Page 34 of All Autumn
What the hell was wrong with me? I’ve always been at ease around Autumn, but something had changed. It had to be the boots.
I glanced at Beau, who was sitting on his haunches, his big brown eyes peering up at me with what seemed like disappointment, and I imagined him saying,You need to up your game, dude. You’re really letting us guys down here.Totally weird getting encouragement from a dog—even if it was in my imagination—but I wasn’t about to let Beauregard down.
“I can’t pick one because you’re all those things, Autumn.” I trailed my knuckles over the smooth skin of her cheek. “But if I did have to choose only one of those words, it would be ‘delicious’ because I want my mouth all over you.” Her breaths quickened right along with mine. My gaze roamed over her, stopping on her feet. “It’s those boots. In my mind I’m seeing you digging the heels into my back. I should point out that they’re the only thing you’re wearing when that happens.”
My friend since first grade whimpered. “Connor,” she said, or rather, rasped, and how the hell did I even knowraspwas a word before hearing that sound coming from her lips?
I had two choices here. Forget we had plans and talk her into staying home, which I was positive I could do considering the way she was looking at me, or stomp down on that idea and take her out. She’d wanted to visit Taren Blanton and so did I, but more than that I wanted to take Autumn to dinner in Asheville. It had been an afterthought, just something to do, but her eyes had lit up when I’d suggested it, and now I was determined to follow through.
But damn, that rasp. I wanted to hear it again, specifically when she was screaming my name. The sooner we made our hospital stop and then dinner, the sooner we could get back so I could make that happen.
“Let’s go.”
She raised her brows at the command that came out harsher than I’d intended, but when a man is hot for a particular woman, he’ll barrel through obstacles in his way like a jackhammer tearing through asphalt. And to the best of my memory I’d never been hotter for a woman than I was for Autumn Archer.
“IunderstandTaren Blanton’s in room 323,” I said to the nurse manning the desk on the third floor. “Is she receiving visitors?”
“Who’s asking?”
A man in an expensive suit stepped up to us, and I immediately recognized the face I’d seen numerous times on the news.
Autumn held out her hand. “Senator Blanton, I’m Autumn Archer, and this is Connor Hunter.”
“The couple who rescued Taren.” He wrapped his hand around Autumn’s, and I managed to stifle a growl when he didn’t let go. “You have my gratitude, Miss Archer.”
“Autumn,” she said. Rasped? My growl was getting harder to contain. She tugged her hand away. “Connor and my dog were the real heroes, Senator.”
“I’m Lucas,” he said to Autumn before offering his hand to me. “You have my gratitude, Mr. Hunter.”
“We’re just glad we were there to hear her call for help.” Our handshake only lasted a few seconds, the acceptable length for a man shake. Maybe I was being rude not offering him the use of my first name, but I was feeling annoyed and a bit territorial where Autumn was concerned.
Even being a man, I could concede that Lucas Blanton was what women referred to as man candy. He was no slouch in the clothing department either. At a minimum he must’ve spent a thousand bucks on the Armani suit, and I wasn’t sure which designer the dress shirt was from but it was easily another couple of hundred dollars. All subdued but still shouting money.
The senator owned a cattle ranch on the outskirts of Asheville, along with several businesses throughout the state of North Carolina. From all accounts he worked hard for our state, he was connected, he dressed well, had the looks that turned women’s heads, and had come to his sister’s side within a few hours of her rescue, but I didn’t like him. Mostly because he’d held Autumn’s hand too long.
So eff him. I appreciated her more than he ever could or would. “Can we visit Taren? We’d like to see for ourselves that she’s okay.” I put my hand on Autumn’s back, a possessive claim that every man on the planet understood. His gaze traveled from my arm to my eyes. Understanding shone in his, that Autumn was mine, but underneath that acknowledgment was a challenge.
He wanted Autumn.
I might not have as much money—even as successful as Adam and I were—as Lucas Blanton, have as much power, or spend insane amounts on my clothes, but I wasn’t about to stand by and let him go after my girl. If Autumn realized a male war was brewing over her, she’d slap us both silly. I knew that, but I doubted the senator did.
“Can we see her?” I asked again, keeping my hand on Autumn’s lower spine. And yeah, she was leaning back against my palm. Definitely a good sign.
“I don’t know,” Blanton said to Autumn as if she’d been the one to ask the question. “I just got here. Walked out of a meeting in Raleigh and flew up in my Lear the minute I was notified.” His gaze still on Autumn, he said, “Don’t leave.”
“We’ll be right here,” I said, reminding him of my existence. Damn it, I was letting the senator get to me. I dropped my hand from Autumn’s back. “Nice guy,” I muttered, watching her watch Blanton walk away.
“Seems so.”
Seems so? How was I supposed to interpret that?Seems soas in he was the hottest thing she’d ever seen, orseems soas in he literally was just a nice guy?
19
~ Autumn ~
There wassomething going on with Connor. I wasn’t sure what, but he’d gone all squirrelly on me. His fingers had been making circles on my back, and then they’d gone away. Then there was the tension in his voice. The conversation between him and Lucas had sounded strained. I’d known Connor long enough to pick up on his nuances, and he was not his easygoing self right now.
“I was impressed that Lucas walked out of a meeting the moment he heard about his sister. Shows he really cares for her.”
