A Mistake!

Lucia

"W-welcome home, Hunter." I stammered, my mind still trying to wrap around this discovery.

The last time I had seen Hunter was the night he had held a gun to my husband's head. Back then, he had been a thin, scrawny boy with acne. He had always been quiet, and steered clear from me.

The step son I remembered was a shy, nervous kid who wore clothes that were two sizes too big and always had headphones on. This large man in front of me was the complete opposite of that boy.

How was it possible?

My stomach tumbled as it hit me that I had kissed him last night and he had known who I was from the start.

"Thank you." He took the hand I held out, large fingers curling around my hand. Sparks shot up my hand at the brief contract and I sucked in a breath, immediately yanking my hand away.

"I need to go make a call." Christian said then stormed out.

As soon as he disappeared from sight, I rounded on Hunter. "How could you!" I flung the accusation at him, seething.

"How could I what?" He drawled.

"You kissed me."

"I was there, and I clearly remember you kissing me back. In fact, you tried to come after me after I pulled away from the kiss."

Guilt tightened my stomach. I didn't owe Christian any loyalty, he was a lying, cheating bastard that I had no love for, but it didn't change the fact that I had made vows. And also, he had me in the palm of his hands, if he ever found out, he could crush me.

I could lose my father forever.

"It was a mistake. I was drunk."

"Liar." He countered.

"It was a mistake, Hunter. A lapse in judgement. It's my fault, you're just a kid, I should have known better."

His face hardened into steel, and I stepped back at his sudden resemblance to Christian. Oh God. I felt sick. I was thirty four years old and last night, I had let my twenty two year old step son kiss me. Worst of all, I had enjoyed it, I had wanted more.

"I'm not a kid." He growled. "I haven't been a kid in years."

"You knew who I was, so why did you kiss me? Is this some kind of move to provoke your father?" I asked him.

His eyes darkened. "The only thing I knew was that you were a beautiful woman and I wanted you." Hunter stepped closer to me. "I want you."

My eyes went wide. "Are you crazy? Enough of this nonsense. Let's just pretend last night never happened, okay? If he finds out about it, you'll ruin everything. Just stay away from me."

"And if I say no? If I refuse to stay away from you?" He asked, so close now that barely an inch separated us.

Without another word, I turned on my heels and fled down the hall, heart pounding so fast that I thought it would rip out of my chest.

As I turned the corner, I heard my husband's voice. Something made me come to a screeching halt. I tiptoed closer to the door, pressing my ear to it.

"What the hell do you mean? The case is closed." He snapped.

The call was on speaker phone while my husband paced, so I could hear the other person on the line. "Someone is trying to open it again."

"Isnt there a statue of limitations or something?" Christian asked furiously.

"It doesn't work like that sir." The man on the phone said. "Mr. Morris will get out of jail in just fifty days, which means we have to act fast."

Confusion warped through me. Act fast? What were they talking about and what did it have to do with my father?

"Do you know who's backing him?"

"As far as I know, he has no idea that someone is trying to reopen the case." The man paused. "It might just be a rival company, but it doesn't matter. As long as Mr. Morris pleads guilty again to the case, we won't have a problem."

"It's in his best interest to plead guilty."

Something was going on, but I couldn't figure it out. Why was he suddenly bringing up my father? What did he mean that someone was trying to open up the case?

I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn't realise my husband had hung up and approached the door until it was too late. I gasped as the door knob began to turn.

At that moment, someone grabbed my arm, yanking me behind the corner of the wall, his hand covering my surprised squeak.

Hunter's familiar scent wrapped around me, and I breathed, body coming alive in his hold. We waited silently till Christian's footsteps faded away before I pushed away from him.

"What do you think you're doing?" I snapped.

"Saving your ass. Why are you snooping around?"

Heat rose up my face. "I wasn't snooping around."

"Well then, should I go and ask my father what he thinks about you listening at the door?" He narrowed his eyes at me.

"It's about my father so I have a right to know." I argued.

I still couldn't get over what i had heard. I wouldn't have thought anything about it but the fact that he snuck into this unused room to make the call seemed strange.

"You really think you know everything about your father's case?" He laughed mockingly. "Trust me, Lucia, you only know as much as Christian wants you to know. You got duped."

I narrowed my gaze at him. "What do you mean by that? What are you talking about?"

"You think your father stole millions worth of dollars from his company, and out of the mercy of his heart, he decided to let your father get off with just ten years and then he married you?" Hunter scoffed. "If you really believe that, then you're not as smart as I thought you were."

"So what are you saying? My father told me he did it. He pled guilty on that stand."

"Your father was nothing but a scapegoat, and you're spoils of Christian's war." He said. "Mr. Morris didn't steal a dime, Lucia."

"You don't know what you're talking about." I turned around to flee, but his next words stopped me.

"Hailey Young."

I froze. "Who's that?"

"I think you need to ask your father that." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with more questions.