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With another squeeze of his arm, I took a step back. I suddenly realized how close we were standing, and the heat between us made me feel dizzy. “We’re friends,” I said, with a smile I hoped conveyed my concern. “We should be able to speak freely regardless of whether there’s a camera there or not. Right?”
Hunter nodded once again. “You’re right. I guess being in the spotlight just isn’t something I enjoy.”
I laughed. “What a way to find out!”
He rolled his eyes. “We should probably get back.”
“You leave first. I don’t know if anyone saw us walk away, and I know Paul and Louie will be heading here for your interview. They’re probably here by now. Friends are one thing; it might look strange, us walking out of a small building together.”
Hunter’s eyes went wide. “Shit. I wasn’t even thinking about that. Dammit, I’m sorry, Kip.”
What was it about the stupid nickname that made my heartbeat skip?
“It’s fine,” I said with a light-hearted laugh. “Go, and I’ll catch up with everyone in a few.”
Hunter placed a hand on my arm, leaned in close, and kissed my forehead…then paused for a few silent moments. My entire body was frozen. When I finally risked looking up at him, he delicately tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.
“Thanks for being such a great friend, Kipton. I don’t think I could do this without you.”
I forced myself to smile and say, “That’s what friends are for.”
Hunter took a step back, and I instantly missed the heat from his body and his touch. He tilted his head slightly before taking another step back.
“See you in a few,” he said quietly, then turned and quickly walked out of the tack room, shutting the door behind him.
I leaned against a small table as I placed my hand over my heart and tried to steady my breathing. Was I imagining the way he looked at me? Because it looked like he wanted to do more than simply kiss me on the forehead…and damn if I didn’t want that more than anything.
I closed my eyes. “You stupid idiot. You’re falling for him and you can’t jeopardize the money.”
The next few hours had me sitting in a chair across the living room as they filmed Hunter talking about a few of the girls. It appeared Jack had specifically chosen certain girls he wanted Hunter to talk about. They showed him pictures of each before the camera rolled, to remind him in case he hadn’t had a chance to talk to one of them at dinner the previous evening.
After the third one, Hunter’s nerves had calmed. His comments were sweet and polite, and if he hadn’t spoken to a woman enough to form an opinion, he was honest about that fact and simply said he looked forward to getting to know her more.
Truth be told, it was boring as hell on my end. I’d suggested interviewing the women, but Jack and Travis had wanted me here so that I could get a feel for how Hunter felt about each of the girls. Why that mattered to anyone, I had no idea.
Winnie sat next to me and looked as bored as I felt. I knew in the end they would edit out most of his comments and only pick the ones where Hunter said more than, “She seemed great, I can’t wait to get to know her.”
Leaning closer to Winnie, I whispered, “Do you think we could sneak out?”
She kept her eyes straight ahead and replied in a low voice, “If you find a way, I’m with you.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I was about to get up when I heard Jack say, “Kimber is next.”
“Oh, I remember Kimber,” Hunter said with a grin. “She’s beautiful.”
It felt like someone had dropped a brick on my stomach. I sat up and abandoned any idea of leaving. If Winnie noticed my sudden interest in the interview, she didn’t say a word.
“Then you don’t need any notes on her?” Jack asked.
Hunter shook his head. Jack pointed to Paul, and he began filming.
“Kimber,” Hunter said with that panty-melting smile. “First thing I noticed about her was her eyes…not really green, but not hazel either. They’re stunning. I like that she’s athletic as well. I think we hit it off pretty well, and I’m looking forward to our date. I think we’ll have fun.”
“If you grip that chair any harder, it’s going to break,” someone whispered from behind me, causing me to jump and let out a small scream.
All eyes went to me. Jack frowned, and Hunter laughed.
I turned around to see Rose, Hunter’s cousin. “You scared me!” I turned back to Jack. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”
