“It won't be necessary, Josh,” A deep voice behind me says. “I would much prefer if I took Alexandra home.”
I turn around swiftly and stare into Hunter's eyes. Or is it Mr. Cash? Argh, my head is spinning.Stop overthinking everything.
“It’s really not necessary for either of you to take me home. I can manage an Uber.”
Hunter juts his chin, then raises his brows. “I take my employee's safety very seriously, Alexandra. So, I insist on taking you home, end of the story.”
Josh steps back, intimidated by Hunter’s command.
“Of course, Mr. Cash.” Josh touches my arm gently, a gesture Hunter notices. “See you on Monday, Alexa. We’ll do lunch?”
“Sure, sounds good.” I smile.
As Josh begins to walk away, Hunter's expression shifts. He looks angry, which makes no sense. I could ask him what was wrong, but I barely know the guy. The thought of being alone with him in the car is already awkward enough.
“I’m honestly fine to wait for an Uber,” I tell him one more time.
Hunter grabs my hand to cross the street, catching me by surprise.
“I’m your boss, Alexandra,” he states firmly, releasing his grip on my hand when we reach his car. “Just get in the car. I’m taking you home.”
SIXTEEN
Hunter’s black Aston Martin is exactly like my father's.
My mouth opens to mention it but quickly snaps shut, not wanting to get into a discussion about my father of all people.
“Nice car,” I point out while Hunter opens the door for me in a gentlemanly manner. He motions for me to get in, looking very impatient. “But really, an Uber could have easily picked me up.”
Hunter rolls his eyes, annoyed at me for stating the obvious again. “I’m driving you home.”
There's no point in arguing, so I sit inside the car. The first thing to catch my attention is his scent. The smell of a masculine aftershave mixed with the leather seats is intoxicating. My head leans against the headrest as I close my eyes for a moment, knowing all these feelings circulating around my body are all to do with the alcohol and nothing else.
Nothing else.
Hunter gets in and starts the ignition before the engine roars upon taking off. The drive home is not too far from Malibu, but being in close proximity to Hunter Cash makes it even longer.
The roads are dark and windy, and the silence is much more uncomfortable than it needs to be. Soft music is playing, but I feel obliged to say anything to start a conversation.
“You really don't have to drive me home,” I mention. “I planned an Uber because April dropped me off. My car was doing this weird thing, and I'm not exactly a mechanic, but I’m sure it has something to do with the battery. It kind of sucks because I wasn't prepared to be without a car.”
I continue to ramble on as if I'm chatting to myself since my talking is better than nothing.
“I'll probably have to go tomorrow to get it looked at. I don’t even have a mechanic. All these kinds of things, my family normally did for me.” As soon as it comes out of my mouth, I instantly regret it. “Anyway, it was a nice function tonight. I really enjoyed myself. Everyone at work seems so nice.”
Hunter still hasn't said a word, and I'm all out of small talk as we turn the corner, still in silence.
“Look, I'm not a small talk person, so that's cool if you want to sit here in silence,” I continue to speak, even though I just gave him the option to not talk at all. “Look, if you’re annoyed I drank, sorry. I know I shouldn’t have. Please don’t get angry at the girls.
It’s just I—"
Hunter quickly interrupts me, “Alexandra, you don't need to explain yourself. You had fun tonight. That's all that matters.”
“So, you're not pissed off that I was drinking, and I'm technically underage?”
“Yes, you are underage for drinking. One more year. You are turning twenty soon, am I correct?”
“How did you know that?”