Page 67 of Wretched Heart
There’s a rumbling sound that rises from Ash’s chest just before the eruption. “Can you stop calling her your fucking wife like it means something!” he roars. “You’ve only known her a week!”
I don’t raise my voice to his level when I correct him. “Eleven days.”
“And that makes a difference? You don’t know her, Hunter!” he says, continuing to yell as he stalks back towards me. “If ever there was an example of why we don’t fuck around with relationships, this is it! You’ve lost your fucking mind!”
I take a step towards him, letting him know I’m not backing down. I wait until we’re in each other’s face. “No, I’ve just moved out of your shadow. We share a childhood that molded us, but it’s time to recognize that it shaped us in different ways.”
“Yeah, and maybe you’re more like our mother than I thought,” Ash says with a snarl. “I honestly didn’t think you’d be the one to choose someone else over your own flesh and blood.”
If I’m honest, I never could have imagined it either. “You know something, Ash?” I ask, giving him a shove that’s just hard enough to test our positions. “I think you’re more like her than you think too. Your moral compass seems tohave gone south, pointing somewhere between ruthless and heartless.”
Ash shoves me a little harder than I did him. “I’m not like our mother,” he hisses through gritted teeth.
My next shove forces him back a step. “Neither am I.”
My brother snatches hold of my t-shirt. I grab the lapels of his suit jacket. As Ash pushes me, I push him and we ricochet from desk, to table, and back again. What neither of us do is throw the first punch.
“Do you love her?” asks Ash.
I’ve been fighting against my feelings for Maddie ever since we met. It’s too soon to talk of love, but when I try to form the word no, I can’t. I’m certain the possibility of love exists. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before, and it’s reassuring to know that my heart isn’t as dark and lifeless as my brother’s.
It wasn’t always that way. Ash had loved someone once, and he loved her deeply. When the relationship ended, it broke him. Business and love can’t co-exist in our line of work, and I’ve tried to learn from Ash’s mistake. Tried and failed.
“Maybe I just like the idea that I could,” I admit. “Damn it, Ash. I know it can’t lead to anything, but I just want to enjoy the possibility of what can never be for a while.”
“Tell me you will get divorced.”
“Yes,” I say, my heart sinking at the thought. “And Maddie knows that too. Our futures can never align, but at this moment, what we have here works. I’ll be damned if I know why, but it does. You just need to get to know her. She brings fresh ideas to the table. And she’s not pulling my focus away from anything. Right now, you are.”
Ash releases his grip on my t-shirt. “Fine, I’ll go along with this for now, but I’m still not happy.”
I let go of his jacket and flex the tension from my hands. “Nothing new there,” I mutter, relaxed enough to smile.
“And it’s laird,” he says, his face as hard as granite. When I frown, he adds, “In Scotland they have lairds, not lords.”
“Jesus, Ash. You’re spending way too much time with Rory.”
“And apparently you’re not spending enough time with your needywife,” he replies with a grimace.
Chapter 21
Maddison
Iwake up with my head resting on one of Hunter’s arms. His other is draped across my naked body, his hand pressed to my stomach. Although his hold is firm, his embrace isn’t a conscious one. Even in his sleep, he wants to be my protector.
But for how long?
He hasn’t told me what passed between him and his brother – other than Ash had told him to spend more time with his wife. I find that hard to believe given the tension I’d witnessed between the pair, but Hunter was more relaxed after their private conversation. I’m not. Ash seems to be the one in charge, and if he decides not to pursue the takeover after all, they’ll pack up and leave. I’ll be left to deal with Hugo. Or have him deal with me.
Whatever Hunter had planned for my brother won’t happen while Hugo still owns half the mill, and I’m surprised how disappointed I’d be if he survives this. I know what Hunter means when he says he’s going to deal with my brother. He’s going to kill him. And while that sitsuncomfortably with me, I only have to recall the way darkness would creep into my vision each time he cut off my airway.
If Hugo isn’t the one to meet a premature demise, it could be me. Or Jen. Or god forbid, Becks. I can’t let that happen. And I have to believe that Hunter wouldn’t allow it either.
I twist carefully so that I can remain in the circle of his embrace. His soft snoring stops, but his eyes remain closed. My hands rest gently on his chest as I marvel at his face.
Hunter’s dark eyelashes cast spidery shadows under his eyes, and I fight the urge to draw a line with my finger down his nose to his mouth. I imagine those beautiful lips parting. The thought of his tongue flicking against my fingertip is too much to bear and I have to squeeze my thighs together.
“Stop wriggling,” Hunter complains.
