Chapter 26 Holt
TWENTY-SIX
HOLT
“We only have five minutes left before everyone is expecting us to be there.”
“They can wait,” I breathe, grabbing her hip and pulling her onto my lap.
Her black, sequined gown parts, allowing her bare thighs to wrap around mine. My dick wakes right the fuck up, hardening the second she rocks and rolls her hips, rubbing her sweet pussy along my length.
“Howard can hear everything, Holt.” She wraps her hands around my neck as I gaze up at her.
“Howard can’t hear anything.”
“Yes, he can.” She giggles, glancing over her shoulder.
Howard’s eyes lift to the rearview mirror before he’s flipping on the blinker, waiting for the light to turn green.
Selene looks back at me. “He’s inches away from us.”
I lift my mouth into a devilish smirk. “Howard can’t hear anything, Wallflower.” I raise my voice. “Can you, Howard?”
Howard doesn’t look in the rearview this time.
“See?” I tease.
“Oh, my God, Holt. You’re the worst.” She taps my shoulder, but she hasn’t stopped shifting over me. My naughty girl cares just as much about Howard being inches away as I do.
I shove her curled hair aside as I stare up into her black, sparkly-dusted eyes. They’re surrounded by an intricately detailed matching black mask. Everything about her is dark and mysterious, like night and day when compared to her usual light-colored clothes.
“You’re really beautiful tonight, Wallflower.” I drag my thumb across her bottom lip.
“Thank you.” She traces her finger along the bottom of my midnight blue mask. “I love this color on you. Brings out your eyes.” Her mouth pulls into a delicate smile.
I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer. With my other hand, I grip the back of her head and pull her down to kiss me before I pull back slightly.
“Are you feeling better than you were earlier?”
“Yeah.” She swallows. “I think that nausea medicine after dinner helped.”
“Good.” I growl, slipping my hand between us. “That means I can do this.”
I’m quick to find her clit. She tilts her head back, her jaw dropping on a gasp.
“I love you, Holt,” she breathes, rubbing herself over my fingers.
“I love you, Wallflower.” I work her clit until she comes undone.
She bites her lip, stifling her tiny moans and breaths. I’m fully aware she’s conscious of Howard sitting in the driver seat and that we’re only minutes from the event venue, but I have no patience. I can’t keep my hands off my girl.
She lowers her head and buries her face in my neck. She smells like flowers and sunshine, even though she looks like a storm cloud ready to make her presence known.
“You’re absolutely diabolical for this,” she pants. “I hope you know.”
“Come for me,” I breathe into her ear. Heat pools in my lower stomach, and although there are several layers between us, my dick revels in the way she’s sliding against me.
She turns her mouth to my ear. “If I’m going to come, so are you.”
Tiny bursts of electricity shoot across my skin the moment she lowers herself onto my length. She grinds her sweet pussy harder, dragging herself across my rock-hard cock.
“Wallflower.” I growl, digging my fingers into her hips. I want her to stop, because the last thing I need is to come in my fucking pants, but I also don’t want her to stop. I can’t stop. She feels too fucking good.
Dammit, I feel like a fucking teenager.
“If I’m going down”—she presses her lips to shell of my ear—“you’re going down with me.” She moans, and my cock is throbbing, on the verge of release.
Frantic, I move my hand from her hip to her face, pulling her toward me.
I kiss her hard, catching her breath with mine.
The windows in my blacked-out Bentley quickly fog over with a thin coat of steam.
Our skin is sweating, and I hate the thought of ruining both of our outfits, but I have no self-control. Not when it comes to Selene.
I press my fingers harder against her clit, and every time I do, she matches me thrust for thrust. Blood shoots straight for my dick, and she grinds herself over me twice more before I’m coming. Fisting Selene’s hair, I grip the back of her neck and still her movements as I come.
“Fuck.” I groan, stifling what noise I can against Selene’s neck.
I haven’t moved my hand as she grinds the last few times before she’s coming herself. She shudders against me, vibrating as she comes.
Lifting my head, I try to catch my breath while staring into her mossy-green eyes surrounded by diluted light. My sinfully dark wallflower. I love seeing this side of her.
But then it hits me. I just fucking came in my pants, and we’re almost at the masquerade ball.
Selene must realize it, too. Her cheeks turn an even darker shade of red, and her eyes widen. “Oh, my God.” She slaps a hand over her mouth, then slowly lowers it. “I’m so sorry, Holt. I didn’t mean—"
I chuckle under my breath and run my hand over her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Yes, you did, but it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I like it when you show this side of yourself to me.” I kiss her nose. “I love it because it’s a side no one else gets to see but me.”
Her expression transforms into one of happiness, and I melt with her smile.
“Howard!” I shout, not taking my eyes off Selene. “Take us back home. I need to change.”
“Yes, sir,” Howard answers, immediately making a U-turn.
“Oh, no.” Selene groans, burying her head. “Now we’re going to be late.”
“I don’t care.” I hook my fingers under her chin, pulling her to look up. “If this is the reason we’re late, it was worth it. You’re always worth it.”
After quickly changing into a clean suit, Selene and I eventually show up to the masquerade ball over an hour past our original arrival time.
We make the rounds, greeting every single celebrity and guest in attendance in support of Scribe Magazine and my team in the anonymous article department.
Photographers and reporters clamor for interviews with Selene and me.
We answer a few questions, avoiding the most prying, but thankfully, Treena and Vanessa are in attendance, immediately pulling us away when there is any hint of a mention of Rome Montgomery.
Every year, my event team throws our annual masquerade ball at an old estate outside the city on lavish grounds in what looks like an old castle built out of pale gray stone, as though it’s plucked straight out of the English countryside.
It’s my favorite event of the year, mostly because it’s a nice break from the hustle and bustle of city life, fitting in with the romantic tones that come standard with a masked ball.
After making our initial greetings, I wander around to chat with some of my colleagues while Selene leaves to find our friendship group.
We stopped to talk to them at the start of the ball but have barely spent any time with them since.
Charleigh and Asher were inseparable, as usual, unable to keep their hands off one another.
West and London were practically the same, too busy losing themselves in one another to notice the rest of us, or at least participate in much of the conversation.
Which led us to making the rounds around the ornately decorated ballroom covered in silver and black roses.
They slither along the walls like ivy while the floor is decked out in mirrored glass.
The event coordinating team at the magazine has outdone themselves this year.
Julianna, thankfully, didn’t coordinate this event, so she hasn’t been overrun with a million tasks. She’s been able to spend her time here relaxed, not worrying about keeping the guests entertained or failing to meet their expectations.
Once I’m finished talking with a group of investment bankers, I immediately begin searching for Selene among the shadowed crowd. We haven’t even had a chance to dance yet tonight, and my hands are itching to touch her.
I find West standing at the back of the estate, overlooking the expansive garden grounds. He’s leaning against the large, stone pillar, scrolling through his phone. The blueish-white light from his phone screen illuminates his masked face.
He looks up when he sees me approaching.
“Hey, man.” He grins, dropping his phone into his pocket.
“London and I were wondering where you and Selene have been. Charleigh and Asher left a few minutes ago—something about Charleigh’s mom needing help with putting her new bed frame together.
” He sighs. “Anyway, we were about to head out ourselves.”
“Oh.” I glance around the garden. “Is Selene not with London?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “She went inside to grab her coat from the valet. I stayed back to see if I ran into you so we could say goodbye.” He grins. “Looks like I ran into you.”
“Yeah.” I give him a weak smile, hoping I find Selene. I slap him on his arm. “Thanks for coming, man.”
“Of course.” His mouth lifts into an uneasy smile. “You okay?”
I nod, waving him off. “I’m fine. Just want to find Selene.”
“I know that feeling.” He chuckles. “We never stop searching for them, do we? We don’t feel complete.”
I laugh before shrugging my shoulder. “Guilty.”
“See you later, Holt.” He slaps me on the arm and heads back inside the estate.
I pull out my phone and try texting Selene again, but my last sent message still sits unread. I turn my attention back to the backyard.
Not seeing Selene from my vantage point, I walk farther down the grounds.
The full moon shines brightly in the clear night sky, illuminating the entire party.
I take the cobblestone staircase down to the expansive garden leading to the small labyrinth that’s existed here for centuries.
According to historical records, anyway.