One-Click Buy: November Harlequin Presents

by Susan Stephens

  ‘Go on,’ Lily said gently, as Amanda’s voice trailed off. ‘You’re among friends here.’

  ‘I’d like to think about having a relationship—you know, get out there…’

  Everyone in the group was nodding encouragement, offering congratulations on her huge achievement, everyone that was except Hunter. He was leaning back on the sofa, yawning unashamedly, not remotely moved by Amanda’s story and clearly thoroughly bored with the whole proceedings. Lily felt a flash of anger—what the hell was he doing there if he thought he was so superior? Well, she was going to find out—if this Hunter thought his story was so much more interesting than everyone else’s, it was time to hear it!

  ‘Hunter.’ Lily snapped him to brief attention. ‘Perhaps you’d like to introduce yourself to the group, share with us all a little of what bought you here tonight.’

  Perhaps not! The silence was interminable as he stared back at her and she felt impossibly hot and uncomfortable under his scrutiny and annoyed, too, that he could be so at ease with the pause in the proceeding he had created. ‘You’ve written that you’re hoping to achieve inner peace.’ She flashed a brittle smile. ‘That doesn’t tell us anything, Hunter—everyone in this room is hoping to achieve that.’

  ‘The teacher, too?’ There was more than slight insolence to his question and Lily determinedly didn’t redden, that bubble of anger in her starting to swell as somehow he managed to mock the proceedings that were taking place.

  ‘Yes, Hunter, even the teacher.’ Almost imperceptibly her eyes narrowed but her smile stayed intact—she was determined not to judge until she’d heard his story but years of working with people had given her an incredibly sensitive radar and it was bleeping loudly now. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, this man was here under false pretences, wasn’t in the slightest bit interested in joining in with the group. He was quite prepared to just sit there and let the whole group share their innermost thoughts and give absolutely nothing of himself. She knew all about shyness, knew all about people who needed some time and space before they could even begin to open up, but Hunter exhibited none of the usual nerves. ‘Most people come to a group like this for one of two reasons—either a major life event has forced them to reappraise their goals or they’ve realised after some soul-searching that something is missing in their lives and they would like to make more of themselves.’

  ‘Really.’

  ‘Are you happy in your work, Hunter?’

  ‘I don’t really have time to stop and think about it.’

  ‘Do you make sure that you have some time when you’re not thinking about work?’

  ‘I never think about work when I’m in bed.’ He gave her a very small but very suggestive smile and despite herself Lily felt the beginning of a blush spread over her cheeks. This man was incorrigible, but he redeemed himself slightly when finally he addressed the group. Not that he needed to redeem himself to them—they were eating out of his hand. ‘Well, as you probably all know, my main expertise is in futures, though I do have other interests.’

  ‘You’re a medium!’ Jinty breathed, gaping in admiration.

  ‘Hunter’s referring to the stock market,’ Lily corrected, smothering a smile as Jinty inadvertently brought him down a peg or two. ‘Am I right?’

  He gave a gracious nod.

  ‘What about your personal relationships?’

  ‘What about them?’

  Lily sucked her breath in in irritation, he was playing them all along and quite simply she wouldn’t allow it. She looked around at the eager, kind faces of her clients and knew she had to protect them. Putting down her clipboard on the table in front of her, Lily wasn’t smiling any more, her green eyes very serious as she faced him, her mouth opening to speak, to tell him what she’d never told a client before—that their time at New Beginnings was about to end—now!

  He’d pushed her too far—as easily as he read financial spread sheets, Hunter could read women, and he knew, just knew that this was one unhappy lady. And she really was a lady, from the tip of her blonde hair down to her prettily painted toenails, her trim figure soft and voluptuous in all the right places. She had naturally what so many manufactured—effortless beauty and grace. He flashed her a winning smile, but it failed to move her, those gorgeous almond-shaped green eyes narrowing, tense lips opening, and Hunter realised that for once flirting wasn’t going to save him. He was almost tempted to add another flip comment, curious, actually, to see how she handled herself, but, remembering the reason he was there, Hunter halted himself.

  Emma.

  His stomach tightened—the guilt that was ever present these days upping an uncomfortable notch as he recalled Emma’s pale, anxious face when she’d asked him to check out New Beginnings for her. And for that reason alone Hunter deigned to concede.

  A touch.

  ‘I’ve actually just broken up with my girlfriend.’ Hunter’s remorseful words beat Lily’s sharp ones and, giving a beautifully timed, regretful shrug, he played the sympathy card perfectly, cast his net to the engrossed audience and dragged them all willingly in. ‘We were about to get engaged—she’d even chosen the ring.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ Surprised by his admission, Lily took a second to regroup—she’d been so sure another smart reply had been about to come, had been positive he’d reveal absolutely nothing about himself. She was also certain, well as certain as one could be from reading the glossies that Hunter wasn’t in a serious relationship—but pushing her doubts aside, remaining professional, Lily dealt with the facts as Hunter saw fit to give them. ‘How long did the relationship last?’

  She watched as he squinted, tried and failed not to notice just how gorgeous he looked as he did so, dark hair flopping over his forehead as he counted on his fingers. ‘Two,’ Hunter started. ‘No, maybe three…’ His voice faded out as he did the maths and magnanimously Lily tried to help him.

  ‘Two years might not sound like a long time to some here.’ Lily smiled over at Richie, whose ten-year marriage had recently ended. ‘However, just because Hunter’s relationship is marked in years rather than decades—’

  ‘Not years,’ Hunter broke in, ‘months. We were together for two months.’

  An interminable pause followed—Lily casting her eyes around her group and trying to fathom how to incorporate Hunter into it, trying to give this impossible man a chance. ‘The end of a new relationship can be devastating,’ Lily attempted. ‘That first flush of passion, the sheer heady emotion of those first few weeks can evoke intense feelings of grief when it ends. Isn’t that right?’

  ‘I guess,’ Hunter admitted, to Lily’s relief. After all, Abigail had cried her eyes out.

  ‘Overwhelming feelings of loss,’ Lily offered.

  ‘Well.’ He nodded. ‘Abigail did seem very upset.’

  ‘Who ended this relationship, Hunter?’ Lily asked, confused by his response.

  ‘Me,’ he answered, as if the answer should be obvious and giving her a slightly startled look, which Lily chose to ignore.

  ‘And you chose to end it because…’

  He frowned before answering, actually looked as if he was thinking about the answer, and Lily found she was holding her breath.

  ‘She bored me,’ Hunter answered finally, as Lily’s head jerked up. ‘I mean, she was great to look at, fabulous in bed but, at the end of the day I guess that she just bored me. They always do in the end.’

  ‘In what way?’ Lily asked, remembering her training, though sorely tempted to slap his cheek. ‘Is it the woman herself that bores you or the thought of monogamy?’

  ‘I’ve never really given it much thought,’ Hunter shrugged, clearly bored with the subject, but Lily smiled and nodded.

  ‘Well, the end of a relationship is always a good time for introspection—a time to look at needs and wants that may have been stifled, to work out what we really want, not just from a partner but from ourselves. What would your ideal relationship be, Hunter?’

  ‘As I s
aid.’ He sounded just a touch irritated now. ‘I haven’t really given it much thought.’

  ‘Well now’s your chance!’

  He stared at her for the longest time and Lily decided there and then that his name was very apt—he looked like a hunter, someone who chose his prey carefully then pounced, because those blue eyes on her were hypnotising in their effect. He was so utterly a predator that Lily felt the hackles on her back rise in defence as he eyed her thoughtfully.

  ‘I want to wake up with someone in the morning and actually want to hear what she has to say. Someone who embraces her feminine side but isn’t intimidated by my masculinity. I guess what I really want…’

  ‘Go on,’ Lily croaked, suffused suddenly with images that were surely inappropriate—his masculinity, his good looks, his raw sensuality were not only intimidating but incredibly thought-provoking, and trying to stay objective and focused as Hunter discussed his needs and wants was almost an impossible task.

  ‘An equal,’ Hunter finished, blinking at his own admission. He was getting quite good at this, he thought. ‘An equal, though not an identical half.’ He elaborated a touch.

  ‘That’s very perceptive,’ Lily said, running a tongue over dry lips and dragging her eyes away from his to address the group at large. ‘Hunter has made a very valid point. Equality in a relationship is vital for its success—both partners valuing the other’s contribution to it and embracing the other’s individuality. All too often, however, I hear people saying that they want a relationship as if it’s the solution to all their problems. The relationship that you need to nurture is the one with yourself. I believe first and foremost in self-love—’

  ‘I don’t have any problem with that,’ Hunter interrupted. ‘But as a last resort, of course, I prefer the real thing!’

  Lily swung her head around, and she wasn’t the only one. The whole group gaped at Hunter, who didn’t look remotely abashed as he happily bought up the most delicate of delicate subjects.

  ‘When I refer to self-love…’ Lily cleared her throat, wishing that she’d bought her own polystyrene cup of water into the session ‘…I meant self-respect, actually liking yourself, knowing your own opinions, being at ease with your own company. Only when you’ve achieved that can you truly step into a relationship as an equal.’

  ‘Oh, that!’ Hunter dismissed.

  By the time the rest of the group had introduced themselves, Hunter had dozed off, his head drooping forward slightly, those knowing eyes mercifully closed. Lily decided that rather than waking him, to just let him sleep off whatever excess he was suffering from. But as the meeting continued, though she tried to give her all to her clients, tried to listen intently as Jinty spoke at length of her hope for staying sober and finding a new partner, and Richie spoke shyly about his first date in a decade, Lily could sense her own distraction, her eyes constantly drawn to him. Even while asleep he unsettled her; even while quiet he interrupted her thought process at every turn.

  What was he doing there?

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘HUNTER!’

  The third and final call had absolutely no effect. All the plastic chairs had noisily been put away and yet nothing had woken him up.

  For a second Lily actually considered walking away, throwing his jacket over him and leaving him for the cleaners to find in the morning. But integrity took over, and finally, almost scared to touch him, she tentatively reached out and shook his shoulder, feeling the solid mass of flesh beneath her fingers.

  ‘Hunter, the session ended fifteen minutes ago.’

  ‘Did it?’ Lazily he stretched and yawned, testing every inch of her patience as he languorously stood up and peered around the room, locating his jacket and rather unsteadily putting it on.

  ‘Is there any chance of a coffee?’

  ‘The urns been put away.’ Lily frowned at him. Gorgeous he may be, but those stunning eyes were clearly having trouble focusing. ‘Are you OK to drive?’ Lily checked; her natural assertion and training enabling her to deal confidently with this potentially difficult situation. ‘If you’ve been drinking, it might be wise to call a taxi.’

  ‘I don’t drink,’ Hunter answered.

  ‘At all?’

  ‘I tried it once and didn’t like it.’

  ‘You seem…’ Lily gave a small nervous swallow. If he hadn’t been drinking then he must have taken something—he was swaggering slightly as he walked.

  ‘If you have taken something then you really ought to think about—’

  ‘I’m not on drugs!’ He caught sight of her worried frown and actually smiled. ‘Unless you count an overdose of caffeine. I’m fine, just a bit jet-lagged.’

  ‘Jet-lagged?’

  ‘I flew in from New York this morning, or was it yesterday?’ he squinted down at his watch. ‘It’s still yesterday there.’

  ‘Have you slept since?’ Lily asked, worried now about him driving and feeling just a touch guilty for her earlier assumptions—he had every right to look a little the worse for wear.

  ‘Just then.’ He gestured to the room they’d left. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Tell me something,’ he asked suddenly. ‘Do you really believe that if you set your mind to something you can make it happen?’

  ‘To a point,’ Lily answered carefully, wondering where this was leading and realising that even though apparently asleep he’d taken in more of her session than she’d realised.

  ‘That anyone can better themselves.’

  ‘Of course.’ Lily answered immediately. ‘Unless, of course, you’re already perfect.’

  Her stab at sarcasm just drew a lazy smile from him. ‘Oh, I’m far from perfect, and I certainly don’t wake up in the morning and kiss the mirror and tell myself I’m beautiful and worth it.’

  He was teasing her and again Lily realised that he’d actually been listening all along.

  ‘I don’t actually kiss the mirror but, yes,’ Lily admitted, ‘I do encourage self-affirmation.’

  ‘Till true love comes along and then he can do it for you?’ He raised his eyebrows, mocking her with his words, but Lily stared right back and shook her head.

  ‘You have no idea what I believe, Hunter. I encourage self-love because I actually believe that the only relationship you can truly rely on is the one you have with yourself. A lot of people don’t want to hear it so I don’t say it. I hopefully get them to a point where they’re happy and confident in life and then the rest is up to them.’ She knew he didn’t quite get what she was saying, those knowing eyes narrowing slightly, a vertical crease in that perfect brow, and she told him her truth—revealed to him what she actually thought. ‘The truth is, I don’t actually believe in love.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really.’ Lily nodded. ‘I believe in lust. I believe in romance. I believe in mutual respect. But I truly don’t believe there’s one love for everyone, one love that can last a lifetime.’

  ‘Amanda will be very disappointed,’ Hunter said.

  ‘Amanda’s not going to hear it from me,’ Lily retorted equally quickly, assuming the conversation was over and turning to head for the door. But Hunter lingered, the derisive note gone from his voice now.

  ‘What about someone with, say, disabilities?’ Hunter frowned. ‘I mean, suppose for instance that someone had been told they could never walk again. Are you saying that if they really set their mind to it…?’

  ‘I’m not offering miracles, Hunter,’ Lily answered softly, ending the verbal sparring, sensing for the first time genuine confusion behind his words, wondering if perhaps she was about to find out what really had bought Hunter there tonight. ‘If someone who’s been told they’ll never walk again is focusing solely on proving the doctors wrong, they’re missing out on a lot of other opportunities. Maybe it’s better to expend that energy on different goals…’

  ‘Give in, you mean?’

  ‘I’d prefer to call it acceptance.’

  ‘That’s how you make your living I guess.’ Hunter
barbed response didn’t faze Lily this time—she knew his anger wasn’t aimed at her.

  ‘Just who are we talking about here, Hunter?’

  ‘No one.’ He flashed a brittle smile. ‘It’s just a hypothetical question. Right…’ For Hunter it was clearly conversation over. He held out several thousand dollars’ worth of the finest, most beautifully spun wool. ‘Do you want to borrow my jacket?’

  ‘Your jacket?’

  ‘It’s pouring outside,’ Hunter needlessly pointed out as they were having to raise there voices now to be heard above the driving rain that was bouncing off the roof.

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ Lily declined, smiling to herself at the thought of using such a beautiful garment as a temporary umbrella and filled with strange regret that once he stepped out into the night she’d never see him again, that whatever her group offered it wasn’t something he needed. Lily was filled with curiosity, too, as to why on earth he had come. He intrigued her. He was so utterly, utterly confident, so breathtakingly opinionated, and yet, on occasion—she looked at the proffered jacket—when Hunter wanted to be, he was disarmingly nice.

  ‘Take it,’ he offered again, his hand completely steady as he held it out to her, a curious half-smile on his face, but as she raised her hand to accept it suddenly everything changed. In that instant Lily knew, just knew that it was more than a jacket that Hunter was offering, knew from the way he was looking at her that the seemingly simple gesture had dangerous connotations and that stepping out into the night with him would be like stepping out with the devil himself. Brutally aware they were alone now, she felt like Snow White with the dwarfs all out at work, a tempting apple being thrust unexpectedly in her face. Telling herself she was crazy, that she was completely overreacting, she struggled to centre herself, to push away the ridiculous thoughts that were flooding her mind.

  ‘Lily?’ Softly he questioned her indecision but she couldn’t answer. His chest was at her eye level, the rate of his breathing matching her own, awareness, attraction swirling around her like a heavy fog, seeping into her clothes, her flesh, her mind.