Page 95 of The Christmas Holiday
‘I need to get to my room.’
Hunter nodded, carefully wrapped his hands around my upper arms and moved us both along exactly one door.
‘There. Now are you going to tell me what’s going on?’
‘Nothing’s going on. I’m honestly just tired.’
‘You know I don’t believe you, don’t you?’
I gave him a smileand a shrug. He closed his eyes for a moment and ran a hand over his hair. ‘Why do you never let me in, Mia?’
I blinked and glanced at the door, which brought a soft, brief smile to his face. ‘Not in there.’ His fingertips reached out, grazing my temples softly with a touch that set off a burning within me. ‘In here.’ His hands moved again as he stepped closer and slid them under my open coat,resting them at my waist, gently at first and then firmer as they slid around my back and he pulled me in. I could feel him against me as we stumbled clumsily against the door. ‘Let me in, Mia.’ Hunter’s words were soft and whispered against my cheek, while his body was hard and intense against my own. His head bent further, dropping butterfly-soft kisses on my skin until his mouth found mineand I fell into the kiss I’d been doing my best to forget about for the last five years. My hands reached for him, fingers locking around his neck, and his hand trailed from my face to wrap itself around my ponytail. I drifted one hand down and across the day’s growth on his jawline. He caught it with his own, interlacing our fingers as he drew my arm up above my head, pressing us both against thedoor. His other hand slid from my hair and quickly moved to the small of my back as his mouth moved down my throat.
‘Where’s your key?’ His words were raspy and full of hunger and it kicked off a whole new wave of wanting. ‘Mia. Give me the key.’ His eyes lifted and met mine. And I knew what I had to do.
‘I can’t do this, Hunter,’ I whispered. I felt him tense and a moment later he stoodback from me, confusion clear on his face.
‘Do what?’
‘You know what.’
His brow was knotted and his jawline tight. ‘No. I don’t.’
I straightened my clothes and kept my eyes averted from him. ‘Oh, come on. All this “open up to me, Mia?” We both know what was going to happen here and what you really wanted. And it sure as hell wasn’t for me to open my mind to you. I’m sorry. ButI refuse to be just another journalist you once slept with.’
Hunter’s face darkened. ‘You think you know me so well, don’t you?’ He let out a laugh devoid of humour. ‘You have no idea.’ He took a step away and my tangled emotions boiled into anger.
‘And whose fault is that?’
He stopped, turning back, his eyes blazing. ‘What?’
‘You make this big thing about how I don’t let you in?How hypocritical is that? What about you? There’s clearly something going on and I begged you to open up to me in India and in Malaysia. But you didn’t. You kept it all locked inside. Big, macho Hunter.’
‘Don’t.’ His teeth were gritted as he turned away again and started quickly down the corridor.
‘You don’t get to tell me what to do! And oh, what a surprise, you’re just going to walkaway. You’re pretty damn good at that, Hunter Scott. Looks like some things never change.’
He didn’t look back.
