“I’m fine.” He laughed again. “Anybody ever tell you you’re dangerous?” He’d taken hold of both my wrists now.
If he only knew. I couldn’t think of this now. I swallowed hard.
“Hunter?” My gaze locked onto his eyes. Trading him would be something I’d lament for the rest of my days, but I had to try something! “You’ll help me?” I didn’t want to trade him away. I wanted to keep him.
I’d like nothing better than to go on a glamorous date with this man.
Except it was impossible on so many levels it wasn’t even funny.
He touched my bottom lip. “Okay.” He seemed reluctant. “But you owe me that drink.”
“Whatever you want!” Kiss him now! That little voice chanted.
“Shut up,” I told it. I realized by now this voice was coming from my lady parts. I needed them to quiet down. Already they throbbed obnoxiously. If they had their way, I’d be straddling his thigh about now, ripping his shirt open. To hell with Star. To hell with the senator.
“I think the auction’s over.” He handed over my bag and steered me back inside. I brushed a few curls away from my face and realized the clip holding my hair up had come undone somewhere.
I was literally falling apart before his eyes.
The doors to the ballroom opened and swarms of Denver’s elite poured into the foyer. Oh, god, I’d never find her.
“Is that her?” Hunter seemed to have spied the woman. “Over here.” With one hand on my back, he guided me into the throng of attendees.
“DeLuca” One of the other bachelors winked at Hunter. “How the hell did you get so lucky?”
“Could have used some of that luck last month.” From another one. Where had all these amazing looking guys come from? I needed to come to more of these shindigs.
“Your friends?” I couldn’t help asking. Hunter rolled his eyes and in an exaggerated gesture presented me. “Holly…?”
“Mercer,” I provided.
He continued. “This is Kevin Dustin, plays football for Denver, and this ugly dog over here plays catcher for the Rangers.”
“Nice to meet you Holly…” The football player took my hand and actually kissed my fingers. “How about you ditch this loser and come with me?”
Ignoring the hulky football player, Hunter ushered me though their little group without apology.
“Not in this lifetime Dustin,” he muttered as he marched me away from them. “Over there.” His chest rumbled behind me. If I walked a little slower we’d be touching. “That’s her, isn’t it?”
It was her! He’d found her! I ignored my more primitive urges and forced myself to walk faster. I could move at a pretty fast clip without the stilts.
“Excuse me!” I waived my free hand. “Ma’am!”
The woman looked to be in her early forties. Sleek blond hair piled on top of her head, not a strand out of place. She looked me up and down and lifted one penciled in eyebrow at the sight of my bare feet. She seemed vaguely familiar.
“We have a bit of a… situation,” Hunter began with a dazzling smile.
She happily gave him her full attention. “Mr. DeLuca!” She pretty much crooned his name. “Fabulous season! Absolutely fabulous! When are you coming on the show? My people have been trying to set something up for ages!”
Just my luck. Of course, she was familiar! She hosted the other Denver morning talk show. I needed to pay more attention to the people I worked with. Kelly something? Kylie? Karrie?
“Karen.” Hunter shook her hand warmly. “I’d like you to meet Miss Holly Mercer.”
“Such an honor to meet you Miss… Miss… Krapper.”
“Klapper,” she corrected me with gritted teeth.
“Miss Klapper.” I tried to smile obsequiously. I’d have curtsied to her if I thought it would help my case. “I’ve made a horrible mistake. You see, I was supposed to bid on Bachelor number six, and I mistakenly bid on Hunter here… He was number five.” I dropped my shoes and the bag onto the floor and dug through my purse. When I located the note, I held it out to her. “The five really looks like a six, don’t you think?”
