The Hunted Girls by Jenna Kernan (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

she feared. Arlo was not going to form a relationship with her admin… Unless he already had. Arlo could be as manipulative as their mother, with whom Nadine had cut all ties.

Her mother had no way to contact her. But Nadine still corresponded with Arlo, and he still spoke to their mom. And now, it seemed, he also spoke to Tina Ruz.

“What does he want?” asked Nadine.

“Who?” asked Tina, but her cheeks flushed and she was rubbing her palms together like a woman trying to wash something away.

Tina hadn’t made this confession out of guilt or remorse. She doubted it was even Juliette’s urging.

So why? The answer settled heavily on her shoulders.

“My brother, Arlo. What did he ask you to do?”

“He asked me to tell you that there is something important in your email from him. He said he wrote you yesterday, but you didn’t write back. He wants you to call him.”

“I’ve been a little busy,” Nadine said, regretting her words instantly, not so much because they were churlish, but because she didn’t think her admin had a right to this kind of access to her mess of a family.

“Yes, I told him that,” said Tina.

Just what kind of correspondence was this?

“It’s something about your mother. That’s all he told me. He’s worried about you.”

That seemed unlikely. But despite his faults, she loved her brother. That did not mean she trusted him.

“I’ll check my mail.”

“Now?”

Nadine made a face. Tina held her ground.

“All right, yes. Right now.”

“Great. We’ll be waiting at the bar.”

Tina reversed course, speeding away as fast as she could without running.

Nadine perched on a lounge chair and drew out her phone.

There were two emails from Arlo. She read them in order. Afterward, she thumped back in her chair.

“Son of a bitch,” she murmured.

Nadine’s mother had gotten herself a biographer. Arlo had correctly concluded that Nadine would want to prepare herself for the inevitable intrusion of the writer’s attempt to get an interview.

Which would not be happening.

Arlo had agreed to speak to the guy, because as he put it, “I have no reputation to protect and nothing but time on my hands.” He ended by writing that he had something else he needed to speak to her about. Something “important” and he hoped to see her this weekend.

Nadine dashed off a quick message to Arlo, thanking him for the heads-up. She didn’t like Arlo and Tina being pen pals, not only because such a relationship was bad for her assistant, but also because she really did not want Tina nosing around in her miserable childhood.

She knew it was a part of her. A terrible part, and running didn’t seem to help as it kept jumping up to slap her in the face.

She’d get to the bottom of this. But she’d have to wait until tomorrow for visiting hours.

Juliette and Tina had already ventured out to the same pub as last night when Nadine headed upstairs to dress. Finally she and Clint were going to have an evening alone.

She took her time preparing, choosing her best underthings and a red dress, waving the flag before the bull.

He spotted her the moment she stepped into the reception area and answered his grin with a seductive smile.

He wore a blazer and tie. Had he realized this was the same outfit he had worn on the day they met?

“You look spectacular,” he said and took her hands, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He straightened. “Nice perfume.”

“And you smell… enticing,” she said and then drew in another long breath of his cologne, loving the earthy aroma with a hint of spice.

He met her gaze; the intense contact made her body warm with liquid heat. Anticipation shimmered over her skin as she imagined finally having him alone.

“Did you pick a restaurant?” he asked.

“I did. It’s not very far. The food rating is only average, but I think you’ll enjoy the view.”

“Lakeside?” he asked.

“No. It’s got a view of your king-sized bed.”

That sent his eyebrows high on his wide forehead. She giggled and ran a finger down his long nose.

“Ordering in,” she said.

“Any time for appetizers?” His brow now wiggled suggestively.

“I haven’t ordered yet,” she said.

He offered his arm and escorted her back down the hall to his room. Upon opening the door, she found his room empty.

She turned to face Clint. “Where’s Molly?”

“With the sitter.” He looked sheepish, closing and locking the door. “I thought you might come back to my room and I wanted us to have some privacy.”

She glanced about at the familiar toys strewn over the floor, including Molly’s favorite, a pink flamingo, now missing a wing, and the manatee from Big Water Marina missing its flat paddle-like tail. Demko’s shoes were all high up in the open closet, out of range of Molly. What she didn’t see was a dog bed. “She sleeps with you, doesn’t she?”

“Uh… Yeah.”

“Well, it’s my turn.” Nadine laughed and then reached for him.

He drew her in, taking her mouth in a kiss that sizzled along her nerve endings. She came up breathless several moments later.

“Wow,” he said, his breathing also labored. “Have I missed you!”

She ran her hands over his chest, feeling the reassuring strength of him and the absence of his Kevlar vest. She was separated from all that warm velvet skin by only a thin sheath of cotton.

His hands went behind her and pulled the zipper tab, opening her dress. She stepped back to allow the garment to fall, enjoying his expression as he took a long look at the black lace covering her breasts and clinging to her hips.

His jaw tightened and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“You’re killing me,” he said, shrugging out of his blazer and tossing it aside. Then he yanked off his tie, tugging it over his head, and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt.

Together they stripped him down to his boxers. One of his shoes struck the door as he lifted her into his arms and swept her up, tossing her onto the bed, where