Desiring the Enemy

Chapter 3

Hunter had a clearer view of the girl now, and she was even more beautiful than he had originally thought.

The street outside the club was lit up like a Christmas tree. It was a security thing. Darkness around a club where people got drunk and stumbled out of the doors at odd hours to go back home was almost a guarantee for crime. That was why the clubs made sure the outside of the buildings was the total opposite of the inside, with its dim lights to encourage all sorts of debauchery.

She had a nice, toned, yet curvy, body that swayed provocatively without effort as she walked toward him with purpose engraved in every muscle. It probably had something to do with the killer boots she had on. Or maybe the girl just moved like a wet dream. Either way, Hunter appreciated the show like any red-blooded heterosexual male.

Despite not encouraging his mind to head in that direction, it wasn’t hard for him to imagine himself with this girl in a bed or in the back seat of a car. Hell, any horizontal surface looked tempting at this point. He quickly shook the thought away. The girl looked like trouble with a capital T, and he wasn’t in the mood for trouble, even if the trouble was so well packaged.

Not that the girl cared. She seemed to be on a mission, and not even his scowl made her steps falter. “Are you seriously just going to walk away?” she demanded when she stopped a foot away from him, close enough for him to see the dark stain on her top and catch a whiff of the alcohol that almost overwhelmed her own scent, a complex mix of jasmine and vanilla that teased his senses and made him want to lean forward for a better sniff. Of course, he didn’t do that. Instead, he watched as her arms came up and wrapped around herself again. For a beat, she took her eyes off him and darted her gaze around nervously.

Hunter’s brows drew together in a frown. “Am I missing something here?”

Her gaze snapped back to him. For a brief moment, Mackenzie forgot what to do. She realized the dim lights of the club hadn’t done the guy justice, and now that she could see his face in the light, she could only stare at his handsome face, willing her heart to slow down. God, she hoped she wasn’t drooling. That would just be too much humiliation to come back from.

Yet somehow she felt it would be understandable if she drooled. The man in front of her looked like one of those models she saw in magazines for expensive brands. Not the deathly pale and skinny types, but the well-built, tanned, sexy as hell sort. The combination of blue eyes and short, brown hair that seemed to be purposely messy, along with the firm jaw, was the icing on the cake.

That was the man who had come to her rescue? Damn. Mackenzie wondered who her guardian angel had bribed for this. She bit her bottom lip and immediately caught his eyes drop to her mouth. Oh! He was looking at her mouth like a hungry wolf, and Mackenzie found that she wanted to be a juicy piece of steak. Wait, what?

Right then, someone dropped a bottle. The crush of glass on the pavement cut through the moment, snapping her out of her thoughts. The rest of the sounds quickly filtered into her consciousness, and she remembered where they were. Right. Mackenzie blinked and huffed, desperate to appear nonchalant. “You could have bought me a drink.”

A shocked burst of laughter left Hunter’s lips before he could hold it back. “You can’t be serious.”

Her lips parted as she blinked up at him. Something closer to betrayal flashed in her eyes, as though he had kicked a puppy she’d just rescued, which made no sense to Hunter.

“Why not?” she finally asked.

Hunter tilted his head to the side and regarded her for a beat. This was a strange conversation, and he wasn’t sure what was happening. “Surely you didn’t just follow me out of the club to demand I buy you a drink? Or is it something else you are after?” he let his voice drop as he ran his eyes over her body, making sure she caught what he was hinting at.

Apparently, she did. Hunter didn’t miss how her breath hitched a second before her jaw tightened. Eyes narrowed, she shot him a frosty glare that would have terrified a lesser man. It was a total contrast to the darker shade of her skin around her cheeks that told him she was blushing. The combination made something stir in Hunter’s chest that was almost too hard to ignore.

“Are you insinuating that I’m trying to sell myself for a drink?” she practically snarled at him.

Hunter regarded her with a practiced, bored expression. “Your words, baby girl. Not mine.”

The girl’s nostrils flared. She bared her gritted teeth. “Well, I’m not. I just wanted a drink and since you stopped that asshole from taking advantage of me…” She puffed out a breath of air, throwing her arms in the air. “I thought maybe you are a safer bet, and we could share a drink before we both leave. Separately.”

“So you just wanted the company?” he asked with a skeptical arched brow, still not sure he believed her, but he was interested. Maybe the night wouldn’t be a total waste.

“Exactly,” she confirmed.

“With a guy you don’t know from a can of paint?” he couldn’t help teasing.

Mackenzie huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Well, we could remedy that if you gave me a name. Mine is Kai.” She gave him the shorter version that very few people used, and she knew it would be impossible for him to track her down with it after they left tonight. Not that she thought he would be hunting her down once they left the club, but she couldn’t be too certain. It was better to be safe.

For a long beat, her companion didn’t respond, and Mackenzie thought he would just walk off without giving his name. The thought kicked at her pride. For god’s sake, Mackenzie knew she was beautiful, and she had been sure she had seen male appreciation in his gaze, but the reluctance with which he watched her made her doubt she had seen right.

Bracing herself for the guy to walk away, Mackenzie lifted her chin a fraction, and a challenge crept into her gaze, daring him to humiliate her with rejection. To her shock, however, the guy suddenly flashed her a smile that almost took her breath away and held out his hand.

“Call me Hunter.”

For a second time, Mackenzie found herself staring. Thankfully, Hunter cleared his throat, and the knowing look in his eyes was enough to snap her out of it. Jerking as though her limbs were too stiff for a graceful movement, she took the hand and barely stifled the gasp that jumped to the back of her throat when the contact once again sent an electric jolt through her hand and up her arm before it spread throughout her body. Mackenzie wasn’t sure Hunter felt it, but she was grateful he dropped her hand a second later as though he had been burned. Huh? Maybe he had felt it too, but she wasn’t about to ask to confirm.

Suddenly doubting her earlier impulse to run after Hunter, Mackenzie shuffled on her feet and looked around, taking in the busy, lit-up street with all the half-drunk people strolling around.

Only then did she realize how noisy it was. People chatted and laughed unnecessarily too loudly while the muffled beat of music poured out of the club, blending in with the sound of traffic, distant sirens, and just the general sounds of a city not sleeping.

She also realized the outside air was cooler than the club and, with a crop top, she didn’t have enough material to shield her from it. Right on cue, a cool breeze blew over her sweaty skin. A shiver traveled down her spine, which, of course, was noticed by Hunter.

A soft curse left his lips, and before she knew what he was up to, he took off his denim jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The warmth that enveloped her was instantaneous. So was the scent of the man. It was strong and warm. It reminded Mackenzie of dark chocolate and spicy nuts.

Without thinking, she grabbed the two edges of the jacket and held it close around her body. The urge to bring the material up to her nose was strong. Thankfully, she didn’t, because she realized he watched her with a frown creasing his forehead. “What?” she asked, a feeling of unease creeping up her neck and making her feel like prey caught in the sight of a hunter. No pun intended.

Another beat passed, and then Hunter shrugged. “Nothing, it’s not my business,” he said.

Mackenzie frowned. “What isn’t your business?”

He gave her a look that said, ‘Do you really want me to say it?’ She probably shouldn’t, but she pressed. “You seem very opinionated. Please, don’t hold back on my account. Share with the class.”