Chapter 6
SIX
SYLVIE
Hunter’s kiss—hard, powerful, breathtaking—both takes me by surprise and unlocks something within me. It’s like a strike of something passionate and all-consuming, thrusting me into a range of emotions I can’t identify.
And just as quickly, it all comes to a halt when he pulls back, his eyes dark with a hunger that makes my belly do flips.
Hunter releases me like I’ve burned him, taking several steps to the side.
But I can still feel the hard press of his lips against my own, the scrape of his beard against my chin, his fingers hot and strong as they held me to his solid body.
Hunter scrapes a hand through his dark, dishevelled hair. “Let me find you something else to wear,” he mutters without looking at me. “The guest room is down here.”
From the corner of my eye, I watch him turn on his heel and stalk towards the stairs off the entry way.
I don’t move to follow him, instead collapsing onto the sofa. Fuck. Fuck. That was…
That was better than I’d ever experienced, and also the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. I never should have baited him into kissing me. That’s my fault, and I’ll own up to it.
But why had he done it in the first place? Why even try?
I swallow hard as I listen to the heavy clomp of his feet upstairs. I have a feeling that’s an answer I’ll never receive, because Hunter Gates is not the kind of man to open up. And I shouldn’t care.
I just need to get through this upcoming date with him, see the firehouse reopen, and then I can kick him out of my life for good.
Sleep is hard to find when you’re in an unfamiliar home with a storm raging beyond the wooden walls, but I somehow find it at some point in the early hours.
Except my dreams feature one person. The one I can’t have or should even think about.
And it’s Hunter in that stupid suit as he rolls his sleeves up to…
I shake my head of the remnants and slide out of bed.
I can’t even say it was uncomfortable, because that’d be a lie.
The cabin is gorgeous in that rustic way most cabins are, but this one feels like a real home.
Maybe it’s because of Opal and her little touches around the house.
I’d noticed her art on the mantle, the photos of her in the entryway.
There are even a few of her with a woman I assume to be her mother, though after all the time I’ve spent with the teen, I admit I never asked about her.
Even as I leave the safety of the guest room, I notice on the wall across from me are paintings directly on the wood, almost like a mural showing a field in spring, with all sorts of wildflowers blooming amongst tall green grass.
I knew Opal was a bit of an artist, but she’s more talented than I gave her credit for.
Once I get to the living room, I breathe in freshly brewed coffee and what smells like cinnamon. I follow the smell into Hunter’s kitchen, finding him by an espresso machine frothing milk.
Stopping in the doorway, I lean against the wall, arms crossed, brows raised. “I didn’t take you for an espresso man. I thought you’d be a drip-coffee kind of guy.”
The thin material of his Henley grows taut over the thick muscle of his shoulders as he stiffens. “You’re up early.”
He doesn’t turn to look at me, which is probably for the best. Because I don’t know what I’d do if he turned around and I was smacked with that awfully handsome face of his.
It’d taken a lot of strength not to dwell on our kiss and give any more power to it—or the fantasies that tried to arise afterwards.
Because let’s face it, Hunter is any girl’s wet dream.
Other than being unfortunately handsome, he’s kind—as much as I don’t want to admit it.
I’ve seen how he interacts with people, not just his friends and family, but strangers, too.
I know that despite his reservations about me, he still showed me grace, even when I probably didn’t deserve it.
He’s, of course, very strong. I’m a big girl, I’ve never denied it.
But he’s a man who doesn’t shy away from it, either.
And there is something incredibly attractive about that.
Not to mention, he’s amazing with his daughter. Every interaction I’ve seen between them is sweet, gentle, patient. Even last night when he could have exploded, he hadn’t.
“Sylvie?”
I blink hard and find him watching me, brows drawn in a frown. He carries two mugs of coffee, both sprinkled with cinnamon. On the bench behind him are two small plates with what looks like muffins and assorted fruits.
My mouth goes dry as I look from the food to him. “What?”
The corner of his lips tick up in a smile. “I said: would you grab the plates?”
Shaking myself out of all thoughts about him being stupidly attractive, I push off the wall with a smile. “I don’t remember saying I’d have breakfast with you, Hunter. Careful, you might use up your date time with all…this.”
A lump forms in my throat as I take the two plates, listening to his deep chuckle as he starts for a room off the kitchen. When he slept, I should have taken my chance to snoop, but escaping him after that kiss had been more important. But now, I just have to follow him into the next room.
And it takes my breath away.
Fractured sunlight glints off the freshly fallen snow through a wall made up entirely of windows. The sunroom juts off the back of the cabin, looking out over the little creek running past the house. Three of the walls are all window, even the ceiling, which is covered in a layer of snow.
The room is made up of a medium sized round table with a few mismatched chairs, and a woven rug taking most of the floorspace. In one corner is a wicker armchair decorated with a handful of colourful pillows, while an easel takes the other up with an unfinished painting on it.
Hunter sets the mugs down before turning to me and taking the plates. “You look like you’ve never seen snow before, city girl.”
I huff, shaking off the awe. “This view is amazing,” I reply honestly. “Now, I understand why you enjoy being secluded up here so much when you get to wake up to this.”
“Wait till spring,” he says, glancing at me, eyes twinkling. “The view is even better.”
My heart does a flip as he pulls out a chair for me. I take it without hesitation, sinking into it with a sigh. “Sounds like you think I’ll be sticking around for spring,” I mutter, watching him from the corner of my eye. “Don’t tell me you’re getting attached, pops.”
Hunter cuts me a look I can’t read. “So, what, you’ve done your charity work for the year?”
I stiffen, heart pounding, and look at him. I can’t help the hurt flaring in my chest, the way it chills me despite the relative warmth of the cabin. “Is that really how you see me? Some rich girl getting brownie points for helping a small community?”
A muscle in his cheek twitches as he stares out over the icy landscape without a word. It’s the silence that has me wanting to puke.
A broken sound falls from my lips as I push away from the table.
“I came here because I wanted to give you guys some relief, Hunter,” I state, clenching my hands into fists.
“I came here because I remembered how much I could actually help when the fire happened, and Cade wanted to do something for the firehouse. Not for brownie points or because it’s charity work I can boast about to my friends.
But because I could actually do something that helped people. ”
Drawing in a breath, every part of me trembles as I take a step away from him and his swirling, stormy eyes that seem to cut through me.
“It was something that had nothing to do with the fact that I’m Sylvie Madden, sister to millionaire rockstar Silas Madden and cutthroat lawyer Tobias Madden.
For the first time, I’ve actually been able to do something that didn’t rely on those details.
So yeah, maybe I am selfish. But I’m not a complete bitch.
Thanks for letting me stay, but I’ll find my own way off this mountain. And out of this fucking town.”
I turn on my heel and escape before he can say a word, but the damage is done.
I know exactly where I stand with Hunter Gates. And that won’t ever change.