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Olivia rolled her eyes as memories of Hunter's athletic prowess came flooding back to her. “Of course you were. You were always good at everything.”
“Did that annoy you?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Of course not. I was always too amazed and in awe of you to mind. Hunter Rawlings, Captain of the Football team. Top scorer on the basketball team. Best pitcher in the state.” Olivia shook her head in amazement. “Life was pretty golden, huh?”
A pained expression crossed his face, and she could've kicked herself for being so insensitive. She knew darn well his life hadn't been easy, particularly with the loss of his dad in the accident, not to mention the financial struggles of his family. She’d put her foot right in her mouth.
“I never felt my life was golden, Olivia,” he said gruffly. “Most of the time I felt like an outsider looking in. It was painful because my family struggled so much and I could never understand why God allowed it to happen. It took me a long time to realize that life isn’t fair sometimes.”
“I'm sorry,” she said quickly. “I know you had it rough, particularly after your father passed.”
She watched him clench his jaw at the mention of his father. He let out a shuddering sigh. “Losing h
im was like losing a limb. I felt like I'd lost a part of myself, the best part. He was larger than life in my eyes. The baddest, bravest, coolest man I've ever had the good fortune to know. I love my Mom something fierce, but I thought my dad hung the moon.”
“It must've been so tough on Mae raising four kids by herself.”
“It was,” he said grimly. “She did the best she could for us. We had a roof over our heads, hand me down clothes on our backs and more times than not, food on the table -.”
“But?” she prodded.
Hunter's eyes widened and his lips parted halfway as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to let the words come out. “But it never felt like enough. It always felt like we were treading water and waiting for the next flood. You remember what I was like back in the day...impatient, competitive, a bit cocky.”
“A bit?” she asked with a snort.
“I wanted to rule the world and I didn't hesitate to let everyone know it.”
“You always did have a lot of swagger. There was always this aura around you of power and self-confidence. That hasn't changed.”
“Fake it till you make it,” he said dryly. “I didn't feel powerful or confident, that's for sure. I never experienced those feelings till I got my seat on the stock exchange. Most of what you saw was bravado. Growing up here I never quite felt good enough.”
She remembered all the hoopla surrounding Hunter being given a seat on the stock exchange. His face had been plastered on the cover of Time magazine as Young Businessman of the Year and he'd received massive press coverage. The mayor had even declared a Hunter Rawlings Day in town, complete with a ticker tape parade and a fair. Mae had been extremely proud of her son's accomplishments and carried around his news clippings in a brag book. The only thing missing at the parade had been Hunter, who'd been on a business trip in Asia.
It had made her sad that he hadn’t come back to Savannah to be honored.
“So how does it feel?”
He turned towards her with furrowed brows. “What?”
“To be King of the world?”
He shrugged, his eyes downcast as he said, “Every King needs a Queen.”
“I'm sure there are thousands of women who'd give anything to be your Queen,” she said in a teasing voice. Although her voice sounded light and airy, her insides were doing flip flops at the mere idea of Hunter finding his one and only.
“Maybe all I ever needed was one.” Hunter had lost his cheeky grin and his face was now a mask of serious intensity. He was staring at her so intently she felt as if he saw right through her, straight to her soul.
With her heart in her throat, she turned away from him, turning her attention to the kids who were congratulating Harlen for hitting the bullseye. Olivia clapped along with the group, noticing out of the corner of her eye the way Hunter raised his fingers to his lips to let out a loud whistle of approval. Harlen turned towards the sound of the whistling noise and gave Hunter an appreciative smile. He moved closer toward her so that they were soon standing elbow to elbow, their bodies barely touching, yet an awareness flaring between them.
“So,” she said in a conversational tone, “our parents are getting married. Some folks might argue that'll make us brother and sister.”
Hunter shook his head and shot her a smoldering look that practically set her on fire. “There's no way I could ever treat you like a sister.” He reached for her hand and laced it through his own, playfully tickling her palm the way he'd done dozens of times in the past.
“Come out with me tonight,” he said in a silky, smooth voice full of teasing and persuasion.
Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest at the thought of being alone with him. Although it was the very thing she wanted most in the world, it was also the very thing she feared. “Where to?” she asked in a breathless voice.
“Dinner. Dancing. Dessert. And good music and conversation.”
