Mal stared at him in wonder. “Uh-huh,” she murmured, settling back. The man could quite literally go anywhere and be successful. Nothing was out of the question, and with his drive and skill set, he would revolutionize any place he went. He held all the power in the world in his hands, and he knew how to use it.
“Did I lose you there?” he asked, nudging her.
She shook her head and leaned against him. “You take a pretty active role in work, don’t you?”
He nodded, resting his chin on her head. “I try to. I can’t get away from the boardroom entirely, but I think hands-on is a good way to go—assuming I don’t get in the way. I don’t want anyone feeling like I’m looking over their shoulder, but if there are improvements that need to be made, I’ll step in. I think I’d get bored if I just sat in my crummy office all day, ruling the empire by mobile device.”
Mal snorted and patted his knee. “Yeah, I’m sure you have a really crummy office there, dude.”
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “It has a shocking lack of artwork. Know anyone that could help me out there?”
She slowly sipped the last of her cocoa. “I think Dan might have some pieces that could work for you.”
Hunter growled and moved his mouth to the side of her neck just below her ear. “I don’t want Dan’s help…”
She arched her neck with a shiver. “No? Well, Taryn is pretty good, too. I can put in a good word for you.”
He snatched her mug away and set it on the table behind the couch with his and turned, forcing her to lean back against the armrest while he loomed over her, his arms bracketing either side of her.
“Not Taryn,” he murmured with a slow shake of his head, leaning down to kiss her chin, then down the column of her throat.
“No?” she gasped, trying to find some sense of wit and thought before he disintegrated the last of it.
“No,” he said simply, coming back to place a slow, leisurely kiss on her lips.
She wrapped her arms around his neck with a sigh when a knock on the door interrupted what was destined to be a fantastic make-out session.
“Seriously?” Mal said to the ceiling, frowning in her disgruntlement.
Hunter laughed and pulled her up to a sitting position. “You expecting anyone?”
She gave him a look as she rose to her feet. The knocking came again, more insistent, and Mal folded her cardigan around her. Whatever this was, it had better be good or she would be seriously ticked off. She opened the door to find Caroline standing there in sweats, an oversize T-shirt, and her hair loosely braided over her shoulder, large Coach tote on her arm.
“Caroline?” Mal asked in surprise.
Her cousin wrinkled her nose. “Can I claim sanctuary here tonight? I’m about to kill people.”
Mal laughed and stepped back, scratching at her hair. So much for her evening plans… “Sure,” she said with a shrug.
Caroline grinned and stepped in, dropping her bag. “Thanks,” she said heavily. “Seriously, when it’s my turn, remind me how nuts this is, okay? I’m just gonna elope.”
Mal nodded knowingly. “Noted.”
Caroline turned to look around the place and saw Hunter sitting on the couch. “Hunter?”
He smiled and waved. “Hey.”
Caroline whirled to face Mal, eyes wide. “Am I interrupting something?” she whispered loudly.
Mal glanced nervously at Hunter, who only lifted a brow and smiled. “Uh, not really?” she answered in a completely awkward way.
Her cousin’s eyes narrowed. “Uh-huh. You’ve got maybe three minutes before Jenna gets here, so…”
“That would be my cue to leave,” Hunter announced as he got up from the couch.
Mal turned to him with a wince. “I’m sorry,” she said, coming over to him.
“What for? Girls’ night with your cousins seems like a good idea to me.”