Hunter
She’s wound so tight that the food in front of her remains untouched, and the champagne flute hasn’t moved either.
Every few minutes, she scans the restaurant.
Every time a server approaches our table, she flinches.
And I grit my teeth.
Ready to put a hole through a wall.
Just not here.
I am Hunter Wardgrave, heir to Wardgrave Dynamics.
On the outside, I look calm.
Like I don’t give a bloody fuck and everything is exactly as it should be.
But it isn’t.
Because this tiny, red haired menace stole that control from me.
The reason I was so determined to bring Piper to lunch is simple.
The private investigator finally delivered something useful.
It took a few additional threats on my part, but apparently those work wonders.
Now I know her husband lives in London, or somewhere on the outskirts.
And guess who moved to London a few months ago and now operates from here full time.
Julian.
Quite the coincidence if you ask me.
So we’re here because I’m trying to delay the inevitable.
Christmas break has started, which means Piper will have to return home.
And if home means Julian, then home is no longer an option.
Because that’s the real reason we’re here.
I can’t let her go back to him.
Not if he’s the one hurting her.
So while she picks at her food, I sit across from her and consider all the different ways I could kidnap her.
A solution I probably should have explored a long time ago.
“You should eat,” I say.
She lifts her eyes to mine.
She barely ate anything at the hospital, and she’s not eating now either.
She has to be hungry.
The thought has my jaw clenching.
She picks up her fork but makes no move to actually take a bite.
“Simply holding the fork doesn’t qualify as eating,” I point out.
“I’m not that hungry.”
Before I can argue, or do something equally unreasonable like feed her myself, a shadow falls over our table.
I look up and find my father smiling down at us.
He mentioned he had a meeting in London today, and considering this is one of our favourite restaurants, and one we happen to own, his appearance isn’t entirely unexpected.
I rise from my seat.
“Son.”
“Father. You’ve obviously met Piper before, but now you can officially meet her as my girlfriend,” I say.
I’m not one for labels, but fuck it.
I wasn’t lying.
She is mine.
My father doesn’t even blink.
“You appear to be under a very unfortunate misconception, son. I believe the title you’re looking for is wife. My wife, to be precise.”