Operation Prince Charming (11 page)

“Please,” she gasped, her voice a hoarse plea.

Hunter removed his finger, and she fell back until her butt hit the shower wall. He leaned
forward and braced his hands on the glass, one on each side of her head.

Lowering his lips, he brought them toward her ear as if he was about to confess his naughtiest secret.

“Please, what?” he asked, breathing hard.

She hooked a leg around his waist and pulled him close until his incredible hardness rested against her stomach. “I’ve wanted this so long,” she said. “
Please
don’t make me wait.”

Ali shivered as Hunter stepped out of the shower, already missing the overwhelmingly masculine presence of his body. She heard the wrapper rip on a foil packet, and he returned to the steamy shower fully sheathed.

Hunter’s hands slid down over her hips until he was lifting her butt with both hands. Ali grasped his wide shoulders and straddled him, wrapping her legs around his trim waist.

She closed her eyes in anticipation. She’d wanted this so badly for so long, and finally, it was hers for the taking.

“Look at me,” Hunter huskily demanded.

Ali opened her eyes, meeting his hot gaze as he lowered her onto his erection. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades, and she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out in joy as he filled her.

“So tight,” he said in a broken whisper. “And so damned sweet.”

Hunter stood motionless, and Ali knew he,
like she, was savoring the moment. Trying to prolong it, before animal instinct took over.

Then he began to move.

Ali’s breath hitched as he thrust upward into her heat and pulled back. Deep and achingly slow. Each powerful movement sending ripples of pleasure pulsating up and down her spine.

Pinned between the shower wall and his body, she rode him, her pelvis rocking back and forth meeting his thrusts with her own. Her inner walls clamped down on him as he stroked her, squeezing him.

“God, you feel good,” he rasped.

Ali opened her thighs wider and tightened her legs around him, forcing him deeper. He met her silent challenge by increasing the pace.

“Hunter.” His name was a cry on her lips.

“Is this what you wanted?” he asked between pants as he stroked her harder, faster.

“Yes,” Ali said breathlessly, her head rotating from side to side against the wet wall. “Oh yes.”

The warm water pelted down on them as Hunter fulfilled her plea over and over again. The heat that had been building in her core exploding into waves of mindless pleasure.

A low growl tore from Hunter’s throat and his body stiffened, before shuddering in its own pulsating release.

He held her as their heartbeats slowed to normal, and Ali knew she’d just had the best shower of her life.

Ali’s dark lashes rested on her high cheekbones, and her sweet lips were curved into the hint of a smile as she slept.

Hunter couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He wasn’t dreaming.

Ali’s head was on his arm, and her gorgeous legs were entangled in his sheets. Moreover, he’d spent the better part of the day making love to her. First in the shower and twice more in bed, before pulling her into his arms and falling into a deep sleep.

Hunter gently extricated his arm and managed to get out of bed without disturbing her. Slipping on his robe, he padded barefoot downstairs to the kitchen. He was starved and expected Ali would be once she awoke.

Pulling open the refrigerator door, he scanned the meager offerings. A trip to the grocery store was in order. Until then, they’d have to make do with bacon and eggs.

Hunter hummed his favorite tune from
Tosca
while he cooked. With the toast down and bacon sizzling in the cast-iron skillet, he filled the coffeemaker with water and measured out a scoop of grounds.

Footfalls sounded on the staircase behind him, and he paused.

“Did I wake you?” he called out over his shoulder as he cracked open a few eggs and added them to the pan.

“No, the bacon did. I could smell it from upstairs.”

He turned around, and his next breath caught in his chest. Although he’d spent the better part of the day with Ali, the sight of her made him smile.

She looked beautiful.

The silky hair he’d sunk his fingers into when he’d pulled her in for kissing fell to her shoulders in tousled waves. He was glad she’d left it down. His gaze traveled down to the threadbare denim shirt from his closet. Despite the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, it was huge on her.

“I borrowed your shirt. It looked like an old one. I hope you don’t mind.”

He abandoned the stove to kiss her lightly on the lips. “I’ve never seen that shirt look better.”

“It smells delicious in here. Can I help with anything?”

Hunter divided the bounty between two plates.

“I was going to bring this to you in bed, but since you’re here…” Before he could finish his
sentence, she turned tail and began walking up the stairs. “Hey, where are you going?”

“If I have a shot at a near-naked man serving me breakfast in bed, then I’m not missing it.” She looked back at him over her shoulder. “Even if it is dinnertime.”

Hunter watched her hips sway as she slowly climbed the stairs. He remembered how those sexy hips had rocked against his, and he felt his groin tighten.

Lord help him, he wanted to bury himself inside her all over again.

Hunter managed to push the images of how they’d spent the afternoon out of his head long enough to pour coffee and take a tray upstairs.

Having cleaned her plate, Ali proceeded to devour the last of his toast as Hunter looked on. Afterward, she rolled her eyes heavenward, leaned back on the headboard, and patted her stomach.

“That was absolutely delicious. My compliments to the chef,” she said.

Hunter glanced around the bedroom.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m searching for the hidden cameras. The way you just mowed through your food, and a good portion of mine, I figured there’s some kind of hidden camera in here.” He leaned over and peeked under the bed. “Are we taping a reality show I don’t know about?”

Ali laughed. “Touché,” she said. Then her eyes widened. “Oh my, I certainly hope we weren’t being filmed in here today. Though you did give quite the performance.”

“Glad it met with your approval.”

“I think I made that pretty clear.”

Hunter thought about her nails digging into back and the sound of his name on her lips as she moaned with pleasure.

She pushed back the covers, got up, and began picking up her discarded clothes.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

“I’ve already taken up most of your day. It’s time I went home.”

He reached for her hand and pulled her gently back toward the bed.

“Not yet,” he said. “We haven’t had a chance to get acquainted.”

She arched an eyebrow as she crawled back in bed. “I don’t think we can get any more acquainted than we did this afternoon.”

Hunter pulled her close, and she settled back, her head on his shoulder. He liked the way she felt in his arms and in his bed. “I know your body.” He touched the center of her chest with his forefinger. “Now I want to know you.”

Before today he’d held back asking her much about herself because he hadn’t wanted to ruin the moments when she’d let her guard down around him. Also, she would have been perfectly
within her right to tell him to mind his own business.

However, they’d spent the day sharing the most personal of physical intimacies, and he didn’t want to simply leave it at that. He wanted to go deeper.

Hunter felt her shrug. “There’s not much to tell. My aunt’s school is in financial trouble. She asked me to help, and here I am.”

“No, that’s your aunt’s story,” he said. “I want to know more about the woman I just made love to.”

Ali stiffened.

Making love with Hunter had been easy. She’d wanted him from the moment she’d seen him, and being with him had been better than she could ever have imagined.

An attentive lover, he’d fulfilled needs she hadn’t even known existed before today.

But talking?

The only thing he’d learn was he’d just slept with a big screwup, a woman who had it all and somehow let it slip through her fingers.

“Are you sure you want to talk?”

Ali slipped her hand inside his robe and ran her fingers over the hair on his hard chest. Today had been so wonderful. She didn’t want to taint it by talking about herself.

He took her hand and splayed it over his heart.

“You can trust me, Ali.” His body was warm,
and his heartbeat was strong and steady beneath her hand.

Ali pulled her head off his shoulder and sat up. She inhaled a deep breath and blew it out.

“I used to have the life Erica wants, not the money, but the rest of it. I was an author with a popular newspaper column, married to a local television weatherman. We were big fish in a little pond,” she said. “Our calendar was filled with everything from nightclub and restaurant openings to lavish parties and charity fund-raisers. We were the golden couple, always featured in newspapers, magazines, and blogs covering the local south Florida scene.”

Ali glanced at Hunter to gauge his reaction, but his face gave nothing away. He hadn’t approved of Erica’s courting society mavens. What did he think now that she’d admitted to once moving in the same circles?

“So they accepted you even though you weren’t wealthy?” Hunter asked.

Ali nodded. “I’m sure part of it was our high-profile careers,” she said. “But what I lacked in money, I gave in time. Don’t get me wrong—good causes need money. However, they also need people who don’t mind doing tons of tedious, drudge work for free.”

“Erica never talked about volunteering,” Hunter said.

Ali shrugged. “Brian, my ex, never did, but I did enough for the both of us. I chaired
fund-raisers for the library, the local ballet, and opera as well as served on at least a dozen nonprofit boards.”

Hunter shifted on the bed. Turning sideways, he crooked his elbow and rested his head on the palm of his hand. She couldn’t help noting he continued to hold her hand fast against his heart.

“So, how did you manage all the volunteering and work too?”

“I ended up hiring a personal assistant to help me stay organized. My best friend, Kay, was looking for work at the time, so it seemed like a natural fit.”

Ali paused. She’d lived with how foolish she’d been to believe Kay was her friend, and practically everyone in south Florida knew. Still, it was hard for her to tell Hunter.

He patted her hand, which he still held over his heart. Again, she felt reassured by its steady beat.

“Like any normal couple, Brian and I had our problems. The biggest was I wanted kids, but he wasn’t ready. Still, I thought we were okay.”

Ali focused on the feel of Hunter’s hand on hers as she told him how Brian had lost his job for accidently telling a dirty joke on air. How despite his profuse apologies, he was fired and the only station interested in him after that was a low-power station in rural Wyoming.

“I tried everything to keep his spirits up. I encouraged him to get out and volunteer with
me, but he wouldn’t. He just sat around the house playing video games like a teenager,” she said. “I knew he was depressed. He refused to get help, and I stupidly thought our love would see us through.”

Ali cast her eyes downward, the memory of how she’d knocked herself out trying to make Brian happy filling her with renewed humiliation.

She felt Hunter lift her chin with his finger until their gazed locked. “You weren’t stupid. It’s never stupid to try to help someone you care about,” he said. “I didn’t realize that until listening to you now.”

His meaning wasn’t lost on her. He was fresh off a similar ordeal. One he would need time to heal from, she reminded herself.

“Thank you for saying that,” she said. “I know you’ve just—”

He stopped her with a shake of his head. “We’ve been talking about me ever since I walked into your office. I want to know all about Ali.”

She shrugged. “I guess the rest of it unfurls like a Lifetime television drama.”

“That’s the cable channel where the women are always crying, right?”

Ali paused to think about it a second and then burst into laughter. “I guess their shows do feature a lot of drama and angst, which illustrates my point perfectly.”

Ali was grateful for the bit of levity before she
got to the part where everything she’d worked so hard for came crashing down around her.

“Unfortunately, while Brian’s career was spiraling downhill, mine was on the upswing. I’d turned in a new book proposal about good manners in bad times. There were talks at the paper about syndicating my column, and there was a local television show in the works.”

“Television. Wow, I’m impressed,” Hunter said.

“It was supposed to be a midday talk show, where I interviewed local newsmakers about activities and events happening around south Florida.”

Confusion registered in Hunter’s eyes. “Your husband had a problem with that?” he asked. “I would think he would’ve been proud of you. I am.”

“Actually, he was thrilled. Well, initially. He saw it as an opportunity for him to make a comeback. He wanted my agent to go to the producers with the idea of including him, and we’d do the show as a man and wife team,” she said. “I didn’t want to, but he was just so despondent. Anyway, my agent broached the topic—”

“Let me guess, they didn’t want him,” Hunter interrupted. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but she could see sparks of anger in the depths of his dark eyes.

She nodded. “He expected me to turn down the offer. When I wouldn’t, things got even worse
between us. He moved into the guest room and gave me the silent treatment for weeks at a time.”

“Why did you put up with it?”

“By then I was fed up, but filing for divorce felt too much like kicking him when he was down. So I put up with him,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Until I came home one day and found him in my bed, screwing my best friend.”

Hunter reached over and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“He didn’t even apologize. He’d done it on purpose. He wanted me to catch them. He said his life was ruined, and he had nothing to lose by ruining mine too.”

“If anything, throwing that loser out improved your life.”

She shook her head. “He and Kay, who was a good friend of mine before she became my assistant, basically launched a war against me in the local media.”

“Nobody believed them, right?”

Ali shrugged. “Separately, his portrayal of me as a power-hungry, emasculating wife would probably have been viewed as messy divorce fodder. However, combined with lies from Kay, it made his story look legitimate,” she said. “Kay had the nerve to file a lawsuit against me claiming mental abuse.”

“What happened?”

“The judge threw it out, but by then the
damage was already done. The paper backed out of syndicating my column and eventually let me go. And of course, no book or television deal,” she said. “Nobody wants a disgraced etiquette expert.”

“Damn, I thought I’d been through an ordeal with Erica, but you…” He shook his head. “You’ve been through hell.”

Having kept it inside all this time, Ali was surprised what a relief it was to finally get it out. It was as if saying it all aloud had taken the power from anger and bitterness—the soul-stealing emotions that had been eating away at her ever since she’d walked in on her husband and her best friend.

“No, I’m okay now. I’m finally ready to put it behind me.”

“You’re smart, savvy, and capable. I’m betting you’ll have even better things ahead of you careerwise.”

Ali abruptly straightened. She looked around the room until her gaze landed on the clock on the nightstand and she saw it was well after nine at night. “Speaking of careers, I have an interview downtown at the newspaper in the morning. I should get home.”

She allowed herself one last kiss, before gathering her clothes and putting herself together the best she could. She didn’t need a mirror to know she was still a mess.

Hunter was waiting for her downstairs when
she finished. It wasn’t fair, she thought, envying his ability to go from bed to gorgeous in a few minutes. He’d slipped on well-worn jeans and a snug black T-shirt that hugged his torso in a way that made her want to drag him back to bed.

Hunter drove her back to the park to retrieve her car and insisted on following her to make sure she made it home safely.

“Good luck at your interview,” he said, after walking her to her apartment door.

“Thanks, I’ll take all the luck I can get.”

He lowered his head until his lips were inches from hers. “Well, allow me to give you a little more.”

He brushed his lips against hers in a whisper-soft kiss that took her breath away, and Ali couldn’t help wondering if he’d also taken her heart.