Page 22 of Reforming Hunt
Carrie had been laying it on thick, and he had a hard time turning down a lady. It went against his need to protect and please them. Typically, he made himself scarce when he saw someone from his past, but Carrie caught him unawares and his resistance depleted.
Until Abby walked in.
What was she doing here? According to her, she didn’t go out. But there she was, with the same friend from the Blue Casino club.
As far as Hunt knew, Abby never came to the Fireside Lounge. It was one of his main haunts, and he’d never seen her here before. But tonight, the first night Hunt considered moving past single nights with a woman, and Abby walked in and ruined it.
He couldn’t concentrate. Certainly not on the beautiful woman on his lap. His entire focus had zoned in on the woman at the table next to him with her hair pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head, tendrils of hair that she kept tucking behind her delicate ears falling around her face.
Delicate ears?
Hunt didn’t notice a woman’s ears. He didn’t care if they were large or small or delicate. What was the point? A woman was more than her ears. But he noticed everything aboutthiswoman.
Did she know what she was doing to him?
Probably not. She didn’t seem aware of how pretty she actually was. Abby never dressed to impress, and he suspected she thought no one noticed her ears or eyes or toned, round ass that would fit in the palm of his hand perfectly.
Hunt frowned. He had been thinking about Abby constantly, and it was seriously pissing him off. She was amom. He never dated moms. They needed more than he had to offer, and he knew his limits.
But somehow his body and mind weren’t in unison. Because the next thing he knew, he stood and walked over to Abby, ignoring his brothers’ whispered comments behind his back, and the logical part of his brain telling him to sit the fuck down.
“Hello,” he said to Abby. He smiled at her friend. “Fancy seeing you two here.”
“Another pickup line?” Abby said.
“I wouldn’t dare.” He pulled up a third chair and sat at their table.
“I’m Maria, by the way.” Her friend leaned forward, looking over his shoulder. “Are those your brothers?”
“According to my mother,” he grumbled. Typically Hunt was fine with his brothers’ probing questions. He had nothing to hide. But not tonight. Tonight, his brothers were annoying as hell.
“Maria was just telling me you own Club Tahoe.” Abby said it like an accusation.
“Part owner,” he corrected her. “I share it with my brothers. Is there a problem?”
She pressed her soft lips together. “You could have told me.”
Hunt scratched his head. What had he done wrong now? “I didn’t mention it because most people already know. The place was my father’s.”
“Oh,” Maria said, eyes sympathetic. “I heard about that. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Hunt tapped his finger on the table, staring into Abby’s confused eyes. “My father died a couple of years ago. He left this place to me and my brothers.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Abby said.
He shrugged. “It was a while ago, and we weren’t close.”
Maria stood. “I think I’ll just”—she waved toward the bar—“check on the food.”
Maria left and made her way to the bar. She was giving Hunt and Abby space, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he wanted all kinds of space to be with Abby. On the other hand, he was certain it wasn’t a good idea.
“But you’re so good with kids…” she said.
He lifted his eyebrow. “And that means?”
“If you weren’t close to your father, how are you good with kids?” She clenched her hands. “I mean… I don’t mean to say…”
He decided to save her. “I want to be different than my father. Kids are important. They need attention and support.”
