Hunter grinned, giving no indication that he was aware of my inner struggle to not bang him on the floor of his janky distillery shed. “That’s perfect! I could invite—”
He started pacing and rattling off names, only a few of which I recognized, but which were probably all off some insider’s list of Who’s-Who in the liquor industry. His face glowed with delight, with the joy of setting a plan in motion.
I just gazed at him, happy to see that energy lighting him up again. That power, that passion. All the things that made him Hunter Knox, the man I—
“What are you smiling about?” he asked, stopping and turning to look at me, a puzzled expression on his face.
“What, starting a brand-new company isn’t enough?” I asked with a little laugh.
I shrugged and looked down at the floor, scuffing my feet in what I didn’t realize ‘til after I’d done it was an unconscious imitation of his own movements.
“I’m just…really happy for you.” I looked back up at him, wanting to make him understand. “Do you see? This is what they can’t take away.” My voice grew impassioned. “Chuck and all his cronies think that Knox is just a name on a label, but it’s your passion driving the company, and that’s why it’s failing without you at the helm. So let them keep the name. You have everything you need right here.”
Hunter enfolded me in a hug that warmed me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, his strong arms crushing me against his broad chest. I basked in the sensation of being held by him. I wished it would never end.
But then he let go, and his face looked worried again. That furrow was back, wrinkling that perfect brow.
“I’ve been thinking about selling my shares in the company,” he admitted. “The way Chuck’s running the business, I don’t want any of my finances tied up in it, not to mention my public image. But I can still exercise some control with those shares, and I’m worried that if I give that up…”
“He’ll put out even more terrible ads?” I said. “Don’t worry, I don’t think that’s physically possible.”
“If only it were just terrible ads,” Hunter said dryly. “I’m more worried about what Chuck will do to try to recoup the losses he’s incurring. Some of our employees have been Knox Liquor workers for generations—some towns owe their entire existence to our factories—but that won’t mean anything to Chuck. He’ll slash the budget with a machete and outsource everything as fast as he possibly can if he thinks it’ll buy him more time to get out with a golden parachute.”
That definitely sounded in character for Chuck. “So selling your shares is out of the question, then?”
He sighed. “Probably. What I’d really like is to be able to hire all the old employees away and give them job security. Before I ran away to the fishing cabin, that was practically every message Martha was taking for me—will there be job cuts? Will salaries stay the same? What about the employee benefits package? Everyone’s nervous about losing their work now. If this beer thing really takes off, then maybe…” He sighed. “I don’t know, Ally. This was just a hobby ‘til half a second ago. Can we really pull this off? There’s so much on the line.”
I grabbed his shoulder, forced him to look me in the eye. “Hey. You can do this. Chuck doesn’t know shit. This is going to be absolutely amazing.”
A smile ghosted over his features. “And how do you know that, Miss Bartlett?”
I smiled back, wider. “Because I know you, Mr. Knox.”
Our eyes met, and I saw my desire reflected in the deep dark pupils of his. I barely had time to draw in a sharp gasp before he surged forward and kissed me, his warm mouth avid against mine, hungry as he nibbled my lower lip. His strong hands pressed me firmly into his chest in an embrace I couldn’t have escaped even if I’d wanted to. I moaned against his hot mouth, opening mine wider to take his tongue in deeper, my hands grasping roughly at the fine fabric of his shirt—
And then his phone rang. We both froze.
This was getting to be a habit with us.
Hunter swore, and I giggled. “You should probably get that.”
“Probably,” he admitted softly, his fingers tracing figure eights on the sliver of bare skin at the nape of my neck. He gave me a slow, rueful smile, and then released me and took his phone from his pocket. The fingers of his left hand traced along my lips as he answered the call, only slightly out of breath. “Yeah, Martha, we’re heading back now. Pizza should be fine, get the anchovies. Yes, I know that’s gross, but Ally likes it.” He winked at me. “Okay, yes, but keep the pineapple on one side only.”
All I could do was smile up at him, my head spinning from the kiss and from the feel of his fingers stroking my lips. So warm. So gentle.
Damn, but I was hopelessly in love.
Hunter hung up the phone and closed it with a snap, taking my hand. “Shall we head back? Sounds like Martha’s putting the order through right now.”