Exposing the Heiress Read Online Free PDF Page B

authentic? My mom told me stories of her and my dad going to Scotland to tour some of the ruins. I’ve always wanted to go, maybe take some pictures.”
    Hunt topped off her wine glass. “Why haven’t you done it?”
    Who would she have gone with? She hadn’t taken a real vacation in years. “No time. My travel is all booked by Dragon Wing for work. The Cannes Film Festival. Monaco. Or locations for promoting reality TV shows or made-for-TV movies. Anyway, I’ll go one day.” She sipped some wine and changed the subject. “I bet the murals your mom’s painting are amazing.”
    “You could visit my parents and see them. The owner isn’t there, and they’ll be there for another few weeks until they need to be back for the award dinner.”
    “They’re getting an award?”
    “Lifetime achievement award from P.A.L. for more than thirty years of supporting peace over violence. It’s at a hotel in L.A.”
    “Wow, honored by the Peace Advancement League, that’s wonderful.” His parents were dedicated pacifists, so very different from Hunt. Yet they hadn’t tried to stop Hunt from following his dreams as far as Alyssa knew.
    “I’m sure they’d love you to come to the award dinner.”
    “Maybe.” First she had to sort out her life. “Right now, this is perfect. Just sitting here with the fire pit going, great pizza and wine.” She took another sip, enjoying the peaceful night. “So what about you, Hunt? You’re obviously not married unless you’re hiding your wife in the locked art studio.” Hmm, the wine was loosening her tongue.
    “That sounds like a movie plot, cover girl.”
    She glared at him. “Really? Calling me cover girl is going to be a thing now?”
    “Does it bug you?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then it’s going to be a thing.”
    Of course it was. She walked right into that by admitting it bugged her. Wait…he’d evaded her question. “So no wife then. Are you dating?” He wasn’t planning on being here alone forever right? The vineyard was meant to be lived in. Maybe a couple dogs chasing squirrels or stretched out by the fire…and yep, she’d had enough wine. Alyssa set her glass down. “I’m waiting for an answer.”
    “No.”
    The abruptness startled her. “No you won’t answer or no you aren’t dating?”
    Orange and yellow light danced over the profile of his face. Tension rode his jaw, and she had to reclaim her wine glass to keep from tracing it, or sinking her fingers into his hair. Was he going to answer her? “Hunt?”
    “I don’t date.”
    “Ever?”
    “Not in nearly two years.”
    “So maybe it’s not weird that I stopped wanting sex with Nate two months ago—” Stop talking. Alyssa slapped her hand over her mouth, a flush heating her neck and cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut, she spread her fingers and said, “Let’s forget I said that. Stupid wine.”
    “I would, except you accused me of having a wife locked up in my studio. So…payback sucks, baby girl. You’re telling me that a living, breathing man agreed to stop having sex with a beautiful woman like you?”
    “What about you? You don’t date, so obviously you’re not big on sex.” Were they actually talking about this?
    “I said I don’t date, as in having a relationship. I never said I don’t have sex. I’m a huge fan of sex. It’s right up there in my top five favorite things.”
    Alyssa couldn’t tear her gaze from him as the firelight played over the hard edges of him. Once he’d been the poster boy for clean-cut military, now he’d gone all tatted up sexy danger.
    “Your turn. Why were you going to marry a man you stopped wanting?”
    She didn’t know how to answer that. Had she really ever wanted Nate, or was sex expected of her and so she did it? “Sex got to be too much work.”
    “Sex is work?”
    “Nate was attracted to the woman on the magazine covers. Full makeup, sexy but not slutty lingerie.” And she was telling Hunt this why? Because you could always talk to him.