CHAPTER 15
Pegasus & Red-Stained Lips
Hunter
Soft wind sifted through my sunroof as I drove my Jag down the road, the moon hanging high and bright, chasing us to our destination.
My obsession’s eyes were closed, a gorgeous smile on those red lips as she basked in the feeling of the breeze caressing her hair, her manicured nails pushing her strands out of her face and behind her ears.
Gabriela was so precious to me and she didn’t even know it.
Whenever I saw her eyes light up with happiness and her entire demeanour shift with excitement at seeing me, this urge to build a haven and safeguard her in it beat at my chest. To ensure that no one got close enough to harm her in any way.
But to leave the door unlocked so she could flit in and out as she pleased, knowing she could always return to me.
How was it that I’d lived my whole life until last year without realizing a girl like her existed—one who felt cut from a different cloth but stitched by the same red thread?
We hadn’t known each other for a long time, but it felt like I’d known Gabriela forever. Like she was a missing piece from a puzzle I’d been trying to complete for ages.
These last two weeks, I spent every possible waking hour by her side if I wasn’t pulled away by my classes, practice, or a football game. I’d gotten so used to her presence that she’d become a part of me—a vital organ I wouldn’t be able to live without if she were ever eviscerated from me.
She had so much power over me and she didn’t even know that either.
Whenever we were together, I felt possessive over Gabriela in a way that turned my vision red with jealousy.
I hated seeing other men stare at her in a manner beyond platonic.
Their appreciative once-overs set my teeth on edge.
I wanted to be the only man with the privilege to gaze at her.
The only one who deserved to command her attention.
I knew it was unhealthy to think this way, but I couldn’t stop myself.
And when she mentioned her ex-boyfriend at the bar, that jealousy tunneled through my system like a drug tenfold more potent than anything I’d ever consumed.
He’d touched her, kissed her, fucked her.
I wanted to go over there and punch him in his goddamn face.
I’d always been level-headed, but Gabriela was tearing me apart with longing, yet simultaneously soothing me with her sweetness whenever I was with her.
I had her with me, but I didn’t have her in the way that counted.
As all mine.
Over the last few days, I’d come to realize that these feelings may not be one-sided. There was a strong possibility that Gabriela felt them too. Why else would she flirt with me? Touch me at every opportunity? Give me those tormented I-need-you-inside-of-me-Hunter eyes? It was fucking ruining me.
I needed some concrete answers that this was reciprocated. Otherwise, I may just go moon mad like one of those werewolf heroes from her paranormal romances that lost their shit when they couldn’t have their fated mates.
And yes, I binged every book she recommended, including the one with the thousand-year-old vampire waiting centuries for his bride.
Entrenched in my musings, I belatedly noticed Gabriela’s index finger skimming across my clenched knuckles on the steering wheel.
Goosebumps erupted on my skin at her touch.
“Why are you so tense?” she demanded in a sultry voice that hit me below the belt.
I wondered what her fingers would look like cascading down the hard planes of my torso before disappearing under my waistband to grasp my cock.
I bit back a groan. “Not tense.”
Just doing everything in my power to avoid picturing what we’d look like fucking raw on my sheets with you tied to my bedframe like a naughty little bad girl.
Those blue eyes shot to me and then to the surroundings blurring in her passenger window, noting the night sky and the trees lining the road on either side. There were no cars going down this route. It was devoid of life except for us.
“Is this the part where you drive us to a ditch and kill me?” Gabriela mused.
My throat tightened uncomfortably. “I’d never hurt you.”
The atmosphere in the car shifted from playful to downright dark. I didn’t mean for the words to resound with such fervour, but I meant them regardless.
Gabriela’s hand slid over my thigh like an olive branch, squeezing gently. “I was kidding, Hunter. I know you’d never hurt me.”
I glanced at her, needing reassurance. “Yeah?”
She smiled in that way that made my heart explode. “Yeah.”
A complete sucker for her, forgiveness would always be available where she was concerned. Especially when she teased me in what she deemed a harmless manner. Instead of voicing that out loud, I grasped her hand and brought her knuckles to my mouth for a kiss.
Her breath hitched.
Gabriela didn’t pull away, letting me shower her soft skin with kisses as I drove. I couldn’t stop touching her now that I held her hand. If she’d let me, I’d adorn her with my affection day and night.
“Where are you taking me, pretty boy?”
She’d been such a good girl, sitting in her seat while I told her to trust me.
I rewarded her patience. “Someplace you’ll like. I promise.”
“Will anyone else be there?”
“Just us, sweetheart. I’m far too greedy to share the sight of you when you look this stunning.”
The magnitude of my statement encumbered her, a small sputter leaving her pouty lips before she went fundamentally speechless. Heavy silence punctured the veil of our blissful confab and I inched her a glance, making sure she was fine.
Gabriela stared back at me, eyes flickering with an unnamed emotion. “Hunter…”
Was she not used to hearing how stunning she was? Or—worse—did she not know?
There was no way a girl like her looked in the mirror and didn’t realize that she was the epitome of beauty.
Still, I made a mental note to remind her more often how perfect she was to me.
“We’re here,” I announced before she could say anything more, gravel crunching under my tires as I pulled into a secluded parking lot attached to an old property my family owned.
We used to come here all the time during the summer.
It was our staycation home. Most of my prominent childhood memories were tied to this place.
After my dad passed away, I rarely made the trip. It was too painful.
But it was one of the few places where you had a quintessential vantage point if you wanted to stargaze.
Gabriela frowned. “Where are we?”
“My humble abode.” I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Well, one of them. I inherited it once I turned eighteen. It belonged to my dad.”
I stepped out of the car and rounded the front to open Gabriela’s door.
She ambled out, her head thrown back in awe as she registered the two-storey cottage-style home, shipshape lawn, and wrought iron fence. “This is incredible.”
I grinned as I pulled out a wicker basket and blanket from my trunk.
When I reached her side, she finally asked, “What are we doing here?”
I offered her my arm. “Having a picnic.”
She saw the items in my hand and put two and two together. The cutest smile spread on her face. “Oh.”
“Shall we?”
Gabriela tucked her hand in the crook of my elbow and we started walking. I was mindful of her high heels and slowed my strides so she wasn’t shuffling after me. I unlocked the gates and we rounded the dark house, heading for the backyard portion, a vast land that faced a spectacular lake.
We passed the wooden deck and the four-season porch, coming to a halt by the edge of the property, where the sound of the rippling water mingled with the crickets in a soothing lullaby.
If you tilted your head back, the scenic sight of the galaxy would greet you, its black tapestry scattered with millions of little stars.
Gabriela watched with acute fascination as I unrolled the blanket on the grass, got down on my knees, opened the wicker basket, and laid out the offerings.
A bottle of sparkling juice, a charcuterie board with cheese, crackers, and fruits, and her beloved chocolate-dipped donuts from our favourite bakery.
She had her picnic and she had her stars.
This was the closest I could get to recreating one of her favourite book scenes.
I hoped I did her fantasy justice.
“Hunter.” Gabriela’s voice wavered at the end as her eyes bounced from where I knelt, lighting two citronella candles to keep the insects away, and towards the stars with astonishment. “I can’t believe you did this. I…It’s so perfect.”
You’re perfect. “Come join me.”
Gabriela grabbed my outstretched hand and I directed her onto the blanket. She lowered herself in a graceful flourish, then curled into my side like a kitten and kissed my cheek with gratitude.
My heart lurched in my chest, yearning for hers in a cosmic way.
Vision veiled with stardust, all I wanted in this moment was to cup her face and kiss her lips like oxygen wasn’t a necessity. I wanted to hug her until her bones, heartbeat, and soul mended with mine in a singular entity.
The depths of feelings I possessed for this girl should have scared me, but I embraced them with openness. If this was what falling entailed, then I was ready to be immersed in the sensation as long as the end result was making her mine.
I couldn’t convey these thoughts to Gabriela yet, but I wished that tonight would be a turning point for us—that she’d be willing to take a chance on me.
I wanted her to understand that I was playing for keeps.
Mesmerized by the stars above, Gabriela let out a beatific sigh. “Look at the sky, Hunter. It’s beautiful.”
I never took my eyes off her. “It is.”
She continued watching the stars while I traced her features with my eyes and memorized every detail so it was etched in my mind for years to come.
Her stomach grumbled on cue.
I chuckled.
She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I haven’t had dinner and I’m starving.”