Chapter 006

Maisie~

For a moment, the entire family went silent, exchanging forceful smiles.

I didn’t let my shock show. I held my breath, kept my face careful and blank. But he didn’t look away. Hunter. His mismatched gaze pinned me in place, intense and unwavering, until those piercing gaze became unbearable. I was the one who broke the contact, my eyes dropping to the floor.

"Well, don’t stand in the hall all night," Mrs. Grimshaw finally said. "Hunter, go and change then join us in the dining"

Hunter gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod. His eyes— those impossible eyes— swept over me one last time, an almost invisible smile touching his lips, before he turned and disappeared up the grand staircase.

I let out a small breath as Alistair guided me to a chair at the dining, his hand on my back.

When Hunter returned, the very air in the room changed.

He had changed into simple black shorts and a sleeveless shirt that clung to the hard, defined planes of his chest and shoulders. His left arm was a full sleeve of intricate, dark tattoos, swirling over every contour of his muscle down to his wrist. His hair was damp, dark brown strands falling across his forehead. He ran a hand through it, making it messier, and a few threads settled over his eyes. He looked like a perfect, handsome devil...wild, untamed, and devastatingly attractive in a way that felt completely dangerous.

I forced myself to look away as he took a seat opposite me.

Mr. Grimshaw cleared his throat. "Maisie, this is Hunter. Alistair’s younger brother. By a minute." He gave a stiff, awkward laugh. "He’s been… abroad on business."

I managed a nod.

"No one told me Alistair had a twin," I started, “An… identical one."

Mrs. Grimshaw waved a dismissive hand. "Hunter values his privacy. He travels constantly. It simply never came up, darling."

Alistair’s arm suddenly slip around my shoulder possessively, almost like he was caging me.

"Hunter, you didn’t tell me you were coming. I would’ve pick you up myself." He forced a smile. "But, here’s Maisie, my fiancee."

Hunter leaned back in his chair, completely at ease. "Actually, I’ve been here for two days. Finalizing an agreement with Mr. Miller"

"You met Mr. Miller?" Alistair's eyes widened.

Hunter said nothing. He just picked up his glass of wine and took a slow drink, his eyes never leaving Alistair’s face.

I saw Alistair’s hand under the table curl into a tight fist. My own heart beat faster. What was happening?

Then Hunter’s gaze shifted to me. "And Maisie," he said, his voice dropping into that deep, calm tone. "We meet again."

The words made everyone freeze, including me. Mrs. Grimshaw’s smile vanished.

"Have you two met?" Mrs. Grimshaw asked, blinking.

Hunter’s eyes held mine. A faint, knowing smirk played on his lips. "Maybe? Maybe not." He gave a careless shrug. "But she does look like someone I’ve..."

I held my breath without reason.

"Someone you've…?" Alistair pressed on.

"Someone I’ve seen before," Hunter finished simply, shrugging again. He was relaxed to the point of rudeness, his gaze lingering on me in a way that was intensely familiar and deeply wrong.

He turned his full attention to me. "So, Maisie," he began, swirling his wine. "What do you really think of all this wedding planning? Or do they just plan it around you?"

Alistair snapped, "Hunter."

Hunter smirked without looking at him. "What? I’m just curious."

Their parents shifted in their seats, visibly uneasy.

"My brother always liked things… orderly," Hunter continued, his eyes never leaving mine. "You don’t seem like his usual type. You..."

"You don’t know Maisie." Alistair cut in.

Hunter’s eyes were on me still. "Sure," he said lightly. "And I would love to get to know my soon-to-be sister-in-law. Isn’t that only right?"

Mrs. Grimshaw tried to say something, but Hunter spoke first.

“Nice to meet you, Maisie.”

The sound...the exact deep voice from the bar, from the dark room…

My eyes widened.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. This was the voice. Was the man in the mask… Hunter? But that man had no visible tattoos. This man’s arms were a canvas of dark ink. But the room had been dark. He’d worn long sleeves. What about the eyes? Could I have missed them?

My thoughts spun.

Mr. Grimshaw spoke, interrupting my panic. "That's enough. Let's eat."

After the agonizing dinner finally ended, Hunter started to leave first, but paused when Alistair spoke up, phone in hand.

"It’s Mr. Miller," Alistair muttered.

Mr. Grimshaw nodded proudly.

Upon hearing that, Hunter looked past his shoulder at Alistair, a dark, unreadable expression flashing in his mismatched eyes before he turned and walked away without a word.

Weirdo.

Alistair faced me. "I have to take this call. I’ll be quick, alright?"

I nodded as he stepped into the hall and waited, glancing around the expansive living room. Minutes stretched on and an hour later, Alistair still hadn’t returned. Tired and exhausted, I went in search of him. I headed in the direction he had taken.

I pushed a door open and stepped into the cool night air. The pool was a rectangle of glowing blue light. Someone was swimming, cutting through the water with powerful, silent strokes.

Alistair? I scoffed in disbelief. He’d probably forgotten about my existence, forgotten he kept his fiancée waiting!

Annoyed, I was about to lash out when he reached the edge of the pool and hauled himself out of the water in one powerful motion.

Those tattoos….

It was Hunter.

Water streamed off a torso of pure, sculpted muscle. The pool lights gleamed on his wet skin, illuminating the dark tattoos along his arm.

My gaze, against my will, traveled lower. His black shorts were soaked, plastered to his skin, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. The sharp V-line of his waist, and the thick, heavy outline of him was unmistakable, straining against the wet fabric, made a hot, shameful flush creep up my cheeks. I was staring, paralyzed, utterly lost.

He was… breathtaking. A raw, untamed version of Alistair’s polished beauty.

A single, cold drop of water hit my cheek.

I blinked, jolted back to reality.

"You seem lost," Hunter said lowly, the smile on his face from moments ago no longer there.

"…. Or did you come out here to watch me?"

"I… I was looking for Alistair," I managed to say.

He nodded slowly, then gestured with his chin in a direction. I blinked a couple of times, confused by the gesture.

He took a step closer, then another, his scent filling the space between us. The scent from the bar. My heart hammered against my ribs as he leaned in.

The movement was terrifyingly familiar. The angle of his head. The deliberate invasion of my space. My breath caught in my throat.

Was he… going to kiss me?

The thought was insane… and even more insane, my eyes squeezed shut.

Why? Why the hell are my eyes closed?

I felt his breath warm against my lips.

"You know, sister-in-law," he whispered, the title a dark, thrilling joke on his tongue. “when you close your eyes like that… it’s like you’re daring me to kiss you.”

My eyes snapped open. Horror and a shocking thrill collided in my chest.

"W...what? You think I’m..."

"No, I’m not saying you’re trying to seduce me," he cut in, a wicked, knowing smirk finally touching his mouth as his voice dropped to a rough whisper. "But if that is what you’re doing…"

He paused and glanced down at himself, "It’s working."

My gaze followed, my mouth dropping open at the sight of his bulge.