12
The next morning, Alex woke to a cold, empty bed and enough steamy memories of the night before to make a crow blush. Man, she was hardly a timid virgin, but she’d never had her world rocked so thoroughly before. Seemed Hunter Odenson was quite possibly a god after all—a sex god, that was.
Smiling wide, she rolled over onto her back and listened for sounds of him moving around the safe house. Considering the fact that tonight was the big showdown, the one and only chance she might have to get Bea back safe and sound, Alex had not expected to sleep soundly or to wake feeling so refreshed and energized. Kudos to Hunter for making both those things possible. Kudos to him too for just being an all-around great guy and friend during this mission, in general. Things sure hadn’t started out smoothly that first day—with him blasting onto her film set like a Chuck Norris reject—but over the last several days she’d grown to respect him as a person and a professional.
Warmth and happiness bubbled inside her bloodstream as she gave a full-body stretch. The thing that surprised her the most about Hunter, though, was
his kind and gentle heart. Most people didn’t see it, hidden away behind all that towering muscle, but it was there. Knowing he’d let her glimpse his real self, the side of him that he guarded from everyone else, made her feel special. Special and cared for and…
Alex stopped herself from going any farther. Yes, she liked Hunter. A lot. Way more than she should, probably, considering he’d be on the first plane back to the east coast when all this was over. But there it was. She liked him. More than liked him after last night. What’s more, she trusted him. And in her line of work, she’d learned not to trust many people. In the entertainment industry, everyone seemed to be searching for something or looking for their next big break. All Hunter was interested in was keeping her safe and finding Bea.
Sure, he also wanted to complete his mission and get his promotion, but he’d never once made her feel stupid or cheap or like a piece of meat as so many other guys in her business did. Hunter made her feel smart and cherished and worthy. Hunter made her feel like she could take on any challenge and win. Like she could be the successful woman she’d always wanted to be, as long as she had him by her side.
The sound of his deep voice drifting in from the living room put a quick kibosh on those dreams. From what she could hear, he was on the phone again with his office back in Virginia. With a sigh, Alex got up and padded quickly across the room to the master bath, the hardwood floor cold on her bare feet. Once inside she shut the door then leaned back against it, eyes closed. She could not let herself fall for Hunter Odenson. That would be the height of dumb.
He was not staying. He was not her usual type. He’d never expressed an interest in anything more than one night of incredibly hot sex with her. To blow it all out of proportion and want more was beyond idiotic.
Resolved to put those crazy thoughts out of her head, Alex jammed on the shower to let it heat up while she took care of business, then brushed her teeth. By the time she stood beneath the steamy spray she felt nearly like her old jaded self again. Hunter was a nice guy, a good guy, a smart, decent, generous, fiercely loyal and brave guy. No reason to go all gaga over the dude, right?
Damn, she really wished Bea was there to talk to about all this. Bea was her sounding board, her go-to gal for all matters of the heart. Bea would know exactly what to do to get Alex out of this situation. But first, Alex needed to rescue her best friend from her predicament. She just prayed Bea was alive and well and hadn’t been beaten or raped or otherwise mistreated by the sex boss and his thugs.
After rinsing off and toweling dry, Alex made her way out of the master bedroom to the guest room she’d claimed as hers the day before. There she found a clean set of sweatpants, a T-shirt, and socks from the safe room set neatly on the bed and her heart squeezed. Another show of Hunter’s sweet, thoughtful side. She changed fast, swapping out her damp towel for the clothes, then headed out to find Hunter in the kitchen now, sans phone, his back to her as he cooked something wonderful-smelling on the stove. Her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear and he glanced back over his shoulder at her.
“Hey,” Hunter said, a glint of appreciation in his gaze as he looked her over. “Sleep well?”
“Like a baby.” She grinned and leaned against the counter, admiring his perfect firm ass in those tight faded jeans. “You?”
“Same.” He was naked from the waist up and his feet were bare too. She thought about all the wicked things she’d like to do to him to make his toes curl, things they hadn’t had time for the night before. “Hope you like omelets. I got up early and walked to the mini-mart down the street. The selection of groceries there wasn’t great, but I at least got us some milk, bread, cheese, eggs. All the staples.”
“Cool.” Alex took a seat at the small table and watched him fry up their breakfast. “And I love omelets.”
“Good. Me too.” He winked at her then pointed at the toaster. “Make yourself useful.”
“Yes, sir.” She got up and stuck a couple of slices of bread in.
“That’s my line.” Hunter grinned. “Coffee’s fresh too.”
“Awesome.” While she fixed herself a mug, Alex did her best to steer their conversation out of dangerous flirting territory and back to the task at hand. Otherwise, she was liable to jump him right there on the kitchen floor and nobody would eat—or do anything else—for a long time. “So, what’s the plan for today? We need to be ready when the boss shows up with his team tonight. You do think he’s going to show, right?”
“Yeah, he’ll show.” Hunter’s smile faltered slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He tried to shake off her question, but the tiny lines of tension around his eyes gave him away. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “I got a weird feeling from the boss last night. Like things went a bit too smoothly, you know?”
“Hmm.” She sipped her coffee, watching him over the rim. “You think he might try to double cross us with the slaves?”
“Maybe.” Hunter shrugged, muscles rippling beneath the smooth tanned skin of his back. Alex bit her lip to hold back a moan of appreciation. “I ran it by the guys earlier, just in case. Loki says we need to be prepared for every contingency. I agree with him. So, my plan is to spend today running through scenarios with you in case things go south. That way we’ll both be prepared and know what to expect in a worst-case scenario. Sound good?”
Alex nodded. “Sounds great. We do something similar in the movies. During our read-throughs of the script we’ll try different ways of saying things, different types of blocking for the scenes. It helps make sure we have the best set-up possible. Also helps make sure all the actors feel comfortable with each other and what we’ll be doing when the time comes.”
“Yep.” Hunter grabbed two plates from the cupboard while Alex buttered up two pieces of toast and shoved two more fresh slices of bread in the toaster. While he dished up their food, she finished the toast, then put silverware and napkins on the table. By the time they sat down to eat, it was like they were an old married couple. It felt way nicer and more perfect than Alex expected.
She swallowed her yearning along with a bite of eggs. He’d added cheese and small chunks of sausage to them, making them gooey and salty and damned near the best eggs she’d ever had. “Wow, this is terrific!”
“Thanks.” He looked away, though a tiny smile formed on his full, soft lips. “It’s nice to cook for more than just me.”
“You cook too?” She chuckled. “And just when I thought you couldn’t get more perfect.”