Page 68 of Bargain with the Bachelor
Chapter Eighteen
Bad Timing
Kristal
Inside, Hunter busied himself with getting me a robe and showing me to a cabin where I could shower and change.
“The bathroom’s fully stocked with toiletries—all the brands you have at home. Take your time. I’ll meet you back in the living room.”
He gave me a brief, tight-lipped nod and continued down the corridor toward another cabin. Something had changed, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Okay. See you in a few minutes,” I said to his back.
I rinsed off then dressed in the clothes I’d worn onboard—someone had placed them on the bed while I showered in the adjoining bathroom.
Then I went back into the bathroom to brush my teeth. By the time I finished, the mirror had de-fogged enough for me to see my reflection.
Good Lord. I was a disaster. No wonder Hunter had run away.
He probably thought he was in a fairytale reversal where the princess turned into a frog instead of the other way around.
I finger combed my hair and rubbed at the mascara smudges under my eyes, but there was no hope of restoring my makeup to its former glory. My lips looked swollen, and there was a whisker burn on one side of my neck.
That part of my reflection, at least, made me smile. I’d had fun getting that whisker burn. I wanted alotmore of them.
Whatever was bothering Hunter, we’d talk about it, get it straightened out, and get back to the good stuff. Because things had been very,verygood tonight.
“Everything’s fine,” I told my frowzy doppleganger. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
When I returned to the living room, Hunter was already there, dried off and dressed and once again looking ready for Town and Country magazine to drop by for a photo shoot.
It wasn’t fair that he could look so effortlessly dashing while I lookedexactlylike I’d just been banged in a hot tub.
He offered me a glass of wine and gestured to a buttery soft white leather sofa. “Want to have a seat here until we dock?”
“Sure.”
But he didn’t sit next to me as I would have expected. Instead, he took the matching sofa opposite mine.
“You warm enough?” he asked in a polite, almost businesslike tone, as if I were a plane passenger and he was offering me a complimentary blanket for the flight.
I nodded, studying his impassive expression. “I’m fine.”
A low cocktail table separated the two couches where we sat, but it wasn’t the only obstacle between us. Some sort of invisible wall had dropped around him.
What had happened? Over the course of a few minutes his demeanor had shifted from relaxed and happy to quiet and tense.
A sense of foreboding grew inside me like the fog beginning to build on the water outside.
“Hey—you okay? Did I say something wrong?” I asked.
Hunter smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked… haunted.
“Of course not. Last night’s lack of sleep is catching up with me is all.” He stood abruptly. “Why don’t you gather your things and get ready to disembark? I’m going to check in with the captain.”
Hunter left the room, and I didn’t see him again until the yacht had docked. He returned and led me down the gangway to the dock and toward the parking area.
A strong odor of low tide permeated the chilly air.
