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He reached for her chin, then dipped his head down and planted an achingly romantic kiss on her lips. The kiss caught her off guard, leaving her slightly breathless. She felt the warmth of his hand as it grazed against her cheek. His lips tasted like minty toothpaste. She kissed him back, savoring the taste of his lips as they moved against hers. He smelled like a woodsy cologne—remnants from last evening, she imagined.
If only this kiss could last forever. If only she could capture this moment in a time capsule, so she could relive it over and over again. If only Hunter loved her the way she adored him.
As the kiss ended, Hunter ra
ised his lips to her forehead and placed a tender, soft kiss against it. Every nerve ending on her body tingled. If she hadn’t already loved him with every fiber of her being, this simple, romantic gesture would have pushed her straight over the edge.
She let out a sigh. It was too late. She was already head over heels in love with Hunter. And perhaps the truth was, she had never really fallen out of love with him.
**
What a way to start your morning! Hunter thought as the limo curved a path through a long, winding country road bursting with glorious fall foliage. The car service had picked them up promptly at seven thirty, putting an end to their delicious country breakfast. Pancakes, grits, cinnamon rolls, eggs, ham and sausage. Not to mention his favorite—biscuits.
In another twenty minutes they'd be in Savannah, far away from the beautiful night they had shared and the delightful Red Oak Inn. They would soon be miles and miles away from their enchanted evening.
He stole a sideways glance at Olivia, who was sitting next to him looking as radiant as ever. No one in their right mind would ever imagine that last night she'd been forced to sleep in her clothes or that she wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup.
A dozen times or more he'd almost blurted out the truth to her during breakfast. Just as the words were about to tumble off his lips he'd reined them back in. He'd always made it his practice to separate business matters from his personal life. That was one of the reasons he'd become so successful in the high octane world of finance. Never the two shall meet. But now, inexplicably, his two worlds were on a collision course, and he knew if he wasn't careful, there was bound to be an explosion.
Why had he ever made the decision to acquire Renault Industries in the first place? Had he made this personal rather than strictly business?
Olivia moved to the edge of her seat and rapped on the glass partition with her knuckles. “Sir, could you make this left toward Tybee Island instead of heading downtown. Once you get off the exit go straight toward Savannah Beach.”
Hunter looked at her quizzically. “Where are you going? The youth center is in the other direction.”
“I'm going to Savannah House. I’m one of the new owners,” she said briskly.
Hunter's mouth hung open in shock. “You own Savannah House? Hattie Alexander’s resort? W-Why didn't you say anything the other night?” he stammered.
She shot him a smug look. “Because you were acting like an idiot. You were making all sorts of assumptions about my life and my future. Who was I to rain on your parade?”
The words he'd flung at her the other night roared in his head. I was trying to figure out what your goals are, where you're going. Could he have been any more obnoxious? Or judgmental? He had made a lot of assumptions. A feeling of shame washed over him.
“Miss Hattie left this place to us in her will—me, Callie, Morgan, Charlotte, Fancy and Hope. We’re meeting here to talk to the contractors.”
“So you're renovating the place?” he asked, surprise evident in his tone.
“Yes. As part of the will, Miss Hattie left us a large amount of money to make repairs on Savannah House. It was quite substantial, so it affords us the opportunity to make some updates before we re-open.” She had a smirk plastered on her face while he was sitting there scratching his head and playing catch up.
A substantial amount of money. Re-opening? He sank back into his seat as his brain began to process the information she'd just thrown at him. Just when he thought he was up to speed on Olivia's life, she'd thrown him a curve ball. It irked him something fierce that he'd so clumsily dropped the ball.
He let out a low whistle. “You really are full of surprises, aren't you?”
Olivia folded her arms across her chest and smiled. “I like to think I am.”
“So, how does this fit in with your passion for the youth center. Will it be hard juggling both?”
“I aim to do both. Because there are six of us I can’t imagine we’ll all be needed at Savannah House each and every day.”
Hunter let out a low whistle. “From what I understand, the resort was very lucrative back in the day. If you ladies play your cards right this enterprise could be very successful.”
Olivia clapped her hands together. “I know. It’s so exciting. When Mama got sick I dropped out of college so I could be at all her appointments and her chemotherapy sessions. I just had to be with her instead of sitting inside of a classroom just thinking about her.”
“Cancer?” He uttered the dreaded word as if it were a live grenade. There weren't many things that frightened him, but this was one of them. Just the thought of it scared him to death.
Olivia sadly nodded her head. “Breast cancer. She never smoked or drank a day in her life, yet she still got this terrible disease. She went from being healthy and robust, to having surgeries and scans and chemotherapy treatments. Through it all, she stayed strong and positive, even on the worst days imaginable. I could never be as brave as her. She fought cancer like a warrior.”
“She was a special lady,” Hunter remarked.
