Forever Yours, Sir (5 page)

Hunter turned to
Simon with a snarl. “If I’m such bad company why are you talking to me?”

“Bec
ause I’ve known you too long to be put off by a bit of growling and posturing. I’m kind of surprised to see you here. I thought you’d forgotten the address.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Really?” Simon drawled. “Busy doing what?”

“Working.”

Sympathy entered Simon’s eyes. “Worthington’s death must be a relief.”

“It still doesn’t answer the question of why Angie died. Why he killed her. I didn’t want him dead, at least not until I had my answers and then I wanted to take his life myself.”

Angie’s car had run off the road, killing her. An investigation had shown that she’d been drinking. Heavily. Except Angie didn’t drink, she couldn’t stand alcohol. She’d never told him why she’d quit her job with Worthington, but Hunter knew she was afraid of him. Six weeks after quitting her job, she’d left Hunter a fearful message saying she’d learned something about Worthington and she needed to talk to him, her car had then been run off the road and her place had been set on fire.

That was too much of a coincidence for Hunter.

Simon sighed but nodded. “I can understand that. No doubt I’d feel the same way. But keeping everyone at arm’s length isn’t going to help. Neither is locking yourself away. Why don’t you find a nice little sub to play with and relax?”

He shook
his head. “I can’t focus. I shouldn’t be playing tonight.”

“Well, at least stop scowling at all the subs, will you? You’re scaring them to death.”

“I’ll try. I’m only here because Gray threatened me with Sasha.”

Simon raised his brows, his eyes lightening at the mention of his wife’s name. “Is that so? Well, it’s your luc
ky night. She’s not here.”

“Everything okay?”

“Sasha is fine
. Her mother is staying with us.”

“Ahh, and she doesn’t know about your lifestyle.”

“She knows I own a club, but Sasha has been against telling her what sort of club.” Simon frowned, clearly unhappy with his sub’s decision.

“So why don’t you just tell her?”

Simon’s eyes widened. “It’s obvious you have never been married before. You do not interfere in the relationship between your wife and your mother-in-law.”

“But your wife is also your sub.”

“Yes, but we’re not full time. Sasha has her own life outside being my sub.”

“So if she was putting her safety in jeopardy, you’
d just let her get away with it?”

Simon looked at her thoughtfully. “Sash
a and I have our own terms for our relationship. If she did something I thought might harm her then of course I would speak up. I’m sure any husband would. But you have to learn how to compromise. Letting Sasha deal with her mother how she wishes is a compromise. I allow her to keep certain aspects of our relationship a secret and she shows me her gratitude once her mom leaves.” Simon grinned. “Believe me, it’s worth it.”

Hunter shook his head. He didn’t really underst
and. If he ever had a wife she would understand that he had her best interests in mind at all times and he wouldn’t allow anything in their life that might hurt her or bring her harm. If her mother couldn’t handle the relationship they had then she wouldn’t be welcome in their house. He wouldn’t hide what he was and he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt someone he loved.

Listen to him. He didn’t even have a girlfriend and here he was already dictating how his relationship would be.

“Gray’s here.”

Hunter looked over to see his friend
making his way toward them. He stopped a few times to say hello to some friends. He always took the time to be polite, unlike Hunter who’d likely snubbed plenty of people as he’d strode through his club on the way to the bar.

Finally, Gray arrived at the bar. “
Just a coke, thanks John,” he said to the bartender.

“
Playing tonight?” Simon asked. None of them liked to imbibe before playing.

Gray shook
his head. “I’ve got to get home. I just wanted to catch Hunter first.”

“Master Simon, Master Peter asked me to find you.”

The three of them looked over to find Master Peter’s sub, Sara standing before them, her head down.

“Thank you, Sara. Where is Master Peter?”

“In the exam room, Sir.”

“I’ll be right there. I’ll see you two later.”

Simon strode away.

Hunter looked over at Gray. “What
is it?”

“Cady ca
lled me. She’s taking the job.”

Hunter stared at him in shock.
“What? She called
you
?” Why hadn’t she called him?

“Yeah, this afternoon. I’ve booked her a flight for
Monday morning.”

“I’ll meet her at the airport
. What time does she arrive in?”

“No.”

“No?” Hunter frowned at Gray.

“She’s expecting me to collect her. You turn up and she could run scared. There’s a reason she called me, Hunter.”

Because she didn’t want to be around him. He was surprised by how that hurt him. “She’s going to have to get used to being around me.”

“A l
ot of changes for her to handle at once. Just let me get her settled.”

Hunter ran his hand through his hair but nodded. “I was going to put her in one of the safe houses until I got an apartment
figured out. You’ll need to stock it with groceries, she won’t have anything. I’ll do that while you’re collecting her. Don’t worry, I’ll be gone by the time she arrives.”

He wouldn’t scare her off. Not when he had her right where he wanted her.

Cady fought back her nerves as she exited the plane.

She hadn’t stopped
second-guessing what she was doing here. This was the last place she’d ever expected to find herself. But she hadn’t had much of a choice. She’d had to get out of Austin and she had no funds or means to do so.

Lucia’s words had gotten to her
. She’d given up everything in her life as punishment for what happened to Rusty, but this wasn’t what Rusty would have wanted for her. So she’d taken the first step, she’d gotten on the plane. Whether she was capable of more, she didn’t know. But she had to try.

“Cady, there you are.”

She turned to find Gray walking toward her, a smile on his face. He was impeccably dressed in a dark blue shirt and black slacks. She felt decidedly underdressed in her usual jeans and hoodie.

“Hi Gray.”

She kept a tight hold on the strap of her backpack which she had flung over one shoulder.

“
Flight okay?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Well, shall we grab your bags and get out of here then? I’m sure you want to see where you’ll be staying and get settled.”

“I’ve got them.”

“Sorry?” he asked with a frown of confusion.

She let her backpack fall off her shoulder. “This is all I have with me.”

“Uhh, right, of course.” He recovered quickly, sending her a smile. “Let’s go, then.”

The first ten minutes of the drive was spent in awkward silence.

“So,” he finally said. “I thought I would show you the apartment you’ll be staying in. It’s actually one of the places we use for clients who need a safe place to stay. But we thought it would be ideal until we found you an apartment.”

“Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “I can find my own apartment, though.”

Gray sent her a sideways glance. “You ever lived in Dallas?”

“No.” S
he crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’ve lived here for years, I know the place pretty well,” he told her easily. “I know the better areas to live in.”

“I doubt I can afford the better areas,” she muttered, looking out the passenger window so he wouldn’t see how nervous she was. What was she doing here? She was fooling herself. They didn’t really want her here. They pitied her.

“Were you surprised by my call?” she asked.

“I was a little, yes.”

“And Hunter? What did he say? Does he regret offering me the job
?”

“If either of
us regretted it then you wouldn’t be here,” Gray told her truthfully.

“I have no credentials, no references, what makes you think I can do this?
Isn’t it a bit stupid to hire a person you know nothing about?”

Gray glanced over at her for a moment. “You’re right,” he said, surprising her. “It would be stupid. But we know more about you than you think. Jacey and Derrick vouch for you. You’re calm under pressure. Hunter said you have some background with guns and self-defen
se. Plus, he has good instincts. I trust him.”

“You really trust him that much?
”

“We’re more than business partners and friends. Hunter has saved my ass a time or two with his instincts
. I’ve learned never to ignore them.”

Cady sat back and watched the city whiz by. “Do you t
hink we could go to your office instead of the apartment?”

Gray frowned. “Ahh, sure. But don’t you want to unwind and settle in
? No one expects you to go in today.”

“
I’m sure.” She had to. She wasn’t sure she’d have the guts to do this tomorrow.

“Okay then.”

***

Hunter looked up as Gray entered his office, glancing up at the clock on his wall.

“You were quick. I
thought you’d still be showing Cady around the apartment.” It had taken everything he had to wait here patiently while Gray picked Cady up and showed her around; made sure she had everything she needed.

He’d never actually felt jealous of his buddy until this morning.

“She wanted to come right here. I just got her settled at her desk, gave her the contract to look through.”

“What?” Hunter stood up. She was here? “What is she doing here? She just arrived, she should be settling in. Doesn’t she want to unpack?”

“Yeah, well, she didn’t exactly bring a whole lot with her.”

“Has she even had anything to eat? Damn it, Gray, you should have insisted she take it easy today.”

“She’s my employee not my sub,” Gray countered and Hunter had to bite back a growl as the image of Cady kneeling at Gray’s feet drifted through his mind. Fuck, he was feeling way too possessive.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Gray nodded. “I’ve got some work to do on the Emerson case. Tiny will be back soon, you’ll need to talk to him about her training.”

Hunter nodded. He wanted
to train her himself, but that would be a mistake. He needed to keep his distance from her. Like Gray said, she was their employee.

Yeah, he’d
give her some space.

Starting tomorrow.

Cady looked up from the contract Gray had left her with as a shadow crossed her desk. H
unter stood there, staring down at her. Instantly her body tightened, a slow flush of arousal heating her from the inside out. Damn, she’d hoped that had been a one-time thing, but it seemed her body was bound and determined to react to him, no matter what she might think on the matter.

“Hello, Hunter.”

“Cady, good to see you.”

Wow, this wasn’t awkward
or anything.

“Something I can help you with?” she asked. After all, he was her
boss; she had to attempt to be polite.

“Just checking
to see if you had everything you needed. You’ll be sharing this office with Tiny.”

She’d already checked out the excessively tidy and organi
zed desk on the other side of the room. She wasn’t a messy person, but that desk bordered on OCD levels of tidiness.

“So Gray told me.”

Hunter just nodded. “You didn’t have to come right here. You could have settled in first.”

She shrugged. “Thought I might as well. Nothing else to do.”

“Have you had breakfast?”

She bit back the urge to tell him it was none of his fucking business
.

“I’m fine
.”

He watched her thoughtfully.
“There are muffins and coffee in the staff room.”

She nodded.
“Was there something else?” she asked when he just stood there.

“Gray explained that you were under some misconceptions about why I offered you this job, I just wanted to chec
k that you knew I didn’t mean—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “I misunderstood.”
God, this was mortifying.

He nodded and turned around. She let out a deep
sigh of relief. Then he suddenly faced her again. “Do you have your pepper spray on you?”

“Oh, well, about that, I’m really sorry…” she trailed off as he waved his hand
dismissively.

“We’ll discuss that another time. But you can’t go around sp
raying anyone in the office with that shit, got me?”

“Really?”
She mock-pouted. “Now you’re just ruining all my fun.”

He pointed a finger in her direction. “Behave. Just do as you’re told and things will be fine.”

“Sir, yes, Sir.” She barely refrained from saluting him and that was only because the look in his eyes suggested he was anything but amused. She swallowed heavily. “I’ll leave it in my bag.”

“See that you do.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what the hell have I gotten myself into?” she muttered to herself as he left.

***

Cady flung herself onto the sofa in the two-bedroom apartment. This place was really nice, far nicer than the apartment she’d had when she’d lived in Baton Rouge. God, she was exhausted. Three weeks she’d been working at Black-Gray and she’d spent most of that time in the gym with Jaron or the firing range with Tiny.

Her skills
were a bit rusty, but they were returning. However, she was more unfit than she’d realized, months of poor nutrition had really done a number on her.

It would be so easy to give up and run back to her old, safe life and a number of times she’d found h
erself poised to do just that. But when she’d thought it through she’d been disgusted with herself. She was tired of running from things.

Still, she didn’t feel settled. This place wasn’t hers. She had
yet to really earn the pay checks that had been deposited in her bank account; all she’d done was create work for everyone else. When she wasn’t with Tiny or Jaron, she was answering phones and filing papers. Not exactly what she’d imagined, but she could understand why Gray didn’t want her doing anything more yet. She’d be a liability out in the field until she was up to speed.

Surprisingly, she found
herself liking the other guys at Black-Gray. Tiny didn’t say much, but that suited her fine, she wasn’t into chitchat and Jaron more than made up for Tiny’s silence. Josh and Curt were friendly guys and even Connor sent her the occasional wave when he looked up from his computer.

The only person who
she hadn’t had much to do with was Hunter. Sure, he, Josh, and Connor had been away on a job for the first week she’d been here, but even after they’d gotten back he’d said barely two words to her. She got the feeling that he was avoiding her.

She
rubbed her eyes as she yawned. Jaron had pushed her hard today and she was spent. But she knew she’d feel even worse if she didn’t get up and into a bath.

Cady
laughed quietly to herself as she moved slowly into the bathroom. She felt like she’d aged a hundred years. She wouldn’t be capable of swatting a fly in the condition she was in.

Bending over, she put the plug in the bath
tub and turned on the water. A knock on her front door had her groaning. Turning, she shuffled her way to the door, looking out the peephole. Her heart stopped for one agonizing moment. She forced herself to take a deep breath as she leaned her forehead against the wooden door.

What the hell was he doing here?

The door rattled as he knocked again. Christ, he wasn’t going to go away, was he? Much as she wished she could hide, she knew that was cowardly and Cady was sick of letting fear rule her actions.

She undid the two bolts and turned the key, opening the door. At least
this place had plenty of security. Not only did the door have more locks and bolts that Fort Knox, but there was a security system and panic buttons in each of the rooms.

Hunter scowled as she pulled the door open. “You didn’t ask who it was.”

Cady rolled her eyes. “I looked in the peephole and saw you.”

“
There could have been someone out of eyesight holding a gun on me.”

“Right, because
that happens every day. How would asking who it was even help?”

“I’d have found some way to warn you.”

She leaned against the doorway. “What are you doing here, Hunter?”

He held up a white bag. “I brought dinner. Chinese.” He moved forward and she had no choice but
to step aside and let him in. After all, he did own the place.

Plus the Chinese he’d brought smelled really good.

“You know most people call first before they come over.”

“That would have given you a chance to say no,” he replied. “
Have you got water running?” He placed the bag on the table in the small dining area.

“Oh shit, the bath
tub,” she said, moving into the bathroom as quick as she could.

Luckily, the tub was quite deep and was only three quarters full by the time she turned off the
water.

She turned to find Hunter standing only a foot away.

“Crap! Do you have to sneak up on me?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Just checking you hadn’t flooded the place.”

“Don’t worry, I promise not to wreck the apartment while I’m here.”

“Come
and eat. Food’s getting cold.”

She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at his back. Barely. They sat down together at the table,
eating silently.

Cady stood up with a groan to clear the table.

“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked, standing. He frowned as he looked her over.

“Nothing.”

“You don’t moan like that about nothing.” He moved around to her side. “What is it? Did someone hurt you?”

“Yes, Jaron.”