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“Only because Alex threw him out of New York City, thinking it would be best to get him out of the limelight. He was causing too much trouble, and all the tabloids were starting to pay too much attention.” Since the move to California, Rhett had exhibited better behavior. Was it merely temporary, though? It always had been in the past. “I don’t know how much he really does out here. No one keeps tabs on him, and that’s just the way he likes it.”
“Alex must trust that he’s doing a good job.”
“Alex has a soft spot for Rhett. He always has. No matter what my baby brother does, Alex rushes forward and tries to fix it,” he said irritably.
“Alex feels responsible for him,” Gracie said. “He’ll probably always feel that way.”
Deciding to hell with it, he reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. “You’re probably right. To me, he’s my irritating little brother who can’t get his shit together.”
“And to Alex, he’s the brother he wishes he could fix and make it all better.” She smiled and squeezed his hand in return. “Don’t be so hard on him.”
“Easy for you to say,” he muttered, but it was good-natured. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Slowly, she shook her head. “I was an only child.”
“How about your parents? Where do they live?” She rarely revealed any sort of information in regards to her personal life. He’d revealed something he kept close so maybe she’d be willing to return the favor.
She nibbled on her lower lip, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Um, I’m not sure.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got nothing but time.” He glanced out the window, saw they were stuck in typical Southern California traffic. A trip that should take no longer than twenty minutes could take forty-five if they were caught up in five o’clock traffic. “Spill, Gracie.”
Hunter wanted to know, wanted to learn more about her life. Where she grew up, where she went to school, where she was from. He wanted to know it all.
And she looked terrified to even utter a peep, which made him all the more curious.
Fear rooted Gracie to the spot, made it hard for her to breathe. She didn’t talk about her family life to anyone. And it certainly wouldn’t be appropriate to share any of this with her boss. Hunter would think she was a freaking head case and worse, he’d tell Alex and then he’d think she was a head case as well.
It was best to just leave well enough alone.
“It’s a boring story.” Carefully she withdrew her hand from his, and she saw the disappointment flash in his eyes.
“You’re anything but boring,” he murmured. “You don’t have to hide from me, Gracie. I won’t judge you.”
She wished she could believe him. Everyone judged her, they always had. She hated to admit it, but she’d never felt closer to anyone else like she did to Hunter. Foolish, she knew this. What they shared was some hot sex and decent companionship, in bed or at work only. As soon as he found some other woman who was “feisty”, he’d leave her in the dust, barely able to hold her broken heart together.
Yeah, so not the image she wanted to think about right now.
“Okay fine, it’s a really—awful story.” The rest of the words clogged her throat, and she tried to swallow them down.
He reached for her hand again, clutching it in his grip tightly so she couldn’t pull away if she tried. “Did someone hurt you?” The fierce warrior was back. His blue eyes dark and full of turbulence, his jaw tense, he appeared ready to kill for her.
“No, not really.” She sighed. She just needed to spit it out and be done with it. Clearly he wasn’t going to give up. “My mom was young when she had me, in her mid-teens. I have no idea who my father is. I don’t think she did either.”
Hunter watched her solemnly, nodding for her to continue when she remained silent for so long. “After I was born, we lived with my grandma, who my mom named me after. But she kicked us out when I was really young, so we moved around a lot. I don’t remember it much, but we lived in really awful apartments. Cheap motels. I—I think she was a drug addict. I was so young, I don’t really recall.”He held her hand tight, his expression urging her to go on.
“When I was close to five, she finally gave up on me. Literally took me down to the local social services office and dropped me off like a bag of books you leave at Goodwill. Told them she couldn’t deal with me any longer and then left. Of course, they tried to find her, but since she hadn’t left her name and I didn’t know it, they had nothing. So I became a ward of the state.”
“Jesus, Gracie,” he breathed. “That’s awful.”
She shrugged and offered a phony smile. “It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. I went to foster homes. Met some nice people.” And some really screwed up people, but she wouldn’t bore him with those details. “I got a job when I was sixteen and worked nights and weekends. When the dad at the last place I lived tried to cop a feel, I bailed. I moved in with a friend at her parents’ house for a while, but that only worked for the summer. By the beginning of my senior year, I was living in my own apartment and going to school in the day and working at night.”
He was shaking his head, disbelief written all over his starkly handsome face. “You had to grow up way too fast.”
“You’re right. I did. I’m better for it, I think.” She shrugged, trying to play it off. Inside she felt like she was nine years old again, going to yet another strange foster home. Hoping like crazy they’d love her so much they’d want to keep her forever.
