The Borrowed Boyfriend (31 page)

Hunter pumped Max’s hand with a firm handshake. “Thank you, sir. You won’t regret giving me this opportunity.”

“I’m happy for the company, I really am. But mostly…” Abrams released his hand and slapped him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you. Such wonderful news! Congratulations to you and Jill!”

Five minutes later, Hunter was back in the washroom and on his cell, furiously typing a text. He had to meet with Brad and get this deal sealed before something went wrong. He hit
send
just as someone walked into the room.

“Writing to Mommy with the bad news?”

Hunter looked up from where he leaned against the wall to see Fred standing before him. “In here again, Fred? Got some kind of condition?”

“Beats what you’ve got.” Fred smirked. “Sore loser syndrome.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so quick to call a victory yet.”

Fred paused midway into a stall, holding the door slightly ajar between them. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hunter shrugged and shoved his cell into his pocket without giving Fred the satisfaction of a reply. It was up to Abrams to break the news, after all. All Hunter had to do now was confirm that Jill Jamison was fully on board. Of course, Brad had already assured him she would be.

Chapter Four

“You have got to be kidding me,” Jill exclaimed, meeting Brad’s eyes. They were still at the grill in their tennis clothes and Brad had just finished telling her how he’d explained her situation to Hunter roughly a week ago. Hunter had been so taken with Brad’s story—and concerned by Jill’s predicament with her publisher—that he’d naturally agreed to step right in. Hunter really had changed a lot, Brad assured her. No matter what she believed of him in the past, he was a true gentleman now. Jill stared down at the contract on the table, noting that Hunter had made several corrections with a bright red pen. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear she was looking at some hapless high-school English student’s first-term paper. Some of these changes were untenable. Hunter wanted
how much bigger
of a cut? “What’s Hunter thinking?”

“That everything in life is negotiable?”

Jill answered combatively. “The things in my life aren’t.”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.”

“Why does everybody keep saying that?” she asked, reliving her earlier conversation with Morgan, the one that had landed her in this crazy position.
Am I actually perusing a contract between me and Hunter Delaney? A marriage contract?

“Look, Jill. It’s all going to work out. Hunter really wants it to. So he made a few minor tweaks to the—?”

Jill’s brow rose with suspicion. “What do you mean, ‘He really wants it to’? What’s in it for him?” She didn’t know why, but something in her gut said things weren’t exactly adding up, including Brad’s assertion that Hunter had suddenly morphed into a gentleman.

Brad fidgeted with his coffee cup.

“Brad…?” she pressed.

“You can see for yourself! You’re the one who added the clauses! Ten percent of residuals, and…” Brad blinked twice, like he always did when he was lying. “Fifty percent of the advance money.”

“The deal was twenty, Brad. Twenty percent. How did that more than double?”

Brad sank back in his chair. “I’m afraid you’ll have to take that up with him.”

“You can just bet I will. This is ridiculous.”

She started to stand, but Brad stopped her. “Just one more thing.”

Jill took a breath, prepared for anything.

Brad spit it out quickly like he was afraid to say it. “He wants you to move into his place, not the other way around.”

That was really crossing the line. From what she’d heard, Hunter owned a cramped condo in the city. Jill had a spacious country cottage with room for her pets to roam. For all she knew, Hunter’s condo didn’t even allow pets! Jill had so much on her mind already, she couldn’t tolerate one more complication. Her grandpa’s retirement home had called this morning. Their rates were going up and they wanted to make sure Jill was renewing the assisted living agreement. There were several people on the waiting list, all of whom were prepared to make early deposits, if Jill found herself unable to. As her last bill was several weeks past due, the director found it necessary to press the point. Either she paid her balance soon—
and
a large deposit toward her grandpa’s next year—or her grandfather was out. Jill didn’t even know where she could move him at this stage. Most nice retirement places required residents to enter when they were still eligible for independent living.

“He says he’ll keep covering utilities,” Brad continued. Jill’s blood pumped harder and her head ached.
There are more conditions? Seriously?
“But he wants you to pay your own parking.”

This sent Jill straight over the edge. Here Hunter was offered a fair—no, make that
generous
—deal, and he’d thrown the whole thing back in her face. That was just like Hunter. Arrogant, self-serving, unbearable! A real gentleman now? Ha! Had she lost her mind even
toying with
the idea that this was doable? She’d sell off every last bit of her property first, starting with this stupid tennis racket. She reached for it again and her fingers tightened around its neck. That would save her from using it as a murder weapon. First against Hunter, then against Brad. Double homicide! No, wait. Since Brad was the one here, she’d probably have to kill him first.

Jill leapt to her feet and her racket slammed to the floor. Brad watched wide-eyed as she started shredding the contract, dropping it piece by piece on the table. One of the strips curled in Brad’s coffee cup, absorbing the dregs of his latte.

“Wait!” he cried in panic before lowering his voice to a whisper. “What are you doing?”

“Showing you—and
him—
what I think of this little counteroffer.”

“Jilly, you’re not being rational.”

“Read my lips.” She set her hands on the table. “I…don’t…care.” And she didn’t! Forget Brad, and especially forget Hunter. Surely there was another way to make things work. She didn’t need Brad, nor did she require the help of his conniving best friend!

“Trouble in paradise?”
 

Jill spun on her heels to see Cassandra had reappeared like a lurking phantom. She was toting a carry-out bag from the grill. “Are you stalking us, Cassandra?” Jill asked, reaching a hand behind her to the table. Keeping her eyes fixed on Cassandra’s, she grappled for the errant pieces of paper, balling them up in her fist. Brad helped by prying her fingers apart and shoving in a few extra strips.

“Hardly.” Cassandra’s eyes were cold blue crystals. Cassandra tried to peer around Jill to see behind her, but Jill shifted, blocking her view, and rammed the fistful of paper strips into her purse. “I just came back to pick up my lunch order. Headed back to the office.” She flipped her hair in an indignant manner. “Some of us work, you know. Even on Saturdays.”

“Yes, well…” Jill pressed her lips into a tight smile. “Don’t let us keep you from it!”

Cassandra obviously wasn’t ready to leave them in peace. “I could have sworn I heard you two arguing… Was that Hunter’s name I heard mentioned?
The infamous Hunter Delaney?
” She cocked her head at Brad. “Don’t tell me your sweet fiancée has a roving eye?”

Brad answered her stoically. “This is probably one of those times when it would be good for you to mind your own business, Cassandra.”
 

“Oh, but this
is
my business. It could be very big business indeed. Salacious details about breakups and infidelities sells copy.”

Instead of offering up a biting comeback, Jill held her tongue.

Cassandra gave Jill a slow once-over, then shrugged at Brad. “Fine. You two keep your little secret. But mark my words, I’ll get to the bottom of it. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, as they say, and there are big puffy clouds going up everywhere.” Her lips twisted in an evil grin. “My spidey senses are tingling.”

Jill turned to Brad as Cassandra sashayed away, her short skirt swishing. “Spidey senses?”

“I know. The woman’s touched.”

“Worse than that, she’s wicked,” Jill said. “She’ll do anything in her power to destroy me.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have won that tenth-grade spelling bee,” Brad teased.

She wanted to stay mad at Brad, she really did. But when he gave her those darned puppy dog eyes, he made it impossible. Susan was putting the screws to him, and he’d tried to find a solution. So what if it was an abysmal one? She should at least give Brad points for trying. “Shut up. That was years ago.”
 

Brad reached toward the floor, then handed Jill her racket. “Don’t want to forget this.”

“You’re being very trusting,” she told him, taking the racket. “I was thinking about using it to kill you only minutes ago.”

Jill stepped into the sunshine, recalling for the first time in an hour what a gorgeous June day it was. She’d been so caught up in those storm clouds of thinking about Hunter, she’d nearly forgotten. She addressed Brad, who walked beside her, hanging his head. None of this mess was his fault and she knew it. It would be good of her to let him off the hook, so he and Susan could move forward in repairing their relationship. “Don’t worry about it, okay?” she told him. “I’ll think of something else. I have to.”

Brad raised his eyes to look at her. “Maybe if you just talk to Hunter?”

“Don’t think so.”

“It’s still possible you could reach a compromise.”

Across the parking lot Jill spied Cassandra setting her lunch bag on the backseat of her shiny sports car. Was it Jill’s imagination or was Cassandra taking her sweet time getting away, just hoping to catch one more glimpse of them? “Truthfully, Brad? At this point in time, I’d rather die than see Hunter Delaney in person.”

“Don’t look now, then,” Brad said under his breath. “Because here he comes.”

Jill whipped her head around to spy a handsome, dark-haired man striding toward them and sporting a broad grin. He wore a blue polo shirt and khaki slacks, and was taller then she remembered, at least a good six inches taller than her. A heck of a lot buffer too. Muscles rippled beneath his shirt as he opened his arms wide. “Jill Jamison!” Hunter proclaimed effusively. “The woman of my dreams!”
 

Before Jill knew what was happening, he reached for her and clamped her against his chest in a big bear hug. His frame was rock solid and he smelled of musky cologne. Hunter’s arms wound around her, securing her at the waist. “Sorry, bud,” he whispered to Brad, “the press is watching.”

Jill stared up at him, her mind whirling. “Hunter! Just what are you doing?” She didn’t know why, but her knees felt weak and her mouth went dry. She was probably in a state of shock. It wasn’t like she recalled that old longing she’d had when she’d hoped to be in Hunter’s arms so many years ago. Then, she’d imagined him to be a different kind of guy…the sort who could really care for a girl, and sweep her off her feet with one kiss. Not that she’d let him try, especially after learning what sort of guy he
really
was. The type who was only in it for the moment, and wouldn’t have given her a second thought once she’d completely given him her heart. His dark eyes caught the sunlight as he dipped his chin toward hers.

“Making us public,” he said with a grin. At once, Jill felt transported in time and she was all of seventeen again, helplessly under Hunter’s spell. The next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers, all hot and heavy, his tongue sweeping in to taste hers. Jill sagged in his arms and he tightened his embrace. This was wrong.
This is insane…
But Jill found herself kissing him back, just a little at first—and then a lot. He felt so good and smelled so fine, she nearly forgot they were standing at the edge of a parking lot. Jill’s temperature spiked as her tennis racket crashed to the ground. Oh man, he was good. Better than good. Hunter’s skill was top-notch. Excellent. Why oh why had she waited so long? Or perhaps it was good she’d waited, until the fruit of her desire had ripened to perfection. Was it Jill’s imagination, or was Hunter just as ravenous for her? Somehow her arms were around him, her wrists overlapping at the back of his neck. It was almost like she was enjoying this, wanting more of him...
What? Hunter?
Jill called herself up short and broke away, stepping back with a gasp. At least she hoped she was gasping and not panting.
Whoa.

Hunter saucily cocked an eyebrow and spoke with a husky rasp.

“Can I take that to mean you missed me too?”

Jill cupped a hand to her mouth, her cheeks flaming. And it wasn’t just her face; her whole body felt on fire, particularly the parts of her that had touched him—flesh pressing flesh. For a moment she felt faint. Brad handed Jill her racket and she used it like a cane to steady herself against the ground. “That was a little over the top for
hi, how’ve you been.
”

Hunter screwed up his face with mock confusion. “I thought we were engaged?” His eyes darted to a parking spot not fifty feet away, and Jill glanced in that direction to find Cassandra watching them, her jaw unhinged. She stood by her open driver’s door, not bothering to hide her rapt interest. In fact, she appeared to be hastily packing away a camera. Brad had obviously spotted Cassandra too, because he leapt right in with a shrill cry.
“Engaged?”

“Sorry, Brad,” Hunter said loudly. “But all’s fair in love and—”