Authors: Katie Reus
She wanted to stop the memories, but they rushed in with a vengeance. As she remembered the way his wide palm used to cup her cheek before devouring her mouth, an unwanted shiver curled through her. His kisses had always been hot, scorching,
demanding.
And she’d been all too willing to give him everything he wanted.
Hunter never wavered as he stared at her, but she could almost swear he was remembering the same thing she was. She felt as if he were undressing her with his eyes.
Instinctively, she took a step closer to Michael.
“Honey? What’s wrong?” She could feel Michael’s eyes boring into her, but she couldn’t look away from
him.
From the man who’d broken her heart.
She didn’t respond. Instead, she stared into those hauntingly familiar eyes. Eyes she saw every day when she looked at her son.
Next to her, Michael turned and followed her line of sight. “Who is that?”
“Take me home.” She sounded like she’d swallowed gravel. They were the only words she could manage and they’d have to be enough. Anything else would require too much effort. Alternating rushes of heat and cold snaked through her body. She blindly reached for Michael’s hand and forced herself to look away.
True to form, her soon-to-be-husband didn’t argue as he hustled her to his vehicle. He held open the door for her and sped away. In the rearview mirror, she watched the SUV until they turned onto South Street. When she was sure he hadn’t followed them, she allowed herself to lean back. She stared out the window, watching the barren trees and houses with Christmas decorations fly by as they pulled out of downtown and into her neighborhood. She lived in one of the historic homes right on the outskirts of the downtown area so they didn’t have far to go.
Michael finally broke the silence when they turned into her driveway. “Was that Jonathan’s father?”
She opened her mouth to respond but her throat wasn’t cooperating. What was he doing here? Did he want to see Jonathan? If he thought he had any rights to her son, he was in for a serious surprise.
“Uh, honey?” Michael interrupted her thoughts.
She wrapped her arms around herself in a pathetic effort to stop shaking. “Yes. That’s him.”
Chapter 2
Well, that had gone well. Hunter slammed his fist against the vehicle’s center console. He hadn’t meant for her to see him. Hurley Beach wasn’t large and he had a fairly good idea where she was going so he hung back.
If she saw him follow her, she could react irrationally and he didn’t want her doing anything stupid.
She was probably in a state of shock. She’d stared at him as if she wanted to rip his heart out. Her eyes had narrowed dangerously, making her sharp, exotic cheekbones even more defined. Even angry, she was still beautiful and he hated that he noticed. Hated his ever-present physical attraction to her.
Absolutely hated it.
No one had ever gotten him worked up like her. She was so petite and almost delicate-looking, but he knew better. The woman could take care of herself. Not that it did anything to subdue his protective urge when it came to her.
Seeing her up close only made things worse. Those pale blue eyes of hers had turned to dark storm clouds. He’d usually only seen them like that when she was turned on. She had the same reaction when she was angry.
He kicked his SUV into gear and did a quick U-turn. As he started to pull away from the curb, his cell phone vibrated against his hip. When he flipped open the razor-thin device, a flashing icon told him he had a new email, so he put the vehicle back in Park.
As he scrolled down the detailed message, his lungs seemed to shrink in his chest. Everything he possibly wanted to know about the woman he’d left behind was in this message. Alexis wasn’t married, but she was about to be. And the guy was loaded. Some corporate jerk who made millions buying and dismantling companies.
Her son—her five-year-old son—didn’t have a father listed on the birth certificate. As he stared at the birth date, nausea swirled inside him. She must have been pregnant when he’d left. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was the father. The dates were perfect and he’d been her first. They’d always used condoms until she’d gone on the pill, but nothing was foolproof.
Obviously.
He was a father…
His blood turned to ice. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that the kid was his. No wonder she’d looked at him with a mix of horror and despair. He thought he’d been prepared for anything.
Anything
but this. She’d gone through her pregnancy alone and had raised her son—their son—by herself for all this time.
He had a
son.
The earlier anger he’d clutched onto reared its head with a vengeance. Tom Davis had not only stolen the woman he loved, but his son. And now he’d have no chance of being a father to him or a husband to Alexis. Even if he managed to keep them safe and make sure Davis was eliminated for good, he’d never have a place in either of their lives. He couldn’t make his poisonous past part of their future. Once he was sure they were safe, they’d be better off without him. But now that he knew what he’d be leaving behind, Davis was going to pay one way or another for what he’d taken.
After reading the email three times, he kicked the vehicle into gear. He couldn’t change the contents of the letter and he couldn’t outrun his past. He’d wanted to stick to his plan and simply watch her until he was sure she was safe, but now that she was aware of his existence that was impossible. Maybe he’d subconsciously
wanted
her to see him. He knew how to be invisible, but like an idiot, he’d tried to get as close to her as possible, just for a better glimpse of what he’d left behind. But when he’d seen her exit the boutique with that guy, he hadn’t been thinking about keeping his cover. No, he’d been thinking about kicking the other man’s teeth in and claiming what was his.
Except she wasn’t his. Wouldn’t ever be his again.
And now he had a bigger problem.
Even though he wanted to stay away from her, he couldn’t. He might be the last person she wanted to see right now, but he’d protect that kid and her with his life. Convincing Alexis she was in danger when she probably wouldn’t talk to him would take some serious finesse.
Unfortunately he lacked finesse on all levels.
Alexis didn’t know what else to say except yes. Yes, that was Jonathan’s father, and no, she had no idea why he was in town. A part of her had considered the possibility that Hunter had died. Sometimes she’d wondered if it would have been easier that way. Then it wouldn’t have been as if he’d abandoned her. Now all the anger and doubts she’d buried for years rushed to the surface of her sanity, threatening to bubble over.
“I’m coming inside with you.” Michael jumped out of the vehicle, and before she had time to protest, he’d rushed to the other side and opened her door.
Trying to ward off the cold, she tugged her scarf a little tighter as she stepped out. “Listen, I need to be alone right now. I…I don’t even know what to say or think.” Without waiting for a response, she headed for the front door.
She jumped when he slammed the passenger door with more force than necessary, but kept going. “What?” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
He was right on her heels. “When are you going to let me in, Alexis?”
“I just want some time to gather my thoughts. You can come over later—”
“I’m not talking about in your house! When are you going to let me be part of your life?”
“This isn’t about you. I just need time to think.” Another shiver rolled over her as the wind seeped through her jacket, chilling her bone deep. Something inside her core told her the tremble had nothing to do with the weather.
“It’s never about me or us. You only let me in whenever
you
feel like it. If we’re going to get married, we have to start acting like a team. Let me help with this.” His voice rose a few octaves.
Something she’d never heard from him before. She didn’t blame him for being angry, but she couldn’t give him any more. Not now. Maybe not ever. She’d let a man into her life once and when he’d left, he’d taken a huge chunk of her heart. Even though she was marrying Michael, it scared her to think another man could have that kind of emotional power over her again. She just couldn’t let him in. “Do you really want to have this conversation here?”
“I don’t care if we have it on the middle of Main Street. We’re getting married in a few weeks and I don’t even have a key to your place! I’m so sick of…” He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head, immediately calming down. “Forget it. I’ll call you later.” He brushed past her without a goodbye kiss and got into his car.
Part of her wanted to tell him to stay, but she couldn’t find the words. When he pulled out of the driveway, she noticed her neighbor across the street blatantly peering at her through open blinds. She quickly fished her keys out of her purse and let herself inside.
Before she could even think about anything else, she called Gwen.
“Hey, sweetie, I thought you were at your fitting.”
“Listen, can you pick up Jonathan after school?” She threw her purse on the foyer table and walked down the hall to her kitchen.
“Of course. What’s going on?” She heard the sound of rustling papers in the background.
Alexis forced the words out. “I just saw Hunter Cassidy.”
Silence.
“Did you hear me?”
Gwen cleared her throat and Alexis could picture her tapping her finger on her desk, something she did when she was nervous. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Join the club.” She pulled out a dusty bottle of red wine from one of the cabinets. She rarely drank, and never before noon, but something had to dull the agitated, restless sensation swarming through her.
“What are you going to do?”
“As soon as I figure that out, I’ll let you know. If you don’t mind, can Jonathan stay the night too? He’s been bugging me to stay over there for weeks anyway. I’d owe you big-time.”
“Hush up. You don’t owe me anything, you know that.”
“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll call the school and let them know what’s going on.” She wasn’t about to tell them
everything,
but she needed to give them a heads-up.
As soon as they disconnected, she rubbed the back of her neck and dialed the school. How was this possible? And so close to her wedding no less. Talk about Murphy’s Law.
The wall clock told her it was just past twelve. Perfect. Now she didn’t feel too guilty about the wine. After a brief conversation with a school administrator, she poured herself a small glass, then started a bubble bath.
Since buying her house four years ago, Alexis had slowly renovated each room. Her bathroom had been the first major overhaul. As she slipped into the whirlpool tub, she was thankful she’d decided to spend the extra money on the massage jets. She stayed under the water until her fingers turned to prunes. Still, a fracturing headache lingered at the back of her skull.
The dull throb in her head rapidly spread through the rest of her body when she stepped from the tub. She felt as if the imaginary bandage she’d kept on her heart for the past six years had been ripped off.
In one quick swoop.
No warning,
nothing.
Just bam, Hunter shows up out of the blue. A million times she’d practiced what she would say to him if she ever saw him. In none of those scenarios had she frozen like an idiot. She should have confronted him, yelled at him or…done something.
After brushing her hair and wringing out the dampness, she pulled her terry-cloth towel tighter around her body and opened the door to her bedroom. A movement from the corner of the room caught her eye, and she let out a startled shout.
On the other side of the room, a dark, muscular man held a vicious-looking knife in his hand. He wore a black sweater, black jacket and gloves, and a black ski mask had been pushed back up on his head. Exposing his face. He obviously didn’t care if she saw him. Her throat seized as the knowledge sank in. She gauged the distance to her bedroom door. She’d never make it out.
It felt as if time stood still. Her palms turned to ice and a low roar started in her ears. She was
not
going to become a victim.
Somehow she found her voice. “My jewelry is on the nightstand, and I have money in the safe.” She clutched her towel tighter and backed up a step. Never before had she felt so exposed. So vulnerable.
Her body alternated between flashes of hot and cold. She couldn’t take her eyes off the deadly blade in his hand.
“I’ll take that and more.” He spoke in a clipped accent.
Terror forked through her body like jagged lightning at the implication. She opened her mouth, but her tongue seemed to swell.
His empty eyes hardened when she didn’t respond. “Where’s the kid?”
“What?” Her voice came out as a whisper.
He held up the knife and twisted it slowly in his hand. The metal gleamed wickedly in the light, illuminating his expression. The dark flash of lust in his eyes made her want to vomit.
He is enjoying this.
Ignoring her question, he took a step closer. Alexis didn’t pause. She lunged back into the bathroom and slammed the lock into place. If he wanted in, he would have to shoot through the door to get to her. And she hadn’t seen a gun. Of course he could try kicking through but the door was solid oak. It had cost a small fortune and now she was thankful for it.
She moved behind the huge wooden linen cabinet and pushed it over until it fell in front of the door. Then she pulled out a can of hair spray and huddled behind it, using her legs to push against it and the door, adding extra weight. If he did blast into the room, she might be able to catch him off guard enough to spray him in the eyes and escape. It wasn’t pepper spray, but it could do some damage.
Before she had time to even think of any other plan of action, there was a bang on the door. She heard muted movements and loud shouts just outside.
Then nothing but silence. Eerie silence.