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“Maybe I could give you some tips on managing Mr. Moody,” she said with a nod toward Hunter’s office.
“I shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be appropriate,” I said.
“Listen, I know the Raven boys are a lot to handle. It’s like they have twice the testosterone required to be men. But deep down, they’re good guys. Even Hunter.”
I felt a little defensive at that comment. Why “even Hunter”? He was a good guy who suffered a condition that would last his entire life as the result of serving his country. Of protecting all of us, including her. Of all the brothers, he had a good reason to be difficult.
“I have some experience dealing with them and understanding what makes them tick,” she finished.
I realized that perhaps having an outside perspective could be helpful. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to meet with family members to better help a client. Of course, it wasn’t done socially, but the truth was, I needed a break from the Rookery.
“Yes, I wouldn’t mind getting out.”
Sara smiled sweetly. I hoped Chase realized what a lovely young woman he’d married. “Oh, good. I’m so glad.” She told me the name of a restaurant that I suspected was owned by the Raven family. I remembered Kade was the one in charge of them. I hoped he wasn’t there. I didn’t want his two-cents about Hunter as he seemed to resent his older brother. He seemed to resent them all. Then again, based on what little Hunter had told me about their father’s all-work-and-no-play stance until recently, I could see why they were the way they were.
I went home, got in the shower with my wet-dry vibrator and finished off what Hunter had started. I needed the orgasm, and yet, it was also a disappointment. It didn’t have the same explosive pop as I expected it would have had if I’d let Hunter finish me off.
Then I ducked my head under the spray of water trying to decide if I’d gone so far off the script that I needed to refer him to a new therapist. He’d touched me intimately. Surely that meant I needed to stop being his therapist?
The problem was, I enjoyed being with him even if he was difficult. I often felt like I was right on the verge of a breakthrough. There were times that I thought I saw trust in his eyes and that he was going to finally open up. He never did, but even in those moments, I felt like I was making progress.
If a man deserved to lose his demons, it was Hunter. He was dark and broody, but he had incredible self-control. He had to be exhausted at the end of the day as he worked to manage his anger and frustration. I wished desperately that I could give him a reprieve. And, I had to admit, that my wish wasn’t entirely professional. Yes, he was a sexy, potent man, but there was something more to it. Something he hid that I wanted to discover.
I dressed in a white skirt, a floral sleeveless cotton blouse, and a green sweater that probably looked marmish, but the coloring was good on me. Then I headed to the restaurant to meet with Sara. She was already there and had a private booth near the back.
“I’m so glad you could come,” she said when I joined her. “I don’t like it when Chase is away. He prefers me to stay home, but he acquiesces if I say I’m coming to a place one of his brothers is at.”
“So, this is a Raven owned restaurant,” I said.
“Yes. Normally, I’d prefer to go to one of Ash’s places, but at this point in my pregnancy, clubs are loud and too busy. So, we’re stuck with Kade.”
“He’s that bad?” I asked.
Sara shook her head. “Not bad. None of them are bad. But they’re all a little bitter and resentful. They all have baggage.”
A waitress came by, and I ordered a glass of wine.
“Kade is more immature than anything. I’m no shrink, but I think he feels like as the youngest he’s dismissed and for some reason, works to live up to it.”
I tilted my head, interested at her insight. “Have you had any counseling experience?”
A sadness swept through her eyes, and I felt bad that I’d brought up something painful for her.
“Chase and I lost a baby, and we had counseling then. It really helped us both. Chase and I hope it will help Hunter.”
“I’m sorry about your loss.”
“Thank you. It was a difficult time and why Chase is really protective of me. Hunter too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was lurking around somewhere.”
“What?” I scanned the room looking for the large, broody, sexy man.
“Hunter more than any of them, except Chase, looks after me. He’ll say it’s because security is his job, but I know it’s more than that.”
