Hunter Mourned (Wild Hunt Book 3) (38 page)

She curled her fingers around the back of his neck. The silky strands of his hair under her fingertips stirred her desires. She wanted to feel the locks teasing her chest, her belly, her inner thighs. She groaned and took over the kiss.

He tugged at her bag. She wiggled. The backpack slipped free and landed with a thump. Concern for her electronics rose. It faded with the hungry growl he shoved down her throat.

Her feet left the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist, grateful he held her. It made it easier to kiss him. Their teeth banged as the kiss grew wicked. His moans matched hers. She dug her fingers into his scalp and pulled him closer.

Cat, my Cat. Want to love you.

She froze at the words she heard in her head. Had she imagined them? He kept kissing her, working his tongue into her mouth and stroking hers. She must have. She shook off the thought and kissed him back.

That’s right. Kiss me. Need you to warm me as no other female has. I need you to be my life.

There was no mistaking the voice. He spoke to her telepathically.

Not right, not right.
She had to get away. She captured his tongue and bit at the same time as she shoved against his chest. She fell on her ass. He bent over her a second later. Glowing eyes locked on to her.

She screamed.

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Mist Revealed

Sometimes moving on means taking a step back.

Kyle Sander is an expert at starting over. At eighteen, he had his whole life planned out—marry his long-time girlfriend, take over his parents’ farm, have kids, and live out his days in Sander’s Valley. But his perfect life came screeching to a halt the day Ronnie Axel skipped town without a good-bye.

A decade later, the little rich girl he’d loved is back, looking sexier than ever. Finally, he has the chance to work her out of his system. Too bad he’s never been able to separate sex and love when it comes to Ronnie.

This time, their connection is stronger than ever. Unfortunately, the years apart didn’t fix their issues. Ronnie’s obligation to the Axel fortune threatens to tear them apart a second time. But it’s the family scandal involving her that might make their separation not only permanent, but…deadly.

C
HAPTER
O
NE

Out of all the bars in Pennsylvania,
she
had to walk into this one.

With his thumbs in his pockets, Kyle Sander leaned against the rear wall of the bar. Unless she looked directly at him, she wouldn’t see him. The broken jukebox to his right blocked him from her view. He couldn’t spend all night here, though. He had places to go. Things to do. None of those involved talking to
Ms.
Ronnie Axel, heir to the Axel fortune.

What was she even doing here? She should be surrounded by her pretty boys and the precious artwork she loved so much. The only thing resembling art in this joint was the reproduction gas pump a couple of feet away from him.

As for model-worthy men? Yeah. Not happening.

The guys in Sander’s Valley dressed like he did—ripped jeans, work boots, and a flannel. It was the attire of a blue-collar worker. Nobody would mistake him as anything else. He had the calluses and scars to prove it. Manual labor left its mark on a man. It didn’t matter if he owned his construction company or not. He swung a hammer along with his crew.

He craned his head to catch another glimpse of Veronica Gwendolyn Axel, Ronnie to her friends. She stood near the bar, one hand on her hip, the other holding a slim phone to her ear. He didn’t need to see her face. Her voice was one he’d never forget. Not rich and sultry, but rough and commanding. She sounded like someone who’d smoked a couple of packs a day for years. Not Ronnie, though. Hers was natural. So was her platinum hair. He could attest to that.

With her back to him, he had a perfect view of her ass. A clingy skirt caressed her rounded cheeks. It didn’t leave much to the imagination. Heels added height to her short frame and defined her legs. He let his gaze caress her curves the way he’d once licked them before focusing on her neck. Slender and pale, it still lured him the way it had in high school.

One more slow perusal and he decided the years apart had been good to her. Real good. His dick approved of the curvy, compact package she’d become. The rest of him, on the other hand, wanted no part of her.

“Lurking in the shadows?” Wyn chuckled. “Who’d you piss off now?”

Kyle dropped his head against the wall and met his brother’s gaze. Dark brown hair and eyes, a little scruff on his face, and a cleft in his chin—he could’ve been Kyle’s twin. Two years separated them, making Wyn the baby at twenty-five. Mama still called him her baby boy too. It amused Kyle every time. Wyn towered over all of the Sander boys.

“Nobody.” Kyle cracked his jaw. “At least no one that I know of.”

“Then what’s the deal?”

“Ronnie’s here.”

Wyn’s brows shot up. “
Your
Ronnie?”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “She hasn’t been mine since we were seventeen.”

Wyn peered over his shoulder. He gave a low whistle. “Damn, the years have been good to her.”

“Not too hard to keep her looks when she has the Axel family checkbook at her fingertips. She’s probably got a personal trainer and a plastic surgeon on speed dial.”

Wyn gave him a knowing look. “Still bitter after a decade? Come on, bro. I thought you’d gotten over her.”

Kyle had convinced himself he had until she’d walked into the bar looking like a goddamn wet dream. He shrugged. “I did. Just stating the facts.”

Wyn propped his elbow on the jukebox and perused her as thoroughly as Kyle had. Kyle bit back the jealousy he had no reason to feel and focused on the wall in front of him. If he caught a look of lust in Wyn’s eyes, Kyle didn’t trust himself not to knock it off his face.

“What do you think she’s doing here?” Wyn asked. “Her dad died years ago.”

Kyle’s family and the rest of Sander’s Valley had attended her old man’s funeral. It had been beautiful. She’d bought the best casket, filled the place with flowers, and topped his grave with the biggest headpiece in the cemetery. The only thing she hadn’t done was show up.

He crossed his arms over his chest and faced Wyn. “No clue, but let’s hope it’s a quick visit.”

“You’re not going to at least say hi?”

Kyle snorted. “Fuck no. I’m going to lay low until she’s gone.”

No way in hell did he want her to find out she’d been right, that he hadn’t done jack shit with his life. He was in debt up to his eyeballs with a struggling business. He had no wife, no kids, and no plans for any in the future. Only thing waiting for him at home was Mindy, the cat who’d decided he belonged to her, and a sink full of dirty dishes.

His gaze drifted to Ronnie. Damn if he could help it. He’d been head over heels in love with the girl. The woman, though, reawakened his floundering sex drive. His dick twitched just remembering what it’d been like to dip into her sweet sex. She’d been his first lover. He’d sworn she’d be his last. Then she’d upped and left without a good-bye.

She stepped into the shadows by the door and leaned against the wall. He couldn’t see her face in the dim light, but the silvery glow from the beer sign next to her showed off her chest. The light-gray button-down top complimented her black business skirt. He’d bet she’d worn a jacket earlier in the day too.

She slid her foot out of her shoe and rubbed at her arch. Her skirt rode up with the move, giving him a peek of her hot-pink panties.

He cursed, and his cock thickened impossibly more.

“Ronnie’s fucking hot.” Wyn glanced at him and smirked. “I wonder if she’s married.”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.”

“Good. Then I’m sure you won’t mind if I look her up while she’s home.”

Kyle was in Wyn’s face a second later. “Touch her and Mama won’t be able to call you her handsome little boy anymore.”

“Is that right?” Wyn narrowed his eyes, challenging Kyle exactly as he had when they were kids, right before they started pummeling each other. “You sure you’re over her?”

“Yep. I’m not a fool, you know. I tangled with the little rich girl once. I have no plans to repeat that mistake.” Actually, it’d been more than once. A hell of a lot more than once.

Kyle’s gaze drifted to her again. He felt like a damn addict needing another fix. Just one more peek.

Her drink sat at the bar, but she was nowhere in sight. He scanned the room. She’d disappeared.

His heart took up an erratic beat. “Do you see Ronnie?”

Wyn stepped next to him. After a moment, he muttered, “Nope, and the Carson twins are gone too.”

“Fuck.” Kyle ran toward the door, pushing through the crowd. The Carson twins were nothing but trouble. They’d been arrested more times than he could count. Not a damn thing ever happened to them either. They were given warnings and let go. Of course, that was what happened when their family ran the town. It had only been named after Kyle’s.

Kyle stumbled outside and scanned the sidewalk. Nothing caught his eye. He glanced from the alley to the abandoned metal shop across the street. Both would be perfect spots to take Ronnie if they’d meant her harm.

Maybe he was overreacting, but he’d always had a weird sixth sense where Ronnie was concerned. A few times over the years, he’d almost called her, just to make sure she was okay. He’d always resisted, knowing his voice wouldn’t have been welcomed. Tonight he didn’t bother worrying about what she wanted. She’d walked back into his town. Rules were different.

He debated a second more and darted down the alley.

A roughened feminine voice reached his ears. He followed the sound to the rear of the bar. Jeff, the stockier of the twins, had his hands planted on the wall by Ronnie’s face. John, the thinner one, leaned next to them but spun at Kyle’s approach.

He glanced between the two kids, twenty-one and stupid as bricks. “Let her go.”

Jeff jumped back and raised his hands. “Chill, Kyle. The lady and I were just talking.”

Kyle cut a glance at Ronnie. “Son of a bitch.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed. The shocked look registered, but he dismissed it. The ugly bruises on her face stopped his heart. Brown with green-and-black streaks, the worst blemish on her cheek told a story he’d learn if it was the last thing he did. Whoever had hurt her would pay for it. First, he had to deal with Fucktards one and two.

Kyle walked toward them, hands clenched at his side. “Doesn’t look like she wants to talk to you, Jeff.”

Jeff grinned. “Sure she does. She even asked us for help.”

“Really?” Kyle raised a brow. “That true, Ronnie?”

She shoved away from them. “Yeah, but it’s obvious they’re not willing to give it.”

“Oh, I would’ve given it to you good, babe.” Jeff made his way to his brother. “But we gotta go. See you around.”

Kyle followed their retreating backs with his gaze and resisted the urge to go after them. They disappeared around the corner, and he turned his attention to Ronnie.

“What’s wrong with you? Coming out here alone with them? That’s asking for trouble.” He wanted to shake her, pull her close, and kiss her plump lips. He settled for glaring at her. “They could’ve robbed you. Maybe raped you.”

“Nah, they’re just horny kids. All I had to do was scream, and they would’ve run.” She raised her gaze to his. The bruises on her face twisted his gut, but her hazel eyes mesmerized him, exactly as they had a lifetime ago. His words got stuck in his throat. Finally, she shook her head, breaking the spell she’d cast over him. “Ten minutes in town and I run into you. Talk about luck.”

“Good luck, I’d say.” He motioned toward the bruise on her cheek. “What happened?”

She folded her arms under her breasts. “Armed robbery.”

She lied. He could see it in her eyes. He stepped closer. “Don’t bother lying to me, Ronnie. I know you too well. What really happened?”

“I haven’t seen you in years, Kyle. You don’t know me anymore.”

He supposed she was right. He’d thought they’d spend their life together. She’d proved him wrong. Still, she drew him like no other woman ever had.

He brushed a finger over her bruised skin. “Come on, doll. Talk to me.”

She grinned. “I always loved that nickname, you know.”

He matched her smile, couldn’t help it. “And you’re changing the subject.”

“Armed robbery, like I said. I really don’t want to talk about it.” She snatched her purse from where it had fallen on the ground and pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her wallet. She held it out to him.

He glanced from it to her face. “If that’s for saving you, keep it. I don’t want your money. Never did.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, Kyle. I didn’t come back to this shithole town to fight with you. I was wondering if you could go back into the bar and pay for my drink. I’d rather not go in there again.”