AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, he was.”
“Do you want to know what I told Amy the night she showed up?”
“Yes.” Cheryse wasn’t sure of that, though.
“I told her that my brother staunchly hated her for breaking my heart. I also told her that the minute she walked away from me was the minute she lost the privilege of comforting me after my brother passed away. Because it would be a disgrace to Trent to allow that, and frankly, it was a disgrace to me.”
Brutal, but true. “Trent would be proud of you for that.”
“I think so. I think …”
“What?”
“I think Trent would be proud of me for kissing you that night, too.”
She smiled and relaxed back into the pillows. “I’ve already apologized for kissing you that night, okay? Can we drop it?”
Hunter said nothing, which made Cheryse uneasy. A lack of response always meant one thing from him: he didn’t agree.
She didn’t know what to say, so she focused on something happier. “Come on, Hunter. Just look at the moon and think about all the naked people howling.”
That got a light laugh out of him. “Okay, Reese. For tonight, I’ll just think about naked people howling.”
Chapter 23
Hunter and Cheryse pulled up to the parking lot next to the caves. Hunter wasn’t just excited about this treasure hunt. No, he was excited that Cheryse had agreed to come with him. There’d been this little niggling of excitement since she’d asked about Amy the night before. Shehadbeen jealous. Even if she didn’t realize it, even if she was in the middle of this Roger thing, she was jealous. It was so clear to him. It had kept him up half the night, thinking there might still be a chance with her.
Whatever the case, he had to keep his head clear. He had to make sure everything was on the up-and-up. He was prepared to do that. Trent would give him a pep talk about how to do that if he were here.
“I still don’t understand how I’m going to go on this treasure hunt with you when my ankle is in this shape,” Cheryse groused.
Hunter got out of the car. “I got you.” He rushed around to her side of the car and opened the door. He reached for her hand, and she took it.
“Aren’t you going to get the crutches?” she asked when he shut the door.
He shook his head and patted his shoulders. “I’m going to pack you in.”
A look akin to mortification washed across her face. “Uh, no.”
He laughed and gave her a sweeping up-and-down look. “Reese, we both know you’re maybe a buck ten. In most situations, the stuff in my pack was probably no less than what you weigh.”
She shook her head and looked unconvinced. “I don’t care. And you forget women don’t like men picking them up and carrying them. It doesn’t matter if you’re the strong, red-blooded, He-Man, Iron Man type.”
Hey, what could he say? He liked that she referred to him as a He-Man, Iron Man type. Who wouldn’t like that? But he didn’t revel in it, and he didn’t make it a thing. “Reese, you agreed to come on this treasure hunt today. Get on.”
“I didn’t know you were going to pack me in. That changes everything.”
He pointed to the cave. “If my calculations are right, the place Trent led us to will be some kind of tunnel. You can’t navigate that with your crutches.”
She looked upset, but she reluctantly hopped over and tried to get behind him. “Fine.”
Hunter was ridiculously pleased that Cheryse was playing his game. He bent down a bit. “Just wrap your arms around my neck and I’ll pull you up.”
“You mean you’ll grab my bum and pull me up?” She sounded upset by this prospect.
That also made him laugh. “Reese, get on.”
She hesitated. “This will look so stupid.”
