Page 83 of Hunted
The others gather around me, Bower and Reece take the lead, Bower smiling and waving like he’s some sort of movie star. It makes me smile to see him relaxed. It helps remind me that nothing scary is happening right now.
Kingsley walks at the back of our group and Weston wraps his arm around my shoulders, holding me against his side, as we move towards the entrance. I wrap my left arm around his back and grip him firmly, reminding myself that he’s right there beside me.
When we make it inside and the doors shut, quieting the voice of the press, I let out a breath of relief. That wasn’t so bad.
“Mr. Benson, Mr. Riggs! It’s so good to see you both!” a woman exclaims up ahead. I glance between Bower and Reece and see a beautifulwoman standing behind the reception desk. She has long dark hair styled in waves, and she wears a tight pencil skirt and a light blue blouse.
I frown down at my own appearance, wondering, not for the first time today, if I’m dressed appropriately for this. Not only do I not know what my own style is, but I don’t even know what’s appropriate to wear in different situations. I really appreciated Kingsley ordering some clothes for me. He even picked out the dress I’m wearing today.
It’s a white fabric covered in tiny blue flowers. I think the cap sleeves and sweetheart neckline help to soften my appearance, while the length, ending a few inches above my knees, is short enough for the San Francisco heat, without being so short that it would reveal too much.
Of course, I was used to wearing a much shorter skirt than this and going commando, but not around so many strangers. Kingsley had bought me a variety of underwear, telling me I needed to figure out what style I liked best. There was everything from what he called boy shorts to thongs. I ended up liking the athletic thongs, the material soft and lightweight, and I mostly didn’t even notice I was wearing them.
Bras were another matter. He bought a few sizes, not knowing exactly what size I’d be. And I had found one that fit me, but it wasn’t comfortable, I low key hated it. Of course, I couldn’t tell him that. I just chose to stick to sports bras or no bra when I could.
Unfortunately, the straps of the sports bra showed in this dress, and I didn’t think I could go without one out in public, so I sucked it up and wore the white bra today. It was killing me not to reach up and constantly readjust it. Who thought putting wire in bras was a smart idea, anyway?
“Mr. Voss! I’m so glad you’re safe, too.”
“It’s good to see you, Lisa.” Kingsley nods to the woman as we all move to stand in front of her desk. Her eyes move appreciatively over Weston,skipping me completely. He makes a small noise of discontent, making me smile as I dig my fingers into his back in acknowledgement of his distress.
“Lisa, this is our friend, West Callahan, and this is Darla Danvers. Both of them are allowed full access to this building and everything in it. If either of them ever comes here needing to see any of us, you tell us straight away.”
“Of course, sir!” she says, practically batting her eyelashes at him. Ugh, I did not like thatat all.“It’s nice to meet you,Weston.” She says his name like it means something special to her. I hate her instantly. Can she not see his arm draped around my shoulder?
He grunts a reply, making me love him a little bit more for not giving her a single word in response.
“Alright, let’s get going,” Reece says, gesturing to the elevator.
Weston steers us to follow Reece, and I glance over my shoulder when I see Lisa stopping Bower with a hand on his arm as she says something too quiet for me to hear. I narrow my eyes at where her hand touches him and am happy when he pulls his arm away quickly, taking a step back as he gives her a short reply, then turns and quickly catches up with us.
“What did she want?” I ask Bower, still watching where she’s eyeing up my men.
Bower looks at me in confusion, then a grin spreads across his handsome face. “She asked if we needed any drinks. Why? Are you jealous, baby?”
I scoff and turn back to face the front, not wanting to lie but refusing to admit that I was. A part of me wonders if anything has ever happened between the two of them before. Not that I’d blame her. Bower is thetotal package. And she’s beautiful. But I don't like the idea of him being around someone he’s slept with.
“Don’t worry,” Bower whispers in my ear, so only I can hear him. “She’s got nothing on my future wife.”
I inhale sharply. He keeps making comments like this, about us getting married. It was a little funny at first. But now, with the way I feel about him, it makes my heart beat heavily, filled with excitement and hope.Does he really mean it?
The elevator pings, distracting me from my thoughts, and I step inside with the others. I’m not a lover of small spaces, but it moves quickly enough that I don't have any time to start panicking before the doors open on the fourth floor. I jump out quickly, rubbing my hands down my arms to try and get that feeling of being confined out of my skin.
“What’s wrong? Was it the elevator?” Reece asks, noticing my actions.
I nod, pressing my lips together in a thin line.
“We’ll take the stairs next time.” I nod, not wanting to talk about it anymore right now. He places his hand on my lower back and guides me forward. When we reach the end of the hall, he guides me into a large meeting room and pulls out a chair for me near the end of the table. The guys all take seats around me as Mira and a couple of security guards follow us in. She sits down and clasps her hands together on the table in front of her.
“Glad to see you all made it in one piece. Sorry about the press outside, it’s unavoidable. Everyone wants to hear about the woman who survived alone on an island for fifteen years.”
My face pales at her words. Of course, I knew that people wanted to know what happened to me, but when she puts it like that, it sounds like the whole world wants to hear my story, and that thought terrifies me.I don’t want everyone to know who I am. In some ways, I’d rather stay hidden on that island as a nobody, that seemed way easier than this.
But when I glance around at my men, I know that they couldn’t stay there, and if I had to choose between staying on the island alone, or living here with them, I’d choose to be here, every time. I was just going to have to get used to it.
“The more we tell them, the less they will ask, right?” Bower confirms with Mira.
“Yes and no. This is a completely unique situation. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Today is the first step, we officially tell the press who you are,” she says, gesturing to me, “confirming their suspicions, and we tell them where you’ve been. We also need to explain Mr. Voss and Mr. Riggs disappearances, too.”
