Crossed (4 page)

“How did you know?”

“I worked for Cross Enterprises.”

“Worked?”

“I still do. It’s just that now I’m on a personal leave. Get in the car, Grace. You’re trembling.”

I hadn’t noticed my hands were shaking. Suddenly I felt weak in my knees and grabbed his strong arm for support, leaning against his body.

He held me there, brushing my hair with his fingers. The soft whisper above me eased the head rush I’d felt. “You’ve been running on adrenaline since the robbery. You need to rest.”

And slowly he opened the passenger door, helping me slide inside. I buckled up, leaning my seat back, unaware when Hunter had even gotten in the car or when he started driving. All I knew was that away from the commotion and the salon, I was finally safe—with a stranger, but safe.

Hunter held me under my arm as he walked me to my apartment. I leaned against him desperately, needing his stable stance. I found it odd that he was supposed to be the one in need of mental help, yet I felt like I’d just had my brain chewed out by millions of cockroaches. I handed him my apartment keys as if he’d been there thousands of times and let him guide me to my bedroom, where I lay down and passed out.

In my dreams, bullets flew past me as I bent back like Neo in
The Matrix
trying to avoid them. But one managed to hit me right in my chest. A red stain spewed over my white shirt. The hole in my body didn’t hurt. Although I’d been shot, there was no pain. Not until I looked down at the floor, where Hunter’s body lay motionless beside me. I crouched at his side, patting him down with my hands, looking for the source of the puddle of blood underneath. “Hunter! Hunter! Please, no! Hunter!”

I heard my own voice scream out his name as my eyes flew open.

“Shh. I’m here, Grace. I’m here.” His strong arms eased in around me, holding me to his firm chest.

Sweat beaded down my cleavage.

“You were shot. You were bleeding.”

“No, Grace. It was just a nightmare.”

Relief flashed through me as the events of today’s robbery slowly began making sense and I realized where I was.

“You’re here.” I reached up, cupping his freshly shaved jawline. He was so handsome and striking. The chiseled features of his face stood out prominently. It was difficult to believe that this was the same man who had walked into my salon this morning looking like a caveman. A man whom I’d promised a haircut but hadn’t given one to yet.

“Of course I’m here.”

“What time is it?”

“Six. Frankie and Marcie stopped by when you were sleeping.”

“They did?”

“Yes. All appointments have been rescheduled and Frankie booked people to clean up the mess at the salon. They’ll bring boxes with anything salvageable to the apartment. He said you should be back up and running in a week and a half. Your phone has been buzzing too. I turned off the volume.”

“Thank you. I don’t know how I got so tired.”

“It’s the adrenaline. Letting your body rest after a rush was exactly the right thing to do. If you don’t it can turn you into a zombie. Trust me, I know.”

My stomach grumbled.

“Is that what happened to you?”

“You’re hungry.” Hunter ignored my question. “I ordered Chinese. It’s in the kitchen.”

A delicious aroma of Asian cuisine overpowered the room.

“Yes, but I need a shower first.”

“Need help with that?” His mouth curved up. “I owe you.”

“Yeah. How about when I’m a zombie, then I’ll take you up on the offer?” I chuckled, secretly wishing I could turn into a corpse, like now.

“You’ve got a deal. Listen. I know I didn’t get a chance to do so, but I want to thank you for helping me this morning. Hopefully I can make it up to you.”

“Anytime, Hunter. And please remember that we’re even. You saved my life. From a man who is still on the loose. He knew my business, Hunter. Quite well. And I felt like he knew me too.” A shiver of fear flew through me.

“We’re going to find him, Grace.” Hunter answered as if he’d read my mind. “Go take a shower and call Emma back. We’ll chat about the incident later.”

Washing up in the bathroom was like a remedy prescribed by the best doctors in the city. The water and soap removed the sweat from my body, along with the layer of emotions I couldn’t comprehend. Each time I thought about what could have happened back at the salon and how lucky I’d been to get away with nothing more than a scratch, the trembles returned. And then there was Hunter. A caveman who could now pass for Beckham’s younger buffed brother had saved my life and changed his personality with the snap of my fingers. I didn’t know much about mental health issues, but I did know that life’s scars were as difficult to remove as real ones. Should I have driven him, the way Emma had asked me? How long would Hunter stay here? Spending the night on my own wasn’t exactly at the top of my list, so the hope of keeping him with me overnight was completely selfish. And I was desperate to be selfish tonight.

I towel-dried my hair and wrapped myself in my cotton robe. Hunter sat on a stool by the kitchen bar, gesturing to the seat beside him.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes. Thank you for waiting with me.”

“Of course. Where else would I be?”

“Rehab. Shouldn’t I drive you there?” I asked for the umpteenth time today. Was there any way I’d get an answer from him as to why he was supposed to go there?

And at that moment something passed between us. I wasn’t sure what it was, but the peaceful look in Hunter’s eyes and the vulnerability melted my heart. The idea of him leaving now just wouldn’t work. I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to know what had happened to him to put him in a speechless zombie state earlier. Would he tell me?

“Do you want me gone, Grace?” He swiveled the stool my way, patting the seat for me to sit down. I hopped up. My robe parted and my knee brushed against his leg. I held my breath before looking up into his beautiful blue eyes and whispering, “No. I need you here.”

“Good, because I think I need to be here too.”

The tension between us was like a wound fishing line holding a whale, ready to snap with a little tug. My pulse raced and I was beginning to worry I could become light-headed if whatever was happening here didn’t stop. While we sat only a foot apart, it felt too far. I wanted to be closer, much closer. I couldn’t help but feel that connection I always had when hope flourished in my chest—when I thought that the man sitting in front of me was “the one.”

Oh God! It’s happening again. Emma’s gonna kill me.

I’d promised my best friend I would stop thinking of guys that way. While she’d lost all hope a year ago when her boyfriend died, I vowed to find the spirit of Marcus, my fiancé, within another body and gave a fair chance to any guy I dated. Truth be told, most of them turned out to be jerks and didn’t deserve a second date, but Hunter had that aura about him that I hadn’t seen since Marcus died saving my life. Or was it just me again, fantasizing and mixing up reality with fairy tales?

“You were quite brave back at the salon.” Hunter interrupted my thoughts as he began plating my food and his at the same time.

“Too brave. Too stupid. I guess hanging around one of the bravest girls I know rubs off on you.”

“You mean Emma?”

“Yes. She’s like a sister to me. How well do you know her?”

“I’ve worked for Cross Enterprises for six years now. But that’s as much as I can say. I’m under a contract.”

“Oh. Secret stuff.”

“You could say that.”

“So why the mental institution?”

“Trauma.”

Well, that’s progress. It’s more than I got all day.

“You don’t seem traumatized.”

“Appearances can be deceiving, Grace. Another trigger and I could lose my ability to speak and move again.” He closed his eyes. “But when I remember those fingers of yours on my scalp… they brought me back. You brought me back.”

I reached for the chopsticks at the same time as Hunter. Our hands touched and we both froze. A frenzied current of longing passed between us, slowly weaving through my body and all those parts that swelled when I saw a hot guy. Except now, that hot guy was sitting within reach.

“I thought it was the gunshots that triggered you.” I cleared my throat and snapped the wooden sticks apart, somewhat breaking the tension.

“That too, but your fingers… they were magical.”

I felt my cheeks heat and the electrifying friction between us return. All it took were a few of his words.

“So you’re saying that I should drive you to this institution after all?”

“And if you do, will you sleep at night knowing the man who tried to rob you and kidnap you is still out there?”

Shit!
There was no way I’d even catch a minute of sleep, all alone at my apartment. It didn’t matter that this building had top of the line security. How would I go get groceries? What about going back to the salon to check up on the construction? I shook my head.

“How about I make you a deal? You don’t drive me, and I’ll stay here with you. Keep you safe… if you’d like.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“You shouldn’t. Don’t trust anyone, Grace. But you can call Tristan. He’ll vouch for me. I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to help find the guy, too.”

“I’ve already talked to the police.” I twirled the thin noodles onto my sticks.

“Right, and I’m sure they’ll drop all their murder investigations to find a moron who tried to rob you. Grace, the case will be on the back burner for months.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Let me find him.”

“Are you qualified?”

His brows rose up and down suggestively. “In more than one vocation.”

I laughed out loud.

“You don’t believe me?” Hunter reached forward and pulled my stool toward him. My legs rested between his. His hands were at my hips, gently pressing in though the thick flannel, holding me steady. My chopsticks slipped from my fingers but neither of us paid attention. The sizzle was back. That chemistry I’d felt earlier returned and fused deep in my chest, making my head spin.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Grace. I don’t want to overstep my boundaries as your guest, but if I don’t kiss you I may lose my mind and go crazy.”

“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

Were those words even mine? I didn’t have time to think because those perfect lips that had been covered with facial hair earlier that morning were now on mine, and I was about to faint.

C
HAPTER
4

“Wait, wait…” I said against his mouth, gently pushing at his chest.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m not sure.” I struggled to fill my lungs.

“Grace, what’s wrong? You’re pale. Come here.” And before I knew it I was snuggled against Hunter’s chest as he carried me around the counter into the kitchen. He set me down on the tile floor and lifted my feet up in the air, resting them against his thighs. The robe slid down my legs, revealing my panties, but I didn’t care. Drops of sweat rolled down my chest as I felt Hunter fumble with something above. A cool towel pressed on my forehead. My feet were braced on a stool and Hunter leaned over me, smoothing my hair back the same way he had in the shower at the salon.

“Better?”

“Yes, thank you. I sometimes get like this when I get excited.”

Crap, did I just say that?

“Interesting, so how do you pleasure yourself without fainting?”

“It’s a different kind of excitement; it’s called hypertension.” I lifted my hand up to the towel on my forehead, pressing it harder. “My purse, pills…”

Hunter passed me the medication and a glass of water. His mouth curved into an odd smirk, and I wondered what he was thinking. I remained on the floor a few more minutes, long enough to notice that the odd smile on his face hadn’t disappeared.

“Why are you smiling?” I asked.

“Because I’d never met a woman who carried a vibrator in her purse.”

Shit!
I forgot about that. And about the batteries I was sure were about to die.

He dangled the toy I’d been dared to carry in my purse. Never in my life had I thought another man would find it when I’d agreed to my best friend’s dare. Not that it didn’t come in handy at times.

“When was the last time you used it?”

Too long ago.

“Too private.” I shook my head lightly, pulling the wet cloth down from my forehead to cover my eyes. “Put it back.”

A low buzz sounded in my ears, immediately making my ass tense. On their own, my muscles responded to the familiar pulse on my sensitive skin.

“How about I put it here?” The rasp in his voice as he lowered the toy to the front of my exposed panties added another layer of vibration that my body was familiar with.

“Hunter… I… we just met.”

“And it’d be stupid of you to trust me.”

“Very stupid.” I nodded, but I couldn’t help but shift my hips slightly underneath the rubber toy.

“Even if your body wants me and I want you.” He moved the tip of the dildo along my panties before he slowly lowered my feet off the stool to the ground. With my knees bent, my feet were spread apart and my lower region looked as if it was completely ready for a man to take me. I wanted to get up but wasn’t sure whether it was such a good idea just yet. Besides, the pressure slowly building between my legs was beginning to feel more welcome each second. Would it be so bad to have a fling with this hot man? A man who worked for a reputable investigations company and had saved my life only this morning. I was willing to forget the mental institution part for a few minutes—minutes that could end up being extremely gratifying.

“Yes, even if that’s true.”

I’d never been careless. I hadn’t been with a man in over twelve months. Even when I’d labeled them as
the one
, none of them had turned out to be it. None of them got past first base. What would Emma do? She’d have jumped in the sack hours ago. She’d live it up and enjoy herself. Could I be Emma? Could I let go of the past and forget about the pain? I wanted to put that day behind me so, so badly.