4. Hunter
CHAPTER FOUR
hunter
Boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
Alarm bells rang in my head. Shock sank its teeth in, then shifted into something else entirely.
“I’m actually her fiancé,” I corrected, holding my hand out to whoever this douche was. Red alert, red alert, this is breaking the rules? What am I doing? “Hunter Harlow. Nice to meet you.”
He shook my hand— he’s got soft hands— but it wasn’t him I was focused on.
Emma’s expression was priceless. Her eyes widened, her perfectly arched brows drawn up before forcing another smile.
Maybe it was childish, but if she was going to spring dating on me as some sort of ploy to mess with this jackass, I was going to take it a step further.
I refocused all my attention on the displeased Ken doll. His icy vulture eyes flickered to her hand, noting the absence of a wedding ring. I already knew what he was thinking.
If we were going to play pretend though…
“Her ring is being custom made,” I said, sliding my arm around her shoulder. Her scent washed over me and my mouth watered. Damn, she was wearing my favorite one. “Only the absolute best for my princess here.”
Emma let out the fakest laugh I’d ever heard in my life, her red acrylic nails digging into my back so hard I wondered if it would leave a mark. I kind of wished they would. In another life, maybe she’d leave her marks on me and I’d punish her by tying a vibrator to her. Get your head out of your ass.
“Interesting,” Josh said flatly, releasing my hand. “I was unaware Emma was engaged. I don’t think anyone knew, including her father before his… Emma, we really need to talk. And you should probably sit down.”
“Just tell me what you need to say,” she snapped.
Now I was concerned. She didn’t like this prick, and the way she’d pulled me in—all of my protective instincts were kicking in. “Go on,” I urged.
Josh almost rolled his eyes. “Have you even met her family?”
“Hunter is my best kept secret,” Emma said smoothly. “And our engagement is new.”
“ Very new,” I agreed with a smile. “We had the most beautiful proposal last night, actually. The sun was setting just right, the sky the color of ripe peaches. Got down on one knee, popped the question, and my future wife said yes. Happiest day of our lives yet.”
“You proposed to Emma Madden on a Thursday?”
I was torn between laughing and punching him. “Yeah. And?”
His eyes flickered from me back to Emma. “Never pictured you with someone so…”
“Handsome?” Emma smiled, leaning into me.
Who the hell was this guy? Emma was uncomfortable and stiff, but not because of me. I’d never seen her like this with anyone before.
“Yep. Her handsome future husband. What was your name again?” I asked. “Can’t remember it.”
His cheeks turned crimson, brows drawing together. “Joshua. I’m here on behalf of?—”
“Wow, would you look at the time?” Emma interrupted. “Hunter and I have an appointment to get to, so we’ll have to do this another time Josh.”
“Emma, I need to talk to you. It’s fairly urgent and I’m not leaving until we talk. Preferably somewhere private?—”
“Not gonna happen,” I said, tightening my grip on her. Was she shaking? Fuck, she was actually shaking. My temper boiled hotter. “Emma and I need to get to our naked yoga class, so this will have to continue another time.”
“Naked… yoga? But Emma hates yoga.”
“It’s not the type of naked yoga you’re thinking about, bud.” I made sure to draw out my Texan accent.
I wasn’t sure which was better. The way his face contorted or the way Emma had to physically withhold a snort.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us, you can send her an email to schedule a meeting. Goodbye, farewell.”
I started to close the door, but the tip of his shoe jammed forward. Who the fuck does he think he is?
“Emma, your father is dead.”
I was about to slam the door hard enough to break his foot, but stopped short. Emma went still next to me, her eyes widening as the door slowly swung back open.
“What?” she whispered.
Josh let out a slow breath. “He’s dead. He passed away yesterday.”
“ Wh-What? How? How did he die?”
“They aren’t sure yet,” he said gravely.
“ Why didn’t anyone call me?”
“You have everyone’s phone numbers blocked. And clearly you’ve been ignoring your email. I hopped on the first flight I could so I could tell you in person.”
Jesus christ. This was not what I’d expected to be pulled into. And what kind of family emails about someone’s death?
I took a step closer to Emma, unsure of what to do. Her eyes were wide, a haunted expression overtaking her pretty face that twisted every part of me with worry. I’d never seen her like this.
“Can I come in now?” Josh asked.
“No,” she whispered. She swallowed hard, cleared her throat, and then smoothed her hands down her sides. “No, you need to go. Thank you for flying out to tell me. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Emma, there’s other urgent business, though. Contracts and?—”
“She said to leave,” I growled. “You just told her that her dad is dead. Contracts can come later.”
I started to shut the door, but he shoved at it. I opened it just a smidge, enough to give him a glimmer of hope—then shoved him so hard his expensive suited ass hit the porch. I slammed the front door and locked it.
“Who the fuck does that asshole think he is?” I hissed.
Emma blew out a breath and leaned against the wall. I immediately sucked in a breath, cooling my temper.
“Emma, I am so sorry. Are you okay, princess?”
“God, don’t call me that, please,” she rasped, doubling over. “Josh used to call me that and I hate it. I hate it. I hate being called princess. I’m not the type of girl who needs saving. If anything, I’m a motherfucking queen.”
Fuck. “I’m sorry, I won’t say it again. Emma, I need to know if I need to go kill that guy, or make you a new coffee, or… I don’t even know.”
“Can you check if he’s gone?”
I immediately leaned over and peeked out the window, watching as a very nice Lexus pulled away from the house. I made a mental note of the make and model. “He’s gone.”
“Then a coffee would be great. Oh god, I told him you were my boyfriend. Fuck—you told him you were my fiancé .”
“I did.” I slipped my hands in my pocket, rocking on my feet for a moment. “Emma, do you need to sit down? Do you need me to call Haley or Sarah or Alice?”
“No.”
Okay, then.
She dragged in a breath, her shoulders sinking. I found myself briefly entranced by the golden shimmer on her eyelids, before snapping myself out of it. I didn’t know what to do. “Emma…” I trailed off.
“I’m not telling you shit.”
Spell broken. “No? But I’m your fiancé.”
“Fuck off,” she seethed. “Dammit. Dammit, this is bad. Give me a minute to think, please.”
Bad felt like the understatement of the century. If someone told me one of my parents died, I wouldn’t be able to breathe or stand. But Emma stood there, shaking her head like this was just an inconvenience.
“What can I do right now to help you?” I asked.
“You can clean up the broken glass and the spilled coffee.”
“Okay.” I studied her a moment longer and then went to the kitchen to continue searching for cleaning supplies. Once I’d gathered everything, I took it to the living room.
About ten minutes later, everything was cleaned up, but Emma hadn’t spoken a word. Instead, she stared out the front window, dark brows drawn together.
Why wasn’t she crying? Or doing something ? I’d never seen anything render this woman speechless, and it worried me.
Emma’s phone buzzed on the coffee table. She turned around and grabbed it, sighing as she checked the message. “Dammit.”
“I’m gonna make you another coffee,” I said warily.
Her expression softened for a split second. “Thanks.”
“But then I’m texting Haley.”
“No, no, don’t do that,” she blurted out.
I went back to the kitchen and opened up every cabinet until I found the cups. Emma had reorganized things in a way that took me a moment to understand, but then I realized it was by color, not dish size. I had to admit, I liked how she’d changed things in the little house. It was colorful, alive, and full of warmth, and far more homier than my cabin on the farm.
Being here made me realize how much of a man cave I’d turned my place into.
I made us each an iced coffee and sat back down on the couch. “Where’d Donnie go?” I asked, glancing around for the little rat. He was usually glued to Emma’s side if he wasn’t in a slice of sun.
“He’s upstairs,” she said. “Okay. Hunter, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need to convince everyone we’re engaged now. Every family member and friend. Even Haley. Even your brothers.”
“What?” Had she lost her mind? I stared at her, dumbfounded.
She rubbed her temples before hissing at me. “Why the hell did you tell him I was your fiancé?”
“You told him I was your boyfriend. I was rolling with it. Also, I think there are more serious things to be concerned about?”
“Okay, well you rolled a little too fast and hard.” She completely ignored my last question.
I held out the coffee. She sighed and reluctantly took it, settling down on the opposite side of the couch. She pulled her knees up, able to tuck in with ease, whereas my legs were too fucking long for such a seating arrangement.
“Are you sure you’re okay, darlin’?” I asked, despite knowing how stupid the question was.
A frustrated groan peeled from her lips. “If you have to use a nickname for me, I want to pick it out. No princess. No darling.”
Still ignoring the question about if she was okay. “What do you want me to call you?”
She sipped coffee through the straw, her cheeks hollowing in a way that brought dirty thoughts front and center. “I’ll think about it.”
We were still ignoring the death of her father, apparently, and I was going with it. “So who was that Josh guy?” I asked.
“What I’m about to tell you, you can’t repeat to anyone. No one, Hunter. Not a single soul.”
“Not even Haley?” I asked. “She’s your best friend.”
“She is.” Emma turned grim. “So are Sarah and Alice. But there are things they don’t know about me, that I don’t want them to know.”
“Such as?” I fished. I took a sip of coffee and hummed. It was good.
How crazy was I to think about how nice it would be to do this every morning? A house that smelled like her , iced coffee, sitting on the sofa…
Don’t think about her on your lap again. Focus, caveman, focus.
Emma sighed and glanced at her phone, shaking her head. “I just got a text from Josh. He's staying in Citrus Cove until we can meet to go over contracts and inheritance and papers. Fuck me , this is so annoying. Why would they send him, of all people? My dad owns a computer chip company in California, and I don't speak to him or the rest of my family, except for when I have to. We haven't gotten along for a long time.”
I didn’t point out that she was still speaking about him like he was alive.
The thing was, I knew her dad owned the company thanks to the weird stalker tendencies Emma had brought out in me. I also knew she wasn’t close with him, but didn’t realize how severe it was until now.
Her head fell back against the cushion. “God, this sucks. I never wanted to see him again.”
“Your father?” I choked on a sip of coffee and fought for my life to clear my throat.
“No, of course not… I should make you sign an NDA or something.”
“Emma,” I said, looking directly at her. “I’m not telling anyone. Contrary to your belief, I’m not a bad guy. I can help.”
She studied me intensely. A strand of hair curled, framing her heart-shaped face. Her cheeks were still flushed, but she was calmer now. “First—will you please keep pretending to be my fiancé until I sort everything out?”
Was I really going to do this? Deceive everyone? Make them believe Emma was mine? I thought about it. My entire family prided themselves on honesty. Lies never went over well, no matter how small.
When it came to Emma, they were all protective too. She didn’t have the Harlow name, but she had the Harlow squad in her corner. If we lied about this, it would complicate everything.
The other part of this was that I was breaking the rule I’d given myself when she moved to Citrus Cove.
Emma was off limits. She was Haley’s best friend. She was loved by all. She wasn’t someone I should try anything with in case things went badly.
Even pretending to date came dangerously close to breaking that rule.
Emma wouldn’t ask me to do this unless she was desperate, though. She’d just learned her father was dead. She was a woman in need of support and how could I tell her no?
Every muscle tensed as I thought about the jackass who’d tried to cram his foot in the door. The fucker was lucky I didn’t break his foot.
This was why Emma was a problem. The thought of someone trying to do that to her door without me here made me want to bury him somewhere in the vineyard.
“I thought you hated me,” I said.
“I do. But I can’t go back now. Josh thinks we’re engaged.”
“You want me to lie to everyone we love…”
“Yes.” Her lip quivered.
Damn it. I raked my fingers through my hair. We were trapped in a bubble, and any wrong word could pop it.
“What happens afterward?” I asked.
“After what?”
“After the ruse is up? Unless you intend to actually marry me.” I wasn’t even teasing her, even though I knew that’s how she’d take it.
She shook her head. “We just tell them the truth, and they’ll move on with their lives. I need the buffer while Josh is here. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I really need some time to deal with him.”
And to grieve your father’s death? I mulled it over. We both knew that’s not how our friends and family would react once they found out the truth.
But I really wasn’t the type of guy to leave a woman in distress.
I was a gentleman, right?
“Are you sure you don’t want me to call anyone?” I asked. “Emma, this is… this is a lot to be thrown at you on a Friday morning. If you need me to call Haley, Alice, Sarah, or Honey?—”
“I don’t want you to tell a single soul about this.”
I winced. It was a big ask.
“They’ll be like bloodhounds,” I said.
“I know. We’ll keep it simple.”
“They’re going to think we’ve lost our minds.”
“I know. Hunter, I know it’s a lot.”
Dammit. “Fine,” I breathed out. “I’ll do this under one condition.”
“What condition?”
“You tell me everything. And don’t spare the details. I need to know what I’m dealing with,” I said. “So clear your schedule for today, and I’ll text Pops to let him know I won’t be making it into the farm. The guys can handle it.”
“Deal.”
She held out her hand. I took it and fought a smile when her grip tightened and she gave me a very firm shake.
“Deal,” I said, releasing her. “Alright, wifey. Tell me what I need to know.”
“ Wifey is out of the question.”
“Baby girl?”
Her cheeks turned almost as pink as the paint on her house. “No…” she giggled, her eyes tearing up.
Fuck. I leaned forward slightly, expecting her to start crying. I could handle her tears, right? Rules be damned, if she started crying, I’d be there for her. This entire situation was fucked.
It didn’t happen. Instead she cleared her throat, her expression dropping back to unreadable. But her leg was bouncing up and down constantly, her fingers drumming on her thighs.
Keeping her distracted seemed like the right thing to do. I thought about nicknames again, and offered the first one that came to mind. “Taser?” I asked.
Her eyes darkened and she shook her head. “No. Are you ever gonna let that go?”
“No, I take personal enjoyment out of torturing you about it,” I said. “To this day, I’ve never been tased by anyone else for giving roadside assistance.”
Emma let out a soft laugh and tilted her head, as if seeing me in a new light.
The rule. Remember the rule. You want her to hate you. You want her to stay at arm’s length.
“You’ve never told anyone,” she said. “I know you didn’t, or they would have asked me.”
She was right, I never did. That night was still a fever dream in my mind. I took a sip of coffee before carefully setting it down on a coaster shaped like a pink flower.
I moved closer to her than we’d ever sat before. Her eyes were beautiful. A mesmerizing hazel, a kaleidoscope of greens and blues. I fought the temptation to cup her face so I could study the flecks of gold in there, too.
“How about my own personal hell?” I teased.
“Better.” She smirked.
“Nah, doesn’t have the right ring to it.”
She almost laughed, but then it seemed to hit both of us that we were enjoying each other’s presence. I leaned back and cleared my throat.
“Alright, quit stalling. Spill.”
“I wasn’t stalling.”
“Emma,” I groaned. “ Please .”
“Okay. I guess I should start from the beginning. The first thing to know is that Josh is on the advisory board for my dad’s company...”
The suit made more sense now.
“And he’s also my ex-husband.”