Thousand Yard Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

meant that he’d get his shit together once and for all.”
    “So, it’s not an idle threat? You’d actually cut him from the team?” I had to clarify this in order to know what I was really up against.
    Without hesitation, Mr. Daniels nodded. “Junior won’t let himself believe that, but you had better drive it through his thick skull.”
    “Duly noted, sir,” I said, attempting to come off as confident as possible. The more I learned about the Daniels family, the more difficult I realized my job would be. I started to get nervous.
    Then I saw him.
    Haven Oaks Country Club might be immaculately decorated with fancy paintings and expensive sculptures, but Hunter was the real masterpiece in the room. Magazine covers and online blurbs did nothing to prepare me for this living, breathing Adonis.
    I'd seen him on TV, but he seemed taller in person. As he sauntered our way I couldn't help but check him out, and as I did so, his amber eyes met mine. I straightened my posture, crossing my legs as if to remind myself I had to behave. This was a professional relationship, strictly professional and nothing more.
    That didn’t do much to calm my heart down. I could tell he was checking me out, too. It was probably out of habit, but his expression remained unreadable. As he kept his eyes on me, I felt his lips when they spread in a smile—a dark promise for what he could do to me.
    Instantly, I pressed my thighs together and fought down a rush of electric ice.
    However, his smile faded quickly after that. Once his parents told him why I was there, his energy towards me became hostile. It hit me that this had been an ambush. His inconsiderate parents had just made my job much more difficult.
    And now we were going to be spending a lot of time together.
    Wonderful.
    Following Hunter out of the club, I worked at the first part of my plan—getting him to warm up to me. “Don’t think of me watching your every move,” I said with forced optimism. “Think of it more like a team effort, where we work together to help reshape the public’s opinion of you, show them how well-rounded you really are.”
    “I wouldn’t mind being shown how well-rounded you are,” he replied, clearly trying to throw me off my game with his blatant flirting. But I only gave him a tight, no-nonsense smile. I was determined to stay focused, smoldering amber eyes notwithstanding. Kicking ass at this job was everything to me right now.
    A limousine pulled up, and a chauffeur opened the door for me. I’d never been in a limo before. Hesitating, I scanned the inside, not entering it yet.
    “Mind sliding over?” Hunter asked in my ear.
    Heat slammed into my belly, then my head slammed on the roof. Wincing, I ignored his soft chuckle and scooted across the seat, going as far back as I could—away from him. He kept his distance, thankfully, settling on the seat across from me.
    His attention traced low, making me realize my skirt had pulled up a little bit from sliding across the seat and that Hunter was checking out my thigh. Blushing, I smoothed my skirt over my knees.
    “Too bad,” he said. “I was enjoying the view.” Hunter was determined to give me a hard time. If he thought he was going to break me and make me quit, he was wrong. He’d met his match.
    I could handle him.
    We drove for about an hour to a small airport in New York that I’d never been to—the kind of place where rich people kept their jets. It felt weird to get on a plane without having to wait in all the airport lines. I was extra glad for it, too, since I didn't have to try and make conversation for long before we were heading to our seats.
    When we did talk, I kept up a friendly, neutral, mostly one-sided conversation. It was the only armor I had—be as boring as I could be. Keep things cool and mellow. I had to, otherwise I'd have to dwell on the terrible things my brain wanted to throw at me thanks to Hunter's magnetic pull.
    Every woman on the planet feels this way