Great timing, Hunter thought, and she stood.
Tyson stood as well and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll take you home, Hunter, if you aren’t ready to leave just yet.”
If he thought for one minute she would go with him, especially after admitting his plan to seduce her, he wasn’t thinking straight. “Thanks, but I am ready. It was good seeing you again, Tyson.”
“Same here, Hunter,” he said, and she thought she saw something akin to amusement in his eyes. “I have a feeling we’ll be running into each other again.”
Hunter hoped not. She had enough to worry about with her parents, without being concerned about Tyson Steele trying to get her into bed. “Good night.” She walked toward the door with Mo and Kat, feeling the heat of Tyson’s gaze on her backside.
As soon as they were out the door she turned to her friends. “Why on earth did the two of you leave me alone with Tyson?”
Kat grinned. “Because we knew you could handle him.”
“Besides, it was quite obvious you were the one on his radar and not us,” Mo added. “So how did it go?”
Hunter shook her head. “You guys were right. Nothing has changed with Tyson. He’s still looking for a pair of legs to get between.”
“And you didn’t make yours available to him again?” Kat asked, grinning. “What a shame.”
“For him I’m sure it was, especially since he told me of his plan to seduce me.”
Mo’s eyes widened. “He actually told you that?”
“Without cracking a smile or blinking an eye.”
Both Mo and Kat stopped walking to stare at her. “You don’t sound worried.”
Hunter stopped and glanced at her friends, lifting a brow. “Why would I be?”
“We’re talking about Tyson Steele, Hunter. The man who’s known to get what he wants. I heard from women that he’s so smooth you won’t miss your panties until they’re gone. And for him to already have a plan of seduction for you sounds serious.”
“Only in his book, not mine.”
Kat tilted her head. “And this from a woman who’s gone without sex for two years now.”
“Actually four. If you recall, Carter and I slept in separate bedrooms for two years before our divorce. You can’t miss what you never got on a regular basis anyway. I haven’t had an orgasm in so long I’ve honestly forgotten how it feels.”
“Then you’re in luck,” Mo said with a huge smile on her face. “There are quite a few women around town who claim the orgasms those Bad News Steeles give a girl can blow her mind to smithereens and have her begging for more. Rumor has it that you haven’t truly been made love to unless it’s been by a Steele. They’re supposed to be just that good in the bedroom.”
Hunter rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’s nothing more than a lot of hype.”
“But what if it’s not?” Kat asked seriously. “And just think. One of those Bad News Steeles has plans to seduce you. If Tyson succeeds then you’ll never forget how an orgasm feels again.”
“Whatever,” Hunter said as they resumed walking. By the time they reached the car, Hunter decided whatever plan Tyson thought he had for her was no big deal, since she doubted their paths would cross again anyway. And even if they did, she was certain it was just like she’d told Mo and Kat. All those rumors about the Steeles were probably nothing more than a lot of hype.
* * *
“Is there a reason you’re visiting me this time of night, Tyson?” Eli Steele asked gruffly, moving aside for his brother to enter his home. “And why aren’t you at the basketball game with Mercury and Gannon?”
“I had better things to do.”
Eli rolled his eyes. “In other words, your team didn’t make it to the finals. Everyone knows what a sore loser you are.”
Tyson frowned. “I’m not a sore loser.” He then glanced around. “Where’s Stacey?”
His once die-hard bachelor brother had defected and married, just like his brothers Galen and Jonas. The only thing redeeming about that was he’d married Stacey Carlson. She was the sister of a good friend and former colleague of Tyson’s by the name of Cohen.
“Stacey’s in bed, where most people with good sense are by now,” Eli said, dropping down on the sofa. “I hear Brittany and the babies might be going home tomorrow.”
Tyson nodded. “So I heard.”
“Word also has it that Mom has volunteered to help out for a few days. I hope she doesn’t get on Galen’s nerves.”
Tyson chuckled. “I doubt that she will. He’s been in her good graces ever since he was the first to get married. Besides, helping out with the babies will keep her busy.”
“And the busier she is the less chance she has to get into your business—and Mercury’s and Gannon’s—right?”
“Right,” Tyson said, knowing Eli understood. Before he married, he’d gotten the Eden Tyson Steele’s “sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong” treatment, just like the rest of them. Now, with three sons married, she was relentless on the other three, prodding them along to get them to the altar. Tyson vowed it wouldn’t work on him. “So who do you think the babies look like?”
Eli chuckled. “With those green eyes, forehead and lips, they favor Galen all the way. I haven’t heard their decisions on names, have you?”
“Nope, but rumor has it they’re allowing Mom to do the honors.”
Eli shook his head. “No wonder she’s blowing up the newspapers. She’s up there on cloud nine.”
“Fine. She can stay there for a while,” Tyson said. “Just as long as she’s not into my business while she’s up there.”
“You and Mercury and Gannon will get a slight reprieve, but don’t think she’ll let you guys off the hook for good.” Eli didn’t say anything for a minute as he stared across the room at his brother and then he said, “Okay, get it out. There’s a reason you dropped by so late.”
Tyson sat down in the wingback chair across from the sofa. “There is. Hunter McKay’s back in town.”
Eli’s forehead bunched. “Who’s Hunter McKay?”
Tyson rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you don’t remember Hunter. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Back in the day, the old Eli remembered bodies and not names.”
A smile curved Eli’s lips. “True. So was she one of those bodies?”
“Hell, no! She was my girl.”
“You never had a girl, Tyson.”
His brother was right and for the life of him Tyson wasn’t sure why he’d said what he had just now. “Sorry, saying that was a huge mistake.”
“I hope there’s not a reason why you made it. And lower your voice or you’ll wake up my wife and she needs her rest.”
Tyson didn’t need to ask why. It seemed that all his married brothers had wedded women they enjoyed spending time with in and out of the bedroom. “There’s not a reason.”
Eli stared at him for a long moment and then asked, “So what’s the big deal about this Hunter McKay being back in town?”
“It just is.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” Eli said, sitting straight up on the sofa. “That name is coming back to me. Isn’t Hunter McKay the girl who dumped you in your senior year of high school?”