My Best Friend's Bride (5 page)

“He says he’ll keep covering utilities,” Brad continued. Jill’s blood pumped harder and her head ached.
There are more conditions? Seriously?
“But he wants you to pay your own parking.”

This sent Jill straight over the edge. Here Hunter was offered a fair—no, make that
generous
—deal, and he’d thrown the whole thing back in her face. That was just like Hunter. Arrogant, self-serving, unbearable! A real gentleman now? Ha! Had she lost her mind even
toying with
the idea that this was doable? She’d sell off every last bit of her property first, starting with this stupid tennis racket. She reached for it again and her fingers tightened around its neck. That would save her from using it as a murder weapon. First against Hunter, then against Brad. Double homicide! No, wait. Since Brad was the one here, she’d probably have to kill him first.

Jill leapt to her feet and her racket slammed to the floor. Brad watched wide-eyed as she started shredding the contract, dropping it piece by piece on the table. One of the strips curled in Brad’s coffee cup, absorbing the dregs of his latte.

“Wait!” he cried in panic before lowering his voice to a whisper. “What are you doing?”

“Showing you—and
him—
what I think of this little counteroffer.”

“Jilly, you’re not being rational.”

“Read my lips.” She set her hands on the table. “I…don’t…care.” And she didn’t! Forget Brad, and especially forget Hunter. Surely there was another way to make things work. She didn’t need Brad, nor did she require the help of his conniving best friend!

“Trouble in paradise?”
 

Jill spun on her heels to see Cassandra had reappeared like a lurking phantom. She was toting a carry-out bag from the grill. “Are you stalking us, Cassandra?” Jill asked, reaching a hand behind her to the table. Keeping her eyes fixed on Cassandra’s, she grappled for the errant pieces of paper, balling them up in her fist. Brad helped by prying her fingers apart and shoving in a few extra strips.

“Hardly.” Cassandra’s eyes were cold blue crystals. Cassandra tried to peer around Jill to see behind her, but Jill shifted, blocking her view, and rammed the fistful of paper strips into her purse. “I just came back to pick up my lunch order. Headed back to the office.” She flipped her hair in an indignant manner. “Some of us work, you know. Even on Saturdays.”

“Yes, well…” Jill pressed her lips into a tight smile. “Don’t let us keep you from it!”

Cassandra obviously wasn’t ready to leave them in peace. “I could have sworn I heard you two arguing… Was that Hunter’s name I heard mentioned?
The infamous Hunter Delaney?
” She cocked her head at Brad. “Don’t tell me your sweet fiancée has a roving eye?”

Brad answered her stoically. “This is probably one of those times when it would be good for you to mind your own business, Cassandra.”
 

“Oh, but this
is
my business. It could be very big business indeed. Salacious details about breakups and infidelities sells copy.”

Instead of offering up a biting comeback, Jill held her tongue.

Cassandra gave Jill a slow once-over, then shrugged at Brad. “Fine. You two keep your little secret. But mark my words, I’ll get to the bottom of it. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, as they say, and there are big puffy clouds going up everywhere.” Her lips twisted in an evil grin. “My spidey senses are tingling.”

Jill turned to Brad as Cassandra sashayed away, her short skirt swishing. “Spidey senses?”

“I know. The woman’s touched.”

“Worse than that, she’s wicked,” Jill said. “She’ll do anything in her power to destroy me.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have won that tenth-grade spelling bee,” Brad teased.

She wanted to stay mad at Brad, she really did. But when he gave her those darned puppy dog eyes, he made it impossible. Susan was putting the screws to him, and he’d tried to find a solution. So what if it was an abysmal one? She should at least give Brad points for trying. “Shut up. That was years ago.”
 

Brad reached toward the floor, then handed Jill her racket. “Don’t want to forget this.”

“You’re being very trusting,” she told him, taking the racket. “I was thinking about using it to kill you only minutes ago.”

Jill stepped into the sunshine, recalling for the first time in an hour what a gorgeous June day it was. She’d been so caught up in those storm clouds of thinking about Hunter, she’d nearly forgotten. She addressed Brad, who walked beside her, hanging his head. None of this mess was his fault and she knew it. It would be good of her to let him off the hook, so he and Susan could move forward in repairing their relationship. “Don’t worry about it, okay?” she told him. “I’ll think of something else. I have to.”

Brad raised his eyes to look at her. “Maybe if you just talk to Hunter?”

“Don’t think so.”

“It’s still possible you could reach a compromise.”

Across the parking lot Jill spied Cassandra setting her lunch bag on the backseat of her shiny sports car. Was it Jill’s imagination or was Cassandra taking her sweet time getting away, just hoping to catch one more glimpse of them? “Truthfully, Brad? At this point in time, I’d rather die than see Hunter Delaney in person.”

“Don’t look now, then,” Brad said under his breath. “Because here he comes.”

Jill whipped her head around to spy a handsome, dark-haired man striding toward them and sporting a broad grin. He wore a blue polo shirt and khaki slacks, and was taller then she remembered, at least a good six inches taller than her. A heck of a lot buffer too. Muscles rippled beneath his shirt as he opened his arms wide. “Jill Jamison!” Hunter proclaimed effusively. “The woman of my dreams!”
 

Before Jill knew what was happening, he reached for her and clamped her against his chest in a big bear hug. His frame was rock solid and he smelled of musky cologne. Hunter’s arms wound around her, securing her at the waist. “Sorry, bud,” he whispered to Brad, “the press is watching.”

Jill stared up at him, her mind whirling. “Hunter! Just what are you doing?” She didn’t know why, but her knees felt weak and her mouth went dry. She was probably in a state of shock. It wasn’t like she recalled that old longing she’d had when she’d hoped to be in Hunter’s arms so many years ago. Then, she’d imagined him to be a different kind of guy…the sort who could really care for a girl, and sweep her off her feet with one kiss. Not that she’d let him try, especially after learning what sort of guy he
really
was. The type who was only in it for the moment, and wouldn’t have given her a second thought once she’d completely given him her heart. His dark eyes caught the sunlight as he dipped his chin toward hers.

“Making us public,” he said with a grin. At once, Jill felt transported in time and she was all of seventeen again, helplessly under Hunter’s spell. The next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers, all hot and heavy, his tongue sweeping in to taste hers. Jill sagged in his arms and he tightened his embrace. This was wrong.
This is insane…
But Jill found herself kissing him back, just a little at first—and then a lot. He felt so good and smelled so fine, she nearly forgot they were standing at the edge of a parking lot. Jill’s temperature spiked as her tennis racket crashed to the ground. Oh man, he was good. Better than good. Hunter’s skill was top-notch. Excellent. Why oh why had she waited so long? Or perhaps it was good she’d waited, until the fruit of her desire had ripened to perfection. Was it Jill’s imagination, or was Hunter just as ravenous for her? Somehow her arms were around him, her wrists overlapping at the back of his neck. It was almost like she was enjoying this, wanting more of him...
What? Hunter?
Jill called herself up short and broke away, stepping back with a gasp. At least she hoped she was gasping and not panting.
Whoa.

Hunter saucily cocked an eyebrow and spoke with a husky rasp.

“Can I take that to mean you missed me too?”

Jill cupped a hand to her mouth, her cheeks flaming. And it wasn’t just her face; her whole body felt on fire, particularly the parts of her that had touched him—flesh pressing flesh. For a moment she felt faint. Brad handed Jill her racket and she used it like a cane to steady herself against the ground. “That was a little over the top for
hi, how’ve you been.
”

Hunter screwed up his face with mock confusion. “I thought we were engaged?” His eyes darted to a parking spot not fifty feet away, and Jill glanced in that direction to find Cassandra watching them, her jaw unhinged. She stood by her open driver’s door, not bothering to hide her rapt interest. In fact, she appeared to be hastily packing away a camera. Brad had obviously spotted Cassandra too, because he leapt right in with a shrill cry.
“Engaged?”

“Sorry, Brad,” Hunter said loudly. “But all’s fair in love and—”

Brad spewed his retort, immediately picking up on Hunter’s cue. “You think you know a man.” He motioned between Hunter and Jill. “All this time…? My girl and my very best friend? You and she…?” It was like he couldn’t force himself to say it. “Unbelievable!” he finally yelped with a moan.

Jill stared at Brad in a panic before catching a glimpse of Cassandra rapidly fastening her seatbelt and zooming away. She’d gotten a scoop all right: a big one. Who knew how soon this story would be rushed to print? Yet none of the details had been ironed out. Jill didn’t even know whether she and Hunter could make this charade work! And there he’d gone and spilled the whole can of beans to the entire world. Things couldn’t go any more global than
Tempo Beat
. Surely, Hunter knew that. “Well, I hope you’re proud of yourself,” she said in a scolding tone.

Rather than appearing admonished, Hunter smiled, one side of his mouth rising higher than the other. “I thought we put on a pretty good show.”

Brad nodded in agreement and shook his fingers as if fighting off flames. “Hot, hot.”

Jill flushed in spite of herself.

“You did all right too,” Hunter said, giving Brad’s shoulder a nudge. “Really convincing.”

Jill’s mind was still spinning from the rapid turn of events. “When you two boys are done congratulating yourselves,” she hissed at them, “maybe you can explain how bringing Cassandra in on this makes things any better?”

“Far better that she works for us, than against us,” Brad explained.

“My thinking exactly,” Hunter said. “You know, Jill,” he told her, apparently seriously, “you’ve held up pretty well over the years. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble at all fitting the bill.” He stepped toward her, playacting like he wanted to scoop her back into his arms.

“Oh, no you don’t, big boy.” She reached out a hand to stop him, placing her palm to his chest. His heart thumped beneath it. “You and I have some talking to do.” Before this fake fiancé number could proceed any further, Jill needed a couple of answers. Like about why Hunter had agreed to it in the first place? Brad’s story about Hunter suddenly morphing into a gentleman seemed to be holding less and less water. Particularly in light of that flaming hot kiss. The current rumors about Hunter were obviously true. No man could kiss like that who hadn’t been around the block a time or two. Jill was just mortified that she’d given in to it. She clung to the hope that Hunter hadn’t noticed and had taken her response in the vein it was supposedly given, as an outward sign to Cassandra of her new involvement with Hunter.

Brad gave a slight bow. “This is where the jilted ex excuses himself.”

Jill grabbed for his arm as he turned back toward the clubhouse. “Brad! Don’t go!”

“Three’s a crowd, haven’t you heard?” After walking a few paces, he peered over his shoulder to give Jill and Hunter an evaluating look. “You two really do make a great couple, by the way. Utterly charming.” Jill seethed as he added, “Don’t neglect to send me an invite!”

Jill massaged her forehead for a beat, then caught Hunter watching her. “You want to talk?” he said. “I’ll talk. Shall we find a spot in the shade?”

That’s when Jill looked past him to spy Cassandra’s car slowly trolling back through the parking lot, her driver’s side window lowered and a smart phone angled outside it.

“Film at eleven,” Hunter quipped.

Chapter Five

Hunter sat with Jill at an outdoor table spanned by a large umbrella. They were by the adults-only pool. This club had five: a competition pool for lane swimming, a diving pool, a kiddie pool with a spewing fountain in the middle, a smaller kidney-shaped pool with broad steps leading into it and a gradual slope with an underwater ramp for the senior citizen crowd, and this one. Hunter lowered his sunglasses to survey a nearby pair of bathing beauties in small bikinis stretched out on lounge chairs. Nice, but neither was much competition for the woman at hand. Even in her tennis shorts and simple T-shirt she outshone them. Jill actually looked kind of cute, nervously adjusting her ponytail as their server set down their lunches beside their lemonades. She reached for the tab, thanking their server.

“I’ve got it,” Hunter said, deftly snatching the slim leather folder from the waiter before Jill could take it. They’d asked for the bill to be brought with their food as both were in a hurry. Jill had a meeting with her agent later, and Hunter had to get back to the office. She’d been disinclined to lunch with him at all, until he’d insisted she’d have to eat sometime. This way they could discuss the contract, and arrange damage control for Cassandra’s media revelations.

He’d ordered a burger and fries, which smelled delicious. Jill had gotten a small Caesar salad, claiming she couldn’t eat anything hot in this weather. Secretly, Hunter wondered if she was watching her figure, though she clearly didn’t need to. Jill packed a dynamite form into that austere athletic outfit. He flipped open the bill holder and reached for a pen, his eye snagging on Jill’s legs. She sat with the toes of her sneakers pointed downward beneath her chair, one ankle crossed behind the other, her divine calves pressed together. Her legs were a sculpture in and of themselves, sleek and finely formed, practically inviting his touch. For a second, Hunter forgot he was supposed to be signing the tab. He cleared his throat and took care of business, adding a gratuity.