Page 4 of Ice Covered Heart

A name and a face immediately flashed in his mind, but Hunter didn’t speak. Instead, he clamped his lips together. Not like he was in the mood to play games with Declan.

“I was with you during your recovery,” Declan reminded him.

Not like Hunter needed that reminder. He could never forget the months of physical therapy that he’d had to endure as he fought to get his life back after a mission gone horribly wrong. Brutal. Violent. Betrayal.

“I saw your fascination with her story.” Declan eyed him with the focus of a snake preparing to strike. “You watched her, you learned every bit of information you could get on her. You followed the trial. You followed every moment.”

Okay, this was one weird-ass visit. Hunter stopped leaning back and straightened in his seat. “Look, buddy, I appreciate the champagne.” He did. Hunter stood to his full height. He ignored the champagne. “But I don’t need a walk down memory lane. In fact, I try to put the memory of those particular months as far behind me as I possibly can.” Besides, it had been years, and he was not in the mood for⁠—

“Shelby Carter is waiting in your lobby.”

Every single muscle locked down. Hunter actually felt the impact of Declan’s words roll through him.

“Do you need me to say that again?” Declan asked politely. “Because you seem to be having trouble processing my words. Here. Let me help. The woman of your dreams—Shelby Carter—is waiting in your lobby. The new, shiny lobby of your just opened PI business.”

His mouth opened. Closed. Hunter lurched away from the desk.

Declan sighed. Pretty dramatically. “This is the part where you need to be normal. See? That’s why I led with that part. Be normal.”

Declan was in his path.

And Shelby Carter is in my lobby? Shelby. Carter. Hunter shook his head. No way.

“I get that you’re a super fan.” Declan appeared even more worried. “But don’t come off as obsessive. Really, seriously, don’t. With her past, obsessive is not going to work well. In fact, obsessive will send her fleeing from you at full speed. So, try to be more chill.”

Hunter’s teeth snapped together. “Is this some joke?” Because he was not laughing.

But Declan wasn’t laughing, either. “No, no joke. It’s me, giving you real-life, helpful advice. You can’t come off as obsessive from the first moment you see her. You can build up to that part, but you don’t lead with it. You’ll probably terrify her if you don’t act normal.”

His heart pounded too fast. His damn palms were sweaty. “Why in the hell is Shelby Carter in my waiting area?” That made zero sense to him. He didn’t even have a receptionist, an assistant—hell, he had nothing so far. Just the building. The supplies. The PI business—his baby—had just opened.

“How in the hell would I know why she’s here?” Declan fired back. He drove his hands into the pockets of his obscenely expensive, tailored pants. “But she is. I entered the downstairs lobby first, and she was steps behind me. Pretty hard for me to mistake her since you made me watch those stories about her, too.”

Hunter swallowed, twice.

“I waited and held the door for her, like the gentleman that I am. Even rode the elevator up to the top floor with the woman. The top floor—your office floor.” He stroked a hand across his chin. “She stood as far away from me as possible in the elevator. Put her back to the wall. Her eyes weren’t on the numbers as the elevator rose. Pretty sure she never took her gaze off me.”

Shelby Carter is in my waiting area.

“That’s a woman who is seriously on guard. Then again, with her past, how could she not be?”

Shelby Carter is in my waiting area.

“Ah, man. I’ve already lost you, haven’t I?” Another sigh from Declan. Though this one was a lot less dramatic. “A PI gets his first client, and then he forgets everything else in the world. Typical.”

Whoa. Back up. “You think she wants to be a client?”

Declan shot him a pitying look. “Hunter. Dude. She’s in your PI office. I don’t think she’s showing up because she’s some secret, obsessed fan of yours.” A deliberate pause. “That would be you, being the obsessed fan of hers⁠—”

“I get it,” Hunter gritted.

“How about you don’t tell her all that info, hmm? Keep it close to the vest.” He waved back toward the desk. “You sit down. Act calm and in charge, and I’ll send her in for you while I head out. You and I can have that celebratory champagne another time.”

He…yes. Yes. Fine. Hunter nodded briskly and returned to his desk.

He could feel Declan’s eyes on him with every step.

“Congrats on the business,” Declan told him. “Knew as soon as you started working those cases with the Ice Breakers that you’d found a new calling.”