Exposing the Heiress Read Online Free PDF Page A

deep in her chest. Hunt hadn’t ever had romantic feelings about her, but he’d cared. And he still cared enough to bring her back to the vineyard now and help her. His friendship meant everything to her. But she wanted to keep things light, easy. “Do you get tired from carting around that oversized ego?”
    “Look who’s talking about ego, cover girl. I can’t buy a damn candy bar without you staring at me in the checkout line.”
    She rolled her eyes. “That’s not me. Aside from the long list of talented people doing my hair, makeup, nails, clothes and jewelry, those pictures are airbrushed. There’s nothing real there.”
    Hunt shuddered. “No wonder you wanted to escape. All those people buzzing around would irritate the shit out of me.”
    A laugh bubbled up her throat. “It’s annoying, but I have to be nice. That’s exhausting.” And so useless. It’d be different if being a model was what she wanted to do. But Alyssa was famous for nothing more than being her mother’s daughter, and having been in the accident that killed Jenna Brooks—the famous child actress turned screenwriter and producer. That one horrible night had left the public with an insatiable curiosity about Alyssa and she hated it.
    “Well, now that you’ve made your escape, why don’t you get settled? I’ll call in a pizza.” He headed out and paused in the doorway, his eyes cautious. “Do you still eat pizza?”
    She smiled. “Only if my personal chef makes it.”
    Hunt’s jaw dropped.
    Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Kidding. Yes, I still eat pizza. Sheesh.”
    A gleam lit up his eyes. “Once I’d have picked you up and tossed you in the pool for yanking my chain like that.”
    Echoes of her and Erin’s screaming laughter when Hunt or his dad had done that played in her mind. “Sure, but you were young then. Now you’re like what? Thirty? You’d probably throw out your back.”
    Hunt strode across the hall, tossed his bag in his room, and turned to lean a shoulder against the doorjamb. “Are you baiting me? That water’s cold. I haven’t started the heater yet.”
    She laughed. “Let’s call it payback for thinking I’m such a snob.”
    “Now that we have your food preferences cleared up, you must be hungry. You just picked at your food when we stopped for lunch.”
    She should have realized he’d noticed that. Since last night, she’d been too upset to eat. “Nerves I guess.”
    “Yeah?” Hunt crossed the hallway and loomed over her. “How are you feeling now?”
    Easy answer. “Safe.” Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Chapter Four
    After her shower, she followed her nose out to the family room. The scents wafting from the closed pizza box resting on the island made her stomach rumble.
    Hunt had his back to her as he opened a bottle of wine. The ends of his damp hair hit about mid-neck. A white T-shirt pulled across his back as he expertly uncorked the wine. He wore black pajama bottoms… Stop . She pulled her eyes up just as he turned.
    His gaze tangled with hers, then rolled over her gray racer back tank and leggings, practically scorching them off her skin.
    Alyssa’s breath caught at the naked approval in his eyes. Then he blinked and blanked the expression. “Griff checked in while you were in the shower. Everything is fine. He has a team coming in tomorrow. The kid is safe.”
    It took everything she had not to ask the questions blaring in her mind. How does Eli look? Has his front tooth grown in yet? Is he happy? Alyssa had the yearly pictures but that was like getting two drops of water after being stranded in the desert for years. She craved more. And it infuriated her that Nate had pictures—at least the one he’d shown her, but probably more.
    “Okay, thanks.”
    “I wondered if you’d ask for more pictures than you already get, or grill Griff about the kid.”
    She shook her head. “No. I mean I want it, but I have an agreement with his parents. They are in control of what