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“Seems like it. She has a hard road ahead of her. Therapy, school, her job, and now throwing Jackson into the mix.”
It was funny how his younger brother’s life paralleled Hunter’s a little. I didn’t point that out. I wasn’t stupid, and no doubt Hunter had come to that conclusion himself.
“Are you going to have time to rest before Destiny wakes up? What about work? Will you have to go in?”
He yawned before glancing down at the watch on his wrist. “If I’m lucky, Destiny will sleep a couple more hours, allowing me to get a nap in before my day starts. It was a long night, so I took advantage of the time and called out to our customers to explain what was happening.” His sexy little smile had me choking on my damn saliva. “Trust me, none of our clients want us working on their cars while we’re the walking dead. They’re all willing to wait another day.” He paused, yawing again. “What do I owe you for the pizzas?” he questioned.
I nibbled at my lower lip. “It’s my treat.”
Hunter shook his head. “Yeah, no Posey, that’s not how this works. Or how I work. I’m aware I inconvenienced you. You were still working, and I left you holding the bag, and my baby. The least I can do is reimburse you for the pizzas you got for us—which I really appreciate, by the way—and your dinner. So, you’re going to tell me how much it cost, and I’m giving you the money. Got it.”
His demands, made by belly wobble with need, and although I should’ve stopped myself, I didn’t. I saluted him and said smartly, “Yes, sir!”
“Fuck,” Hunter hissed out in front of me, then stood abruptly before heading into the kitchen with his plate.
Okay. That was odd. But bonus, since he got up, it allowed me to get off the couch and make my way over to the chair where I’d left all my stuff. When Hunter returned, I was busy putting on my sneakers. I glanced up. Hunter stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Money in his hand.
“If you have any blowback from your job, I want you to let me know,” he said, his voice gruff, like how I imagined characters sounded like when I read when the hero’s dialogue had a whiskey tone to it. Smoky with a bit of ruggedness.
“It shouldn’t cause me an issue,” I said, before sticking the book I’d been reading into my bag. “I just asked for the afternoon off.”
“I guess that means you didn’t inform your boss you had an unexpected babysitting gig?”
“No, sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” I answered.
“You’re not wrong there. Done the same a time or two myself.” Hunter held out the money. “Here, please take this.”
I glanced down at the hundred-dollar bill in his hand. “Listen, Hunter, it’s a slippery slope. I can and will take the money for the two pizzas.” I held up my hand to stop whatever he was going to say. “But I can’t allow you to pay for my dinner or for watching Destiny. CPS has rules, and I won’t break them.”
Hunter smacked his forehead. “Shit. I’m sorry, Posey. I didn’t even think of that. I don’t want to put you in an even more difficult situation. How much do I owe you for the pizzas?”
“It was sixteen for each pizza. And I gave the delivery guy a ten-dollar tip,” I told him.
He cocked a brow. “Nice tip.”
I smiled. “It was worth it. I didn’t have to wake up Destiny to retrieve my dinner.”
Hunter reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He tucked the hundred-dollar bill in and pulled out two twenties, which he held out to me. “Forty should make us even.”
“Perfect,” I told him before slipping the money from between his fingertips, making sure to not touch him. Otherwise, I might not be able to control whatever the hell is going on in my body and climb him like a tree.
I tucked the money in the front of my pants pocket. It was crazy, but in the privacy of my home, where no one would judge me, I wanted to sniff the money he gave me and see if it smelled like Hunter. “Night.”
Yes, I know it sounds slightly crazy. Don’t judgeme!
A sexy little smile flashed across his lips. “Or Good Morning.”
I laughed. “I’ll call you if something pops up on Destiny’s case. But the investigation is complete. Once I file my report from yesterday, you won’t have CPS hanging over your head. I also won’t have to talk to any more of your friends or family. Other than some follow-up, in the future. So, I guess what I’m saying is I don’t have to darken your door anymore.”
“What if I like it when you darken my door, Posey?” he probed, with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Jesus.
This man was potent.
Was he flirting with me? No, he couldn’t be. Why would he? It was bad enough that I thought I was going to combust, just from him talking alone I wanted to use my hand to fan my face to cool off. He had to be teasing. Throwing me a bone since I’d done him a favor.
Not having a clue what to say or how to react to his comment, I cleared my throat. “That’s more than slightly inappropriate, Hunter. I’m Destiny’s caseworker.” Even if I told him the case was closed. Argh, he made me a jumbled mess.
