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Chapter 3 Karly
Irritation floodedme as someone stepped in front of me, shattering the moment Alek and I were sharing across the reception hall. An eye fuck, I felt. One hell of an eye fuck, almost a repeat of me joining the mile high club. The white cotton panties Alek gave me on the plane were absolutely soaked. I was just on the verge of biting down on my bottom lip and hoping he might move closer to me so we could sneak off somewhere. Sure, I’d just told myself that I needed to protect myself from him so I didn’t end up with a shattered heart, but it was damn near impossible to remember rationality when he was looking at me like that. I tried to peer around the figure to see if he was still staring at me, but I couldn’t get around the man’s broad, muscular shoulders.
I parted my lips, about to excuse myself, before I overheard someone laughing nastily as they mentioned Alek’s name. Curiosity got the better of me and I just had to listen in.
“Look how mad Alek is. He hates being second place, doesn’t he? Especially with Drew in first place…”
Drew, the guy from the Unaligned clan. Of course that was going to be an issue for Alek. Not just because he won first place, but because of what he represented. Chaos and a change of society. I almost wanted to yell this at these assholes so they knew it wasn’t just Alek being petty and wanting to win, that there was so much more to it than that. But I couldn’t start yelling and showing preference. It didn’t matter that I was a Gemini. When I was at an event in a professional capacity, I had to just be neutral and a journalist. I pursed my lips tightly together and held them there, trying to swallow down all my feelings. That wasn’t the easiest thing to do when I was way too passionate about Alek, but my job was important to me as well. If I lost my place in this world as a journalist, I didn’t know what I would do.
I glanced behind me to check that the crew was setting up all the equipment for the Bear King’s speech in a moment. Then I dragged my gaze around to the man in front of me. It was getting increasingly clear that he wanted my attention, and now that I didn’t have view of Alek anymore, I figured I might as well give it. I forced my gaze up his body, which was just as broad and muscular as I thought it would be, and soon found bright, dark eyes twinkling at me, combined with a soft smile that quieted the irritation within me. The earth beneath me softened into mush, collapsing the confident power stance I normally took. I didn’t feel as ready for action as I normally did. I kind of felt like I just wanted to melt into this stranger’s arms.
“Who are you?” I whispered, the words tickling my throat and lips as they came spilling out.
His smile brightened. “My name is Hatcher. I thought I better come introduce myself to you since you are the queen of morning TV.”
The compliment fluttered like butterflies in the pit of my stomach. “I don’t know if I’m the queen…”
“Oh, come on, you must hear that all the time,” he shot back with tinkling laughter. “Everyone describes you as the queen.”
I had heard that before, and it was what I used to motivate myself whenever things felt hard, but somehow hearing it from this incredibly handsome stranger was more powerful. The word queen radiated through me, and I jutted my chin out with a little bit more confidence. “Thank you.”
“I know you must be very busy and in demand.” Hatcher made a sweeping gesture with his hand, indicating the room. “You have so many fascinating competitors who will want to talk to you, so I thought I would do you the courtesy of just saying hi and introducing myself. I don’t know if you’re going to want to talk to me at any point, but I assume you’ll be doing interviews and things. If you want to ask me any questions…” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Well, here is how you can contact me. If you need to.”
Something happened as his hand brushed over mine—electricity fizzled over my skin and set my whole body alight. I looked back up to his eyes to find that twinkle growing increasingly naughty. He could feel it too. I took a deep breath in. I needed to take my eyes off of him before my knees gave out and I collapsed to the floor. The details on the card let me know that Hatcher was a geologist working at the university of Sag. So, he was a Sagittarius, that was interesting. I didn’t have much experience with members of the Sagittarius clan.
“Oh, by the way…” Hatcher pointed at the camera behind me. “I would much prefer to do an interview over the phone, if you don’t mind. I’m not too fond of being videoed.”
“Right,” I drawled slowly. I didn’t often get this from people. It was kind of cool actually because he had let me know exactly what he wanted and consented to it as well. “You’re very efficient, aren’t you?”
His smile captured my heart, as did his warm and open features. There was something sweet and inviting about him that really intrigued me. I instantly wanted to know more. I was likely going to have to interview all the competitors in the Astro Games at some point, but I had a feeling Hatcher would be one to capture the hearts of the nation. I wanted to be the one to speak with him first and most.
“I am,” he agreed with a small nod. “I hope that’s okay with you.”
“Oh, for sure. I will make it work. I’ll find a way to interview you in whatever way makes you comfortable.”
His eyes twinkled some more. “You know what, the outdoors makes me very comfortable, and I haven’t had a chance to explore the outdoor area surrounding the arena yet.”
Interesting. I rose one eyebrow. “It’s unconventional, but I like it. It’ll give us a rest from the hustle and bustle of this event.”
I might have been a social butterfly as a general rule, but I got the sense that Hatcher wasn’t like that. He seemed quieter, more introverted. As the queen of morning TV, I knew I had to do whatever it took to make my subject happy. I loved the outdoors as well, so I could definitely make this work. I put Hatcher’s number in my phone before firing off a quick text to him so he could contact me whenever he wanted as well.
His phone pinged and he grinned as he checked it to see my message there. “I think we can arrange something soon…”
“Maybe an early morning run?” I suggested.
He laughed a quiet, tinkling sound, which piqued my curiosity.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m at my most vulnerable in the early morning when I’m running.”
“Oh, so I might just get your most treasured secrets, then.”
He ran his eyes all over me, looking at me hungrily. Why did I like that so freaking much? “I don’t think I need to worry about that. You look very trustworthy. I’m sure whatever I will tell you will be in safe hands.”
He parted his lips, which made me think he was about to tell me something else. Judging by the look on Hatcher’s face, it was important as well. But before anything came out, he just nodded once. It was his way of saying goodbye before he backed away from me and mingled back in with the crowd. Not that he was really mingling, he was more just making his way through the throng of people, needing an escape. He really wasn’t one for parties. I liked that about him. I liked that he was so purely himself, no matter what. I actually couldn’t wait until I could speak one on one with him during his morning run so I could find out more about what brought him to the Astro Games. He definitely didn’t seem like a normal competitor. If I remembered correctly, he came in twenty-fourth place in the qualifying rounds, which was good, but didn’t show the same sort of dedication that Alek had. I absolutely needed to find out more about him. It wasn’t just for the TV interview anymore, but because I was intrigued.