Roman: Book 2 (The Hunter Brothers Series) (2 page)

“Don’t worry about
the ferret, they’re nasty little fuckers and I’ve never met one that didn’t bite.”
 

I gasped as the
gorgeous man I recognised from the smoking hot video on MTV strode into the
kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a beer. Charlie bounded up to me,
throwing his arms around me and kissing my cheeks. “I’m sorry about your Dad,
Charlie, and sorry I missed the service,” I said as he pulled back, smiling
down at me broadly.

“No big deal,
babe, you’re here now.”

 
“Have I missed the party too?” I asked as Jess
threw me a nasty glare, Lucas frowned and Charlie laughed whole heartedly.

“I told you, Chas,
it’s not a party and yeah, it’s finished. Everyone left just before you got
here,” he said as the beautiful specimen of Tyler Hunter sidled casually
towards us, swigging his beer and looking me over.

“Jesus, you lot
hit the genetic lottery, didn’t you?” I laughed as Charlie chuckled and Tyler
raised his eyebrows. They were lucky they hadn’t accidentally cremated Silus’
body, surrounding him with that level of heat. I bit back that observation just
in time.

“Will you tone it
down, Sis, the boys have just buried their father,” Jess said as I smiled
apologetically.

“Sorry, I forgot
where I was for a second.” I stared at the sexy young rocker, then at Charlie
and then at Lucas. It wasn’t easy for a girl to keep her head around this much
hotness and the glance to my sister told her as much. She’d been here a few
days and I wondered how the hell she managed it. Falling into bed with Lucas at
night had to help I thought, casting another quick glance at Charlie.

“Chas,” I said,
reaching out my hand to Tyler as he shook it, offering a tight smile and I
could tell from the redness that rimmed his eyes that today had affected him
deeply.

 
“I’m glad you’re here, Chas. You are probably
the only person who could make me smile today,” Charlie said as I smiled back, holding
him in another lingering hug and wondering whether this weekend might be the
time that Charlie finally decided he wanted more than a fast fuck. I’d always
hated funerals and already considered stranger sex in a graveyard today which
was absolutely unheard of. Maybe Charlie might suddenly decide that a
relationship would be more fulfilling after all. Despite the sizzling sexual
chemistry and the undeniable attraction, I wouldn’t cross that line until I had
some guarantees. Our friendship was too unique to risk for anything less.

“Always on hand to
brighten your day,” I smiled as he tucked his arm around my waist, kissing me
in a caring gesture that sent a shiver of warmth running through me.

“So where did you
get to?” Lucas asked as I sighed.

“Well I ended up
in Little Prenton instead of Little Preston. I found a graveyard, but they were
burying someone called Deidre,” I said as Charlie smiled. “It took me a while
to realise, but there was way too much polyester going on and not a sniff of
Armani. You should have seen the looks I got when I tried to sneak off. I had
to pretend I was overcome with emotion, but I don’t have much experience of
that. I sounded more like a pig having an orgasm,” I said as Charlie laughed
hard.

“What does that
sound like?” Tyler smiled in amusement as I snivelled and sucked in loud deep
breaths, peppering my virtual sobs with the occasional grunt and high pitched
squeal. If it sounded as bad then as it did now, I wasn’t surprised everyone
was staring.
 

“Eventually I
found the right one, and I was hoping I could make the burial part, but you’d
all left,” I said, my face lighting up as I thought about my little encounter
with the hot gravedigger.

“What’s that
look?” asked Jess who had clearly noticed the sparkle in my eyes as Charlie
watched me with some amusement.

“What look?” I pursed
my lips and tried not to smile, but I was fooling no one, least of all my
sister.

 
“That look! The one right there, that’s
lighting up your whole face.” She was pointing at me as I flushed, biting my
lip to stifle my grin and I wondered whether telling them at this particular
moment would be inappropriate.

“Nothing,” I lied
as Charlie shook his head.

“It can’t be as
bad as bursting into someone’s burial and moaning like some strange, horny hog.
Come on, Chas, tell us what happened,” he grinned as I took a deep breath. It
probably wasn’t a good idea, but might shock Charlie into action if nothing
else. Maybe it wouldn’t. However it went I was desperate to share it with
someone.

 
“I met a man by the grave,” I said, noticing
the slight frown on Charlie’s brow as Jess urged me to continue. “He was
stunning and he started talking to me. I was absolutely speechless.”
 
Jess stared open mouthed and even Lucas was
smiling.

“You were left
speechless? Jesus Christ, Chas, that must be a first,” he laughed, looking at
Charlie who wasn’t amused.

“Were you hit by
the thunderbolt?” Jess asked excitedly as I shook my head.

“I don’t know
about a thunderbolt, but I was definitely smacked by the sex stick.” Everyone
laughed except Charlie. I glanced at the floor as guilt pricked my gut. I was
supposed to be here cheering Charlie up, not bringing him down, and the last
thing I’d intended was to hurt him.

 
I had never seen my sister so animated and she
wasn’t about to leave it there. “I knew it would happen one day. Now you know
how it feels. What’s his name?” she asked as I rolled my eyes.
 
She was silent for a second, until a broad
grin spread slowly across her face. “You didn’t get it, did you?” she laughed,
with more than a small element of triumph in her voice as I shook my head. She
was smirking now, and I really couldn’t blame her after the lectures I’d delivered
on this very subject.

“Tell us what he
looked like. If he’s local we might know him,” Lucas said, almost reading my
mind. Digging graves must be thirsty work. He definitely looked like the kind
of man who’d like a beer, as the thought of him extracting that glorious body
from a sweat covered T-shirt and wrapping those full, soft lips around a
moulded brown bottle flashed into my mind. Perhaps I could drag everyone down
to the pub later to see if I could find him. The prospect of never seeing that
incredible face again was pretty depressing. I cast a quick glance at Charlie,
all of a sudden quite awkward and wondering whether I shouldn’t be sharing this
after all. Hell, it was too late now.
 

“He was tall and
muscular with dark skin; really tanned like he spent a lot of time outdoors.
It’s strange, but he was so captivating that I can’t really remember the exact details,
except his eyes. His eyes were extraordinary, the most vibrant blue and he
looked...” I stopped, glancing up as the kitchen door flew open. I stood there
for a second, immobilised; open mouthed and staring hard as everyone followed my
gaze to the figure in the doorway.

“He looked exactly
like that,” I whispered. Jess glanced at me with a stunned expression on her
face as the deafening shouts of “Roman” echoed through the room.
 
Tyler flung his arms around the handsome
stranger, almost knocking him stumbling backwards into the hall.

“You came,” he
gasped as Roman looked at Lucas, then Charlie until his eyes settled finally on
me, a small smirk curving the side of his mouth.

“We thought you
weren’t coming,” Lucas smiled, moving to hug his brother, patting him hard on the
back and pulling away as Roman shifted his gaze to Charlie and the smirk was
gone.

“Charlie?” he said
as Charlie looked away, and Roman’s dark brows pinched together as he glanced
across at Lucas. The tense atmosphere was broken by Tyler, who looked relieved
and happy.

“I knew you’d come
back.”

“I needed to check
for myself that the bastard was actually dead,” he smiled at Tyler as Charlie
glared at him, every muscle tensing in his body, hands balled into giant fists.

“Let’s take this
through to the study,” Lucas announced firmly, ushering Tyler and Roman out of
the kitchen as Charlie followed behind, looking furious and not remotely happy
to see his prodigal brother. Jess grabbed my elbow.

“Roman is your
thunderbolt?” she gasped, eyeing me intently as a nervous laugh escaped my
lips.

 
“It would appear so, Sis,” I whispered as she
shook her head in disbelief. She wasn’t alone. Oh my God. I had no clue what
was coming next, how this thing might pan out or what the weekend would bring.
The only thing I was certain of; that I wanted to know more about Roman Hunter.

CHAPTER TWO

“Do you think we
should leave them to it?” she asked in a hushed tone and we padded down the
hall as I looked around at the immaculate decor. The house was incredible, full
of character and artfully stylish as I stopped momentarily, holding her gaze.

“Hell no! These
boys aren’t shy. If they don’t want us there, they’ll let us know, but I for
one want to know what is going on here. Charlie was ice-cold in that kitchen.
Do you think it’s got anything to do with what I just said?”

“Self absorbed
much?” Jess smiled, shaking her head, holding my arm to still me for a second.
“Something’s gone down between Roman and Charlie, but I don’t know what it is.
I’ve wanted to ask Lucas, but there never seems to be a right time.” Now I was
even more intrigued to find out the back story on the mysterious, sexy Hunter
brother.

We followed them into
the study, still in a state of shock, taking a seat on the hard green leather
antique couch and accepting the brandy that Lucas had poured.

This was the last
thing I’d been expecting.

Everyone was sitting
down, with the exception of Roman who was leaning casually against the wall,
looking just as delectable as he had in that graveyard. I took in every inch of
his carved muscular frame and that remarkable face. Even in the midst of his
gorgeous siblings he stood out, and I sipped my brandy, trying to gather myself
and quench my bone dry mouth.

“I’m surprised you
have the nerve to show your face around here,” Charlie spat, eyeing his brother
with disdain as I looked on in silence, puzzled at the animosity and wondering
what the hell had happened between them. Roman laughed gently, flashing a
beautiful white smile and I flushed uncharacteristically as he glanced in my
direction.

“I wasn’t planning
on coming, but I changed my mind,” he said, his gaze lingering on me as my flush
deepened. It was too late; Charlie had caught it and looked livid.

“Anyway, what do
you mean I wouldn’t have the nerve? What did the bastard tell you?” Roman asked
as Lucas threw Charlie a warning glare.

“What, so you’re
claiming you didn’t fuck my girlfriend?” Charlie said; his voice laced with
fury as I cast a worried glance at Jess. She was watching the whole thing
unfold as dumbfounded as I was. Roman laughed a slow, deliberate laugh as
Charlie stood, looking ready to punch him. His handsome features were contorted
in anger as Lucas rose, grabbing his elbow firmly and holding him back. They
were staring silently, but Roman didn’t flinch and I imagined he could handle
himself pretty well. He certainly looked like a hard bastard, and I imagined
there’d be some power behind those incredible muscles. The last thing I wanted
was for him to unleash it on Charlie.

“Jesus Christ,
that’s fucking twisted, even by the old man’s standards,” he laughed again. “He
told you I left because I screwed my own sister?” Everyone stared at him in
wide eyed surprise, seemingly unable to process what he was saying.

 
“What do you mean, Roman?” Tyler asked quickly
as Roman shook his head. I looked on with increasing curiosity. His sister? They
didn’t have a sister.

“He told you I slept
with Scarlett and you believed him?” Roman asked incredulously, laughter
turning to disbelief as he glanced at each of his brothers in turn. “You
believed it?” he shouted at Charlie before the room filled with an eerie
silence.

Tyler broke it
suddenly, approaching his brother who tensed immediately, still staring at
Charlie and urging his answer. “I didn’t believe it,” he said as Roman cast him
a tight smile, glancing at Lucas briefly before turning his attention back to
Charlie.

“You fucking
believed him?” he asked again as a dozen emotions swept through Charlie’s face.

“Of course I
believed him. He told me he caught the two of you in bed. He said that he threw
you out and told you never to come back,” he shouted, watching Roman carefully
as he shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with pain.

“I’m your brother,
Charlie. There’s a code; a line you don’t cross and that is one of them,” he
said as Charlie stared at him, a deep frown etched on confused features.

“What the hell was
I supposed to think, Roman? You took off without a word to any of us. No one
could find you. There was no other explanation,” he said firmly as Roman shook
his head in disgust.

“And what did
she
say?” he asked as Charlie gazed at
the floor, running agitated hands through his hair.

“I didn’t speak to
her about it. I just cut her off,” he said regretfully as Roman laughed
disbelievingly.

“You dumb fuck.
Why didn’t you just ask her? She would have told you there wasn’t an ounce of
truth in it,” he said as Charlie sighed deeply.

“I didn’t ask her
because I thought it was true, Roman?” Charlie said quietly, clearly struggling
to process the fact that his father had lied to him so cruelly.

“Of course it
isn’t true. But I’ve got to give it to the old man; it was a genius move to get
rid of us both.”

“You said sister,
Roman. What did you mean?” Lucas asked firmly.

“What do you think
I meant?” Roman replied as each of them looked on in puzzlement and I cast a
quick glance as Jess who was looking as troubled as Lucas.

“What happened
twenty seven years ago?” His haunted blue eyes glanced around the room. He was
growing increasingly impatient and frustrated.

“Dad dissolved the
business with Everett,” Tyler said and all eyes were trained on Roman who was
nodding.

“Why?” he asked as
Lucas blew out a hugely exaggerated sigh.

“No one knows,
Roman.”

 
“It turns out I do, and it looks like I’ll
have to spell it out.” Charlie stared at him wide eyed. Whatever skeletons were
lurking in the Hunter closet were about to be released on the unsuspecting
brothers. My heart was pounding in worried anticipation and I wasn’t even
directly involved. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating as I cast a quick
glance at my sister who looked as uneasy as I did. We shouldn’t be here for
this, but I was frozen in my seat, unable to move.

“Why would a
business so successful, run by two best friends, suddenly be destroyed
overnight by the one man who had worked so hard to create it?” Roman asked,
expecting them to piece the information together as they stared at him blankly.

“Mum was having an
affair with Everett,” he announced to audible gasps and pained faces, looking
at each of the brothers in turn. Charlie shook his head, striding towards Roman
and facing him toe to toe, radiating anger from every pore.

“Don’t you fucking
dare besmirch her name,” he spat as Roman pulled a face that was almost
apologetic, holding his ground.

“It’s true. The
old man found out and went on a mission to destroy him; took the business from
under him piece by piece when mum confessed.” I looked across at Lucas who
slumped back against the couch with his head in his hands, having clearly
worked out where this was going.

“What else
happened twenty seven years ago?” he asked as horror and realisation washed
across the faces of Charlie and Tyler as the full picture started to become
clear.

“He told me less
than a week after she died. He’d always suspected I wasn’t his, but wouldn’t do
anything about it while she was still alive. As soon as she’d gone he had the
DNA test done, announced that I wasn’t a Hunter and told me to get out and
never come back. He threatened me that if I told you and ruined our mother’s
reputation; that he’d destroy me like he’d destroyed my father. I wasn’t
worried about that; he couldn’t touch me, but I was worried about how you’d all
react, so I took off until I could get my head around it.”

The silence was
excruciating as each of them tried to come to terms with Roman’s epic
announcement. Everything they thought they knew was being twisted on its head
and I couldn’t even begin to appreciate what they were going through. Their Dad
had lied, their brother was fathered by someone else, and their late mother had
cheated despicably with the best friend of the man they’d just laid to rest. It
was mind blowing. I sat back, staring at the floor and wishing I was still
driving around Surrey. Avoiding suicidal mammals was preferable to this.

It was different
for Jess, she was with Lucas, but I was only a friend of the family and felt
like I was encroaching on what should have been an intensely private time.

I glanced at
Charlie who looked as lost as I’d ever seen him, resisting the urge to offer a
friendly, reassuring hug. He still looked like he was ready to punch someone.
For the second time today, I had absolutely no idea what to say or do.

“It doesn’t change
anything, you’re still our brother,” Tyler said eventually, his eyes cloudy
with tears as he pulled Roman into a hug and Lucas was next. He said nothing,
conveying the depth of his feelings in the strength of his grasp, pulling away
as Roman looked at Charlie.

“Charlie, he lied
to you. He hated that you were with Scarlett. She was just as bad as Everett in
his book. He obviously saw a way to remove us both from your lives,” he said as
Charlie just stood there looking defeated and deflated, his face gripped with a
pain that tugged at my heart.

 
“I’m sorry, Roman,” he said eventually, moving
away to fill his glass with brandy, the atmosphere so tense that you could cut
it with a knife.

“I still can’t
believe you actually thought I slept with Scarlett. My sister is a fucking
sociopath,” Roman laughed gently.

“Don’t” Charlie
snapped, throwing him a warning glare but he paid no attention. It was
immediately evident that no one controlled Roman Hunter.

 
“It’s ironic that it’s probably the only time
she hasn’t lied and connived, and that’s the time you decide not to give her
the benefit of the doubt,” Tyler quipped as Charlie slumped next to me on the
couch, shaking his head and resting it dejectedly in his hands. I picked up his
glass and poured him another brandy.

“What the fuck
have I done?” he muttered over and over, taking the brandy as Lucas stared at
him, his face set in a stern line.

“Don’t do anything
rash, Charlie,” he said and I could see the guilt playing out across his
features and wondered whether this might mean him and Scarlett could be
reunited.

“Dobbs is coming
to read the will tomorrow,” Lucas announced suddenly.

 
“You won’t need me there. I won’t be in it,” Roman
said as Tyler gazed across at him, pain and hurt ripping through his face as he
looked up at his brother.

“Don’t say that,
Dad loved you,” he offered as Roman laughed gently.

 
“It doesn’t matter now, he’s gone. But you’re
my brothers, maybe only half brothers biologically, but the only family I’ve got
and you’re all I care about.”

“Whatever is in that
will, its split four ways, agreed?” said Lucas as Charlie and Tyler nodded, looking
at Roman who was shaking his head.

“No arguments,
Roman,” announced Lucas firmly in a tone so forceful that no one responded. I
put my arm gently around Charlie in a show of support as he turned and smiled,
risking a glance at Roman who was gazing at me curiously.

“Well, you know
all about me now, and I don’t know anything about you, Chastity,” he smiled, eyes
smouldering as I bit my lip under the intensity of his gaze. He was like the
dark to Charlie’s light; not just in colouring, but in his whole demeanour and
attitude. Where Charlie was funny and sexy, charming girls from their panties
with his charisma; Roman was mysterious with an undeniable edge about him. It
was no less thrilling to observe as I shifted again in my seat.

 
Lucas stepped in. “I’m sorry, Roman, I haven’t
even introduced you all yet. This is Jess, my girlfriend, and her sister, Chas.”
I could feel Charlie looking between me and his brother, but I couldn’t tear my
eyes away. Eventually he stood, pacing the room in frustration until he picked
up a cigar from the velvet lined mahogany box on the table and made his way
through the patio doors.

Lucas and Tyler
glanced at each other, clearly worried about Charlie’s state of mind. Roman was
still staring at me as I swallowed hard. “I’ll go and make sure he’s okay,” I
mumbled, walking towards the patio and glancing back at Roman who was watching
me closely.

“Hey,” I smiled,
taking a seat next to Charlie on one of the cream cushioned outdoor chairs, but
he didn’t return my smile. He was deep in thought and gazing out over the acres
of beautifully manicured stepped gardens, taking a deep draw on his cigar.
“What are you going to do about Scarlett?” I asked as he turned his head slowly
to face me, blowing out a soft stream of smoke that dispersed in the air
between us. He looked as hurt and regretful as I had ever seen him, soft full
lips set in an uncharacteristically stern line.

“I fucked up,
Chas,” he said, shaking his head as I rested my hand reassuringly on his arm. It
was agonising to watch. He had buried his father only a few hours ago. They
should be sitting around reminiscing about the good times, sharing tales over
brandy and helping one another through the grief. They hadn’t had the chance.
Roman’s revelations had cast a whole new light on each of their lives, and for
Charlie in particular, had opened a Pandora’s Box of hidden feelings, hurt and
regret.