“Do what?” Hunter asked, sounding bored as he tossed the resume that was stained with tears on the coffee table.
“That,” Kylie said, gesturing toward the window just as the man that never should have tried to make eye contact with her husband lost the battle and began sobbing as he wrapped his arms around himself and fell back against his car.
Shrugging it off, Hunter said, “He wasn’t right for the job.”
“Getting an assistant was your idea,” Kylie reminded him with a sigh as she reluctantly turned her attention back to the file that she’d been working on even as she had to admit that she could use some help.
With Shadow House set to open in a month and all the changes that they were trying to make with Shadow Security, Kylie was exhausted. She’d been putting in extra hours every night and working weekends trying to make sure that they didn’t fall behind. She’d considered asking Hunter to hire someone to take over for her at Shadow House, but…
She couldn’t do it.
For the past year, they’d been working to make this happen and now that they were this close, she wasn’t about to quit. Just knowing that Shadow House could help one person who’d gone through what she’d gone through was enough to keep her going.
Well, that and Grey.
Shadow House was his baby and he was doing everything to make sure that it was ready on time. It had been Hunter’s idea, but Grey was the one that was making it come to life. He had the experience and knew exactly what they needed to do to help people who’d gone through traumatic experiences and was making sure that Shadow House could handle it.
“Because you’re doing too much,” Hunter said as she tossed the file aside and grabbed her iPad.
“Then why do you keep scaring them off?” Kylie couldn’t help but wonder as she looked for the email that she was hoping would help her figure out why the Boston office was two weeks behind on their reports.
“They keep annoying me,” Hunter said, not really sounding all that concerned.
“Then maybe I should pick out my own assistant?” Kylie suggested only to sigh when he mumbled, “No.”
“Why not?” she asked because it really would make things a lot easier if she didn’t have to worry about her husband terrifying the applicants before she had a chance to talk to them.
“Because you’re too nice.”
“And that’s a problem?”
“Yes,” Hunter said as Kylie looked up from her iPad and
“What are you doing?” she couldn’t help but wonder, not because he was pulling off his clothes, because she really didn’t have a problem with that. No, what she had a problem with was that predatory look that he had on his face, the same one that he wore whenever he wanted to
“It’s jump day,” Hunter announced, making everything inside her go still at those three horrifying words, which unfortunately had the undesired effect of making it easy for him to grab her before she could make a run for it and she really wanted to make a run for it.
“Wait! You said that we weren’t going to do that until tomorrow,” Kylie pointed out somewhat hysterically, but she couldn’t help it.
“I lied,” Hunter said as he tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the downstairs bathroom, where she would have exactly two minutes to change into her bathing suit before he broke the door down.
“I have a call that I have to make,” Kylie rambled on nervously even as she looked for something that would save her from another swimming lesson, but Hunter made sure to steer clear of anything that could help her escape.
“You can call them later,” Hunter said, stepping into the foyer.
“But it’s a very important call,” she mumbled sadly, trying to think of something, anything, that would save her.
There was one thing, but…
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, worrying her bottom lip.
Without a word, Hunter put her down on her feet and walked away as he rubbed his hands roughly down his face as he slowly exhaled. She shouldn’t have told him. At least not yet, Kylie realized as dread had her stomach turning and she couldn’t help but wonder if the thoughts that had been keeping her up late at night were running through his head right now.
She was terrified of turning into her parents. Grey had reassured her that she was nothing like her parents, but…
What if he was wrong?
What if she turned out to be exactly like them?
What if Hunter didn’t want to have a child with her? Kylie wondered as she placed her hand over her flat belly, realizing that she’d never wanted anything more than she wanted this baby. She loved Hunter more than anything and she wanted to have a family with him, but he might not feel the same way. He
“Are you sure?” Hunter asked, glancing back at her.
Worrying her bottom lip, Kylie nodded, once.
There was a heavy sigh, and then
He was pulling her into his arms as he placed one hand reverently over her belly. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” Hunter asked as he brushed his lips against hers.
“You’re happy?” Kylie asked, feeling her bottom lip tremble as she wrapped her arms around him.
She felt his lips pull up into a grin as he pulled her closer. “I’ve never been happier.”
*-*-*-*
Emerald, Florida
“Not fucking happening,” Chase said as he took in the large man standing in his doorway.
“And why’s that?” the asshole that better not have woken Sloane with all that fucking knocking drawled as Chase sat there, taking in the angry scar that ran down the side of his face that looked a hell of a lot worse than his.
“Because I don’t fucking need therapy,” Chase said, moving to slam the front door shut only to have the asshole reach out and place his hand on the door, stopping him.
“I wonder if you have any idea how much Sloane cares about you,” he murmured, looking thoughtful as Chase glanced back over his shoulder toward Sloane’s closed bedroom door.
“You’re here because of Sloane?” Chase asked, glancing back to find the other man considering him with a curious look in his eye.
“Would that make a difference?”
“Who are you?” Chase asked instead, turning his wheelchair around and headed to the kitchen.
“My name is Grey,” his unwelcomed guest said as he quietly closed the front door behind him and followed Chase down the hallway.
“How do you know Sloane?” Chase asked as he opened the refrigerator door and grabbed two beers.
“I don’t,” Grey said, accepting a beer as he leaned back against the counter.
“Then what are you doing here?” Chase asked, opening his beer and took a sip.
“I received an interesting email earlier today,” Grey said, taking a sip of his beer.
“What about?” Chase said, taking another sip only to pause when Grey said, “You.”
Shooting him a curious glance, Grey said, “From what I’ve read, she really cares about you.”
“She’s my aide,” Chase said, shrugging it off.
“Oh, she’s more than that,” Grey said, sounding thoughtful as he took a sip of his beer.
“Why do you say that?” Chase asked, placing his beer between his legs so that he could roll over to the counter.