HUNTER (The Caine Brothers Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

a mocking laugh. “That’s a pretty casual attitude for someone who wants to be a corporate attorney.”
    “How do you know I want to be a corporate attorney?”
    “You have a JD degree, you passed the bar. You mentioned it in your interview.”
    “You read my HR file?”
    “Why wouldn’t I? I need to know who I’m working with.”
    “Fine. To address your original question, I don’t find worrying to be terribly productive. I find that intelligence, information, and common sense are more useful, at least as an attorney. I’ve never been the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar corporation so I suppose I couldn’t speak to that.”
    Her eyes twinkled with sarcasm, which got his hackles up. She mocked him, and his company’s worth. He’d worked hard to get where he was, and although his father had built the company from the ground up, Hunter had been with the company since he finished his undergrad degree and started his MBA. He had the skills and drive to take it and grow it into something even bigger. The American Dream was all about the kind of success he and his father had created. His company supported hundreds of people with generous salaries and benefits, and still made huge profits for the board and stockholders. He was damn proud of it.
    On the other hand, she obviously didn’t give a shit about his money, which hit him like a breath of fresh air. How many women had he dated whose only interest was in his net worth rather than in him? Not that he was looking for anything serious or long term. But if he was, he’d want a woman who wanted him, not his bank account. Or at least wanted him before his bank account.
    “I care about the company and its success. That’s worth worrying about,” he said. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t get it.
    She glanced at him and shrugged. “All I’m saying is, there’s more to life than the bottom line.”
    He snorted. “The bottom line is life, sweetheart.”
    She cocked her head and gave him a look that spoke of pity. “That’s sad.”
    “Okay, what do you think is more important for a CEO to think about?”
    She shifted in her seat, curling her feet underneath her. “You’re a human being before you’re a CEO, Hunter. Most people think you should work to live rather than live to work. Do you ever just stop and look around for the sake of looking around?”
    Who was she to judge the way he lived his life? “I don’t isolate myself. I’m just too busy to need people in my personal life.”
    “Oh, everybody needs people.” She unfurled those long legs and moved across the limo to sit right next to him. “When was the last time you touched another person other than to shake their hand?”
    Her proximity heated his blood. She sat close enough he could smell her floral perfume. He liked it, which irritated him. “I have sex regularly, if that’s what you’re talking about.”
    She chuckled. “A little TMI, there, Hunter. But no, that’s not what I meant. Don’t you ever get lonely? Wouldn’t it be nice to be hugged?”
    He snorted. “I’m not a hugger. I don’t get lonely. I’m very busy. I like my life the way it is. Building a successful business is a challenge, and I love a good challenge. And there’s nothing wrong with being rewarded for meeting that challenge and doing it well.”
    How could she not see something that he saw so clearly? He’d worked hard. Why shouldn’t he enjoy the perks that came as a result?
    “Maybe, but it’s not like you can take all the money, condos, boats, cars, clothes…all that stuff with you when you die. People like you act like life is a race. Or a contest. You run as hard as you can and amass as much stuff as you can and the one with the most at the end wins.”
    “Sounds right to me.” He didn’t understand her point. Of course whoever amassed the most wealth, won. That was simple math.
    The limo slowed as it pulled into the portico of the resort, and stopped at the front door. The valet opened the