve endings tingle. She had to fight to keep herself from overtly staring at his firm lips, her memories of their kisses constantly teasing her.
“I’m trying to accept this,” Hunter said softly, looking at her with a subtle difference she couldn’t put her finger on. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, he surprised her with a feral grin. “I have to tell you, though, that right now I feel warm, very warm and very hungry.” Before she could ask what he meant, he lowered his mouth to capture hers.
Hunter brought her to her feet and pulled her into his embrace while his mouth remained fixed to hers. When he licked past her lips, she sighed, and when he thrust his tongue into her mouth, she moaned.
He pulled back. “How’s that for accepting?” Hunter asked huskily before he bent to rob her of speech again.
His large body was both graceful and strong as he caged her in his hold. He stroked her back, creating a heat that pooled in her stomach and worked its way down her limbs and into her womb. When he rocked into her, he thrust in a rhythm that told her where this path they ventured on would lead. And God help her, she didn’t want to stop.
Minutes later, Hunter ended their embrace and rasped, “That’s about as accepting as I can be with my clothes on.”
Alex felt like a limp noodle when he sat her back onto the stool and put the counter between them.
“What...” Alex had to clear her throat. “What exactly was the purpose behind that little display?”
“For one thing, it wasn’t so little.” Hunter chuckled at her blush.
“Hunter,” she warned with a look.
“It was just a little test I’d given myself. I wanted to see if I had the discipline to pull away from you. I did,” he said, though he didn’t sound pleased.
Alex frowned, annoyed that their kisses had been no more than an experiment to him. Did the man have no concept of honest passion? “Yes, well, that’s going to have to stop. We need to focus on Wraith and Omaney, not your libido. You’re just going to have to work on controlling yourself,” she said loftily.
He glared at her and leaned over the island in her direction. “Well, sweetheart, it wasn’t my lust ruling me just then. As a matter of fact, I was accepting, like you told me to do. I acted on what you were feeling.”
Alex glared back at him, ignoring the heat in her cheeks. “Cut the crap. That wasn’t a huge flashlight in your pocket. We’re drawn to each other. So what? It’s just chemistry. Bottom line is that we have to trust one anot
her. And right now, I don’t trust you very much.”
“Join the club,” he muttered. “Look, we have a few days to build this partnership.” He sighed, obviously not wanting to share any more of himself than he had to. “But we don’t have to do it all tonight. How about some dinner, and then we’ll break ’til tomorrow?”
“Good idea. What did you have planned?”
He served her a plate of dinner and grabbed his own. “I was thinking we could use tomorrow to study each other’s defensive maneuvers. Because when we finally do encounter Wraith, we’ll have to fight our way out of the place. And I can’t go into a dangerous scenario without knowing what your skills are.”
Granted, of the two of them, she was the weaker candidate. But he didn’t have to make her so aware of it. She didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response and ate her dinner. Afterward, she cleaned up—since he’d cooked—and joined him in the living room. She noticed several plants. Lots of green, but no color. Inspiration struck.
Reaching for a newspaper he’d left on the table, she settled onto the couch. “Hunter?”
“Yeah?” He sat across from her with a book. The Art of War. Figured.
“Thanks for the flowers. I like them.” He flushed and tried to shrug her off as if he hadn’t heard her. “Very thoughtful,” she added and stifled a laugh at his frown. So, the man with trust issues had a softer side. She knew it. Her good mood restored, she read the news before turning in for the night.
THE NEXT MORNING, HUNTER sat calmly on his porch and watched the sunrise. Beautiful, he thought as he watched the fading indigo brighten through a blanket of clouds into the pale blue sky before him.
He felt Alex approach before he saw her. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her flowery shampoo and grew hard at the thought of her naked in the shower. Why the hell did she, of all people, have the power to make him want so badly?
“Beautiful,” she murmured, echoing his earlier sentiments.
“This is my favorite part of being home,” he admitted. He felt her studying him, but said nothing more.
She left, only to return moments later. “Uh, Hunter? You don’t have any coffee, do you?”
“It’s in the cupboard next to the stove. I keep it just in case of company.” He didn’t want to disclose that he’d bought it yesterday for her. Or that he’d bought the flowers, thinking that she might like them.
“Yes,” she sighed and left him, presumably to fuel her caffeine addiction.
Hunter stared out at the sky and thought long and hard about the decisions he’d reached last night.
He and Alex had more than a mere mental connection. Her uncle had said that they should simply accept it. But Hunter didn’t think he could do that without making love to her. He’d surprised himself last night with his restraint. Just tasting Alex’s ripe lips made him want to forget everything but fucking her. Maybe if they finally broke down and had sex, this constant yearning would disappear.
Hunter never lost control with anyone. Even when he’d been engaged to Anna, he’d wanted her, but he’d been able to control himself. With Alex, he’d come in his damned pants. His common sense deserted him at a whiff of her scent.
He shook his head as he pondered the problem. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he and Alex should get this issue out in the open and deal with it here, in the safety of his own home.
Minutes later, Alex returned. “This is wonderful,” she said as she sipped her coffee.
“After breakfast, I’d like to start in the barn. I’ve got some mats in there that we can use. I want to see what you can do.”
“Fine. But not until I’ve finished my coffee.”
Hunter left her sitting on the porch and entered the barn. There, he engaged in some stretching and early-morning exercises. When Alex joined him, he had worked up a light sweat and felt limber enough for their workout.
She wore shorts and a T-shirt. He only wore shorts. Perfect for maximum flesh-to-flesh contact.
After Alex finished stretching—good Lord the woman had legs—she approached him. She blinked at his chest and did her best to look away, yet her gaze strayed back to him time and time again.
“Okay,” he said gruffly. “I’m going to come at you, and I don’t want you to pull any punches. Treat me like your average mugger. Gimme some of those moves you used in Omaney’s warehouse.”
“Warehouse? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she protested with a grin on her face.
“Stubborn woman.”
She positioned herself at the ready, knees bent, arms loose, her fists chest-high and ready to move. He tested her reflexes, not surprised when she countered his every attack. She had well-timed and well-placed kicks that kept him distanced enough not to do any real damage.
Then he changed tactics and tried to sweep her off her feet. She danced around him, landing some hard punches to his midsection. He remained unhurt, but a lesser-built man might feel some pain.
“Not bad,” he said and circled her, pleased when she moved with him.
He feinted left, then tackled her with a brute strength he’d been holding back. Her breath whooshed from her body as she slammed against the mat. Worried that he’d used more strength than he should have, Hunter eased up, only to have her thrust him away and nearly geld him in the process.
“You cheated,” he said with annoyance when he stood to face her.
“No, you underestimated me.” She grinned and jumped back out of his reach.
Hunter wouldn’t make that mistake again. He tuned in to his inner awareness, seeing the vulnerabilities he hadn’t seen before.
“Hunter?” Alex asked cautiously. She sensed something different come over him. He knew because he’d intentionally projected it. Apparently, their connection went both ways.
“Accept it, Alex. Remember what your uncle said, hmm?”
“Maybe we should take a break.” She narrowly avoided his lunge.
Hunter laughed in a low purr and continued to stalk her. He was having fun for the first time in a long time. “Come on, Alex. Show me what you’ve got. So far, I’m impressed.”
“I think we’re at an impasse. Let’s try something else.”
But Hunter already had something else in mind. He launched himself at her and flattened her on her back, pinning her to the mat beneath him.
She gasped. “You’re fast.” Squirming, she brushed against him in ways he could no longer ignore. “Hunter, move.”
He stared down at her and knew the time had come. “No, Alex.” He nipped at her throat. “I think it’s finally time we stopped dancing around the truth.”
Chapter Ten
“What?” Alex asked nervously but didn’t break his stare.
“I need you, Alex. And you need me. I feel it every time you look at me.” He groaned and kissed her. “Yes,” he murmured and leaned toward her lips. “I definitely think it’s time.”
She opened her mouth hungrily under his, and he took her acceptance gladly. His blood pumped and desire raced through his body, filling him with the urge to finally claim her.
“That’s it, angel,” he said softly before plunging his tongue into her mouth. He kissed her with all the pent-up passion he’d been feeling since he’d met her. And he almost exploded when she returned it wholeheartedly.
Needing to feel her naked body against his own, he quickly drew them both to their feet, then proceeded to strip her out of her clothing.
“Shit, you are so damned beautiful. You make me ache.” He felt shaky and confused at the intensity of emotion accompanying his lust. He wanted to make this right for her more than he wanted completion for himself. Watching her eyes darken to that emerald green turned him on more than he’d thought possible.
He hurriedly stripped and they stared at one another with awe.
“Hunter.” Alex sighed. “You’re so strong,” she marveled and touched his chest with a soft hand.
He closed his eyes as she stroked his chest, arms, a
nd abdomen. As her hands moved lower, it was all he could do not to throw her down and thrust into her greedily. When her hands closed over the hard length of him, he thrust against her palms, needing to shove her thighs wide and plunge deep. She slid her thumb over the top of him, spreading the evidence of his desire.
“Fuck, Alex,” he moaned.
“You’re wet for me. So hot and hard,” she murmured as she stroked him.
Hunter couldn’t take any more. He lowered her to the ground and covered her, ecstatic at the feel of her curves under him. “Alex, angel, please. I need you.” Thoughts of condoms faded as instinct consumed him. He could think of nothing more than his hunger to forge strong ties to this woman.
He kissed her ravenously, aching where they touched. He moved his lips over her mouth and neck to suckle at her ripe breasts. She mewed with desire, moaning his name, and he trembled with the effort to make it last.
ALEX CRIED OUT AS HIS lips left her breast, only to return to the other. She felt as if she were burning, needing Hunter as much as she needed breath. The things he did to her body... She arched into his mouth as his teeth closed over her nipple. “Hunter.” She thrust her hands into his silken hair, holding him to her.
She had never felt anything so right in her life.
“God, yes,” he purred as he kissed his way down her belly.
She writhed beneath him, wanting to end the blaze consuming her. She felt so empty, so needful. And only Hunter could fill her. When his lips found her clit, she spread her legs wider. Alex couldn’t stop the tremors shaking her, nor could she stop the flow of emotion surging through her body.
“Hunter, please,” she pleaded. “I want you inside me.”
He sucked hard and she cried out, so close to ecstasy. Then he blanketed her with his body. She could feel him poised to enter, his thick shaft at her entrance. But he did nothing until she met his fiery gaze.
“Watch me,” he ordered huskily and entered her slowly, stretching and filling her with his vitality. The pained hunger on his face shook her, and as they slowly became one, she knew she would never be the same again.
