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But still, the guilt had lived with me unabated until I heard her voice on the phone today.
I had to go and see her and confirm for myself that she was okay, even though I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with leaving Hunter behind.
“He’ll be fine,” I said, trying to convince myself.Ella is great with him, and I can call the police in case anything happens.
“Who’ll be fine?” I jumped at the voice behind me and turned to glare at Monty, who was watching me closely.
“Can’t I have a little privacy?” I asked him.
He shook his head with a cocky smile. “Well, I wasn’t sure you wouldn’t take off on me the minute you were out of sight.”
“Whether I take off or not is none of your business,” I retorted, walking back to the truck. “Your job was to find me and deliver a message. Well, you found me. Whatever I do from now on has nothing to do with you.”
“Hmm, yet here you are,” he said, and rather than look offended by my brusque tone, he looked thoughtful and slightly amused. He leaned against his truck door, regarding me. “So, who’s Hunter?”
I nearly choked on my words, but the lie instantly sprung to my brain. “He’s a kid I babysit. I was just talking to his mom, telling her that I won’t be able to watch him today.”
I was impressed at how smoothly the lie fell out of me. Monty seemed to buy it, too, because he nodded and turned, gesturing to the passenger seat. “Alright, get in. We have a long drive ahead of us.”
And it was. Most of it was completed in silence as both of us remained lost in our thoughts. I gave him a sidelong glance as he drove, trying not to look like I was watching him. But I was. I couldn’t help my eyes being drawn to him. Ever since the first time we met, the man always had this animal magnetism that lured me. And it wasn’t just his charming good looks and physique and the fact that he was a dead ringer for Thor. It was something else about him, something not quite as obvious, hidden between the affable smiles and devil-may-care attitude.
Some weariness that he had just under the surface.
I could see it now, even just by glancing at him for a few seconds. There were eye bags under his eyes and visible lines around his mouth. Though he looked young for being nearly forty years, the salt and pepper at his temples were made all the more obvious now.
This was a man who had lived life.
“Honey, you stare at me any harder, and I’m going to start blushing.”
Heat filled my face as I snatched my gaze away, annoyed at having been caught.
“I wasn’t staring,” I lied.
“Really? Cause I could have sworn my head was about to fall off with how hard you were ogling me.”
“If your head was about to fall off, then it has to be from that gigantic ego of yours.”
He chuckled. “It’s gotta be gigantic to match with everything else going on.” He winked as he glanced sideways at me. “If you know what I mean.”
Unfortunately, I did, and the memory of him inside me was like a metaphorical punch of desire in the stomach.
Damn, why did I have to be attracted to this man of all people? Even after I knew who he really was?
“Gross,” I said to cover up my reaction, and he chuckled again. There was a measure of silence until he said, “So, how are you?”
I glanced at him, a bit taken aback by the question.
“Fine,” I responded.
“Really?” he said. “Because you took off that night without a word?”
Why did he have to bring my mind back to that night? I had spent the better part of the last two years trying to forget it.
I shrugged nonchalantly, feigning indifference. “Isn’t that the natural conclusion to a one-night stand?”
“I wasn’t aware we had decided it was a one-night stand.” For the first time, there was a hint of tightness in his voice. His face still had the same unflappable expression, but I had a feeling there was more to it than he showed.
And he was right. That night we had spent together…there had been an inexplicable connection there that terrified me.
