Chapter Twenty-Five #2
My mind wandered as I imagined all the ways I wanted to kill Roshaun slowly until I heard a sound, looked up, and saw that Hunter was hyperventilating.
I shot off the bed and across the room, but the moment my fingers grazed her arm, she whirled around and backed away with a clear warning in her eyes, so I forced myself to stay where I was and give her space.
“Tell me what just happened,” I gently demanded. “What did Roshaun do?” It didn’t take a whole lot of intuition to connect that Roshaun Perry was responsible for Hunter suddenly acting like cornered prey.
“It’s nothing.”
“That didn’t look like nothing to me.”
“Sorry. I meant it’s none of your business, Ocean.”
That wasn’t good enough for me. Every time I mentioned Roshaun, Hunter’s entire demeanor changed. She’d either shrink into herself or turn vicious and deflect.
“Coby wants you at the wedding,” I blurted, choosing to drop the subject. For now.
Hunter’s gaze flew to mine, and once again, she was vengeance. “There’s not going to be a wedding.”
I cocked my head. “You don’t trust her judgment?”
Hunter barked a laugh and then made the most daring move of all. She stepped into my face until her bare toes touched my shoes. “Nice try, asshole. I don’t trust you.”
“She wants you there, you know.” Just as I expected, Hunter had nothing clever to say to that. “Coby wants you to give her away.”
“Never,” Hunter hissed.
It was my turn to crowd her space. I forced her backward until her back was against the wall, and she had to tip her head back to hold my gaze. The moment she did, I got comfortable, bracing my forearms on the wall by her head.
Fuck it.
I heard the words before I even realized I was saying them.
“Coby is already mine, Hunter.” I leaned down until our lips were just a breath away. “But I haven’t won yet. My acquisition isn’t complete. Can you guess what’s missing?”
“No.”
Feeling like I’d die without it, I let our lips touch. The faintest brush. When Hunter’s breath hitched, I knew she’d felt it, too. “Try, Vengeance. Try to guess what else I want. What I need.”
Chest rising and falling fast, lips parted in shock, she shook her head as my meaning slammed into her. “You can’t.”
“I will.”
“How would that work?” She whimpered. “You’re marrying my best friend.”
“It’ll work because I say it will,” I assured her. “I’m marrying Coby because I want to. I’m marrying next month because I have to, but make no mistake, I want you both in my bed.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Then why aren’t you running, Vengeance?
Why are you looking at me right now like you want me to fuck you?
” I daringly dropped my hands to her hips, and when she didn’t object, they slid around to her ass.
I swallowed my groan. Hunter Parrish was more than a handful—in more ways than one.
“We both know you could disarm me if you wanted to.”
“So your goons can catch me as soon as I walk out the door?” I smiled down at her, and she rolled her eyes again. “Whatever.”
My phone chimed then, cutting off my response. The only contacts I didn’t have silenced were Abel and Kellan, so I reached into my pocket and pulled it free.
I swore after reading Abel’s message, but I could feel Hunter watching me closely now, so I put a leash on my temper.
Pocketing my phone after texting orders to Abel, I lifted Hunter off her feet.
She immediately wrapped her thick legs around my waist to keep from falling while I carried her to the bed and sat on the edge with her in my lap. I couldn’t help massaging the plump globes of her ass and watching her lashes flutter.
Fucking beautiful.
“Talk to me, Vengeance. Do you want out of this cabin, or don’t you?”
Hunter’s eyes snapped open, and she pushed my hands away. “Stockholm Syndrome hasn’t set in yet, sir. I’m not fucking you.”
Letting myself give in to what led me here in the first place, I said, “Then kiss me.”
“What?”
“Kiss me like you mean it, and I’ll let you see Coby.” Hunter’s lips opened and closed as she searched my gaze to see if I was telling the truth. “It’s not a trick, Vengeance. I don’t want to keep you apart any more than I want to choose.”
Still unsure, Hunter swallowed hard. “One kiss?”
“One chance,” I warned. “So make it good.”
Hunter thought about it momentarily before closing her eyes and leaning forward. Her back was rigid as she tried to maintain space between us, so I stayed where I was, letting her come to me.
When her plush lips finally met mine, I didn’t return her kiss.
I watched her brows dip with determination right before she tried again.
Over and over, she pecked my lips while I feigned detachment.
A frustrated moan tore from her throat as I drove her to desperation.
She moved closer and wrapped her arms around my neck until her heavy breasts were pressed against my chest.
I didn’t think my dick could get any fucking harder.
Hunter kissed me again, and then I felt her hot tongue lick my lips before she whimpered. “Please?”
The last of my will crumpled, and I finally gave in, parting my lips and meeting her tongue with mine.
Our kiss was slow and hesitant, but quickly turned desperate and uncontrolled. Hunter began grinding down on my lap, and I lifted my hips, trying to feel her hot pussy through her jeans. Pretty soon, we were dry-humping on the bed like two teenagers.
I was still kissing her when I felt Hunter’s hands shift to my chest and push, so I gave in to her silent request and lowered my back to the mattress.
Hunter followed me, and I savagely tore into the rip already at the back of her tattered jeans until I could feel her soft skin underneath.
Her pussy was right there for taking, and all I had to do was lower my joggers and destroy what remained of her clothes.
My hands roamed all over her bare ass, and I couldn’t resist the urge to slap it, making Hunter moan and grind down on me harder.
I broke the kiss, knowing I had to slow us down before it went too far, but Hunter wasn’t ready yet, so she chased my lips.
And I was too weak to resist.
We continued kissing a little longer until I felt her reach for my waistband at the exact moment I reached for her thong. And then I thought of my wife.
Stop, stop, stop. Do something.
“I ate her pussy before I came to see you. She let me,” I said between kisses, making Hunter stiffen.
It wasn’t a lie. I really had eaten Coby out in the car the moment we finished our hike.
“She was so sweet. Can you taste her, Vengeance? I wish you’d heard the way she screamed for me.
” I kissed Hunter’s stiff lips one last time before pulling back to stare into her eyes.
“Do you think it was Stockholm Syndrome that made her do it?”
Hunter cursed and tore away from me, scrambling to leave the bed, but I grabbed her throat before she could, slamming her back on the bed next to me. Her frustrated screams were ignored as I climbed on top of her and pinned her there.
“A deal’s a deal, Vengeance, but let me clarify. Coby is mine, and so are you. That isn’t changing now or ever. Tomorrow, you’re going to join us in the main house, and you’re going to pretend you came of your own free will until I say otherwise.”
“And if I don’t?” she challenged. I almost rolled my eyes.
“Then Coby’s deal goes out the window, and I make her marry me anyway, except it won’t be for five years, Hunter. It will be forever.” Because I was an asshole and because I couldn’t resist, I kissed Hunter’s lips again.
“You bitch-ass—”
“I’m not done talking,” I interrupted. “Right now, you’re going to convince me that you’ll play along, or else I’ll keep you chained to this bed. And when Coby and I marry, she’ll do it thinking you chose not to be there for her.”
Hunter’s jaw dropped, her wide eyes glistening with tears. “She’ll never believe that.”
“I’ll make her.”
“You’re such a fucking bastard!”
“No, Hunter. I’m a man determined to win.”
“Coby and I aren’t prizes in a game, Ocean! I don’t know if I deserve more, but I sure as hell know Coby does.”
I felt my blood ice over. “I know that,” I bit out.
“Do you?” She looked up at me like I’d grown two heads. “Think about what you’re saying to me. Think about what you’re doing.”
I blew out a breath of frustration. I couldn’t help the way I fucking felt.
Neither could they apparently. I knew her and Coby were in love with each other, even if they weren’t ready to admit it yet.
Instead of holding up the mirror to Hunter and telling her what I knew, I asked, “What would you do if you were me?”
She gave me a perplexed look. “You can’t ask me that, Ocean.”
“I can, and I am. What would you do?”
“I’d let you choose. And I wouldn’t scheme and cheat.”
I stared at her for a long time before letting her go and climbing off her. I stood from the bed, and so did she, but on the opposite side.
“All right,” I said after a while. “But Coby made this deal because she wants it, Hunter. I didn’t force her.
I gave her a choice, so I’ll give you the same.
My offer still stands. I’ll let you be with Coby and help her through this marriage on one condition: you can’t tell her about this until I’m ready to come clean. ”
Hunter was already shaking her head. “You can’t ask me to lie to my best friend.”
“Would you be telling Coby the truth for her sake or yours?”
“What kind of question is that?” Hunter spat.
“One that requires an answer,” I shot back.
She lifted her chin. “For both of ours.”
“Bullshit. You were just kissing your best friend’s fiancé. Did you do that for Coby?”
“You know what, Ocean?” Hunter said with the driest chuckle. “Go straight to hell, but until then, sleep with one eye open because not only am I going to get Coby away from you, I’m going to kill you in your sleep before I do!”
“That should be easy enough since you’ll be sleeping next to me right along with Coby, and I guarantee when it happens, you’ll both love it as much as I will.”
“Kill yourself,” she spat as she looked away from me to hide what my promise really did to her.
“Does this mean we have a deal, Hunter?”
Her gaze returned to mine to glare daggers. “For now.”
“Come here.”
Hunter hesitated just to piss me off, and then she slowly rounded the bed to stand in front of me. Once I was able to breathe her jasmine scent in again, she just stared at me like I was some great mystery she couldn’t solve, but I knew what it really was.
Curiosity. Eagerness. Doubt.
She was thinking about what I’d said—about the three of us together in my bed just as I’d described.
She was wondering if I’d really succeed.
I’d gotten the same vibe from Coby when she demanded I give Hunter everything I offered her.
I tried to tell myself she hadn’t known what she was asking, but… what if?
I had the feeling Coby Perry was underestimated a lot.
My hand curved around Hunter’s neck, and then my thumb gently swept her soft cheek. Even more surprising was that she let me.
“You may not know this, but I do. You deserve more than to be treated like a prize in a game, and I promise you, Hunter, it won’t happen again. You’re much too precious for that.”
Her lips parted, but I kissed her forehead and stepped away before she could tell me to go to hell again.
I’d already fucked this up because I couldn’t let go of my upbringing.
I couldn’t stop approaching every fucking thing like a game or battle, and the people involved like opponents or chess pieces.
At this rate, it would take a miracle to win their hearts when Coby and Hunter had already stolen mine.
“I’ll have someone bring you clean clothes, food, and whatever else you may need,” I called at the bedroom door. And then I allowed myself one last look until tomorrow. “Good night, Hunter.”
Walking toward the cabin door, I could have sworn I heard her soft voice parrot, “Good night, Ocean.”