Page 26 of Hunter

“I bet you could,” he says only inches away from my face. “I bet Louisa Flynn could hold back a whole army if she needed to. I’d love to.”

And just like that, I’m suddenly cooking dinner for my attractive boss while being engaged to a movie star and having my ex stalk me.

Lovely!

_____

Daniel

I have to laugh at Theo who is currently sitting in his chair, head in his hands, and growling at me from across the room. Izzy is standing behind him, rubbing comforting circles on his back, but is also laughing over his reaction to my news. I do love Iz and her ability to see the funny side in anything, no matter how inappropriate. After our first few rather strange introductions, we fast became friends. We can both tease Theo into a state of fluster but methinks I’m winning in the competition of who can make him more lost for words. Izzy will need to up her game to outdo this one.

“So, let me get this straight,” he finally sighs as he looks up at me, “you let Louisa get manhandled at the festival, got sloshed at the cemetery where our employee caught you, and then decided to ask her out for dinner, all the while she’s supposed to be engaged to your client?”

He stares at me with a crazed expression and a twitch in his eye.

“Yeah,” I reply after blowing out a stream of air through my lips because although it’s amusing to see Theo in this state, his itemizing it all does make it sound bad. “That’s pretty much the gist of this weekend.”

“Oh, don’t forget Louisa’s brother smashing his fist against your face,” Izzy adds with a beaming grin, “which is making you look totally badass by the way.”

I mouth at her to stop it but can’t help but have to chuckle over her joining forces with me to wind up poor Theo into a premature heart attack.

“No, no, I didn’t; I actually liked that part,” Theo says matter of factly, “it’s the only bit I agreed with.”

Just at that moment, the lovely Louisa walks in singing a song about ducks, repeating the same line over and over again. She sashays into the kitchen, being oblivious to the three of us watching her through Theo’s glass door. She reaches up to get some cups down and presses the button to turn the coffee machine on and I realize, she’s wearing a knee-length pencil skirt and a blouse that actually fits her.

“Damn it, that song is stuck in my head, and I only know one line from it,” she mumbles to herself. “Must find that old Lemon Jelly album.”

She smiles as she spoons sugar into a mug while repeating the line all over again. I take delight in her carefree attitude and the fact I can see the outline of her waist today.

“Put your tongue back in, Daniel,” Izzy whispers loudly, then kisses Theo goodbye. He kisses her back, then shakes his head at me before following her out.

“Morning, Louisa,” Izzy says as she waves goodbye.

Louisa seems to jump out of her skin and then places her hand over her chest, looking momentarily shocked.

“Sorry,” she giggles, “I didn’t know anyone was here yet. Morning, Izzy, Theo.” When I walk out to join them, she blushes, turning her cheeks a crimson shade that spreads down her neck. “Feeling better, Daniel?”

“Much, thank you, Louisa,” I respond, placing my hands inside my pockets, “no greasy breakfast necessary this morning.”

She smiles and nods before returning to the drinks she was making. Izzy makes her exit, leaving Theo to go and talk about the weekend’s events with Louisa. He seems to be a lot more ok with her than he is with me. He’s even smiling. Now he’s offering her a pat on the shoulder, which strangely makes me want to snap his hand off.

A moment or two later, Trent saunters in like he owns the place, wearing a patterned shirt only a celebrity could get away with, together with a pair of low-slung jeans. His sunglasses cover half of his face, making him look like he is constantly suffering from a hangover. The moment he catches me looking his way, he half grins and shoves his hand limply in the air, crossing the room to get to me. I smile tightly at him, turning to lead us both into my office, thus bypassing him trying to high-five me like a couple of dude-bros back in school. He shrugs off my rebuttal and slumps into the chair in front of my desk. He then slams his boots on top of my workspace like a kid with a bad attitude, obviously mistaking me for being his friend instead of the guy who’s trying to save his reputation.

Walking past his hideous tartan boots, I use the point of my pen to push them away, forcing him to sit up straight and put his feet on the floor, just as God intended. As soon as I take my seat opposite, he smiles a wicked grin that tells me I’m either going to not like what he’s already done, or he’s going to say something that’s going to piss me off.

“Spit it out,” I sigh, already soured out of my good mood by his obnoxious attitude to life.

“Louisa?” he says and leans on my desk as if trying to be discreet. “I mean, is she single?”

I lean back in my chair and force myself to take a deep breath before I attempt to give him an answer because, in all honesty, the thought of this man-child taking Louisa out on a proper date makes me want to hurl him out of the building. But I also need to be professional and push aside my possessiveness, especially when she’s not strictly with me in any formal capacity. Technically, she is only my employee and is free to see whomever she wants to. Do I want it to be me? Sure, which also scares the shit out of me. But if she wants to date idiot features here, who am I to stand in her way?

“Er, as far as I know, she is,” I reply, forcing a smile of sorts, though it probably looks more like a grimace. “Of course, I don’t think her brother is particularly keen on her dating.” Yes, there’s that too, and the fact that she’s been hurt a great deal in the past, and I still have no idea who the other tattooed guy who accosted her is. Trent would have no idea how to navigate dating someone as complex as Louisa. “Trent, if you ask her and she does decide to go out with you, I will not tolerate anyone hurting her. Do you understand?”

“Hey, I’m all gentleman,” he replies with a lopsided grin before jumping to his feet. “Think I might go and ask her out now before I lose my nerve.”

“Wait!” I call out before he can exit my office. “I would advise you to wait until after your public outing tomorrow. If she decides to knock you back, it might make things a little awkward, don’t you think?”

“Danny, no woman has ever knocked me back, I mean…” He pauses to throw his hands out in a dramatic fashion, “…come on!”

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