When Chemistry Wins (The Dark Horse Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

Her mind was already racing with the possibilities of where they could go.
    “Where?” Hunter straightened his clothing. Was he still interested in her? “I mean, not that I have no interest in you,” well that answered that, “but I’m not sure where in a place like this we could be alone…” His voice as it trailed off was full of the sort of lust Kerri needed to hear to give her the confidence to change her fate that night.
    She took Hunter’s hand, looked around to make sure their path was clear, and pulled him toward the back entrance to the gardens. “There’s a back way inside where we won’t be noticed. We can go to my room.”
    “Damn.” He nearly pulled his hand out of hers. “You’re serious?”
    Kerri turned to him. Without any light to illuminate his features, Kerri had no idea how she was supposed to read him. “Of course I’m serious. You coming or not?” She hoped he got her double entendre.
    Apparently he did. “Lead the way. And God have mercy on us if we’re caught.”
    Please, I’m a grown woman. Kerri led Hunter forward, trying to remember where to go from there so they would not be disturbed on the way to her room.
    She slept in the east wing, on the side opposite her parents, although her father kept an office nearby. But that meant the private entrance to the wing was clear, only requiring a key from Kerri’s bag to open. Hunter kept watch for anyone who may catch them.
    “This way,” she said coyly, taking Hunter by the hand again as she led him down the hall. Hunter made sure to latch the door shut behind them. “We must be quiet.” Kerri said that more for herself. The closer they got to her room, the giddier she became.
    It had been years since she last snuck a boy into her room… and that boy wasn’t even there for a scandalous rendezvous. He was my science fair partner, and my parents wouldn’t let him in our house. Apparently his parents were key members of the opposing party. The one time Kerri snuck a boy into her girls-only dorm in college, she had been sorely disappointed by his performance. Looking over her shoulder at Hunter, who had a healthy glow in the low hallway lights, gave Kerri some hope that tonight’s prospects were much better.
    Her bedroom was upstairs, and the staircase and hallway were clear. It almost seemed too easy to be this nefarious. Helps that everyone is down in the ball and dining rooms. When they reached her room, she had a key for that too. Her father made the whole family lock up the important rooms whenever there was a shindig.
    But that meant Kerri and Hunter wouldn’t be disturbed.
    “Nice,” Hunter said as he entered Kerri’s room. She shut the door behind her, locked it, and turned to lean against it. “I’ve always wondered what the bedrooms in this place looked like.”
    “I don’t think they’re that fancy.” Not that Kerri knew what most normal bedrooms looked like. Even as a kid, in the days before her father’s governorship, Kerri always had a grand bedroom. This one was the queen of them all, however, boasting enough space to double as a studio apartment. The rugs were imported Persian, with intricate designs of muted colors that blended with the mahogany four-post bed dominating the center of the wall. Kerri’s damson-colored bedspread was immaculate now, but given a few minutes she could probably convince Hunter to mess it up with her. “It is fancy enough for my taste, though.”
    Hunter stood in the middle of the dark bedroom, gazing at a family photo of the Mitchells on Kerri’s vanity. She promptly walked up to it and turned it down so Raymond Mitchell could not watch this spectacle.
    “Excuse me while I go freshen up.” Kerri was sweaty and could use a touch-up to her makeup. She had an en suite bathroom for these matters.
    A firm hand took her by the wrist. “No need,” Hunter said, his other hand clasping her on the shoulder. Such a touch sent chills through Kerri’s skin – sweet chills, the