Page 8 of Reforming Hunt
It was a strange coincidence to run into Hunt the day after she met him, but she didn’t have time to figure it out. If he’d played a part in helping her with her car just now, she owed him. And she’d worry about that later.
Chapter 4
Hunt woke with the mother of all hangovers. He’d been on a mission last night to fog his brain with alcohol, and damn if he hadn’t succeeded.
Pain shot through his head, and he winced as he turned and glanced at the warm body next to him.
He had left the lounge Chris dragged him to last night with a woman named Jade, who was now lying beside him. They’d gone to her place, where he’d given her an orgasm and then proceeded to pass out. He hadn’t even needed a condom. Hadn’t been in the mood for sex. If he thought about it, he’d taken Jade home last night—or rather to her home, given he never brought anyone to his place—in order to get the hell out of the lounge without having to explain to Chris why he was leaving early. Because it wasn’t normal for Hunt to leave early from a night out and go home alone.
Something was off. But he couldn’t figure out what it was.
He shook his head and instantly regretted it. Pinching his brow until the pain receded, he reached over the side of the bed for his clothes. It was five in the morning and still dark. Without a word, he slipped from the bed and left the room.
Jade lived in an apartment near Stateline. No roommates, thank God. Hunt pulled on his clothes in the living room and left her a note on the kitchen counter next to a box of strawberry Pop-Tarts.
Jade,
Thank you for last night.
No signature. And he never left his phone number. Didn’t want calls from women he had no intention of seeing again.
Maybe she’d forget his name. Women didn’t seem to mind a one-night stand with him. He showed them a good time, treated them with respect, but he never led women to believe there’d be anything more.
A few times he’d run into past flings, and they had always been happy to see him. And eager for round two. Which he was careful to avoid. Spending more than one night with someone led to expectations, and he never wanted to give a woman the wrong impression.
Jade had been exactly the type of woman Hunt favored. Someone looking for a good time, no strings attached. And in a few hours, he’d forget all about her.
Meanwhile, he couldn’t get Abby and her car out of his head, and it was bugging the crap out of him. He hadn’t even kissed her the night they’d met at the club, let alone slept with her. So why did she keep popping into his mind?
* * *
Later that morning,Hunt learned that the head of maintenance at Club Tahoe had sent Abby’s beater car to Jeffery’s Mechanic shop because he’d been unable to get the car started.
“Alternator,” the maintenance guy said.
“Those are expensive,” Hunt murmured to himself.
The head of maintenance grunted.
For a fraction of a second, Hunt wondered if he should pay for the car to be fixed. He could afford it, but why the hell was he thinking of doing it? He was courteous toward women—he paid for meals and any entertainment when they were out—but this was beyond courteous. He didn’t know Abby. Literally didn’t know her last name.
Of course he shouldn’t pay for her car.
Hunt pushed thoughts of Abby aside and prepared the pontoon for a lake cruise scheduled that afternoon. When he returned a few hours later, he cleaned up the boat and made his way to Club Kids for his late afternoon round of play-with-whatever-kids-were-hanging-until-their-parents-got-off-work.
It was his favorite time of the day, but he’d never tell his brothers how much he loved working with the kids. They’d say it was because he was a giant child at heart. Which wasn’t entirely off base. But to share the other reasons he enjoyed spending time with the kids would reveal a part of him that was personal. And honestly, his brothers would never believe him anyway. They had one image of who he was, and nothing would change that. Hunt knew, because he’d tried.
It had been a while since he had scheduled a kids versus Club Kids attendants tug-of-war. Time for a new round, winner got ice cream.
Kaylee, Wes’s wife, had returned from an extended maternity leave to continue running the Club Kids program, now that their daughter Harlow was old enough to come along too. She stood off to the side, talking to one of the helpers, and Hunt swooped in and picked up Harlow from the baby area where one of the attendants was playing with her.
He nuzzled kisses on Harlow’s neck rolls—who was feeding this child, anyway?—and Harlow laughed and smacked his head with her chubby baby hands.
His niece liked to bat her uncles around. And they all allowed it because she was the only girl in two generations of Cades. As far as Hunt was concerned, she was a princess, and he and his brothers would treat her as such.
“Huuunnt,” he said, looking into Harlow’s eyes, trying to imprint his name in her mind.
He and his brothers had a running bet over whose name Harlow would say first. She was already saying “momma” and “dada,” but the rest was up for grabs. Hunt, Bran, Levi, and Adam made it a point to repeat their names to Harlow every chance they got. The winner got a round of beers.
