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He gulped some of his water.
“Despite what you think Hunter, you have some control over your future. Life takes you for a ride only if you let it.”
“Speak English, Doc.”
“It means you feel like you don’t have choices, but you do. You can walk out, or talk to me. You can work on your anger or take a leave of absence. You may feel like your brothers have you by the balls,” I said using his language, “But you’re still in control. What do you want? What is a couple of hours sitting and talking with me if it will get your brothers off your back and let you do work you enjoy?”
He stood, tossing his water bottle into the trash and heading to the door. I guessed he was making the choice to leave.
He yanked open the door, and I reached down for my purse.
“Doc.”
I lifted my head to see him standing in the doorway.
“I’ll talk to you but on my terms.”
I gave a nod, and then he was gone. I let out a breath, feeling my own tension dissipate. Hunter Raven was a force of nature. He was the epitome of a broody alpha male. Sexy, broody alpha male if I was honest. I pushed that out because I was his therapist now. One thing was sure, he was going to be my most challenging client yet.
I returned to my office and started a file on Hunter, making notes of my observations and things I’d want to probe or follow up on. What was the comment about a woman every night? Was that just hyperbole or fact? What was that shadow of pain or guilt I saw when Chase told him to get his head on straight or he’d be replaced? Why had he questioned the legitimacy of Chase’s marriage? From what I saw, he and his wife loved each other.
Like most families, there appeared to be a lot going on, but untangling what was family baggage and PTSD might be difficult. Not that I had to focus on the PTSD alone. My job was to help Hunter better cope with strong feelings and find peace. If that was around dealing with his brothers or managing the ever-present issues from PTSD, I’d help—assuming he’d take the work seriously. That bit would remain to be seen.
5
Hunter
Friday – Saturday
My life was totally and completely fucked up. My brothers blindsided me with an intervention. I was still no closer to figuring out who was stealing shit from Raven Industry properties. Even my off time was the shits. Not a single woman on the dance floor was making my dick twitch.
I’d arrived at one of Ash’s clubs at eight, ready to drink and find a willing woman to help me keep the dreams at bay. Normally, it wasn’t hard. Often, women sidled up to me, but if not, I would watch them dance, looking for one whose style suggested she moved horizontally as well as she did vertically on the dance floor. Then I’d move in to dance with her and invite her back to the VIP section. I’d offer her food and expensive champagne. A couple of hours later, we’d be in my loft, naked and writhing on my bed. The better she was at blowing my mind, the less likely I’d have the dreams. In the morning, I’d send her on her way with five-hundred dollars for cab fare, and a non-committal “see ya.”
The plan had worked well until recently. Until Sara. Now, either I wasn’t picking women who could make me come hard enough, or my brain had caught on and decided to fuck me over. Knowing that, and still feeling the anger from my brothers’ attack, I wasn’t interested in any of the women on the dance floor. Or the several that had come to my booth and tried to entice me into a dance and drink.
The image of the therapist floated through my brain. My dick responded to the plain Jane, surprising me and, yet, there was something about her. She was a stunning woman but hid behind a tight bun, glasses, and conservative clothing. Maybe she had issues of her own that she was trying to mask her femininity. I wanted to peel off the layers of her clothes and spend hours discovering what made her tick. What made her moan and sigh? Was she conservative in bed too, or was her librarian style a cover to a passionate, adventurous woman? It was strange how much I wanted to know the answers.
I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to see her. Or at least, see her for counseling. It wasn’t going to work. But I couldn’t deny an interest in being with her again. I had to admire a woman that didn’t just challenge me, but all my brothers too. All at the same time. In the same room. Watching her cut Chase off with just a look was a thing of beauty.
