Exposed - Part Two (The Exposed Series, #2) (2 page)

The words sting but I pull in a heavy breath to hold my composure. "So you just ended up at my mother's fundraiser?" The question is edged with sarcasm but I don't care. He's been withholding information since that night.

"No. An associate was invited and he couldn't go. His wife was going and when they mentioned the last name I realized it was your family."  He shoves his hands through his hair. "I was awestruck when I saw you. You weren't what I was expecting."

The comment catches me off guard. I won't let him charm me into abandoning my need to know how I ended up in his life and in his bed. "There's no way in hell that you ended up at my house out of pure coincidence. To suggest that's the case is really insulting, Hunter."

He shrugs his shoulders and throws his gaze past me. He's searching for an explanation. I can see it within his eyes.

"The truth. Just tell me the goddamned truth." I know my voice is slightly raised. I can tell by the reaction of the couple seated next to us. "How did you end up in my house that night?"

His posture tightens and I see the vein in his neck pulse. He's getting agitated. "Not here. You can't suggest a public place and then interrogate me."

"I can do whatever the fuck I want." I push my chair back from the table. "I never asked to be part of your sick, twisted game."

"Don't go." His tone is both pleading and demanding. "Don't walk out of here."

"He's all yours." I push the waitress out of my way. I don't turn back around. Hunter Reynolds can go fuck himself or that waitress. I don't care anymore.

"Y
ou're actually wearing that to my mother's birthday party?" I gawk at the red mini dress Alexa has squeezed herself into. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly serious." She flips her long, blond hair onto her shoulders. "I look hot, right?"

She does. How can I disagree with her? "Of course but maybe you could save that dress for another occasion, like when you decide to turn in your teaching career to become a cheap call girl."

She pretends to pout but she can't hold back a giggle. "That means it's newsworthy."

"Newsworthy?" I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"My date is a junior reporter for that college cable channel." She smiles.

"I thought your date was some guy who works for your dad."

"He was a C." She doesn't expand on her critique of him and I'm grateful. I'm really not in any mood to hear about her recent conquests since I'm still feeling the piercing bite of humiliation over sleeping with Hunter.

"I should go downstairs and check on the caterers." I run my hand over the belt of my dress. It's plain, black and covers my scar. It's comfortable, practical and makes me invisible. It's perfect.

"You should do something with your hair." She reaches to grab hold of the high ponytail I've pulled my hair into. "Let me help you curl it."

"No." I shoo her hand away with a quick flick of my wrist. "It's fine like this."

"You've gone back inside yourself." She glares at me. "Tell me what happened."

"I can't." I hear the slight crack in my voice.

"Just talk to me," she whines. "You'll feel better if you do."

She's right. I know she is. I want to confess everything to her. I want her to help me deal with all of this but I can't. I can't let anyone know that Hunter only wanted me because of Coral's heart. That's a secret I'll take to my grave.

"The guests will be here soon." I walk past her to the door of my bedroom. "I need to go downstairs."

"You better hurry." She's already occupied with her own reflection in the mirror again. "Or the hag is going to flip her lid."

I smile softly at her nickname for my mother. "I'll see you downstairs."

***

"T
his isn't the wine I wanted." My mother wrinkles her nose as she takes a heavy sip from the goblet in her hand. "Who approved this?"

"I did." I sigh. I knew this evening wasn't going to be easy. My mother is notoriously picky. She'll criticize anything and everything she can.

She turns her back to me and hands the glass to a passing waiter. "Get a bottle from the cellar. Anything in there is better than this."

Her tone is sharp and I roll my eyes at her insistent need to be difficult. I turn to walk away. Maybe if I hid in my room for a few hours no one would notice.

"It's nice to meet you, Hunter." My mother's voice lifts above the hum of the room. She didn't say that. She couldn't have. I'm so fixated on him that I'm now hearing things.

"I'm a friend of your daughter's." There's no mistaking that tone. It's him. He's here.

I dart back around and I'm greeted with the sight of him towering over my mother's head. He peers at me, his eyebrow cocked. I shake my head trying to register what's happening. This can't be real. He can't be standing here in a sleek tailored navy suit kissing my mother's hand.

"We're not friends." I blurt out before wincing at my own choice of words.

"Technically we're..."

"Nothing." I move to stand between them. "We are nothing."

"Stop being so rude, Sadie." My mother's hand hovers just above my shoulder as if she wants to give the impression she's touching me. She never touches me.

"I'm not being rude." I stare at Hunter with my back still turned to her. "I didn't invite him."

"I brought the gift Sadie picked up for you." He dangles the gift bag from Whispers of Grace in front of her.

She snatches it greedily from his grasp. "How thoughtful of you to bring me a gift."

"It's from your daughter, not me." He corrects her in an even tone but she's ignorant of anything but the prize that awaits her inside the bag.

"These are spectacular." She turns the box into the light so the sapphire earrings sparkle. "How did you know sapphires are my favorite gem?"

"I didn't." I can hear the exasperation in his voice. "Sadie got these for you."

"I'm going to put them on right now. Don't you move an inch." She pats him on the chest and trots off towards the staircase.

"Why are you here?" I ask as I lift my eyes to his face.

"You forgot the gift at the restaurant." He reaches in his suit jacket and pulls out my credit card. "You forgot this too."

I snatch it swiftly from his grasp. "You can leave now." I seethe. I don't want him here. I don't want to be near him. I can't be.

"I just got here." He expertly scoops a wine glass from a tray being carried by a waiter. "We have a lot to talk about."

"We don't." I sigh. "You lied when we met. You lied in the restaurant the other day. Hell, you even lied about being in San Francisco. Is Hunter Reynolds even your real name?"

He chokes on the mouthful of wine he's just taken. I stand in silence watching his body heave with heavy coughs. I stand stoic hoping he'll believe my unemotional reaction is real.

"You need to let me explain." His voice is a tender whisper. I can tell he's still trying to catch his breath. "I..."

"Why?" I cut him off. "So you can lie to me again and again."

"I'm not going to lie to you." He moves closer and I catch the hint of his cologne.

I take a step back. He's like a drug. I can't be anywhere near him. I don't trust my resolve even after everything that's happened. "If I want answers, I'll find Coral's family myself."

"No." His gaze darkens slightly. "I'll answer your questions."

"I don't trust you." I snap. "See yourself out."

I tense as I feel him grab my elbow. "I'm not leaving until we talk."

"Hunter." My mother is back and in full display mode. "Come. Let's toast my birthday."

His eyes search mine for an escape route but I just smirk as I tug my arm from his grasp and slip into the crowd.

"T
hey're going to cut the cake soon. Don't you want to come back down?" Alexa runs her hand softly over my forehead. "You're not fevered. Are you sure you're not just hiding from the hag." She laughs and clenches her teeth.

"She's in one of her moods." I roll over on my bed. I hate looking directly at her when I'm being dishonest. "She won't even notice I'm not there."

I feel the bed shift under her weight as she sits. "I saw him, Sadie." She tenderly strokes the back of my hair. "I saw Hunter."

"He was just dropping something off." I meter my tone so she won't suspect I'm breaking into a million pieces. "He's gone."

"Sooner or later you have to tell me what went down between you two."

"Later, okay?" I turn back slightly to look and her as I pull a weak grin across my lips. "Much later."

"Okay." She leans down and softly kisses my forehead. "I'll go down and lead the masses in singing to the old witch."

I can't help but laugh as she tosses me a wide smile when she leaves the room. Just as I settle my head into my pillow the unmistakable click of the door opening jars me.  "What did you forget?"

"Sadie." His voice startles me and I'm jerked to a sitting position.

"Get out." I jump to my feet, tumbling forward as I do.

He catches me before I hit the floor. "Slow down," he says gently. "I need to talk to you. I can't leave until I explain a few things."

"You shouldn't be in my room." I feel lightheaded. He's here. He's in my room. A few days ago I'd imagined that exact scenario but he was sprawled out naked on my bed while I gave him the same pleasure he's given me. I shake my head to try and chase away the images.

"Five minutes." He motions for me to sit on the bed. "Just five minutes."

I need to tell him to go to hell but the pleading look on his face is tempting. It's only five minutes. Even though my better judgement is screaming at me to tell him to fuck off, my heart won't let me say the words. I just nod.

"It wasn't all about Coral," he says softly. Hearing her name on his lips tears through me. She's no longer a fleeting teenage crush. She's a part of me now.

"Most of it was." I know the words will bite him.

"It might have started out that way." His voice cracks before he continues, "But none of what's happened between us is about her."

"How can you say that?" I snap. "It's all been about her."

He squats in front of the bed. His face is so close to mine now. I can see the moisture beading at the top of his lip. His lips are so elegantly shaped. They're so soft. I have to stop looking at him.

"Coral was a part of my life when I was a teenager, Sadie." He rests both his hands on either side of me on the bed. "I'm twenty-six now. She's a very distant part of my past."

"She's not." I shake my head for added effect. "You came here that night because of Coral."

"I came here for you, not Coral," he whispers. "I wanted to see you."

"It was a private fundraiser." I point out. "How did you even get invited?"

He bows his head silently for a moment. I know he's searching for something to say. "I've known about your mother's charity since I first learned your name. I've been contributing anonymously for years now. I just called her administrative assistant and asked for an invite."

"And he just took your word for it that you were the anonymous donor?" I had heard my mother speak about large contributions that were coming in without any names attached. That can't really be him, can it?

"I gave him the numbers." He shrugs his shoulders.

"So why now?" I give him the benefit of the doubt. I can check with Chris, my mother's assistant tomorrow to confirm Hunter's story. "Why suddenly come out of the woodwork now?"

"I don't know." He exhales. "I guess part of me just wanted to see you in the flesh. I wanted to talk to you."

"So why not tell me who you were?" I press. "Why not just tell me about Coral?"

"I was scared," he says curtly before gazing down. "I was scared about how you'd react."

I'm suddenly aware of how close he is to me. His left hand has been grazing the side of my thigh while he's talked. I haven't pulled away. I haven't tried to break free of the prison he's built around me with his body.

"If I would have just told you I knew your donor, I was worried you'd want nothing to do with me." He's looking at me now.

"So you just didn't mention it?" I bite my lip to push back the tears I know are approaching. "Her heart is inside of me." I pull my hand to my chest. "I'm alive because of her."

"I couldn't tell you." He reaches to cup my cheek with his right hand. "You're so beautiful. I just wanted you so much."

I pull back and his hand lingers in the air before falling to the bed. I can't read anything in his expression. I can't tell if he's being genuine or trying to seduce me with his charm again.

"What about San Francisco?" I ask through clenched teeth. Maybe if I try a different approach, his unyielding resolve will crack.

He scowls. "I can explain that. You jumped to the wrong conclusion."

I ball my hands together into fists. He's pushing the onus for this back onto me. How dare he? He said clearly he was going to San Francisco and then he was standing in the middle of a store in Manhattan. There is no mistaking the deceit in that. "Explain then."

"I flew to San Francisco the morning after we were together." He traces his finger over the blanket. "Something urgent came up in New York and I went there to put out a fire. I was booked on a flight back to San Francisco the evening I saw you there."

"What came up?" I ask coldly. I don't believe him for a second.

"Just work stuff." He doesn't offer anything more.

"Work stuff," I repeat. "That clarifies everything, doesn't it?" The facetious tone in my voice is more than noticeable. He recoils slightly at the words.

"I wasn't doing anything sinister." I swear he's smirking at me.

I pull my gaze from him to the clock sitting on my bedside table. "Your five minutes is up. You need to go."

"I'm not leaving." He shifts both his hands slightly so they're barely touching my outer thighs.

I try to pull myself up from the bed but I have no room. He's completely blocking me. "Move. I want you to go."

"Do you remember when I made love to you, Sadie?" The question slides off his lips and buries itself within me instantly. My body reacts. It's betraying me.