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  “Okay. If it gets me out of work, I’m all in.” I laughed and sipped my drink.

  Bruce winked at Hunter. “I’ll owe you one.”

  “Well, it’s not like Hunter will be particularly put out.” Rodge laughed good-naturedly. “She’s just an admin, after all. Lovely to have around, but not really integral to the business.”

  Rodge had progressed to using cheap shots now, had he? He thought I was useless as well as worthless?

  Ordinarily I’d roll my eyes. I didn’t care what a man like him thought. Especially since his admins were probably useless. They were probably pretty, dumb, and eager. He probably paid them next to nothing, too. But if playing the wounded dove got Rodge a sour look, I’d ham it up.

  I let the smile melt from my face. Lowering my eyes, I picked at my nail, trying to portray how bad that comment stung. Woe is me, I’m just a lowly admin.

  Glancing up through my eyelashes to see if they were buying it would definitely blow my cover. Instead, I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and hunched my shoulders. I leaned toward Hunter and quietly said, “I think I’ll hit the ladies’ room.”

  He stood immediately and pulled back my chair so I could get out. I felt his hand slide down my back as I moved away.

  It was irritating that I had to let Rodge think he had got the upper hand. I hated showing him my vulnerability, even just pretending. But if Bruce grew even a little indignant on my behalf, it’d be worth it. Tarnishing Rodge’s character would be the first step toward victory. Hunter and I had to beat that snake of a man.

  After I washed up, I made my way back out to the table. I noticed Hunter’s vacant seat right away. I also saw that Bruce sat rigid, looking at his beer. Rodge was smiling and chatting as if nothing had happened.

  Both men glanced up when I returned.

  “Ah, you’re back.” Rodge beamed up at me. “It’s much more dismal when all the beauty leaves.”

  I gave him a placating smile before asking Bruce, “Speaking of beauty—where’s Hunter?”

  “Here.” That velvety voice made me shiver as Hunter came around me. He didn’t place his hand on my back, but his eyes delved into me, connecting intimately. “Did you want to head back?”

  In confusion, I looked at my beer level. It was still half full. His scotch was, too. I frowned. “Can’t leave fallen soldiers behind.” I met his concerned eyes again and lowered my voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “Why? Are you okay?”

  “I’m more concerned about you, Olivia,” he whispered, turning his body to face me, cutting the other two out. “If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll leave right now.”

  It dawned on me that Hunter didn’t know I was acting. He didn’t know me well enough to know that someone like Rodge wouldn’t affect me. Nor did he realize the power of a six-figure salary to a poor girl with a bunch of debt. I’d shovel dirt with a smile on my face for six figures. I’d wander around this place and serve coffee—who cared? There were way worse things. Like living on the streets.

  “Oh, no. I’m good. Well, my feet hurt a little, but another beer should cure that issue.” I patted him on the shoulder and moved to my seat. He braced his hands on my chair until I was comfortable. Only then did he sit down himself.

  “So what would you do with my company, Olivia?” Bruce said with a bright tone as he settled back. His eyes were serious, though.

  Maybe I’d hammed it up a little too much…

  “I’d probably wander into your IT department and geek out.” I laughed and sipped my drink.

  “Yes, you probably would. I’ve spent a lot of time there.” Bruce looked out over the bar. “I have a problem. I have three different voices telling me different things about what they would do, but I have no idea what would be best for the employees.”

  “Well, preserving them, certainly,” Rodge said easily, lightly resting a hand on Bruce’s chair to make himself known. I couldn’t tell if he knew he’d dug himself a hole a moment ago.

  Bruce glanced at Rodge with a contemplative expression, giving Rodge the platform he needed. Boy did Rodge take it and run. He leaned back and began a long-winded explanation about how he could keep the employees and their expertise, and still grow the company. He talked on and on, using business jargon and patting himself on the back at every opportunity.

  My eyes glazed over in boredom and I signaled the waitress. When she showed up, thankfully Rodge paused in his speech, giving me a moment to say what had come into my head. “Keeping on the extra people would mean a long, boring day for those without anything to do. If I was in that situation, I’d go crazy.”

  “I can’t imagine you’d sing that tune if you were the one losing her job,” Rodge said with a condescending smile.

  “I live cheaply. I was stressing after college because I didn’t have any income, but if I had unemployment, especially with all the extensions the state is granting, I’d survive. I’d rather job-hunt with a free day and money coming in than go to work and hate my whole day.”

  “Yes, well—”

  “What do you think, Hunter?” Bruce interrupted. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

  Hunter didn’t so much as shift positions. “I don’t have an opinion that you’d want to hear in a bar. A takeover is not a ten-minute debate over just one issue. For example, you have too many people as it is. The extra salary expense is siphoning off what you could be putting into product development. More redundancies in staff means a bigger money pit, not to mention it eats away at morale when you have people walking around half-dead with boredom, as Olivia said.

  “No, I wouldn’t keep on the extras. I’d offer a healthy package, aiming at the younger crowd who would stick out their hand with a smile and then go blow it in Europe. Then I would focus on breathing new life into your old hobby. The possibilities just five years down the road would excite you, I’m sure. But that will all take time and planning—things hard to express with an opposing viewpoint seated next to me.”

  “Point proven, decidedly.” I widened my eyes and grimaced comically at Bruce over the rim of my glass. I lowered my voice to a stage whisper. “He sure told us.”

  He laughed and stood. “Yes he did. Food for thought. Well, I need to hit the hay. My mind is whirling from all this business talk.”

  “Mine is half-dead with boredom,” I said with a smile before I sipped my drink.

  Bruce said, “Thanks for joining me. I’ll see you in the lectures tomorrow.” His gaze hit mine. “Which room are you in? I’ll call the room tomorrow to see what time you can come geek out with me.”

  I gave him the number as Hunter stood. He put a hand out to help me up. “We’ll head away, too, I think. It’s late.”

  It was barely nine o’clock, but I took a swig and stood anyway. Without bothering to look at Rodge, the snake, I tucked my hand into Hunter’s arm and let him lead me away. We trailed behind Bruce a little and gave a wave when he turned a corner. As we exited the building and found the golf carts, Hunter said, “You’re a genius. I hadn’t thought about young people who wouldn’t mind being laid off. And I bet Bruce hadn’t, either. That helps me a great deal, Livy.”

  I climbed in the passenger side. There was no way I’d find my way back in the dark. “Guys like you don’t often think about things like that,” I said, as Hunter drove.

  He reached across the space between us and gently took my hand. His fingers threaded through mine. “Are you sure you’re okay with my father’s comment?”

  He was holding my hand!

  I closed my eyes as the electricity jumped through the contact. I wanted more. I wanted all.

  “I was acting, Hunter,” I said in a breathy voice. “I don’t care about anything he said, and I certainly don’t care what your dad thinks. He’s too impressed with himself to be worth my time. But I knew it was a dick thing to say, so I thought I’d make sure Bruce noticed it.”

  Hunter parked and turned to me. The yellow light from the lamp next to us made his features appear as if they were
carved in stone by some great master. His hand came up and rested on my chin lightly. His thumb traced my lower lip. I could barely see his eyes in the dim light, staring at my mouth.

  “He did. I did,” Hunter whispered, bending closer. His lips barely glanced off mine, sending shooting sparks through my body.

  I closed my eyes, feeling his breath mingle with mine. Feeling it quicken as he kissed the very edge of my mouth. “I can’t ignore how you affect me, Livy,” he said quietly. “I want to kiss you so bad it hurts.”

  “Then kiss me, Hunter. Please.”

  He pulled my head closer and leaned his forehead against mine. “I…can’t. I can’t do this.”

  “Why?”

  His hands came to the side of my face. I felt him trembling as his nose slid beside mine, bringing our lips closer again. We breathed the same air, hot and fast, wanting each other. So close.

  He exhaled and backed away, regret dragging down his features. “Because I’m screwed up, Olivia.” Sorrow infused his tone. “Because I’m badly screwed up, and I’d just drag you down with me. Some people can get over issues in their past. Some people can heal. I’m not one of them.”

  “What happened to you?”

  He turned from me and exited the golf cart. “I was taken for a fool, and it scared me from wanting the things that others want. Come on.”

  Tingling deep in my core, I followed him without comment. We wound through the corridor until we reached my room. He waited for me to unlock the door before opening it for me. He glanced at the connecting door, which was still closed.

  When he looked back at me, fire fueled his gaze. “I want to fuck you, Olivia. But won’t if you’d rather not.”

  His velvety voice licked up my center and stole my breath. I nodded dumbly, my sex still swollen from the golf cart and now pounding furiously.

  “Come to me when you’re ready.”

  Chapter Five

  The door closed with a loud click that made me flinch. I turned to my suitcase, since I hadn’t put anything in the closet, and pawed through the various sexy items I’d brought. Black silk and lace slid through my fingers. I pulled it out and laid it on the bed before pulling out a garter as well.

  The material whispered as it fell over my skin. The end stopped on my upper thigh, revealing the garter. Lace dipped low on my neckline, showing right up to my nipples before the silk took over. I slipped into red high heels before opening the inner door.

  Hunter sat on his couch without a shirt. His perfectly cut upper body drew my gaze and made my mouth water. I entered his room before making a decision on location. I walked straight to the bed and pulled back the covers. I crawled to the center on all fours before I remembered his conversation earlier. He didn’t spend the night. He didn’t cuddle.

  I didn’t want to be kicked out. I’d rather him leave when I was already asleep. No harm, no foul.

  Kind of.

  I backed out as he stood. As I moved back to my room, he met my eyes. I didn’t bother saying a word, just walked through the door. A flash of regret crossed his face. He knew what I was doing, and why.

  I didn’t let it affect me. I needed his body against mine. I needed him inside me. If I had to go to bed alone, I’d do nothing but think of him. I didn’t care how deeply I was in—I was beyond being able to deny myself.

  I lay down on my bed and flared out my hair, settling into a sexy pose as he entered. All he wore were silk boxers, having removed the rest of his clothes before stepping into my space. He approached the bed like an animal sensing prey. His eyes burned as they devoured my body.

  He moved onto the bed until his side was pressed up against me. His hand ran over my stomach, feeling the material, before moving up, over the swell of my breast.

  “You’re so beautiful.” His lips trailed along my jaw. He reached between my thighs, nudging them wider before moving the material away from my bare sex.

  His breath grew heavy as his fingers trailed up my wet slit before circling the top lazily. One finger dipped into my body.

  My breath hitched and my body arched. I spread my legs wider. Another finger joined the first as he lightly sucked on the fevered skin of my neck. His fingers plunged, making me grab for him.

  His mouth moved down my chest. He pulled lace to the side, revealing my breast before sucking in a constricted nipple. I gave a strangled moan as his fingers moved more rapidly. Pleasure unfurled and moved through my body. I arched again, running my fingers through his hair.

  He lifted my nightie and then kissed down my stomach, circling my navel with his tongue. His big body moved between my legs, sinking until I felt his hot mouth on my core. I cried out, arching up.

  His fingers worked faster as his tongue swirled, firing shocks of intense desire through me. Pleasure wound through my body, tightened me up. I shivered and gyrated my hips up wildly. My muscles flexed. My breathing turned ragged. “Oh… Oh G… Oh—”

  An orgasm rocked through me. I convulsed in ecstasy, squeezing my eyes shut as my body shuddered within the waves of pleasure.

  “Good gracious,” I said in a breathy voice as all my muscles began to relax.

  Hunter moved up quickly, not giving me long to revel. He pushed his briefs down and then off. His fingers wrapped around the base of his cock and moved his tip from the bottom to the top of my wetness. He positioned at my opening before laying his body fully on mine. He licked and bit up my neck as he pushed forward.

  “Ooooh.” I sighed as he filled me. My eyes fluttered as I stretched around him, so deliciously full.

  Pleasure started battering me almost immediately. I scratched up his back and squeezed his middle with my thighs. His thick length moved within me. My hips swung up to him, taking him deep. With panting breath, I pushed his face up until his lips hovered just above mine. I could feel the heat of his breath and the roll of his body.

  My hands trailed down his broad back to his butt. I gripped harder, pulling him into me as my hips pushed up to meet him.

  “Yes, Olivia,” he growled, pounding into me. He hit off me with a wet smack, the sounds of sex filling the room.

  “Mmmm, harder,” I said, closing my eyes.

  His body rocked into me with more force. So deep. So filling.

  I hugged him close as he labored. “Yes, Hunter,” I said, rocking up.

  “Livy…” His voice coated me with longing. With both passion and pleasure, but also with a feeling deeper than I’d heard in his voice before. More substantial.

  I opened my eyes to see him looking down on me, his eyes liquid brown in the dim light. His gaze settled on my lips as fear covered his face, but still he bent toward me, barely glancing his lips off mine. “Livy…” His emotion showed in his eyes, in his deep, passionate thrusts, making it impossible for me to speak.

  I rose, trying to capture his kiss. Trying to cross the barrier that terrified him. Wanting to protect him with love and support.

  He hugged me tightly as his movements got smaller, but infinitely more potent. His lips glanced off mine again but still didn’t connect. His tongue came out and licked my bottom lip.

  I moaned, everything so tight. The movements so intense. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t speak.

  With his next powerful thrust, I shattered. A swell of pleasure pulled me under. I clutched Hunter, squeezing him close as I cried out my release. He shook a moment later, groaning.

  The sound of our labored breath filled the room. One by one, my muscles relaxed, and then melted. I closed my eyes, content with his weight and warmth on top of me. With his body still inside me.

  He shifted and kissed my cheek tenderly. He moved to the side, turning me to face away from him before curling up behind. His arms still hugged me close. My back pressed into his hard chest.

  I slipped my hand into his and settled more firmly into the pillow. I knew he’d wait until I fell asleep, and that my back would be cold when I woke in the morning. But I did not regret these times with him. Not for one moment. He kept sa
ying he couldn’t love, but each time we were together was more intense. More passionate. He gave in just that little bit more. I just needed to be patient.

  Chapter Six

  The phone in my room rang. I paused with my brush caught in my hair and dashed over. “Hello?”

  “Olivia, this is Bruce.”

  “Oh hey.” I yanked on the brush, wincing as my head yanked with it.

  “I was thinking about heading to the lagoon in a while, if you’d still like to join me?”

  “Yeah, sure. You know, there’s a spot closer to the hotel that has better Wi-Fi, if you’d rather go there?”

  “Great. Where?”

  I explained the location to Bruce, a place Hunter had found and texted me about an hour before. Bruce confirmed we’d meet in half an hour before hanging up.

  I yanked at my brush again, trying to dislodge it. My hair was a rat’s nest from all the rolling around I’d done with Hunter last night.

  My heart warmed at the thought.

  He’d lain with me until I’d fallen asleep, as I’d expected. What I hadn’t expected was waking up in the small hours of the morning as he slipped his arm out from under me before quietly making his way back to his own room. I wasn’t sure if it was another compromise, that he’d loaned his body heat and comfort to reduce the sting of his father from earlier, or if he’d stayed for his own benefit.

  One explanation made more sense than the other, but hope was a dangerous thing. I chose not to think about it much. It was safer that way.

  I threw on a sweater and took to my hair again, working the tangles out one by one, another lesson in patience. That done, I slipped into my sneakers and grabbed my computer. Hunter said I was to devote as much time to Bruce as needed. He was my sole focus. If Bruce wanted to blow off work and stick our toes in the lagoon while drinking margaritas, my job was to say, “Absolutely.” As Bruce was a really cool guy, I wouldn’t be at all put out if he did!

  With a bounce in my step, I pushed through the door of the building, headed to my trusty sidekick, the golf cart. As I turned the corner, I bumped into a tall, robust man.