I press my palms against my eyes, trying to think clearly. “I can’t just text her something like that. And I can’t tell her on the phone either. This needs to be face-to-face.”
“Then do it tomorrow.” Hunter reaches for his phone, already making plans. “We need to plan to head back to town anyway. This storm could get dangerous.”
“Tomorrow,” I repeat, the word feeling heavy on my tongue. After tomorrow, everything will be different. My relationship with Olivia might be irreparably damaged.
Hunter’s fingers move rapidly across his phone screen. “I’ll have people watching the Harrison estate. Beyond your father’s normal security.”
“What? Why?”
“Because Jax knows about you.” His eyes flick up to mine, deadly serious. “And until I handle this situation, you’re vulnerable. Anyone close to you is vulnerable.”
My stomach drops. “Olivia too?”
“I’ve already arranged protection for her, though she won’t know it.” He sets his phone down and takes my face between his hands. “I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”
His hands cradle my face, and before I can respond, Hunter’s mouth claims mine in a desperate, possessive kiss. My body responds instantly despite all my racing thoughts and fears. His tongue slips between my parted lips, and I melt against him, fingers threading through his hair.
The sheet falls away as he pulls me onto his lap, his hands exploring my bare skin with a purpose that makes me forget everything but this moment. He tastes like coffee and something darker, something uniquely Hunter.
“Mine,” he growls between kisses, one hand gripping my hip, the other sliding up my spine.
I arch against him, the power of his touch sending electric pulses through my body. But even as I surrender to the sensation, a voice in the back of my mind whispers a warning.
What am I doing? What have I gotten myself into?
This man is engaged to my sister. He’s in some kind of dangerous organization with people who apparently want to hurt me. I know almost nothing about him except that he’s capable of making me forget all my principles with just a touch.
His lips trail down my neck, and I gasp, momentarily losing my train of thought. I clutch his shoulders, my nails digging into his skin.
The storm outside intensifies, rain lashing against the windows as if nature itself is warning me. But I can’t stop. Don’t want to stop. Even as I wonder about the consequences—about Jax, about Olivia, about this masquerade he insists I can’t attend—my body betrays me, seeking more of him.
“Hunter,” I breathe, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. Those stormy blue-gray depths reveal nothing of the secrets he keeps, only hunger and something that looks dangerously close to possession.
26
HUNTER
Every detail matters. I scan the ballroom of the Reed Technologies headquarters, watching my security team position themselves at strategic points throughout the venue. Glass chandeliers catch the afternoon light, casting crystalline patterns across the marble floor where hundreds of the city’s elite will gather tonight behind their masks and facades.
“The west entrance needs additional coverage.” I point to the blueprint spread across the temporary command table. “Position Davis and Lowell here. I want eyes on every entrance and exit.”
My head of security nods, making notes while I check my watch. Seven hours until the masquerade begins. Seven hours until I see Aurora again.
Aurora. Her name alone sends heat through my veins. The memory of her skin against mine at the cliff house, the way her breath caught when I touched her?—
“Mr. Reed?” My security chief’s voice pulls me back. “About the guest list verification protocol?”
I refocus. “Triple-check every ID against the biometric database. No exceptions.”
Penn saunters in, surveying my elaborate security setup with an amused expression. He waits until my team disperses before approaching.
“Planning for a war rather than a ball?” He picks up one of the security badges and examines it. “Fifteen armed men, facial recognition at every entrance, and...” he gestures to the screens showing real-time surveillance feeds, “enough cameras to make the NSA jealous.”
I don’t take the bait. “Jax will be here tonight.”
“He attends every year.” Penn shrugs. “Why the paranoia now?”
“He’s had Aurora under surveillance for over a week.” My voice drops to ensure only Penn hears me. “Not just casual observation. This is full surveillance. Tracking devices on her car, bugs in her apartment, men following her movements.”
