Page 9

9

HUNTER

S unday morning hits different when you spent Saturday night at a sex club.

Mont du Marquette to morning worship—it’s not exactly the path of righteousness, but hey, I’ve had worse weekends. No hangover, no regrets. Just a little less sleep and a lot more to think about.

I’m not here for redemption. I’m here because it makes my mom happy.

Simple as that.

I even wore a button down shirt and combed my hair this morning.

Pastor Bobbit’s sermon drones on, something about obedience and the quiet nature of grace, but my attention’s shot.

Because sitting in front of me, in a row packed with college-aged friends, is a girl in a soft blue dress.

Not jeans. Not casual like the rest of them. This one’s modest. Flowing hem, capped sleeves. The kind of dress that tries not to be noticed and fails. Because her figure? That kind of soft, curvy build that doesn’t need much to make an impression.

And her hair. Blonde, with a little wave to it. Pulled back halfway, like someone who grew up with manners and a mama who pressed the rules into her like scripture.

She sings, too. Loudly. Unashamed. Like she means it.

Most girls her age mouth the words, scroll their phones, or stare out the window.

But this one? She’s singing. With heart. With soul.

I might be crushing on her if I hadn’t fallen so hard last night.

Josh was right—Mont du Marquette did take my mind off my ex. For the first time in months, I felt like myself again.

But now?

Now I can’t stop thinking about Luna.

Her soft voice. The way she watched that spanking scene, wide-eyed and breathless, like she didn’t know if she should be aroused or ashamed.

That raw curiosity.

That innocence wrapped in sharp intelligence.

Yeah, I noticed.

And yeah—I’m into it.

Not just because I’d love to be the guy who introduces her to all those new sensations… though, let’s be real, I’d volunteer.

But because she wasn’t faking it. Not one bit.

She felt real . Rare.

But she also felt… hesitant .

Like she was holding something back.

Luna didn’t even text me back last night. No flirty emojis. No “good night.” Nothing. Just left me on read.

Maybe she was just caught up in the vibe at the club. Maybe she just wanted a thrill.

Or maybe she’s still with someone. Maybe that story about having ‘one ex’ was just total bullshit.

Hell, maybe Luna is engaged .

Like Faith.

I shift my gaze to her face, taking her in.

If Luna was a dream…Faith is my exact type. Has been for a long time, if I’m honest.

And she’s off-limits for more than one reason.

Not just because our families are caught up in some backwoods Romeo-and-Juliet style rivalry.

Not just because her dad is tight with the Stinsons.

But because she’s Keith Stinson’s fiancée .

The same Stinsons who’ve been trying to sabotage my bar.

The same Keith who tried to block my liquor license.

Who’s now trying to push some ancient property ruling that claims part of Holloway’s Hideout is built on public land.

Bullshit, of course. My lawyers say any sane court would laugh it out.

But in Vansborough? With A. Stinson as mayor?

There’s no such thing as neutral ground.

Especially not when your business is growing. When people are starting to talk. When the Holloway name is finally shedding the weight of “trailer park trash.”

And Faith?

She’s smack in the middle of all that.

If Mayor Stinson’s proposal goes through, the old library lot will go to the city—just long enough to get funneled straight into Keith’s hands.

Right next to Easton’s Eatery.

Right across from Holloway’s Hideout.

So yeah.

Faith Easton may sing like a goddess, and look angelic in her blue dress. But she’s very much the enemy. And as big of a crush as I’ve had on her? I’m not one to try and blow up a happy couple. I try not to even speak in her presence, though, for fear of saying something stupid.

You gotta love small towns. Because my lawyers tell me that in a normal town, there wouldn’t be an actual law case based on some old maps drawn up in 1870. But in a town where a Stinson is the mayor, you never know what kind of shenanigans might go through.

Once Keith and Faith are married, boom, just like that, Mr. Easton will get that piece of land, thus doubling the size of his restaurant, and he’s also got a south-facing patio right along Green River. It’d be the only river patio in town, and could potentially blow my restaurant out of business.

But then again, why can’t we both have thriving businesses? This town’s big enough for the both of us.

The fact that Holloway’s Hideout is the most popular restaurant in town right now and churning a healthy profit, while I’m keeping many of my family and friends gainfully employed, is just a bonus. Up until I scored an eight-figure contract to play quarterback for Houston, the name Holloway was only associated with being ‘those hooligan cousins from the trailer park whom you don’t want to start a fight with.’ It’s nice to work toward respectability, something my father knew nothing about.

Wherever he is.

"Now, take a moment and share the sign of peace with your neighbor,” the pastor says.

Whoa, I totally blanked out as far as where we were in the sermon.

Mr. Easton spins around and shakes the hand of the guy next to me, a Stinson, but doesn’t shake mine.

He doesn’t even look me in the eye.

Faith nonchalantly turns around and sticks out her right hand in front of me and I grab hold of it.

“Peace be with you,” she drawls.

And just like that, something registers from last night.

That sweet sounding accent with a light southern drawl.

My heart slams against my chest as my body realizes what my mind is still piecing together.

No. It can't be.

Impossible.

But that voice is unmistakable.

Faith Easton is Luna?

It’s undeniable. Her voice is damn near identical to Luna’s from last night. I flash back to Easton’s Eatery last week when she waited on our table while my heart hammers in my chest.

No. It’s not ‘damn near’ identical.

It is identical.

The only thing that kept me from recognizing her voice last night is, it was too far out of context for me to piece together.

My mind races through every detail I remember from last night. The mask made her face and eyes impossible to see, but some things are obvious. Her curvy build in the jean shorts she was wearing. The dark blonde hair.

Faith fucking Easton went to the sex club? She’s ‘Luna?’

I want to ask her if Daddy knows where she was last night.

All of this realization hits me within the second that I’m holding Faith’s hand.

I search for her eyes, but she doesn’t make eye contact.

Typical sub behavior , some voice inside me says. I think Alexandria at the club last night told me that subs often won’t want to make eye contact.

I actually feel my dick twitch, and even though I am not super-religious, the amount of turned on I am getting inside these four walls feels incredibly wrong.

And hot.

Where my eyes were flitting back and forth, now it’s all I can think about.

I let go of her hand.

I let my eyes linger on her a little longer than I probably should. Mr. Easton is probably going to notice I’m checking out his daughter.

And guess what? I don’t give a fuck.

Yes, Faith is the same height, and build as Luna.

It’s too crazy to be true though. Faith is the goodest of the good girls. She has a rock on her damn finger this morning. We went to bible camp together. Keith is her high school boyfriend . I never even had a shot to try and date her.

And she was flirting with me last night, while engaged?

I realize it’s a good thing I don’t say ‘peace be with you’ back to her, because she’d then likely know that Hunter was Thor and Thor was Hunter, by the sound of my voice.

If Faith is indeed Luna. This seems too crazy to be true, so there’s something I have to do:

I have to test my theory.

I sit down, hunched over, pretending like I’m saying a prayer…or reflecting on the sermon, or something.

What I’m really doing is sending “Luna” a text, a definite no-no in church.

Hey there. I needed to tell you I had the most amazing time talking to you last night. You have incredible eyes. They’re like little blue moons. I can’t stop thinking about how dilated they’d get if you…you know. Never mind, it’s Sunday morning. I shouldn’t be having these thoughts. I blame you. Luna.

I hit send, and my heart races when I hear the faintest buzzing coming from the handbag right behind Faith .

She flinches. Just a hair. Then reaches casually for her bag, like it’s nothing.

Holy…

Shnikes.

Suspicion Confirmed.

Yes, shnikes.

I’m at least religious enough not to think the other S-word right now.

“Faith,” her father scolds in a strong whisper. “Why isn’t your phone on silent?”

“Sorry,” she quietly answers. “I figured no one would text me because all of my friends are here with me.”

“Well, who is texting you?” he asks.

I watch as she unlocks her phone, smiling, waiting for her to read that text.

Her face turns as red as a watermelon.

I chuckle internally. Got her, my suspicions are proven right.

“It’s Keith,” she whispers to her father. I don’t think he notices the shake in her voice.

“Oh, alright,” he says, and she puts her phone back down.

I bite my lower lip as I stare at the read receipt on my message to her.

Faith Easton, with the Lord as my witness.

I never imagined you’d be such a sweet little white liar.

But I never, in a million years, would have thought you’d be out at a place like Mont du Marquette.

It’s the innocent ones you have to watch out for. I have to stifle a chuckle as I think back to the very first time I met Faith at Bible Camp .

She didn’t have that ring on her finger last night at the club. But it’s more intriguing to me than harmful to her reputation.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my short years on this Earth, it’s never to assume what you don’t know, and never to judge people without reason.

Sure, she’s taking that ring off and flirting with Thor, but now it hits me, when I think back to Keith and Dave Smalls’s conversation last Saturday. Keith was talking about banging interns in DC and now it all makes sense.

Happy couple?

I don’t think so.

Faith is having second thoughts about getting married to that piece of shit. And if I were her, I would be, too. She’s not being immoral by taking off her ring, she’s being smart .

I’m not a therapist, but last time I checked, that’s not exactly what you should be thinking about when you’re about to get married.

Neither of them should.

So it makes sense why Faith’s engagement ring was off last night. And why she was so very flirty…with Thor .

Finally, the service comes to a close, and I escort my mom out into the lobby.

She’s chatting with one of her friends from her book club when Pastor Bobbit approaches me with Mr. Easton in tow.

Something’s not right. Faith is nowhere in sight. It’s just us.

“Gentlemen,” Pastor Bobbit says, glancing at me and then at Mr. Easton. “I noticed you did not wish to give each other the sign of peace today.”

“I was open to it,” I say, impressed by Pastor Bobbit’s eagle eye. But then, our family feud isn’t very well hidden. Pastor Bobbit was probably looking out for it.

“He tripped my future son-in-law on purpose last weekend,” Mr. Easton growls. “I saw it as I was cooking in my restaurant.”

Well, I’ll be darned. Pastor Bobbit isn’t the only one with an eagle eye.

“Is this true?” Pastor Bobbit asks.

“I don’t remember that very well,” I say. “Pretty sure it was an accident, though. You should probably tell your son-in-law not to get so hammered.”

“Bull…” Mr. Easton looks at Pastor Bobbit’s raised eyebrows. “…plop. Bullplop. You did it on purpose.”

“If it was on purpose, I’m sorry.” I turn to Pastor Bobbit and shrug with a smirk. “But you have to understand, those guys were pretty drunk. They were at least a bottle of wine in, and they were talking about cheating on their future wives. If you ask me, that was the real sinning going on in that restaurant.”

Okay.

Maybe that was over the line. I get it.

It’s my hooligan instincts coming back out. It’s hard to hold them in sometimes.

But it’s enough to make Mr. Easton lunge forward toward me.

I’m not sure what he thinks is going to happen. He’s a fifty-something year old man challenging a world-class, twenty-four-year-old athlete who is probably in better shape than 99.999% of the world’s population.

I simply wait until he’s coming toward me with all his weight, act like I’m going to challenge him, then sashay out of the way like a skilled bullfighter. Mr. Easton crashes clumsily into the table next to the wall, losing his balance.

Everyone who is still in the lobby stares.

“Pastor Bobbit, you saw that,” I say. “He came at me.”

Pastor Bobbit shakes his head. “Hunter, go on, get out of here. Take your mom and go home before you cause any more trouble.”

Faith goes zooming by me to aid her father.

“Daddy! What happened here?”

I find my mom and guide us outside. But as I’m leaving, I hear Mr. Easton say, “I’ll tell you what happened. It’s those damn Holloways. They’re always starting trouble.”

My mom frowns at me as we walk out.

“Hunter,” she shakes her head, letting out a sigh. “What did you do now?”

Okay, so I wasn’t feeling bad about what I said, but now I feel just a smidge of guilt.

Still, screw Keith and his bullshit. This is a complicated situation I’m dealing with now, what with my attraction to Faith slash Luna with her engagement still obviously on. I definitely am not going to be explaining this one to my mom. I still don’t know how to explain it to myself.

And I feel bad for making the old man fall. That was uncalled for.

“My bad, Mom,” I say.

“What do I always say?” she asks as we get into my truck and I start the ignition.

“Be the better person, no matter what.”

“Yes, take the high ground. And please, don’t get involved with those Stinsons and Eastons. You know they only care about their money and their family.”

“Right.”

And I have no idea what to do about this pickle of a situation. I’ve never felt so attracted to someone as I did last night.

Yet the one I wanted…was Faith freaking Easton?

I would have never in a million years pictured her to be someone who would go to Mont du Marquette.

Faith is more interesting then she lets on.

And much, much less innocent.

And now she’s got me infinitely curious.

This is certainly a complicated situation, but I’m going to get to the bottom of this.

I check my phone.

Still no text back from from her.

Guess I’m going to have to come up with a new game plan.

Because I can’t remember a time when I’ve wanted a woman as much as I want Faith Easton.

Or should I say, Luna.

And I’ll be damned if I don’t find out what she’s really after.