Page 1 of Playing With Secrets
CHAPTER 1
HUNTER
There’sa bullseye I’m aiming for directly in front of me, and his name is Jamison Stone. I’ve been at war with him for some time now.
It seems he doesn’t understand how serious I am about him staying away from the love of my life. It’s time I make it perfectly clear.
Dorothy’s tear-filled voice carries through the crack of her open door. “Jami, don’t. You know it wrecked me once. I have too much on my plate. Please don’t do this.”
I should stay out here and listen, but I really hate the thought of them alone in her tiny loft. It doesn’t matter that they seem to be fighting. I still want him gone.
The door creaks as I push it open. They come into view, standing in her living room, staring wildly into each other’s eyes—his big muscular body toe-to-toe with her much smaller frame. Before they notice me, Jamison shakes his head and marches to her window.
“What don’t you want Jamison to do?” The door slams behind me. I need the privacy if I’m going to tear him apart.
Jamison spins toward me with surprise covering his face as Dorothy slowly slides down to sit on the sofa. Her eyes arebloodshot from crying, which tells me they’ve been fighting for a while. They share a glance full of panic, and the hair on the back of my neck rises.
He folds his arms over his chest. “I was just telling her we needed some time before she can expect you and me to be friends.”
I tilt my head and study them. They seem to communicate silently at times. I’ve missed it before, but I’m not that stupid anymore.
My eyes slide from him to her. “That doesn’t answer my question. What doesn’t she want you to do?”
Her head is down, and she’s wiping away tears. She’s sick and weak, which upsets me even more that he’s here pestering her.
He keeps his eyes on me. “She’s under a lot of pressure and doesn’t want me to distance myself from you anymore. She believes if you and I are going to get to the point we can be friends, I need to actively work on it.”
“She’s not wrong, Jamison, but I don’t see the point in you coming here and upsetting her when she’s been sick. So tell me why this couldn’t wait?” I move toward her sofa where she’s sitting. She needs to know she can lean on me like she did all weekend.
She pushes a pillow off her lap, shoving it to the side of the couch. “Melanie forgot a file I needed, and Jami brought it over. We started arguing. I don’t even know what caused it.”
“We weren’t arguing. We were trying to see eye to eye. This wish of hers about us being friends again is difficult. I made a snide comment about it. I wasn’t trying to upset her, especially since she’s sick.” Jamison seems to gravitate to Dorothy, his shoulders—even broader than mine—blocking my view of her for a moment.
It's like he thinks he can simply eclipse what she and I have together, but I won't let that happen.
She stands and faces me. He places himself in front of heras if she needs his protection. This is the exact thing that sent me down the path of investigating him in the first place.
He thinks he has ownership of her in some way. It makes my blood boil.
She steps around him, tightening the cream-colored robe she’s in, and comes over to me. “What are you doing here, Hunter? I thought your plane was taking off soon.”
“It is, but they’re addressing a mechanical issue, so I have some extra time. I came back to see if there was anything else you needed.” This next statement is for both Jamison and her to hear. “I love how you leaned on me all weekend. I wanted more of it, so I came back.”
Jamison flexes his chest as I stare into my beauty’s emerald eyes. He’s in my peripheral, so I know I’m aggravating him. And that makes me smile inside.
Her posture softens. “Thank you. You’ve been more than generous. I can’t tell you how much it means.”
“You seem to be getting tired, so Jamison and I will leave you to rest. Don’t worry about work. Just take care of yourself.” I press my lips against her forehead. “Even sick, you smell wonderful. The scent of the lotion from the massage I gave you remains on your skin.”
Yes, I’m staking my claim and I couldn't care less how Jamison feels about it. I’ve warned him about being with her, and it’s clear I need to do something about it.
She blushes. “Like I said, thank you. You two should get going. I need to rest. And despite what you say, I have to get some work done.”
She shuffles away from me and gives him a sidelong glance. He shakes his head and starts toward the door.
I follow him. “Jamison, I’d like to have a word with you. Let’s walk out together.”
“I need to get back to work. Let’s chat another time.” He places his hand on the doorknob.
