Amanda felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise an instant before she heard the revving noise of a finely tuned engine in the distance. Cliff turned his head toward the street and gaped. She looked to see what had captured his attention and froze at the sight of a sleek black Lamborghini heading up the drive and stopping at the curb in front of them.
A smile broke across her face. Surely not…
Her heart pounded as the door lifted and Hunter got out Dressed in faded jeans, a gray and black V-neck sweater, and a black leather jacket, the man was drop-dead stunning.
And that deadly swagger of his made her weak in the knees. "Oh baby," she heard Tammy whisper as he came around the car.
Hunter stopped in front of Amanda and raked a hungry look over her body. "Hi, luscious," he said in that deep, evocative voice. "Sorry I'm late."
Before Amanda knew what he was doing, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a sizzling hot kiss. Her body burned in response to his tongue tasting hers as he fisted his hands against her back. Then, he dipped down and picked her up in his arms.
"Hunter!" she gasped as he carried her effortlessly toward the car.
He gave her that devilish tight-lipped smile. His midnight eyes were warm and alive with humor and hunger. With the toe of his boot, he opened the passenger-side door and set her inside. He retrieved her briefcase and purse from the sidewalk where she had dropped them and handed them to her. Then, he turned and gave a knowing smile to Cliff. "You really have to love a woman who lives to see you naked."
The look on Cliff's face was priceless as Hunter closed the door, then gracefully walked over to the driver's side of the Lamborghini. In one fluid movement, he got inside the car and they were headed out of the lot.
A thousand emotions tore through Amanda. Gratitude, laughter, but most of all, happiness at seeing him again, especially after both Julian and her mind had convinced her that she never would. She couldn't believe what he'd just done for her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as he headed out of the parking lot.
"You have made me insane all day long," he breathed. "I could sense you in turmoil and pain, but I didn't know why. So, I called Grace and found out she was supposed to pick you up after work."
"You still haven't told me why you're here."
"I had to make sure you were okay."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just did."
Warmed by his words, she toyed with her seat belt. "Thank you for the clothes. And for what you did back there with Cliff."
"My pleasure."
Right now, it was all she could do not to reach out and touch him. To kiss her scrumptious champion. Hunter shifted gears and headed away from the business district. "I just have one question, why would a woman like you ever want to marry something like him?"
Amanda arched a brow. "How did you—"
"I'm psychic, remember? Your true feelings for the 'imbecilic jerk' are all over your mind at the moment." She cringed and wished she could shield her thoughts.
"I heard that, too," Hunter teased, making her really wonder if he had.
"Is there anything I can do about your peeping into my head all the time? It really makes me uncomfortable."
"If you like, I could relinquish that power over you."
"Really? You can just drop a power anytime you want to?"
He snorted."Not exactly. The only power I can relinquish is the ability to see into someone's thoughts."
"Once relinquished, can you get it back?"
"Yes, but it's not easy."
"Then banish it, buster."
Kyrian laughed and tried to focus on the road, but all he really noticed was the slit in her dress that bared a goodly portion of her silk-clad thigh. Worse, he knew what she wore beneath that dress. It was another image that had haunted him all day as he had tried to sleep.
The thought of her lush curves cupped by the garter belt and thong… It made his mouth water. And all he wanted to do was slide his hand underneath that well-crafted hem until he felt the tiny strip of silk that shielded her most private place. Oh yeah, he could imagine moving it aside with his fingers until he had full access to her.
Or ripping that tiny, frail piece of silk away from her hips and burying himself deep inside her while her silk-clad legs wrapped around his. Hunter shifted in his seat and remembered too late he should have bought himself a pair of baggy pants. Touching her would be paradise.
If only paradise were a possibility for a creature like him. He tightened his grip on the gear shift as the thought tore through him.
"No woman will ever love you for anything other than your money. Mark my words, boy. Men like us will never have that one basic need. The best you can hope for is a child to love you."
His breath caught as the repressed memory flooded back to him with total clarity. And hard on its heels came the final words he'd spoken to his father.
"How could I ever love a heartless man like you? You mean nothing to me, old man. And you never will."
The pain of it stole his breath. Words he'd spoken in anger that could never be retracted. How could he have said them to the one person he had loved and respected most?
"So," Amanda asked, distracting him, "what happened with Desiderius last night? Did you get him?"