CHAPTER 26
Gabriela’s Principe
Gabriela
Club Azul vibrated with an energy fencing on recklessness and lust, the atmosphere perfumed with the scent of gyrating bodies and heavy spirits. The mirrored fountain walls gave glimpses of Hunter and me as I ferried him to the dance floor.
I would never get over the stature of this man.
Even in my heels, he remained enormously taller than me, making me feel petite and protected.
When his big palm coasted over my hip and landed in the curve of my waist, I basked in the possessive grip.
He let everyone in our surroundings know that I was his.
Anyone who dared to approach me would have to reconsider.
My pretty boy had a jealous streak and I looked forward to fanning the flames of that fire.
Especially now that I knew underneath his gentlemanly exterior lay a filthy animal—the kind that liked to pleasure his woman and fill her with cum in the most primal manner.
Reaching the center of the dance floor, I dragged my hands over his black dress shirt, enjoying the expanse of his strong, quilted muscles, and clasped them at the nape of his neck…before teasingly raking the tips of my nails against the skin of his scalp.
Hunter shivered.
He always reacted like argil under the adroitness of my touch.
It made me feel powerful as though I was his maker and he my submissive mortal lover. But we both knew that subservience only stretched so far before he was ready to dominate me like I was his creation, his commands curling around my bones like the sweetest of chants.
And I loved this side of us, wanting to explore its depths over the course of the next few weeks as we courted one another.
Hunter wrapped his arm around my back and placed his other hand on my derriere, carting me into his body until my softer curves moulded to his hard planes and there was no space left between us.
Watching each other, we swayed to the provocative beat thrumming through the veins of the club like a living heart, enticing my own to beat in the same frivolous rhythm.
“Are you feeling okay?” I mumbled against his mouth. “After seeing her?”
I bumped into a friend from school when I reached the club and got sidetracked catching up with her near the coat check.
Eventually, when I slid inside the main room, Josh had already grabbed Layla after wreaking mayhem, Anna had hightailed it to the booth with the rest of our friends, and a brunette was chatting up Hunter.
Jealousy had boiled inside of me. I marched in their direction with the intention of staking my claim.
Little did I know she was far from flirting with him.
Hearing her throw condescending remarks at Hunter turned me livid.
I was proud of him for telling her off, but I couldn’t help inserting myself into the situation in hopes of ending her bullshit.
I fucking hoped his ex-girlfriend had the worst night ever. I’d ruin her dress all over again if given the opportunity to teach the cheating bitch a lesson. Hunter deserved so much better than a girl who had treated him callously.
He never told me the full story of what occurred between them, and I decided that I would ask him about it later tonight.
“I’m fine.” He dropped his forehead to mine. “And I don’t want to talk about her. She’s irrelevant.”
I ran a finger over his stubbled jaw. “And what do you want to talk about?”
“You.” He kissed me, stealing my breath. “And how you are, once again, the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Hunter calling me beautiful in that husky voice would never get old. The compliment plated my insides like gold. “And you are the most beautiful man in this world.”
My pretty rich boy. My tender principe. My sweet undoing.
I hoped he realized that there was no comparison.
He was one of a kind.
Hunter Saint Warren was God-tier, in a league of his own.
Possessing the kind of beauty and strength that would have enticed women in the past to write waxing poetry and lyrical songs about him.
Had I honed my prose, I may be tempted to write verses about his blue eyes, reminiscent of glaciers.
His defined jawline with a rough terrain of black stubble.
His inky strands, tousled and untamed, falling down to his broad shoulders, like a hero from olden tales.
And his small scar at the bridge of his nose, its story still unsung, that only added to his charm.
“You’re flattering me.” Hunter spun me around, keeping us moving to the sensuous music.
“I’m being truthful.” Leaning my head back against his chest, I raised my hand to toy with the edge of the silver chain looped around his neck. “Do you doubt me?”
His mouth poised at my ear as he whispered, “Never, baby.” He trailed kisses down my neck. “Fuck, this dress will be the death of me.”
“Not what I’m wearing underneath?” I asked coyly.
He groaned. “Don’t torture me, Gabby.”
“But you love it when I tease you.”
“Mm, that I do.” I felt the deep rumble of his voice at my back before it slowly travelled down and sank in my core. “Am I being a good boy so far?”
“Yes, you are.” He’d be unwrapping me later tonight. “Though if you want to get on your knees and further prove that good boy status, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
“Fuck.” He manacled my throat and angled my head to snatch a kiss that turned me breathless. “On top of being a brat, you’re pure trouble.”
“You like the kind of trouble I bring, principe.”
“Tell me what that word means,” he pleaded. “I’ve been meaning to ask you for two days now.”
“It means prince.” I cupped his jaw. “In my mother tongue.”
Blue eyes awash with shock peered down into mine. “You think I’m princely?”
“I don’t think—I know,” I affirmed. “You’re gentle, dignified, selfless, and kind. What I like most about you is how you’d do anything for the people you care for. A better man does not exist.”
Hunter released a low noise in his throat like my words slayed him.
He tightened his arms around me and tucked his chin in the crook of my neck, breathing in my scent with an audible inhale.
“My God, I adore you. I used to dream of a time when I could hold you just like this. When I could kiss you like you belong to me. When I could talk to you freely and learn how that pretty mind of yours works. How is it that the universe knew exactly what I wanted and needed and delivered you to me like a gift? I look at you and feel like all my prayers have been answered.”
Oh, Hunter.
In this instant, luxuriating underneath the veil of those beautiful words, I felt undone in a way I couldn’t properly convey.
My pulse fluttered fast like the beating wings of a bird trying to free itself from a cage, and everything screamed within me to clutch this man to my person and never let him go.
“You’re obsessed with me, aren’t you?” I teased, trying to bring some light-heartedness to a moment that felt charged with enough emotions that tears stung my eyes unexpectedly.
I took it back. The thing I liked most about Hunter wasn’t his mannerisms but his honesty. It was the most handsome part of him. How he was so truthful, not a single lie woven on his tongue. He spoke from his soul and meant every word.
“Yes.” He kissed the heart-shaped earring in my lobe and I closed my eyes. “I covet you.”
It was decided. I would do anything and everything to keep him.
I no longer cared what was engraved in my palms. I would rewrite fate until he was mine forever. There was no better individual out there matched for me.
Only him.
It was an insane thought to have perhaps, when we’d known each other for such a short time, but my atoms vibrated like they’d been right next to his when the universe was created and the cosmic feeling was evidence enough for me.
Filled with the urge to turn around and witness his expression, I did as instinct called me to and confessed, “I covet you, too.”
The smile that blossomed over his face was radiant.
I wanted to feel it on my lips, so I kissed him.
He tasted like whiskey, sinful nights, and the first rays of sunshine filtering through sheer curtains, caressing your skin first thing in the morning.
“Sweetheart,” he whispered. “I’m already yours for the taking. Don’t you know?”
I did know. He once asked to be mine and now I gladly accepted. Only a fool would reject him. And I was no longer going to squander our precious time. We deserved each other.
“Yes,” I whispered back. “In case I didn’t make myself clear, I’m yours too.”
This was exclusive. There would be no one else for me and no one else for him.
I could practically see the elation funneling through his system at my admission. His eyes glowed and his mouth curled in a heart-stopping grin. “Good.”
We traded kisses and watched each other under the gleam of blue strobe lights, dancing in a sea of bodies to the tune of our beating hearts. The world around us blurred until it felt like it was only him and me, fully surrendered to this connection of ours. Past budding, now in full bloom.
Was it possible to feel your heart physically being stolen?
I felt like Hunter finally snatched mine and I let him oh-so-easily, with no defences or armour. As though it had been waiting for him all this time.
“Have you had enough?”
We’d been on the dance floor for twenty minutes.
Far from the shadows, we were straight in the limelight.
Hunter wasn’t only doing this for me but for him as well.
To help chip away another layer of the shy and introverted exterior that made him want to hide.
But I didn’t want him to push himself to stay longer than necessary.
“I like this. Dancing with you. Being seen with you.” His lips plumed over my cheek in another kiss. “We’ll do this again, yeah?”
“Yes, we will.” I latched onto his hand and squeezed. “Come. Let’s go mingle with our friends before I drag you to a dark corner and have my wicked way with you.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
We joined our friends in the booth. The volume of our group and the lack of space made it so we were a bit cramped in terms of seating.
I had to sit in Hunter’s lap. When he threw an arm around my waist, holding me to him possessively again, the girls sent me smug smirks.
No one shot ribbing comments, choosing to go with the flow.
Like seeing Hunter and me together was a daily occurrence.
And funny enough, it felt natural being with him in front of everyone.
Hunter and I were meant to wind up here. I’d just taken some time to see it. But now we were on the same page.
“I ordered you a bottle of champagne,” Hunter murmured in my ear.
My eyes widened in surprise. I reclined until my back was fully pressed to his front, canting my head to the side to stare up at him. “You did?”
He pushed a red lock behind my ear. “You mentioned yesterday you were looking forward to celebrating tonight. I figured Reine D’Or was the best way to go. That’s your favourite, right?”
I loved how he paid attention to everything I told him. “It is. I can’t believe you remembered.”
“I remember everything about you like it’s my goddamn career, Gabby.”
I couldn’t mask the crazy smile curving my lips. “Stalker.”
“Temptress,” he returned, his hand delving just under the hem of my dress to squeeze my upper thigh. “Driving me absolutely crazy. From the top of your head to the tips of your manicured toes. I just want to take a bite out of you.”
“Who’s stopping you?” I batted my lashes. “Certainly not me.”
He grinned wolfishly. “Careful, doll. I’m trying to be a gentleman, but you’re making it really hard.”
I bit my lip and shifted discreetly, feeling his bulge pressing against my ass. “Oh, something’s hard all right.”
Thankfully, none of our friends could hear our conversation. The music was deafeningly loud in the club and everyone was caught up in their own bubble. Drinking. Laughing. Partying. No one paid any attention to us.
“Are you going to do something about it?” Like a deviant, he grazed the shell of my ear with the tip of his tongue.
I shivered in his arms.
Unbeknownst to Hunter, I was so far gone for him, I’d lick the champagne off his cock if he so much as asked me to. “That remains to be seen based on your behaviour for the rest of the night.”
“Take me to a dark corner,” he commanded when I ground against him under the guise of shifting into a more comfortable position. “Have your wicked way with me.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I wanted him all to myself, far from the prying eyes of the world. Hoisting up from his lap, I extended a hand. “I know a place.”
Hunter swung the unopened bottle of champagne in one hand and grabbed my hand with the other. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”