As soon as she emerged from the fourth-floor elevator, her breath caught. Hunter was in his office, typing on the computer. He was intent on his screen, and he hadn’t noticed her in the hallway yet.
His scarred side was facing the hallway, exposed for all to see. Was it deliberate? She hadn’t realized his desk was set up so anyone coming up the elevator would see it.
As she stood there studying him, Hunter glanced up. His gaze caught hers, and he slowly colored red even as he got up from his chair.
Her heart began to pound, and she smiled at him, slowly, sweetly, and then opened the door to the main lobby.
“Well, hi there, Ms. Gretchen,” Maylee called cheerfully. This time she was dressed in a lavender plaid suit, her baby-blonde corkscrew hair pulled up into a messy, frizzy knot. “You caught Mr. Hunter in the office today. Ain’t that somethin’?”
“It sure is,” Gretchen said, smiling. She gestured at the door to his office. “Mind if I go on in?”
“’Course not. Lemme just ring Mr. Hunter.” Maylee picked up the phone.
“He saw me come in,” Gretchen said.
“I know, but I’m s’posed to ring everyone, Ms. Gretchen. Mr. Hunter says it’s the rules.” She held the phone to her ear, beaming. “Mr. Hunter? Ms. Gretchen’s here to see you.” After a moment, she nodded. “You can go in now.”
“Thank you,” said Gretchen, her lips twitching again. This time she was able to contain her laughter until she shut the door behind her in Hunter’s office.
His expression was unreadable and wary. He stood behind his desk but made no move to approach her. “Hello, Gretchen.”
She shook her head, still chuckling. “Where exactly did you find that secretary of yours?”
He grimaced. “It’s a long story.” His gaze moved over her, devouring her. “You look gorgeous.”
Oh, right. She was supposed to shrug off her bulky coat and show him what he’d been missing. Gretchen fumbled with the buttons of her coat, then struggled to pull her arms out of the sleeves. Not smooth. By the time she got her coat off, her sweater—and her ponytail—were sticking to her body thanks to static. Lovely. “I thought I’d come by and say hi.”
Her lack of grace didn’t matter, though. She was pleased to see that his fascinated gaze was riveted on her.
He gestured at the seat across from his desk. “Please sit.”
She did, deliberately crossing her legs in a slow motion, enjoying when his eyes followed her. Now this was a heady, feminine power. “I wanted to come by and say thank you for the roses.”
Hunter inclined his head, studying her.
She suddenly felt awkward and unsure. What did she want to come out of this meeting? For him to beg for her to return to him? Keep teasing him for another week or two and make him suffer?
Actually, she kind of just wanted to bask in his presence for a bit.
Gretchen glanced around. “Nice office. I didn’t know you had one here.”
“I didn’t until last week.”
She looked at him, startled. “What made you decide that you needed one?”
“You were right,” he said bluntly. “I’ve been hiding away from the world for a long time. I told you about my accident. Things weren’t easy for me after that. It became easier to hide from the world than to go out into it. When I . . . returned to my father’s house after the hospital, he hired private tutors for me and I hid from the world. He’d insisted I go to college, though. I tried to get out of it, but he refused. It was like living in a waking nightmare. Being amongst all those strangers . . .” His voice trailed off, and then he cleared his
throat. “College wasn’t easy for me. If it weren’t for the friendship of . . .” His words died and he looked frustrated for a moment, then said, “Logan and the others, I would have never made it through. I was picked on and women flinched at the sight of me. When I inherited my father’s business, I set up in my house and it was just easier not to leave unless necessary.” He shrugged. “It became easier to avoid the world than to live in it . . . until I met you. You’re why I bought this place.”
Gretchen’s cheeks warmed. “So I made you buy real estate? That’s a pretty good super-power, I have to admit.”
His mouth tugged up on one side. “I already owned this office. I just decided to keep it for myself.” He glanced out the window onto the main section of the floor. “It reminds me to be out there in life, instead of hiding away.”
“I’m very proud of you,” she said softly. “And I hope that you someday realize that you’re not this monster you’ve painted yourself to be. You’re just a man.”
The man who I love.
But the words clung to her throat.