Heart Hunter: Chapter Five
Evie entered the grand reception hall as if she were floating on air. Arriving a bit late on the arm of gorgeous Cameron Hunter, dressed in his formal Highlander kilt, was not how she’d envisioned starting the evening. In spite of her initial shock, Cameron had been kind and thoughtful, caring and incredibly sexy. She breathed in deeply and assured herself it wasn’t a dream as she suppressed the urge to pinch herself.
“Just a minute. Let me get a picture of this stunning room before we go further,” Evie said, pulling out her smart phone. Cameron paused at the entrance long enough for her to snap a picture of the sparkling crystal chandeliers and the shimmering décor that cast a luminescent glow to the luxurious room. Mercury glass vases overflowed with lush pale pink peonies beside glowing antique silver candelabras that formed the centerpieces. Multiple strands of pearls were draped over the backs of ivory cloth-covered chairs that bordered the long, rectangular tables covered in ivory damask.
As she clicked the final picture, Evie was surprised to hear Cameron growl. She looked up and her jaw dropped when she saw Divina stride toward them like an avenging goddess. The press had dubbed her a young Sophia Loren and Evie could understand why. Divina had put on a few pounds since her supermodel days, but lucky for her, they had landed in all the right places. Decked in a figure hugging red bandage mini dress, she stood out from the other ladies wearing feminine spring cocktail dresses. Divina’s scoop neckline framed her ample breasts and the ultra short hem above her famous mile long legs commanded, “Look at me.”
Evie smoothed her short dark hair with an unsteady hand. She felt dwarfed by the Amazonian starlet whose arrival charged the air with menace. Divina tossed her lion’s mane of blond-streaked honey brown hair and planted two loud kisses on Cameron’s lean jaws.
“Caro, where have you been?” Divina’s full lips formed a reproachful pout as her ruby tipped fingers possessively curled around his biceps. “Mama Hunter is very worried about you,” she said peevishly.
“What the—” Cameron muttered.
Divina thrust her chin at Evie. “Who is this?” she demanded, her exotic gold-flecked green eyes narrowed to jealous slits beneath imperially raised brows. With an arm looped around Cameron’s stiff shoulder, Divina gave Evie a dismissive once-over. He promptly removed her arm.
“Evie Parker.” Evie extended her hand and mimicked Divina’s insolent inspection. “And who are you?”
Divina’s outraged intake of breath pleased Evie. Clearly Divina expected everyone to know who she was. “Do you live under a rock? I am—”
Her retort was interrupted by the arrival of Kate, who rushed toward them with an elated smile and outstretched arms. She hugged Evie first. “Evie, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Turning to Cameron, she squeezed his hand affectionately. “Thanks for bringing Evie here, Cameron.”
He nodded. “My pleasure.”
Divina bristled beside Cameron and cast a petulant glance at Evie.
“Excuse us,” Kate said to Cameron, and then drew Evie aside to stand several feet away from him and Divina.
“I’m so sorry I missed the rehearsal dinner, Kate. The storm was awful. Wind and freezing rain, and no flights going out.” Evie shook her head. “Crazy for spring, but you know how unpredictable New York weather can be.”
“I do.” Kate smiled. “No worries. You’re here now.”
“You look absolutely gorgeous! Like a 1930s movie star.” Evie grinned and clutched her heart. “I love the way Alec picked you up and gave that warrior’s shout before he kissed you.”
Kate chuckled. “Yep, that’s Alec. Not a subtle bone in his body.” She touched Evie’s arm. “You look beautiful by the way. The dress is stunning on you.”
“Thank you so much for everything.” Evie’s hand made a sweeping motion down her front. “This beautiful dress… the shoes…the wonderful accommodations. You’ve outdone yourself.”
“You’re welcome. The best part is yet to come.” Kate’s bright green eyes sparkled playfully.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see.” She took Evie’s hand and started walking.
“Cameron has been very nice to me, but why is his ex here?” Evie said, sneaking a glance at them.
Kate’s brow furrowed. “Divina? She arrived with Mrs. Hunter. I’m not sure what that’s about. I thought Cameron was single now.”
“He sure was acting like it.” Perplexed, Evie watched Cameron and Divina join an older woman seated at a table who looked like his mother. She’d seen her before in an interview. Cameron kissed his mom on both cheeks before her arms slid around his back in a maternal hug.
“What do you mean?” Kate gave her a curious stare.
“After you and Alec left the church, lightning struck the canopy and it caught fire. When I freaked out, Cameron picked me up and ran to the car. He was very kind and considerate. He took me to his cottage to dry off after the rain…and to help me calm down.” Evie repressed a shiver. His tactics for “calming” her fear of fire had caused the opposite effect. Her body had pulsated wildly the moment his warm hand had touched her bare back. Evie felt blood rise to her cheeks remembering the blazing hunger he’d stoked deep in her core with his erotic kisses and caresses.
“He took you to his place? No wonder you were late,” Kate said, shaking her head. “We’d better hurry up. Your mystery date is waiting.”
“Huh? Wait!” Evie cried, rushing to keep up with Kate as she practically dragged her toward the other side of the room. She glanced back at Cameron, but his face looked tense as he and Divina seemed to be arguing. “I thought Cameron was my mystery date.”
Kate gave an amused snort. “Cameron? No, not Cameron. Alec only sent him to pick you up because your mystery date didn’t arrive on time. It’s Spenser Winslow,” she said triumphantly.
Evie stopped in her tracks and gaped at her. “The celebrity psychotherapist? The one who’s going to have a TV show in the US next fall?”
Kate nodded excitedly. “Yes, the one and only. He wasn’t able to make it to the ceremony because his flight out of New York was cancelled too.”
“How do you know him?” Evie managed to ask as she struggled to mask her distress. She should be excited about the prospect of spending the evening with the hunk psychotherapist. Spenser was famous in the UK for his reality TV show where he helped celebrities overcome their addictions. He was a girl’s dream come true, but after spending time with Cameron, the idea of being paired off with someone else filled her with disappointment.
Evie looked at Cameron’s table and noticed Divina was all over him. So Divina was still his girlfriend and he had been solely her ride to the wedding. Evie fumed, thinking how he must have laughed inside when she mistook him for her date. She had rejected him at first, only to yearn for him an hour later. She wished she hadn’t bared her soul to him, revealing her challenging childhood and coming of age. He had taken advantage of her vulnerability, stripping away her defenses with his skilled seduction.
Thinking about the intimate way he’d fondled her breasts made her fume all the more. He had toyed with her and had lived up to his reputation as a bad boy. Well, Heartbreak Hunter could go to hell.
“Evie, what’s wrong? You look upset.” Kate asked, jarring her from her musing.
Evie forced a chuckle. “I’m not upset. Not at all! I’m just surprised you never told me about Spenser,” she said to cover her affront at Cameron’s deception. There was no need to ruin Kate’s happy day.
Kate shrugged. “Actually, I just met him. Spenser is Cameron’s cousin from his father’s side. His mother was Scottish and his father English.”
“Oh, that explains why Spenser’s accent sounds more British than Scottish. I’ve heard him on some talk shows. How does Alec know him?”
“Alec’s younger brother, Robbie, was under his care for a drug problem several years ago. Unfortunately, Robbie died from taking tainted drugs.”
Evie nodd
ed. “I’m sorry. I remember you told me how his death affected Alec…and your marriage at the time.”
“Yes, it was a very bad time for Alec and his family. Thank God all that is in the past.” She smiled. “Spenser treated Robbie before he became famous. Alec hadn’t seen him in years, but he thought he might be good for you to meet, so we invited him. Anyway, he is eager to meet you.”
“I’m flattered he wants to meet me.” She gave Kate a raised eyebrow look. “But why me? I’m not a celebrity and I’m no raving beauty like the women he’s been photographed with. He can have his pick.”
Kate looked heavenward. “Don’t underestimate your appeal, Evie. You’re beautiful and your look is unique…different from most girls. Spenser said so when I showed him your picture. He’s moving to New York next month, and he’s ready for a relationship. He said he’s tired of the dating scene.”
“Well, that’s one thing we have in common. I’m tired of it too,” Evie said with a sigh. Her gaze riveted to Cameron and cursed him silently. He was just like the players she’d had the misfortune to date, yet he had fooled her easily.
They arrived at the table and Spenser Winslow rose to greet her. Looking like a Nordic god with wavy dark blond hair, piercing blue eyes and a granite jaw, his sensual lips lifted into a beaming smile. He was more handsome and dashing in person than in the tabloid pictures.
“Evie, it’s lovely to meet you,” he said in a cultured British accent. Spenser’s elegant hand curled around hers and she noticed how smooth it felt compared to Cameron’s slightly callused hands. Where Cameron was strong and muscular, Spenser was lean and rangy.
“Thanks, it’s nice meeting you too.” Evie schooled her features to appear poised when she really couldn’t believe her luck. Was there a full moon out there throwing celebrity hunks her way? Maybe this one was worth keeping.
Cameron’s jaw was clenched so tightly he could barely swallow the morsel of roast lamb lodged in his throat as he watched Evie delightedly chatting with his cousin, Spenser Winslow. His blood boiled at the irony. Cameron’s reputation was in tatters because of a certain Italian drama queen currently in the ladies loo, yet Spenser had the whole world fooled that he was a hero.
The reprobate was a dishonorable jackass and Cameron needed to get Evie from him as soon as possible. Spenser was plying her with French champagne and she already looked giddy. Unfortunately, the young widow was hungry for loving and hadn’t had it in a while. It was evident in the way she’d responded to him, all sweet fire and low-throated moans, but a wee bit scared to let go. The eager way she’d received and returned his carnal kisses lingered in his mind and the memory of her pretty, pink-tipped breasts made him harden again.
Earlier, a surge of protectiveness had prompted him to carry Evie to the car, away from the burning canopy when she’d panicked. She’d felt delicate, almost fragile, in his arms as her body had trembled with fear. And later when he’d kissed her, he’d had to shut things down or he would have taken her right there on the Persian rug. Now he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Evie’s soft cheeks were flushed and her eyes glistened like amethysts as she listened to Spenser. It irked the hell out of him to see how enthralled she was with the bloody bastard.
“Darling, why are you scowling? Is it because of Divina?” Mum inquired uneasily. Her hand shook as she patted her silver chignon beneath the jaunty hat decorated with a single orchid that matched her lilac satin suit. It was the first time since Dad’s death that Cameron had seen Mum wearing a color, and he was glad she was out of her mourning black.
“Divina is the last person I wanted to see tonight,” he said crossly.
“I couldn’t exactly refuse her kind offer to bring me here, now could I? Perhaps I should have stayed home.” She sounded hurt, which instantly made Cameron feel bad.
“Really, Mum, I can think of many other people who would have been glad to bring you, myself included, but you said you didn’t feel up to coming to the reception.”
“I changed my mind. I love weddings and this one is so beautiful.” She lifted a fragile shoulder in a helpless gesture. He noticed her blue-veined hands weren’t as skeletal as they’d been in the past. After Dad’s death, she had shut down for months, not wanting to eat or go out. It was a good sign that she’d wanted to come to the wedding.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said with an encouraging smile. “I just wish you hadn’t come with Divina. You know we are no longer dating.”
Mum sighed. “Aye, but the lass has been verra kind to me. I was hoping you would give her another chance.”
What the bloody hell had Divina been up to while he’d been away on business these past weeks? Mum was so blinded by her wish for him to marry and have bairns, she was lobbying for Divina of all people! Had she forgotten all the chicanery Divina had created after the boating accident?
“It’s not going to happen,” he said flatly.
Mum’s shoulders slumped and the corners of her mouth slid downward. “Divina loves you. She wants to get married and have bairns…your bairns,” she said urgently. “She said she is ready to retire and settle down in Scotland. She loves our country.”
Retire indeed! The little narcissist wouldn’t be able to exist without public adulation. And live in Scotland? Divina had once confessed she found Scotland boring and provincial. Regardless of her 74 years, Mum was hopelessly naïve. How could Divina win her over so easily?
Cameron felt like roaring, but he gentled his tone. “Don’t believe a word she says, Mum. It’s rubbish. Blatant lies.”
“I don’t believe she was lying, darling. She loves you, and she’s been very attentive while you were traveling. She took me shopping and drove me to my doctor appointments. She even brought homemade meals to fatten me up.” Her eyes grew moist. “Dad always wanted you to get married and produce heirs. He would have loved Divina.”
“I doubt it.” Dad was a lot more astute than Mum. Although, she was right about the marriage part, Cameron mused with a pang of remorse. He wished he’d been able to give Dad the ease of mind of seeing his son married, but after the convoluted love triangle in his youth between Spenser, Phoebe Fairchild and himself, Cameron vowed never to be a fool for love again.
Phoebe had chosen golden boy Spenser over Cameron, who had adored her in spite of her fickle heart. She had steadfastly held onto her obsession with Spenser, even when he married another girl to further his career. Believing Spenser was trapped in a marriage of convenience that he planned to terminate, Phoebe got the shock of her life when she got pregnant and he denied being the father of her baby. An ugly argument had ensued that resulted in Spenser backhanding Phoebe’s beautiful face and booting her out of his office.
Phoebe had run to Cameron for solace, crying and shaking so hard she could barely speak. He was so enraged to learn that her red, swollen face was Spenser’s handiwork, it was a miracle Phoebe had stopped him from beating Spenser to a pulp when he’d gone after him. Later, her misguided efforts to rekindle Cameron’s love only made him pity her more. When her family disowned her and she suffered an emotional meltdown, Cameron helped her out financially, but nothing more. He was relieved that she’d recently gotten married to a decent man.
Cameron gazed at his mother with sympathy. “Don’t you see what Divina is doing? She’s trying to win you over because she knows I have a soft spot for you, Mum.”
“You do?” Mum said, a smile shining through her tears. “I rather like hearing that, darling.”
“Aye, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you meddle in my love life,” he said inflexibly.
Mum raised her brows and sniffed. She turned her head and stared in the direction where Cameron was glaring. “Who is the wee dark haired girl you arrived with? She seems a lovely lass.”
“Aye, she is. Evie is Kate’s best friend and business partner. She was the maid of honor at the wedding. Pity you missed the ceremony.”
Mum nodded and pursed her mouth starchily. “Aye, it is a pity. I talke
d Divina out of going to the church because I knew you wouldn’t like it. We can’t have a kerfuffle at dear Kate and Alec’s wedding, now can we?”
“Agreed,” he said dryly.
Her cheeks were flushed bright pink as she unbuttoned the top of her suit and fanned herself. “My word, there’s no need to overheat a room like this. I wish they would throw open the terrace doors and let the lovely night air in. Are you warm too?”
“No.” Cameron eyed the Hunter Whisky bottle on the table. “I’m afraid Divina has been overindulging tonight. And you too, Mum.” That was putting it mildly. Mum had been unleashed tonight and clearly Divina was a bad influence. She and Mum had polished off most of the bottle already and all because Divina was out to prove she loved whisky when in reality she much preferred her Italian wine.
“I’ve only had a few wee drams,” Mum huffed. “Please check on Divina. She’s been in the loo for quite a while now.”
“With all she’s had, she’s probably retching,” Cameron muttered under his breath. He threw his napkin down. “Excuse me. I’ll be back shortly.” He headed toward the ladies loo to intercept Divina as she exited. He would not allow her near his mother tonight. The two were a bad combination.
Cameron’s jaw clamped down as he strode across the room. From the corner of his eye he watched Spenser turn the charm on an unsuspecting Evie. One proprietary arm was draped across the back of her chair and his body was crouched forward as he gave her his full attention. From the enchanted look on Evie’s face, it was clear that Spenser had already drawn her under his spell. Cameron was tempted to change directions and toss Spenser out on his ear, but he’d take care of him after he dealt with Divina.
Before the evening was over Cameron would accomplish two crucial things—send Divina home and move Evie to his table where he could keep an eye on her.
Heart Hunter: Chapter Six
Standing a few feet away from the ladies loo, Cameron crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Divina. When she emerged fluffing her thick mane of hair with both hands, he stepped in front of her. “We need to talk.”
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