wasn’t going to save him. He was almost tempted to add another flip comment, curious, actually, to see how she handled herself, but, remembering the reason he was there, Hunter halted himself.
Emma.
His stomach tightened—the guilt that was ever present these days upping an uncomfortable notch as he recalled Emma’s pale, anxious face when she’d asked him to check out New Beginnings for her. And for that reason alone Hunter deigned to concede.
A touch.
‘I’ve actually just broken up with my girlfriend.’ Hunter’s remorseful words beat Lily’s sharp ones and, giving a beautifully timed, regretful shrug, he played the sympathy card perfectly, cast his net to the engrossed audience and dragged them all willingly in. ‘We were about to get engaged—she’d even chosen the ring.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ Surprised by his admission, Lily took a second to regroup—she’d been so sure another smart reply had been about to come, had been positive he’d reveal absolutely nothing about himself. She was also certain, well as certain as one could be from reading the glossies that Hunter wasn’t in a serious relationship—but pushing her doubts aside, remaining professional, Lily dealt with the facts as Hunter saw fit to give them. ‘How long did the relationship last?’
She watched as he squinted, tried and failed not to notice just how gorgeous he looked as he did so, dark hair flopping over his forehead as he counted on his fingers. ‘Two,’ Hunter started. ‘No, maybe three…’ His voice faded out as he did the maths and magnanimously Lily tried to help him.
‘Two years might not sound like a long time to some here.’ Lily smiled over at Richie, whose ten-year marriage had recently ended. ‘However, just because Hunter’s relationship is marked in years rather than decades—’
‘Not years,’ Hunter broke in, ‘months. We were together for two months.’
An interminable pause followed—Lily casting her eyes around her group and trying to fathom how to incorporate Hunter into it, trying to give this impossible man a chance. ‘The end of a new relationship can be devastating,’ Lily attempted. ‘That first flush of passion, the sheer heady emotion of those first few weeks can evoke intense feelings of grief when it ends. Isn’t that right?’
‘I guess,’ Hunter admitted, to Lily’s relief. After all, Abigail had cried her eyes out.
‘Overwhelming feelings of loss,’ Lily offered.
‘Well.’ He nodded. ‘Abigail did seem very upset.’
‘Who ended this relationship, Hunter?’ Lily asked, confused by his response.
‘Me,’ he answered, as if the answer should be obvious and giving her a slightly startled look, which Lily chose to ignore.
‘And you chose to end it because…’
He frowned before answering, actually looked as if he was thinking about the answer, and Lily found she was holding her breath.
‘She bored me,’ Hunter answered finally, as Lily’s head jerked up. ‘I mean, she was great to look at, fabulous in bed but, at the end of the day I guess that she just bored me. They always do in the end.’
‘In what way?’ Lily asked, remembering her training, though sorely tempted to slap his cheek. ‘Is it the woman herself that bores you or the thought of monogamy?’
‘I’ve never really given it much thought,’ Hunter shrugged, clearly bored with the subject, but Lily smiled and nodded.
‘Well, the end of a relationship is always a good time for introspection—a time to look at needs and wants that may have been stifled, to work out what we really want, not just from a partner but from ourselves. What would your ideal relationship be, Hunter?’
‘As I said.’ He sounded just a touch irritated now. ‘I haven’t really given it much thought.’
‘Well now’s your chance!’
He stared at her for the longest time and Lily decided there and then that his name was very apt—he looked like a hunter, someone who chose his prey carefully then pounced, because those blue eyes on her were hypnotising in their effect. He was so utterly a predator that Lily felt the hackles on her back rise in defence as he eyed her thoughtfully.
‘I want to wake up with someone in the morning and actually want to hear what she has to say. Someone who embraces her feminine side but isn’t intimidated by my masculinity. I guess what I really want…’
‘Go on,’ Lily croaked, suffused suddenly with images that were surely inappropriate—his masculinity, his good looks, his raw sensuality were not only intimidating but incredibly thought-provoking, and trying to stay objective and focused as Hunter discussed his needs and wants was almost an impossible task.
‘An equal,’ Hunter finished, blinking at his own admission. He was getting quite good at this, he thought. ‘An equal, though not an identical half.’ He elaborated a touch.
‘That’s very perceptive,’ Lily said, running a tongue over dry lips and dragging her eyes away from his to address the group at large. ‘Hunter has made a very valid point. Equality in a relationship is vital for its success—both partners valuing the other’s contribution to it and embracing the other’s individuality. All too often, however, I hear people saying that they want a relationship as if it’s the solution to all their problems. The relationship that you need to nurture is the one with yourself. I believe first and foremost in self-love—’
‘I don’t have any problem with that,’ Hunter interrupted. ‘But as a last resort, of course, I prefer the real thing!’
Lily swung her head around, and she wasn’t the only one. The whole group gaped at Hunter, who didn’t look remotely abashed as he happily bought up the most delicate of delicate subjects.
‘When I refer to self-love…’ Lily cleared her throat, wishing that she’d bought her own polystyrene cup of water into the session ‘…I meant self-respect, actually liking yourself, knowing your own opinions, being at ease with your own company. Only when you’ve achieved that can you truly step into a relationship as an equal.’
‘Oh, that!’ Hunter dismissed.
By the time the rest of the group had introduced themselves, Hunter had dozed off, his head drooping forward slightly, those knowing eyes mercifully closed. Lily decided that rather than waking him, to just let him sleep off whatever excess he was suffering from. But as the meeting continued, though she tried to give her all to her clients, tried to listen intently as Jinty spoke at length of her hope for staying sober and finding a new partner, and Richie spoke shyly about his first date in a decade, Lily could sense her own distraction, her eyes constantly drawn to him. Even while asleep he unsettled her; even while quiet he interrupted her thought process at every turn.
What was he doing there?
CHAPTER TWO
‘HUNTER!’
The third and final call had absolutely no effect. All the plastic chairs had noisily been put away and yet nothing had woken him up.
For a second Lily actually considered walking away, throwing his jacket over
