43. Well, This Is What I Wanted
Chapter 43
Well, This Is What I Wanted
HUNTER
“ T hat was fun,” Christian laughs aloud, shaking his head.
“Fuck yeah, it was,” Vaughn adds with a grin.
Bringing these two in full-time to Middleton Enterprises has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Well—if you let them tell it, they made the decision after someone tried to kill my ass. But however it happened, it feels good to have the only men I’d trust with my life watching my back daily.
I was always strong.
But the three of us together? Almost invincible.
Until we step inside the Blue Whiskey.
The moment we cross the threshold, the air between us changes. The easy laughter dies instantly, replaced by a tense, electric silence.
Because standing at the bar is Lena.
And standing real damn close to her is Oliver.
I don’t miss the way she throws her head back, laughing at something he’s just whispered in her ear. A laugh I’ve never seen from her before—light, unguarded, genuine.
And in the span of a breath, a barrage of conflicting feelings floods through me.
On one hand, this is what I wanted.
I purposely hired Oliver because I was hoping Lena would feel a spark with a guy I have no personal ties to, someone closer to her age and with similar interests. Because no matter how much Christian means to me, Lena’s well-being will always come first.
I thought I lost her forever.
Now that she’s back in my life, it’s my duty to keep her safe, to make sure she’s happy.
And yet…
Christian’s fury is radiating off him like a damn heat wave.
A fury I know too well.
It’s possessive.
It’s territorial.
It’s the same rage I’d feel if some random motherfucker even looked at Megan, much less made her laugh like that.
But this?
This is where Christian is making a mistake.
My sister is not his.
And never will be.
“They seem cozy,” Vaughn comments, his voice tinged with amusement. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”
I shoot him a sharp look. He’s fanning the flames, and I don’t appreciate the shit.
Christian’s eye twitches, his body wound so tight that I half expect him to snap and tear Oliver apart right here in the middle of the damn bar.
“I’m glad they’re getting along,” I say casually, hoping to ease Christian’s frayed edges. “He’s going to be a big help in showing Lena how to?—”
“How to what?” Christian cuts in, his voice icy. “Can we cut the bullshit, please?”
I sigh heavily.
The conversation I was hoping to avoid is happening whether I want it to or not.
“Let’s take this to my office,” I say.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Then let’s talk about nothing in my office.”
Vaughn excuses himself to take a phone call, leaving just the two of us.
As we make our way toward the stairs, we have to pass Lena and Oliver, who are too wrapped up in their conversation to even notice us at first.
That alone should tell Christian everything he needs to know.
Lena’s eyes soften the second she sees us.
“Hi, big brother,” she says, walking over and wrapping her arms around me—a habit she’s picked up ever since we reunited.
“Hey,” I say back, my eyes flicking toward Christian, whose jaw is tight enough to crack teeth.
“You two good?” I ask her.
She grins. “Oliver might have missed his calling. He should have been a comedian. He was just telling me?—”
“We need to head to a meeting,” Christian cuts her off.
Her smile vanishes. “Well, hello to you too, Christian.”
He mutters something unintelligible.
Lena narrows her eyes. “What’s your problem?”
“Hunt, you ready?” Christian ignores her completely, which only pisses her off more.
“I’m ready,” I answer.
“You two want some dinner brought up?” Lena offers. “Oliver makes a delicious?—”
“We already ate,” Christian snaps.
Fuck me.
He’s further gone than I thought.
How the hell did I let this happen?
By the time we’re behind the closed doors of my office, Christian is already on edge, pacing.
“I know what you’re going to say,” he mutters, his voice low, frustrated.
I exhale sharply. “Then why put us in the position where I have to say it?”
“Nothing inappropriate has happened between us.”
“And nothing ever will.”
His fists clench. “I know that.”
“So fix that attitude of yours and stop being shitty toward her just because she laughed at one of her coworker’s jokes.”
Christian runs a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Just because? You think I’m an idiot? I fucking know why you brought his overqualified ass here.”
I fold my arms. “I hired Oliver so that my sister has the space to live out her dreams. He can run the kitchen while she experiments, creating new recipes or whatever her heart desires. The first twenty years of her life were hell. She deserves to live a soft life now.”
“I realize that!”
I tilt my head. “Do you?”
He lets out a sharp breath, sinking onto the leather sofa. His posture shifts—less angry, more defeated.
“Yes, I know,” he admits.
“And if this was the other way around?”
His eyes flick to mine. “I’d be saying the same thing to you.”
We sit in tense silence.
Until the tension finally dissipates.
“So we’re good?” I ask. “Do we understand each other?”
Christian nods once, firmly. “Perfectly.”
I’ve known Christian for most of my adult life.
And there’s a tone to his voice that lets me know that he hears me now.
Nothing has happened yet that can’t be forgotten or forgiven.
Attraction is normal.
Acting on it?
That’s something else entirely.
And after tonight?
Christian knows precisely where the line is.
And friend or no friend, he’d better not fucking cross it.