why Iâm here.â
âOh, I thought you were here because we shared one hot kiss last night.â
âWell, Iâm curious about that, too,â she said. Then realized she probably sounded like an idiot.
He watched her.
She had an uncomfortable feeling that she was being played and wondered if she shouldnât just tell him no to the files and see what happened next. He shook his head.
âSorry about that. Sometimes when I see what I want it makes me intense.â
âItâs fine.â
âNo, itâs not. Iâm not pressuring you at all. I just was trying to see if I should drop my interest in the files. If that would be enough to make you believe that the kiss we shared last night was real. And not part of a play Iâm making,â he said.
But he was a master playmaker.
This was complicated. But sheâd made up her mind. Heâd read her...maybe a little too well, but he was smart enough to realize using the lust between them to manipulate her wasnât going to be the easiest way to get what he wanted.
She followed him out of his house. They drove up the Five. Hunter was a relaxed driver who had no problems keeping the conversation going. He told her about his best friend Kingsley getting engaged to his college girlfriend and about his godson, Conner, who tried to FaceTime them while they were driving.
âYouâre close to them,â she said.
âKing is like a brother to me. Closer actually.â
Suddenly everything about Hunter became clear. Heâd do whatever he had to in order to see her dadâs files. She didnât doubt that he may have toyed with seducing her and she didnât know if heâd really dropped it, but she knew the stakes were high for him.
Interesting.
The shallow playboy had real connections. Ones she hadnât guessed at before, and keeping him from her fatherâs files was going to be harder than sheâd imagined.
* * *
Hunterâs meeting with Asia, his assistant, went smoothly. Heâd texted her to say he was bringing a woman and to keep her smart-ass comments to herself. His assistant was very good at her job but she liked to sass him all the time.
âI like her. She doesnât let you get away with anything,â Ferrin said when they were back in the car.
âI know. I hired her because she was the only one who didnât ask to see my Super Bowl ring,â he said. âShe couldnât care less about football but she loves kids and grew up in a rough neighborhood so gets that kids having something fun and productive to do is important.â
âI could see that. I thought you were one of those rich boys who just took what he wanted and damn the consequences,â she said.
âWell, Iâm a man, not a boy,â he said, giving Ferrin a long level look. Maybe he was moving too slow.
Desire flashed in her pretty blue eyes as she took him in with a glance. âI know youâre a man.â
Good enough. He wanted her to be aware of him. âDo you surf?â
âDo I look like I surf?â she countered. âActually, Iâm not very sporty.â
âHow was that, growing up with Coach?â
âHorrible. I canât catch a football, which used to enrage him. Iâm okay at running but I donât like it and I can swim but that isnât a ârealâ sport, according to him.â
âI can teach you to catch,â Hunter said. âIâm really good at it.â
âI figured, since youâre a wide receiver. Iâm smart that way.â
âYeah, you are. How about paddleboarding?â
âHow about driving up the coast and eating lunch at this restaurant that I know? Or taking a walk on the beach?â
âI like it. But youâre never going to really know me unless you see me in action,â he said. When he talked he got into trouble. He said the wrong thing, and with Ferrin when he was being so