Roman: Book 2 (The Hunter Brothers Series)

Roman. The Hunter Brothers
Series Copyright ©2014 L.J. Dee

All rights reserved. No
part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher
in writing. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents
are the product of the author’s imagination, any resemblance to any actual
persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely incidental.

This book contains
sexual scenes and is recommended for readers over 18.

With thanks to my
wonderful husband and family & my army of beta readers who made The Hunter
Brothers Series possible.

Lucas. Roman. Charlie.
Tyler.

Welcome to the
extraordinary world of The Hunter Brothers.

Bound by blood,
sizzling genetics and a fierce determination to protect one another; when their
lives are thrust into a spiral of uncertainty, the Hunter brothers find
themselves hunted. As their enemies close in, boundaries are crossed and
loyalties tested as they are forced to fight for the things that determine
their very existence.

One by one, the women
in their lives discover that loving a Hunter is the most exquisite type of
torture; a limitless bliss with a dangerous dark side. Destinies collide with
desire and fates converge, drawing them into an intriguing tale of sex, power,
lies and loss, obsession, death and love.

From the dangerous
rogue to the demanding Dom; the playboy charmer to the charismatic rock star,
they will stop at nothing to protect the two things they value the most...love
and family.

Life with a Hunter is
always one hell of a ride.

Equally Alpha.
Deliciously different.

Book #2 The Hunter Brothers series

 
Roman

When the mysterious
Roman returns to the family estate in the aftermath of his father’s funeral,
his revelations threaten the very foundations of the Hunter family, shaking it
to its core. Secrets are revealed and histories unravelled, turning fact into
fiction and changing the course of the future.

He isn’t there to
grieve the man that despised him, and his stay will be short lived, but lured
back to face his past by the beautiful Chastity, Roman is determined to take
her into his bed. The attraction is instant, the chemistry electric and he
knows if he can get her alone there will be only one outcome.

Chastity
Evangelista usually lives up to her name, with a list in place for the ultimate
prize she’s determined to secure, but she doesn’t count on her dangerous and
immediate response to the prodigal brother, riddled with complexities and
sizzling with sex appeal.

He’s an unknown
quantity and she doesn’t do those. He’s a weekend hook-up and she doesn’t do
those. He is also the brother of the man with whom she hopes her future lies.
But when an unforeseen twist changes Charlie’s outlook irrevocably, Chastity is
left with a choice to make.

‘Roman was an
enigma, a puzzle; wrapped in a hot hard body, tormented eyes and a soft full
mouth that screamed pure sin. Even here, where the love for him was so palpable
you could feel it; he was distant. Unfortunately, he was also captivating,
compelling and impossible to ignore.

I was here for Charlie.

Roman had other ideas.

This was going to be one hell of a weekend.’

ROMAN

Chapter One

I hit the sat nav
twice, eventually pulling it from its little sucker and hauling it across the
car. “Why now, you clapped out piece of shit?” I shouted at it, huffing and
puffing, pulling the car to a stop at the side of the country road and checking
my watch for the umpteenth time. Why on earth I’d turned down Charlie’s offer
of a driver was beyond me. It was a momentary flash of insanity that I was
paying for now.

Patrick’s niece’s
car was as temperamental as that stupid sat nav and Jess was going to go
apeshit. I’d promised her faithfully I’d be there on time, wondering why I was
even bothering.

It wasn’t as if I
knew Silus Hunter. I wouldn’t have liked him if I did, after the whole
‘bastard’ comment; but she wanted me there and so did Charlie, so I’d agreed.
At least I’d get to spend some time with him, so it wasn’t a complete waste of
a long weekend off, but as I looked around at field after field of rolling
green, I doubted I’d make it anyway.

I hated the
country. There were no road signs, no landmarks and absolutely no way I’d find
this elusive church in the twenty minutes I had before the service started. It
wasn’t as if I could turn up late, just waltz in when I got there. Funerals
were like weddings and there was a certain amount of etiquette involved. My
best hope would be to hover in the churchyard, waiting for them to bring the
body out. That way, I could slip into the following crowd, pretending I’d been
sitting in the back all along. I spotted what looked like a spire in the distance,
wondering if I might actually make it after all.

I could make my
way on foot, cut across the fields, but I’d be knee deep in cow shit by the
time I arrived. That would be less acceptable than being late. I slammed the
car into first and drove in the direction of what I hoped would be the church.

It wasn’t. A least
not the church I needed, and I trudged back down to the car, red faced and
swearing under my breath. Who the hell got the wrong bloody funeral? That could
only happen to me, although these villages all looked the same. They might be
chocolate box pretty, but there was no one around to ask for directions. It was
the kind of place where people who tended their gardens religiously, came to
retire. I imagined they were all inside watching TV with a cup of tea and a
chocolate digestive, or napping with their legs covered in thick tartan
blankets. Even the damn Post Office was closed.

Two hours later
I’d finally made it, getting out of the car and tentatively checking the wheel
tread for fur and innards. Oh God, the very thought made me want to heave. The
thing had come from nowhere; speeding across the country lane like some crazy kamikaze
mutant mammal. I’d slammed on the brakes, swerved and tried to avoid the little
fucker, almost landing myself in a ditch. They were lucky I was here at all;
two more feet and I would have been going in that ground alongside Silus Hunter.
I couldn’t even be certain I hadn’t damaged the car. There were so many dents
and scrapes it was difficult to know for sure.

I scanned the
road. Two cars and one Ducati; this wasn’t looking promising. I could see the
flowers at the far end of the graveyard surrounding the large rectangular hole
and made my way towards it. There were no sounds of chatter or organ music
coming from the ancient church, only a pure silence, interrupted occasionally
by the faint sound of bird song in the low afternoon sun. I had definitely
missed it.

I leaned over,
peering into the gaping ground, seeing the walnut coffin at the bottom before I
crouched down to read the notes on the beautiful bouquets. I’d got the right
funeral at least.

“Sorry, Silus,” I
said, sad for the brothers as I worked through the messages of love and
condolence and the enormity of the day finally hit me. I wasn’t good around
death. It was an unhappy reminder of my own mortality and simply served to
remind me of all the things I hadn’t done yet. There were dozens and dozens of
bouquets, beautiful, colourful and artfully arranged and I was happy that the
boys had so much support. It had been a different story for me and Jess when
Mum died.

“He can’t hear
you.”

 
I jumped out of my skin, stumbling backwards
and landing flat on my arse, frightened out of wits. My head snapped to the
right to see a man leaning casually against a huge oak tree, chuckling gently
as I dusted myself down and scrambled to my feet.

“It’s not funny,
are you trying to give me a damn heart attack too,” I snapped, turning to glare
at the impudent stranger. My breath hitched as I caught sight of him properly
for the first time while he just stood there, watching me curiously and
smirking. I was still furious, trying to calm my breathing and steady my heart
that was practically vibrating through my chest.

He was dressed in
a black T-shirt and jeans, with a deep tan and a muscular physique that led me
to think he was probably a grave digger. Well, that and the huge spade that was
leaning against the opposite side of the tree. He certainly looked like he
spent a lot of time outdoors and that was not a body that had been cultivated
at the gym. He looked more like a prize fighter, rugged and dangerous with
thick solid muscles and my heart stopped dead when I took in his face.

His dark hair and
shaded jaw set off the most fabulous bright blue eyes as I cast my glance over
a full mouth that was still smirking at me. There was a small scar at the side
of his eye and he wasn’t perfect, but imperfection suited him. His nose looked
like it had been broken before, which just added to the danger that emanated from
his gaze. This man was hot and I was trying desperately to stifle my reaction.

“You scared the
life out of me,” I stuttered, blowing out in a long deep breath.

“Yeah, I got
that,” he smiled and I wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or amused. Either way,
it was clear I’d be getting no apology.

“How did you know
him?”

My brain raced for
a moment, trying to figure out the question as I followed his eyes to the
grave; suddenly realising he was talking about Silus. I was so stunned by his
presence, I’d almost forgotten about the body in the ground, only feet away. “I
didn’t,” I mumbled, assessing his face and looking like an idiot as he threw me
a bemused frown. Normally I was sharp with instant wit or a feisty retort, but
I was having trouble functioning, realising immediately that my answer made me
sound like a bit of a fruitcake. I mean, who crept around in graveyards, talking
to dead people they’d never met?

“I promised a
friend I’d come,” I said quickly, trying to justify my strange answer. He
tilted his head slowly, and the fact that he seemed quietly amused at something
had me filled with disquiet and uncharacteristically off kilter.

“What’s your
name?”

“Chastity,” I
said, feeling the moisture evaporating from my mouth as he flashed a wry smile.

“And does it suit
you?” He quirked his eyebrow as I stared at him mutely, wondering what the hell
was wrong with my brain.

I had a hundred,
probably a thousand comebacks for that question. I’d been asked it so many
times over the years that I had the response off to a tee, but right now when I
most needed to, I couldn’t think of a single one. “Yes,” I muttered, almost
inaudibly as the smirk returned and I swallowed hard.

“We’ll see,” he
smiled and my heart was racing. The hot gravedigger was flirting with me and if
he asked, I’d have probably got low down and dirty with him right here in the
graveyard. It was out of character and a fundamentally bad idea, but my
reaction was physical and immediate and something I’d rarely felt before. I
wasn’t certain what was wrong with me. Apart from hotness, he ticked absolutely
no other boxes on my list. He was a manual labourer in the least elegant of
professions, and as cock sure of himself as anyone I’d ever met. You could tell
at first glance he wasn’t marriage material and about as far from my ‘prize’ as
it was possible to get. That said, there was definitely something undeniably
captivating about the man. Perhaps it was because I was surrounded by death
today that my brain had switched itself to some kind of ‘Live for the moment’
mode. I’d been reminded twice of the fragility of life in as many hours and it
was messing with my head.

Either way, ‘We’ll
see’ could only mean one thing. He obviously thought I was easy pickings as I
tried to straighten myself up and get my head into gear.

“I’m pretty
certain we won’t,” I shot back in an effort to redress the power balance,
although I was rather hoping we would. He didn’t seem bothered, just chuckling;
a low deep gravelly sound that only added to his sexiness. I decided to ditch
the retorts; I was fighting a losing battle. Besides he was the only human life
I’d seen for miles that might help me with directions to the Hunter estate.

Do you know where
Greenfield Hall is?” I asked, licking my lips as he pierced my gaze, clearly
misreading my gesture. It was an anatomical need to get some lubrication before
my damn mouth dried up altogether.

“Come here,” he
said, beckoning me closer as my traitorous feet seemed to move of their own
accord and my breathing sped up. I wasn’t sure what he was about to do, but
there was only one thing I wanted. Where the hell had that thought just come
from? This wasn’t me; it wasn’t how I behaved. It was the way those women who
followed Brad Johnson into the bathroom behaved. I’d always looked down on them
for belittling their value, following him like he was the pied piper of pussy
or something, dropping their dress as quickly as their morals for a quick romp
with someone who, in ten minutes, wouldn’t remember their name. Right now, if I
wasn’t careful, I could be that woman. The killer gaze was evaporating my
senses.

‘Get your shit
together, girl’.

He was only centimetres
away as he turned and pointed. I didn’t follow his finger, just staring
vacantly at that incredible face, flushing as he frowned at me and I eventually
looked across the fields.

“Can you see that huge
house, beyond the trees?” he asked as I nodded.

“The one with the
ornamental carvings below the roof?” I replied, solely in an effort for
something to say.

“Yeah, the one we
can actually see,” he said as his eyes twinkled with humour and I realised he
was mocking me. It was the only house in sight and my comment had been an
entirely moot point. I was being ridiculously uncool; and cool was my middle fucking
name.

 
“You need to take the next left and follow the
road. You’ll see the entrance in a mile and a half,” he said and this time he
was looking at me just as intently as I was looking at him. I’d never felt so
off balance.

“Thank you,” I
mumbled, breaking the gaze and moving backwards into safer territory. I
followed my better judgement, turning to leave before I completely lost the
plot. This ‘Carpe Diem’ shit was dangerous.

“I’ll see you,
Chastity,” he winked, rolling out my name sweetly across his tongue as my heart
flipped in my chest. I took a deep breath, regaining my senses with every foot
of distance I put between us, glancing back as I left the churchyard. He was
still watching me. Luckily I hadn’t totally morphed into my sister and tripped
over my own feet. I exhaled loudly as I climbed back into the car, unable to
recall the directions he’d given me to the house. Left? Did he say left? I took
a left.

Every car was
heading in the opposite direction to me and I guessed it was all over. Jess
would probably go thermonuclear, but it wasn’t as if I’d actually had fun
today; except for the incident in the graveyard. That had been incredible. I wondered
if I’d share it, imagining how hilarious my sister would find it that I hadn’t
got his name and number after the lectures I’d given her. That’s what I’d been
kicking myself about when I finally found the Hunter estate. I drove the beaten
up Ford along the gravel driveway, parking next to the impressive ornate
circular fountain that dominated the front of the incredible house. Wow, this
really was something.

 
I walked through the grand stone entrance, a
huge arched doorway with carved pillars at either side, trying to focus my
attention on the reason I was here instead of the amazing architecture, smiling
at Lucas.
 
He was kissing the cheeks of a
sweet looking, grey haired lady and seemed to be in charge of waving everyone
off, eventually shutting the door and leaning back against the wall for a
second as he sighed deeply. He looked exhausted.

My sister was
hovering behind him, looking me up and down and distinctly unhappy with my
tardiness.

“Where the hell
have you been?” she scalded, marching into the kitchen followed by Lucas as I
stepped forward to give him a hug, completely ignoring her.

“I’m really sorry
for your loss, Lucas, and I’m sorry I’m late. I got lost, almost died, went to
the wrong funeral and killed a ferret,” I smiled, squeezing him tight as Jess
glowered at me over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Sis,”
I said, moving to hug her too. “The sat nav broke and I’ve been driving around
Surrey for hours. There was no one around to ask for directions, and the life
and death thing shook me up,” I said as Lucas laughed.