Manaconda (Hammered #1)(45)

Michelle whomped me on the back. “Are you all right?”

“Wrong pipe,” I managed to say through my tears.

Hunter stood at the podium. His broad shoulders seemed super-sized under his suit jacket. He wore a crisp white shirt and his tie was a huge lolling dog’s tongue printed in the middle of it.

“Thanks for having me. When Love & Paws opened their doors in Los Angeles, I was one of the first in line to adopt a dog. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Lola came on the road with me and saw the world. Love & Paws also helped me when the time came for me to lay my girl to rest. They’re one of the only rescues that takes care to actually put the right dog or cat with the right owner. They aren’t just looking to unload unwanted pets, they’re trying to find furrever homes for people that need it. Please dig deep into your pockets. Keeping their doors open is very important to me, but most of all important to those animals that need homes. And I’d love to see all of you in San Fran tomorrow at the annual adoption. I’ll be there looking for a new fur-baby.”

Yeah.

I was officially shutting off my ovaries. They were having a field day jumping around and causing havoc. Didn’t they get the memo that he was bad for me?

And from the look in the room, there were a helluva lot of women having the same problem.

I tried to get up from my table before he came down the aisle, but there was no way he could miss me. Especially when my traitorous friend Michelle leaped in his path.

“Your speech was amazing.”

Hunter smiled. “All true.” His eyes flicked over to me, then away with a curt smile. He covered Michelle’s hand on his arm. “Have you adopted?”

Michelle beamed up at him. “I have two cats. Siamese.” She fumbled her phone out of her purse. “Lucy and Dezzie.” She blushed. “I spent a summer watching I Love Lucy while I was recuperating from ACL surgery.”

Hunter smiled indulgently. “I’m sure they helped keep you company.”

“Oh, they did. They love to talk.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway. Um, this was really great of you. I’m still small time, but this is the one charity I make sure to give to for sure.”

Hunter’s gaze drifted to me before bouncing back to Michelle. “ Any little bit helps.”

Michelle chattered on with him and I wanted to crawl under the table and disappear. When I tried to move away, Michelle grasped my wrist like a damn lifeline.

Hunter was sweet with her—never made her feel like she was boring him. In fact, he coerced her into telling him more stories about Lucy’s antics.

I was pretty much praying for death.

And if she squealed, “so cute!” one more time I was going to put her in the puppy room and leave her there.

A statuesque blonde broke Michelle’s concentration. She slipped her arm through Hunter’s. “There you are. I was beginning to think you got lost.”

Hunter’s gaze crashed into mine. “Michelle, Kennedy.” He stumbled over my name momentarily before going with my formal name. Funny how that could be a complete arrow to the chest.

“This is Corey Thorne.”

Of course it was. She needed about as much introduction as Hunter did these days. Corey played a queen on one of the epic historical shows on HBO.

She was elegant and beyond beautiful. Suddenly I felt very frumpy in my red and black peek-a-boo lace dress.

“Pleased to meet you.”

Even her voice was elegant. Don’t be nice. I don’t want you to be nice.

She patted his hand. “I had to come and support Hunter. If it wasn’t for him, I’d never have my girl, Biscuit.”

“That’s Hunter, generous to a fault,” I said.

His gray eyes flashed. “What can I say, I’m a giver.” His gaze tripped over the black mini skirt and corset I wore under the lace. But it was just a half a second, then it as gone. The afterburn left my skin flayed open.

Everywhere he’d touched, everywhere he’d tasted—was too sensitive, too exposed.

I muttered an excuse about someone across the room that I needed to talk to. All in all, I thought I did well. I held my head up, blindly crossing the room until I reached the bathrooms.

I hoped my smile looked normal and not like I was a botox patient gone wrong. When I reached the powder room I collapsed onto the bench seat and wished for a baby flask for my purse.

It shouldn’t have been that hard to see him. We’d had one night together and a disaster of a day after. I knew I wasn’t exactly one-night-stand material but this was ridiculous.

The worst part was the look on his face at the police station. I couldn’t get it out of my head. And tonight he was just blank. Except for that one second.

I smoothed my hair as best I could and splashed cool water on my wrists then sent a request for a pickup. I just needed to hold on long enough to get my through my goodbyes and wait for another car.

I headed into the ball room and waited my turn with the president of Love & Paws by the chocolate display. A trio of pit bulls were brought out to show what good therapy dogs they could be.

Hunter was crouched down with one, his face split wide into a grin as the brindle pit pushed him back onto his butt. “Man down!” He laughed and my abused ovaries went through another cycle of destruction.

The other two saw their chance to attack. The fawn colored one rolled into the other like a bowling ball and the clipped the dessert table.