Red Hot Obsessions (41 page)

Hunter’s lips curve up into a smile. Agent Williams holds out his hand. Hunter shakes it. “Thanks.”

“What agreement?” I say.

“The one where they reduce Jessie’s sentence to a week.”

“What?” I say, gaping at him.

“I’ll fill in the paperwork tomorrow. You can come pick him up then,” Agent Williams says. “Now, we have to clear the room, so please, if you will.” He points at the door, and Hunter escorts me out.

When the door closes behind us, I feel like I just closed off a part of my life I can never, ever return to.

Chapter 28
Explanations

“It’s true,” Hunter says. We walk to his room in complete silence. My throat feels thick, and I can barely swallow. So much information is being processed in my brain right now.

While I sit down on his bed, Hunter closes the door behind us, and he grabs a water bottle to hold against his face. The bleeding has stopped, and he’s wiped away most of it.

“My brother got himself involved in this crappy frat house so he could pay my college funds,” he says.

“Yeah,” I say, acknowledging I already knew that.

“Well, the Feds wanted to catch the damn bastard behind it all. I made a deal with them. I’d lead them to the boss of the entire operation, if they’d reduce Jessie’s sentence so I could bail him out and take him home.”

My jaw drops, and I can only stare at Hunter. I’m completely baffled.

Hunter places the bottle on his desk, and then takes a step forward. I freeze.

“This is the reason I couldn’t tell you anything. I was afraid it would blow the entire operation.”

“So you were basically … undercover?” I mutter.

“No … not really. Sort of, maybe,” he chuckles. “I’m not a cop, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Oh …” I don’t really know what to say. I’m flabbergasted.

“I’m just a poor student, enrolled thanks to his big brother. I was just there at the right moment at the right time. They needed to roll up the gang, I had an easy way in. One plus one equals two.”

“So they got you to do their dirty job?”

“Yeah, well, it was that or let my brother rot in jail. And that wasn’t really an option.”

He sits down beside me and gently curls his arm around my waist.

“So you were only in the frat house to get your brother out?” I say.

“That’s what I told you, isn’t it?”

“And the drugs, the dealing, the fighting, it was all for this?”

“I needed to gain their trust to climb up higher in the ranks. It was the only way I could find out who was running the entire thing.”

“Wow …” I let out a huge sigh, trying to process it all.

Biting his lip, he looks up at me from under his dark lashes. For the first time I see those gray eyes from a whole different perspective.

“Please don’t be mad at me for not telling you sooner.” He squeezes my waist and places his hand on top of mine. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m not mad,” I say after a while. “I just can’t believe that’s what was really happening.”

“I couldn’t tell you, because I knew it would jeopardize your safety. I could never risk that.”

“You didn’t jeopardize my safety; I did,” I say, chuckling. “Going to Brody was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Yeah, that was pretty stupid,” he says.

I gasp and pound him against the shoulder. He winces, laughing, but is barely moved by my pitiful strength. “Good punch.”

“Nah. Not as good as yours.”

“I can teach you. Just like old times.” He wriggles his eyebrows. “I can take you anytime.”

I chortle. “God, you and your sexual innuendos.”

“I just got a thing for you, can’t help it.” He inches closer and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Tell me you’ll forgive me. I need you.”

A flush spreads across my cheeks. After everything that’s happened, he still wants me.

“I just need to know one thing,” I say. “Was I part of your little operation?”

He frowns, confused. “No, of course not.”

“Seeing as I was Brody’s friend.”

“No. That wasn’t why I wanted to spend time with you.”

I lift my head, my eyes meeting his. “Then why?”

Hunter raises his hand and caresses my jaw. The pad of his thumb skidding over my skin creates goose bumps all over my body.

“I’m such a screw-up. I’ve always been a screw-up,” he says. “I wanted to free Jessie and sold my soul to the devil to do it. And then I met you. You’re like an angel, the complete opposite of me. You caught my attention the moment you walked into our campus, with your untamed hair, and pretty little eyes you hide behind those cute glasses.”

He licks his lips, his eyes flicking down toward our entwined hands, and then back up to my eyes. “Remember when I asked you if you thought I was trying to change you?”

Swallowing, I try to suppress the nerves, but lightning shoots through my veins.

I nod.

“I wanted you to change
me
,” he says. “To help me keep my promise to my brother. To keep me from failing at school. To keep me on the right track. To make me a better person. Because you can do all those things, and you did.”

He squeezes my hand, and I lace my fingers through his. Happiness buzzes through me, forcing a smile onto my face.

“I think you’re the only one who sees me for who I really am. Who knows what it’s like to be the underdog. You’re the only good thing that has ever happened to me. And I was so, so goddamn afraid I was gonna lose you over all this shit.” He lets out a big breath.

The moment of silence between us feels nice, and it’s the first time I’ve actually enjoyed not knowing what to say. I want this moment to last forever.

“And when you told me you loved me … I … I just …” He sighs. “I thought I didn’t deserve it. Something this good doesn’t happen for fuck-ups like me. I was always afraid of getting too involved with girls, so I kept them at arm’s length. I didn’t want to feel the responsibility that came with a relationship. It meant having even more to take care of. But then I never really had a girl like you before.”

He smiles. “You’re different.”

“Different how?” I say, muffling a laugh.

“Good,” he says with a wink. “Very good.” He comes closer, gently leaning his forehead against mine. His hot breath is on my skin, and it calms me down so much I barely remember what went down before. Being in his presence is soothing, and I don’t want this to end.

“And you know what? I think I love you,” he says.

A smile quirks up his lips, and I can’t hold back my laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he says. “You think it’s funny?”

I can’t stop laughing.

Hunter grabs me by the arms and pushes me down on the bed, while I’m laughing like crazy.

“Am I funny, huh?” he says, looking me straight in the eye.

“I’m sorry,” I say, still laughing. “I can’t help it.”

“Is me loving you funny?” Hunter’s fingers move to my belly, and then he starts tickling me ferociously. His skilled fingers make me squirm underneath him.

“No, no, it’s not funny at all,” I squeal, laughing hysterically. “Stop!”

“Beg me,” he says.

“Please!” I stammer.

He grins. His hands move up, gripping me tightly, and his fingers curl around my shoulders.

“I like it when you say please,” he says, licking his lips. I give him a playful slap. “See, you can’t resist my charm, Autumn.”

I frown, still chuckling. “What? You’ve never called me by my name.”

“Guess there’s a first time for everything. I still prefer Leafy, though.” He brushes a strand of hair from my face, his index finger briefly grazing my cheek.

‘Me too,” I say.

Hunter cups my chin between his index finger and thumb and then presses his lips down onto mine. It’s a soft and tender kiss, full of love. One I’ve been wishing for ever since I met him. His kisses swiftly turn into the more rabid, ravenous sucks and licks, as he starts pecking me all over my face and neck. I squirm underneath him.

“You’re my Leafy now, and I’m never letting you go. Ever.”

He places his hand on top of mine, pinning it above my head. I gasp for air as he takes my breath away, never taking his mouth off mine. Our lips are locked in a hot, sexy battle, our tongues dipping out to meet each other. He groans, heightening all my senses. I moan in anticipation of what’s coming, knowing what his love can do to me.

I’m delirious, and I love it.

I love everything about him. Who he is. What he’s made me be. We’re both strong, no matter the cost. Fierce.

And I’m his Leafy. Forever.

*

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Clarissa Wild is the Amazon Bestselling Romance author of FIERCE, a top 200 and top 15 New Adult Romance novel. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire's Bet series, the Doing It Series and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

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Back to Table of Contents

THAT FIRST KISS © J.C. Valentine 2014

Mercurial and charming, Tate Larson is a rising author and playboy who has a different woman on his arm every night of the week. Focused on his work, Tate has no plans to settle down any time soon. That is until he meets his pretty new assistant, Piper Donovan.

Desperate to escape the promise of backwater living, Piper ditched her Alabama hometown and never looked back. That was almost two years ago. Now that she is out of a job and her bank account is running on fumes, she's desperate to find a job, fast. She finds the break she is searching for when she lands a position at Bookish Temptations. A little dancing and a lot of drinks with the girls seem the perfect way to celebrate. After a brief but explosive encounter with a man she was never supposed to see again turns out to be the same man she will be bending over backwards to please, her every instinct tells her to run. But when running means leaving the life she has struggled so hard to create, Piper decides her only option is to continue working for the devastatingly sexy Tate Larson...even if it kills her.

Unable to deny their growing attraction, they struggle to keep their distance in a relationship that requires anything but.

1

Chaffing.

That was the foremost thought running through Piper Donovan’s mind as she fought to keep her hands from tugging at the stiff material of the tailored business suit. That and the handsome thirty-something currently scrutinizing every line of the glowing three page résumé complete with recommendations—recommendations that had absolutely nothing to do with the job she was applying for. Her colorful history as a barista, a cashier, and a brief stint as a hostess for a local five-star hotel, hardly qualified her as anyone’s personal assistant. The only reason she even applied was because she needed a job, badly.

For the last year and a half, Piper spent her time bouncing from job to job, trying her best to make a go of city life. She loved apartment living, loved public transit, loved the congested streets and…Okay, what she loved was being as far away from her Alabama roots as the last three hundred dollars from her childhood piggy bank could carry her. Anything beat the stale, backwater, small town living waiting for her back home, and if she didn’t land this job, that’s exactly where she would be headed. Frankly, she wasn’t sure she could handle returning to the double-wide, two bedroom tin can complete with meddling mother after experiencing all the world could offer her.

Simply speaking, she had to have this job.

Piercing eyes found hers as Felix Sinclair rested the thin stack of papers in a neat pile before him. Piper’s stomach did a nervous flip as he regarded her with a soft smile.

“You’ll have to bear with me. Normally, Mr. Bradshaw does the hiring around here, but with the increase in business revenue and…” He waved his hand through the air. “Boring business stuff, sorry. Long story short, the job has fallen to me.” His voice was deep and smoky, refined. Piper quite liked it. “What do you say we begin with a few basics?”

“Sure.”

“Excellent.” He grinned, showing off even white teeth. “I promise to make it as painless as possible. So, tell me a little about yourself, Ms. Donovan.”

Quite possibly the hardest question ever. Her gut reaction was to spit out something eHarmony worthy, but ended up saying “I’m originally from Wilcox County, Alabama. It’s a small town that’s short on opportunity but big on spirit. I like to think I got some of that spirit.” Encouraged by Mr. Sinclair’s answering smile, she continued. “From my earliest memories I have enjoyed working with people. I’m organized, efficient and I really want this job, Mr. Sinclair.” The note of desperation in her voice made her cringe, but it couldn’t be helped. Chewing the inside of her cheek, Piper hoped the slip-up hadn’t completely ruined her chances. Employers could be funny like that sometimes.

“So would you say that you work well with others?”

Piper nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes. I haven’t met a person yet that has been able to get me riled.” That wasn’t exactly true, but from her standpoint, what didn’t make it into the paperwork wasn’t worth mentioning.

“Hmm…” The sparkle of amusement in his eye made her curious, but he went on without elaborating. “It says in your
résumé
that you quit your last place of employment?”

Piper chewed her lip. “Well, it was either that or let them fire me.”

Reclining back in his chair, Felix studied her until her fingers betrayed her growing nerves and began fidgeting with the hem of her restrictive suit jacket. “I like your honesty, Ms. Donovan,” he said at last. “To be honest, I checked out your references before having my assistant schedule this interview, so I already know about the reason for your departure.” The reason was that one of her coworkers who had her eye on her promotion accused her of fudging the books. After a long and heated struggle to clear her good name, Piper had decided it was time to move on. “Between you and me, I think you made the right choice.”

Frankly, she thought so too, but it surprised her to hear him say it. “Thank you, Mr. Sinclair.”

“Please, call me Felix.” Rising from behind his desk, Felix’s long, nimble-looking fingers fastened his suit jacket around a narrow waist. Moving around his desk, Felix planted himself directly in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest as he perched on the lip of its glossy wood surface.

“I suppose if you are going to work here, it is only fair that I tell you what you can expect.” Piper sat up a little straighter, a spark of excitement making her twitchy. Was he saying she had the job? “Bookish Temptations represents more than two hundred authors, a handful of which are nationally recognized best sellers. But you know all of this already, I’m sure.” Piper nodded. She had, in fact, done her research before submitting her application, so she knew that everything Felix was telling her now was not only truth, but just a scratch on the surface of the type of success the company actually enjoyed.

“Good. Then that brings us to your employment.” Standing, Felix strode to a bank of tall windows that overlooked the impressive cityscape. “While we love all of our authors, there are a select few that we choose to focus on more than the rest. Writing, like any art form, is oftentimes a strenuous process and we like to make sure that our writers are comfortable and well cared for. Their job is important, which is why we want to relieve as much burden from their daily lives as is possible.” Pivoting around, the smile Felix offered her should have been warm and comforting, but all Piper felt was an inexplicable nudge of warning tickling her senses. “And that is where you come in.

“As assistant to one of our best and brightest, your main concern is that your charge has everything he needs to support his writing process. Now, I have to warn you, he is a little…ah, difficult to handle.” Felix laughed, a short and humorless sound, and Piper’s eyes narrowed on him in response as she tried to puzzle out what it all meant. “This job is not for everyone. We’ve already had two assistants quit on us less than a month into the job, so I am sure you can imagine that this position will take someone with the persistence and drive to accommodate him.”

“Um…” She was beginning to feel like she was a part of a military briefing. Next she would be told to suit up and hit the trenches. This man sounded like some sort of nutcase, or at the very least an eccentric. Maybe it would be wise to just walk away.

“You will make yourself available all hours at times, but the details of when and how often will be left for the two of you to work out,” Felix continued. “You will make sure that he makes any and all meetings and interviews, which you will be in charge of scheduling. Last but not least, you will also be in charge of making sure that he maintains a good public persona.” Felix went on to list a handful of other requirements before finally turning a wide smile and bright, hopeful eyes on her. “So, what do you think? Does this sound like the kind of job you can handle?”

The job sounded more like adventures in extreme babysitting if you asked her, but she needed it, so she couldn’t exactly turn it down. Not unless she wanted to reserve a room at
chez double-wide
for the foreseeable future. “Absolutely,” she said emphatically. “I’m a tough cookie. I can handle anything you throw at me.”

“I hope that’s true.” Stretching his arm out to her, Felix grasped her hand in a firm handshake. “Let me be the first to welcome you on board, Ms. Donovan.”

After going over a few more details with her—a handsome salary, plus overtime and benefits and the occasional all expenses paid business trip—he walked her to the elevators with a promise to see her bright and early Monday morning.

On the walk home, Piper couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face. She could feel it in the air—this job was going to change her life.