Table of Contents
Prologue
Epilogue
Book #4 – Love like Yours Series
1. Quinn
2. Colt
3. Harrison
4. Quinn
5. Harrison
6. Colt
7. Harrison
8. Quinn
9. Colt
10. Quinn
11. Harrison
12. Quinn
13. Harrison
14. Quinn
15. Harrison
16. Quinn
17. Harrison
18. Quinn
19. Harrison
20. Quinn
21. Harrison
22. Quinn
23. Colt
24. Harrison
25. Quinn
26. Harrison
27. Quinn
28. Harrison
29. Quinn
30. Harrison
31. Quinn
32. Harrison
33. Quinn
34. Harrison
35. Quinn
36. Harrison
37. Quinn
38. Harrison
39. Quinn
40. Harrison
41. Quinn
42. Harrison
43. Quinn
44. Harrison
45. Quinn
46. Harrison
47. Quinn
48. Harrison
49. Quinn
50. Harrison
Copyright
Hunted
Love like Yours Series – Book #3
Published by Nicole S. Goodin
Digital edition
ISBN: 978-0-473-39699-2
Copyright 2017 by Nicole S. Goodin
All rights reserved. ©
This ebook is for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Hunted
First published March 2017
All rights reserved. ©
Cover design by Nicole Goodin
Images purchased from Shutterstock and Canva
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to events, places, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
The author acknowledges all song titles, song lyrics, film titles, film characters, trademarked statuses and brands mentioned in this book are the property of, and belong to, their respective owners.
Nicole Goodin is in no way affiliated with any of the brands, songs, musicians or artists mentioned in this book.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all my New Zealand friends, family and readers. Your support means so much to me.
Thank you for being you.
Author’s note
‘Hunted’ is book #3 in the Love like Yours Series
Quinn has been one of my favorite characters from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to get started on her story. I certainly wasn’t expecting the direction it ending up going in.
This one was challenging for me to write, it came erratically and all mixed up in an unpredictable order, which perhaps is a reflection of the characters of the story.
I hope you like Quinn as much as I do and enjoy reading about her and the Hunt brothers.
Nicole x
Table of Contents
Prologue
1. Quinn
2. Colt
3. Harrison
4. Quinn
5. Harrison
6. Colt
7. Harrison
8. Quinn
9. Colt
10. Quinn
11. Harrison
12. Quinn
13. Harrison
14. Quinn
15. Harrison
16. Quinn
17. Harrison
18. Quinn
19. Harrison
20. Quinn
21. Harrison
22. Quinn
23. Colt
24. Harrison
25. Quinn
26. Harrison
27. Quinn
28. Harrison
29. Quinn
30. Harrison
31. Quinn
32. Harrison
33. Quinn
34. Harrison
35. Quinn
36. Harrison
37. Quinn
38. Harrison
39. Quinn
40. Harrison
41. Quinn
42. Harrison
43. Quinn
44. Harrison
45. Quinn
46. Harrison
47. Quinn
48. Harrison
49. Quinn
50. Harrison
51. Quinn
52. Harrison
Epilogue
Other books by Nicole Goodin
Acknowledgements
Book #4
Playlist
About the Author
Upcoming Titles
“Everyone you meet has a part to play in your story. And while some may take a chapter, others a paragraph, and most will be no more than scribbled notes in the margins, someday, you’ll meet someone who will become so integral to your life, you’ll put their name in the title.”
- Beau Taplin
Prologue
Harrison
Something’s not right.
I can see myself. Like I’m floating above the dark street rather than running blindly down it.
Something is definitely not right.
I watch myself running full speed down the alleyway and it’s not until I look back that I notice the men chasing me… six or seven of them.
“Faster!” I try to yell… but nothing comes out.
All I can do is watch, watch them gain ground, watch another man step out further down the alley, closing off my exit.
Blackness seeps in around the edges as I watch myself getting beaten half to death.
Blackness…
More blackness…
It’s taking over.
But I can hear something now… a voice. It sounds like music, it’s so beautiful. It pulls me away from the alleyway and I feel like I’m flying.
“His voice, even now, follows me everywhere on this longest of rides, this thing called life.” The voice tells me.
It follows me everywhere.
Her voice… it calls to me. I suddenly feel alive again.
I open my eyes.
“Your soulmate will be the stranger you recognize.”
- R. H. Sin
1. Quinn
New Years Eve.
It had all happened so quickly, one minute I was thinking about how I was going to end things with Colt the following day, the next I was laughing and dancing with the girls and then… this.
I’d known something was seriously wrong the moment I’d seen Colt and Reeve’s faces. My mind raced, looking for an explanation, but I came up empty. My eyes had scanned the room frantically before finally landing on Ellerslie and Lawson, holding one another tightly, and relief had flooded through me.
“What?” I demanded. “What is it?”
“It’s… my brother.” Colt choked out.
***
I glanced into the room and my breath caught in my throat, Colt sat next to the bed, his
gaze wary and scared.
But that wasn’t what had my heart racing.
It was the man, lying still, clearly unconscious in the bed next to him. He was shirtless and already covered in black and blue bruises. His torso was partially wrapped with a mixture of gauze, bandage and tape.
He was a bloodied, broken mess of a man.
But his injuries weren’t what had me pressing my hands up against the glass panel and straining to get a closer look… it was his face, a face I’d never seen before this moment, but felt like I’d known my entire life.
I’d never experienced the feeling of déjà vu before, but I knew it was happening to me now. It was as though my body, my brain… my soul, recognized him on some deeper level. I was drawn to him in ways I couldn’t even begin to explain.
I just knew.
I knew right in that moment that the man lying in that hospital bed held my future in his hands.
Harrison Hunt.
I’d never met the man, I couldn’t tell you what his voice sounded like, how he walked, what his sense of humor was like… but I knew him. His soul called to mine and I could feel the point of no return being crossed.
Harrison Hunt.
Harrison Hunt.
My non-boyfriend's, older, beaten half to death brother.
Fuck.
I turned and fled.
***
“Logan?” I called out. “Logan, are you home?”
I was met with silence. Either my house mate wasn’t home yet or he’d passed out drunk in his room. Logan was usually a pretty sensible guy, so I assumed the former.
I dropped my keys and clutch bag down on the hall table with a thud. I took a step forward, but caught sight of myself in the round mirror on the wall above the table.
I stared at myself, looking into my own eyes.
Who the hell am I?
I’m not that girl – I never had been. I wasn’t the girl who mucked guys around and convinced myself it was all to spare their feelings, I wasn’t the girl who put off doing what I wanted to do, and I certainly wasn’t the girl who got all damn weak in the knees and fluttery in the stomach over some guy I’d never met and didn’t know from Adam.
What the hell is happening to me?
I couldn’t explain any of it. My mind had been spinning since the moment I’d laid eyes on Harrison Hunt, lying in that hospital bed.
That pull…
I couldn’t have dreamed that up, it had to be real. I didn’t know a single thing about him, but already I was itching to go back there and see his face again. I was dying to know what color his eyes would be when he finally opened them again, or how his mouth would move when he talked, or how he looked when he smiled…
I shook my head at myself in the mirror.
You’re losing your shit Pierce.
I wished Logan were home. He was a pretty good listener and I knew I could trust him not to spill his guts about the shit going on in my head. But, being the good guy that he was, he was probably staying back and tidying up at the restaurant before heading home to bed.
I would have liked to think maybe some hot girl had made eyes at him across the dance floor and they’d got to talking, and then maybe he’d gone back to her place for a night cap and maybe even something more. But I knew that wouldn’t be the case – not that some of the girls wouldn’t have been looking, without a doubt they would have been. Logan was an attractive guy, even with Josh in the room he was still more than worth looking at. But I knew that it wouldn’t be the reality because he was still messed up over his ex. He just wasn’t ready to move on, and I admired his acceptance of the fact.
I sighed and looked away from myself. My green eyes were looking back at me with disapproval and I couldn’t take it anymore.
I trudged up the stairs, kicking off my heels halfway and not even bothering to pick them up.
I looked at the pack of makeup remover wipes, but decided to just shower it all off instead. The hot water pounding down on my back was rhythmic, almost hypnotic. It eased the thoughts flying through my head.
I dressed quickly and slid under the covers of my bed, bringing my laptop with me. I knew I was heading into creepy stalker territory but figured it was the least of my concerns right now.
I needed to see him.
I typed his name into Google, unsure of what exactly I’d be turning up. The pages loaded and I clicked on the first link, his Facebook page, but it appeared, like my own, to get very little attention. I clicked the back button and tried the next site.
I gasped.
Harrison Hunt – Attorney of Law.
He was stunning.
I wasn’t prepared for this. I already knew what he looked like, I’d seen him half naked, but I still wasn’t ready for the sight in front of me.
His light brown hair was long, not pony tail long, but long enough to really grab on to and his eyes were the color of caramel, a warm, inviting color. His skin was golden against the white of his collar and every inch of him exuded sex god status. His squared jaw, strong cheek bones, full lips and groomed facial hair had me breathing hot and heavy.
It was weird, I normally found myself going for slim guys, but I already knew that he didn’t exactly fit that description. He wasn’t anywhere near the size of Lawson, or even Reeve, but he was still built. He was long and broad shouldered, with a narrow waist, his body not unlike that of a swimmer. He looked strong.
He filled that suit jacket out like a champion.
I could imagine running my hands over the hard planes of his chest, over his grooved abdomen and further below.
I slipped my hand down towards the band of my pajama bottoms.
Jesus Christ!
I slammed the laptop shut with a quick flick of my wrist.
I needed to get a grip. I was still practically dating his brother for crying out loud.
I will not think about Harrison Hunt again.
At least not until it’s over with Colt – for good this time.
***
“Honestly El, I’m fine. It was just a combination of too much alcohol and too much drama.”
“That’s not true.” My best friend argued with me through the phone.
She was right, it was complete bullshit, but it was worth a shot.
“Please, just leave it okay?” I begged.
Silence filled the line.
“Fine.” She sighed. “I’m giving you until I get back from Greece to sort this shit out okay? I don’t know what the hell happened last night Q, but I’ve never heard you like that. You go ahead and deal with it yourself and I’ll be waiting to talk to you the minute I step off that plane.”
I rolled my eyes. “You got it.”
“I’m serious –”
“I know you are.” I interrupted her. “I’ll talk. I promise.”
I wouldn’t look forward to it, but I’d talk to Ellerslie about it. Hell, I had to talk to someone about this mess. My best friend wouldn’t judge me.
***
I looked up at the sign in front of me and scolded myself internally.
Three fucking days…
Not only had I failed at my mission not to think about him, but here I was, standing right outside the ward he was in. I’d had to ask the front reception for his room number, and then get two more sets of directions, one from a nurse and the other from an orderly. My sense of direction wasn’t actually that bad, but my nerves were shot – I knew damn well that I shouldn’t be here.
What if Colt is here?
I didn’t think he would be – he usually opened up the club around this time. But I couldn’t be certain. I’d spoken to him every day, but I was yet to end it with him, his brother still hadn’t regained full consciousness and he was pretty torn up about it. I hadn’t wanted to add insult to injury.
As soon as Harrison wakes up… I’ll break it to Colt.
I stepped back as the automatic doors swung open and into the ward. I scanned the wall numbers, stopping at room eight. ‘H. Hunt�
�� was scribbled in masculine, scrawled handwriting. The sight of it had my heart thumping in my chest.
What if he’s awake?
I hadn’t thought this through…
It was unlikely that he would be awake, I reasoned with myself. Colt had said that he’d opened his eyes a few times, but never said a word, just quickly drifted back off to sleep. The doctors weren’t concerned, he was on heavy pain medication, and his body was doing what it needed to heal, there was no sign of brain damage.
I bit the bullet and slowly opened the door, it creaked loudly and I froze. It was open only just wide enough to peep through, but that was enough to reassure me that he was still sleeping. I slipped through the gap and shut the door behind me.
The air swirled and I got a tingling up my spine as though someone was watching me.
He was beautiful. That pull I’d experienced was still there; even stronger now that it was just the two of us. I stood still, silently, absorbing it and trying to make sense of this bizarre sensation.
It pained me to see such a beautiful man in such a shocking state. His bruises were a deeper purple now, black in some areas. Some of the smaller, less significant ones were a yellow color.
Despite all his injuries, he looked… peaceful.
I glanced around his room. There were three bunches of flowers and I couldn’t stop myself from having a snoop at the cards. One was from his work colleagues, one from his brother Mitch and one from his parents.
I approached the six pack of beer on the table curiously. I bit back a laugh as I read the note attached.
I went to buy you flowers and the chick asked who the lucky lady was. I was too manly to say they were for a guy.
Lisa liked them anyway.
Got you a six pack for when you get your ass outta that bed.
Reeve.
I ran my hand over the timber of the table, glancing between his unmoving form and the window. I sat quietly in the chair next to the head of the bed and watched him sleep. His hand twitched and I reached out for it without thinking, I caught myself in time, and didn’t take it in mine, I didn’t want to disrupt the I.V’s he had. I laid my hand next to his and gently ran my fingers over his skin. He felt cold and clammy and I didn’t like it, it was almost as though he wasn’t real.