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“Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate my son,” he began, his face as stoic as ever. “As you all know, it was a difficult decision not only to retire but to choose which of my sons would be taking over the business. I believe Hunter will continue to lead the Harris Agricultural Empire as I would, and I wish him nothing but success in his endeavors.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, raising my glass toward him. But he kept going.
“I would also like to take this moment to welcome our new partner in the breeding side of the business,” Dad said, cracking the smallest grin as he extended his glass toward Lottie. Her cheeks turned red as she glanced at me, her mouth popping open. “I’m positive you’ll make an excellent head of the business.”
“To Hunter and Charlotte!” Mom chimed, clinking her glass against Dad’s before I could bring myself to process it all. I’d had the conversation with Dad last week; hard as it was, he’d eventually agreed that giving almost half of the business to Lottie was a good move. But I hadn’t expected that from him, and from the look on Lottie’s surprised face, neither had she.
“To Hunter and Charlotte!”
————
Music played softly from the Bluetooth speakers as Lottie and I worked the living room, chatting idly with the guests my parents had invited. Glasses of wine in hand and the lights down low, it was intimate and relaxed, and although I’d rather be at home with her, the idea of sticking around for a bit wasn’t so daunting.
“How long did you know about this?” I asked her, leaning on the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.
Lottie shrugged. “A couple of days at most. I don’t think your Dad trusted me to keep a secret,” she laughed. “I can’t believe he threw in that bit about me getting part of the company. You should have warned me.”
“I was going to tell you in private,” I chuckled, leaning toward her. “So we could celebrate however we wanted.”
The little blush that spread across her olive cheeks was downright adorable. “And what kind of celebration would that have been?”
“One where you end the night sweating and spent, and drunk on my cock.” I sipped at my wine, flashing her a little smirk.
“You can’t say that here,” she whispered.
“You asked.”
The music shifted, and within a second, I recognized the song that poured from the speakers. When You’re Smiling and Astride Me by Father John Misty. Memories flooded me in an instant, taking me back to that night in Oahu when all I’d wanted was to work my way inside of her mind and between her legs. Even then, she’d had a pull on me. Even then, there was something extraordinary about her, intoxicating, magnetic.
“Dance with me,” I said, placing my glass on the counter and taking her hand.
“Is this… ?”
I nodded.
Her hand gripped mine as I pulled her a couple of feet from the counter, not giving two shits if the guests stared or watched in disdain. She was mine, and I hers, and I wanted nothing more than that.
Our bodies swayed in time to the music, her bright blue eyes beaming up at me. It was such a stark contrast to our first dance at the wedding—the one where she’d buried her face in my chest so she wouldn’t have to look at me. Now, she held my gaze, the softest smile on her cheeks, the utmost affection behind her eyes.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“And I love you,” she breathed.
Chapter 40
Lottie
“Hunter!” I called, sticking my head out of my office door and looking down the hallway. My overalls hung loose on my body, covered in little specks of mud and grass, and I made a concerted effort not to smear that on my door frame.
Within a few seconds, he appeared around the corner at the end of the hall, his plain white shirt and jeans dirty and stained. He grinned at me as he walked toward my office. “All done?”
“Think so,” I said, lifting up onto my tiptoes in my boots and pressing my lips briefly to his. “You about ready to go?”
“Yep, just locked up Sadie.”
“How’s she doing?” I gathered up my phone, my water, and my coffee cup, stuffing them into my bag. “Training going well?”
“Honestly, she’s a dream. You were absolutely right with the crossbreed.” He leaned forward onto the chair on the other side of my desk, his fingers digging into the leather.
