Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
DORI
I place my hands on my hips. “What do you think it means for us, Hunter?”
“I think it means you’re angry I didn’t tell you before now and I should’ve done better with treating you the way you deserve.”
A puff of air breaks through his lips. “Fuck if I know. Truth be told, I’m as immature and stunted in emotional development as any ten-year-old boy would be in this situation, so I have no idea what it means for us. I probably just single-handedly tore apart any chance of having a relationship with you.”
“No. If anything, you just opened all the doors.”
His brows come together. “Really? You’re not fuming?”
“Shocked, yes. Fuming, no. Didn’t you hear anything I said?”
“I heard everything. I can repeat it back to you if you don’t believe me.”
“No, I don’t need you to repeat it. Just try to understand what I said. For me, love is about trust. If you don’t have that in me and I don’t have that in you, what do we have? That’s why I was struggling with our relationship. There was hardly any trust. Our secrets and lies made it impossible to share genuine closeness.”
“So that’s it? Trust is all it takes?” His hopeful green eyes dance with excitement.
I nod. “And communication. With those two things, I can handle anything. But let’s be clear. There’s a lot that goes into those two things. Like honesty, being faithful, and reining in your temper when things get hard.”
“I promise to give you all those things. Anything, just ask and I’ll give it to you.” He cups my cheek. “I love you, beauty. Let me kiss you and show you just how much.”
“You don’t have to ask.”
“Yes, I do. This only goes as far as you say.”
My body fills with warmth. I angle my face to give him perfect access and move into him. His breath catches as his eyes fall to my lips and close right as our mouths come together. He slides his hand to my lower back and presses into me.
For once in my life, a man I deeply care about has proven to me that, through all of his faults, he trusts me with his deepest, darkest secrets. That trust bestowed onto me overfills my heart.
To show him how much it means to me, I weave my fingers into his hair and press against him as close as possible.
Our tongues dance as our breathing becomes heavy. It brings in the gravity of what Hunter’s been doing for the last month: conquering all of his demons by facing them head-on with me by his side—not as a lover but as a friend, and that all changes now.
He’s risking everything to be a better man for me. It’s time I show him I acknowledge his efforts and dedication to me as his partner.
I pull my head away. “Hunter, I want you. My skin, heart, and every part of me want you now.”
“Here? ”
“I’m not leaving Melanie on New Year’s Eve in Paris. So unless you want to wait, here will have to do.”
His eyes dilate, and he takes two steps back, drinking me in until his lids lower as if he’s intoxicated. He glances at the curtains.
“Can you give me one minute to make sure our security team watches out for us?” He doesn’t wait for my answer.
He slips through the opening and is back in less than a minute. Not even giving me enough time to think through my decision.
The room fills with a cover of Taylor Swift’s song Lover . It’s a sign from the universe. Hunter’s meant to be my lover.
He takes me into his arms and presses his lips to mine, guiding us to a velvet-covered bench where he sits. He brings me to his lap so I’m straddling him.
His hands explore my curves, and he moans. “Damn, beauty. I’ve missed touching your perfect body.”
He unzips the back of my dress, pulling it down, along with my black bustier corset. My stomach does a somersault.
He takes my hard nipple into his mouth as I tug on his tie. He loosens it for me as I frantically unbutton his shirt so I can see his chiseled abs.
Gripping the hem of my dress, he drags it up and over my hips, exposing my black thigh-highs and garter belt. He stops and his gaze drops.
“You have no panties on. Are you trying to kill me?” His voice is rough and strained.
“That’s far from my intention.”
I reach for his belt and rip it through the loops as I find his lips. His hands run over my skin and cause chills to scatter. Wetness coats me as I get his pants undone. I grind my most sensitive spot against his straining, hard length.
He holds my head as he kisses me like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do. His other hand glides between us, making enough space to circle my clit. As soon as his fingertips touch me, I jerk into his hand and whimper.
It’s been way too long—months since I’ve had sex—and I’m going out of my mind. This is taking place in response to a week of frustrating buildup. I pull away and bring my dress up higher as he works his pants down, giving him more exposure and freeing his balls.
My chest rises and falls so fast I’m dizzy. My heart pounds hard when he grabs my thighs and slides me closer to him.
“Beauty, I’m right where I need to be to take you right now.” He swallows. “But we’ve got to stop.”
I raise my hips higher, aligning my opening with his tip. My eyes hook with his so he understands I’m doing this with full consent. I make a slight adjustment and ease him inside of me.
His heated eyes widen. “Are you sure? Without a condom?”
I nod. “I want this, so don’t stop. We can talk about why later. Okay?”
He thrusts deeper in response, stretching me in a forgotten surprise. I toss my head back and suck in a breath as we find our perfect rhythm. He feathers kisses across my breasts as his hands direct my hips to the right pace and friction.
Minutes of him slipping and sliding in and out of me have me pushing down onto him more, deeper and harder. He hasn’t forgotten how to get me to respond. Building pressure begins to mount as I kiss him hard beneath the promise of a much-needed release.
One song plays, then another, and another as we take turns staring into each other’s eyes and kissing fervently like we’ve just discovered one another. Panting and moaning, we try to keep our sounds below the music so we don’t get caught. That thought only takes me to the brink.
“Hunter, I’m going to come.” I breathe into the nape of his neck .
“Fuck, beauty. I’m right there with you.” He finds my lips and we rock together.
Moments later, I cry into his mouth, moans of blinding satisfaction as wave after wave of pleasure pulses through every cell in my body. He pushes deeper into me, grunts, then stills so I can feel the intensity of his orgasm rip through him and into me.
He pulls me to him as he buries his face into my chest. I slowly thrust over him, milking every last drop of his cum. When he spasms under me, telling me he’s overly sensitive now, I stop.
We take another full song to work ourselves back into the room. He drops his head back so he can find my gaze. His eyelids droop half-open and his face relaxes.
“Beauty, that was better than I could’ve ever imagined. Skin-to-skin like that. You’ve ruined me for life.”
“It was something special.” I lean forward and gently kiss his lips.
He glances around. “If you grab my tux jacket off the floor, you can use my pocket handkerchief to clean up. It’s not much, but it will help until you get to the restroom.”
“That would be appreciated. When I chose not to wear underwear tonight, it wasn’t for this reason. It was for simplicity’s sake. Plus, Melanie said I had way too many lines going on through my dress.”
He laughs. “Remind me to thank her later.”
“I’ll do that once we’re back at the hotel. Knowing her, she’ll say something to someone about what we just did and embarrass the hell out of me.”
He smirks. “Are you embarrassed by having mind-blowing sex with me in an opera booth?”
“No, but I don’t want the entire party to know about it.” I smile down at him.
A seriousness washes over him. “I love you so much. ”
My heart swells. I allow myself to feel it fully, without guilt or regret. “I love you too. I really do.”
We find his handkerchief and I carefully slide off him so I don’t drip all over his pants. Once we successfully do that, we get dressed and I go clean up. He’s waiting for me outside of the restroom when I come out.
As I walk up to him, his head bends to the side and a slow smile finds its way to his eyes. His Adam’s apple rolls as he swallows.
“What’s that look for, Mr. Efron?”
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone. It’s surreal that you’re here with me by choice. There wasn’t any coercion or manipulation to get you here and my love for you feels ten thousand times more real.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t believe this is what I’ve been holding myself back from all this time.”
“It is pretty amazing, isn’t it?” I slide my arms around his waist and peer into his eyes.
“I’m not sure there’s a word to describe what I’m feeling.”
“I know what you mean. This was the first time we’ve done that where I undoubtedly felt how connected we are.”
“That’s good to hear. Now, let’s go find Jonah and Melanie. They’re going to have enough questions about our disappearance. We don’t need to give them more ammunition.” He takes my hand and leads me to the ballroom.
I glance over my shoulder toward the two undercover security guards following us. They blend in with the other partygoers, but I recognize them from our hotel.
When Hunter told me he was going to have them watch out for us while we were in the booth, I realized they’ve probably been around us this entire trip.
“Hunter?”
“Yes, beauty?”
“Why do we have security following us? I knew they were at your apartment, but Jamison won’t come to Paris, so why have them here with us?”
Hunter’s jaw ticks as his brow furrows. He gazes down at me and squeezes my hand. “Them working for me has nothing to do with Jamison.”
“Then why?”
“I promise to talk to you about it later—when we discuss why, after all this time, you decided it’s fine that we don’t use condoms anymore. Not that I’m complaining.”
I nod and don’t say anything. Not using a condom probably wasn’t the best decision I’ve made, but I’m safer from pregnancy now more than I ever have been. He’ll understand that soon enough.
We spend the rest of the night holding hands and kissing like an actual couple with no worries about who witnesses us. The only people here who would recognize us as CEO and employees of Efron Worldwide are Helena and Gerald.
We have their blessing, so it’s been an experience like no other. Hunter set it up this way.
When he talked to Gerald about wanting to show me that Jack has no bearing on our relationship, Gerald suggested we come to Paris for this party.
He sits on the committee and knew no one would be here as it’s a true French party. Meaning no one speaks much English, as it’s only for people who reside in France.
Melanie turns to me as Hunter and Jonah converse with two men in fluent French. “Don’t you think it’s hot they’re speaking French?”
“I’m impressed and turned on.” I scan over Hunter’s tight and toned ass.
“I can’t wait to ask Jonah to speak to me in French tonight when we get back to the hotel.”
Jonah joins us. “What’s this about going back to the hotel?”
“I’ll tell you later.” She steps to him and kisses him .
Hunter slides up to my side. “The clock is about to strike midnight.”
We all focus on the timer in the front of the ballroom. When it strikes midnight, we raise our glasses and toast.
“Happy New Year, beauty.” Hunter takes me in his arms and kisses me. He pulls away and stares at me with a wildfire burning in his eyes. “Why don’t we go back to the hotel?”
“I think that’s a perfect idea.” I lick my lips as thoughts of what I’d like to do when we get back there swirl in my mind.
Jonah and Melanie step closer to us.
Jonah peers down at Melanie. “We should get going. We have an earlier morning flight back to the States.”
Melanie whines like a child. None of us wanted the reminder that life will return to how it once was in two days.
I’m lying naked in Hunter’s arms after solidifying our relationship one more time. We’re face-to-face on our sides, with only the moonlight shining into our room illuminating us.
He pulls his arm out from underneath my neck and props himself up, resting his head in his palm.
“Beauty, you’ve made this night the highlight of my year. Aside from meeting you, this is the best I’ve ever felt.”
“This feels different than before.”
“How so?”
I push a rogue lock of hair off his forehead. “Before was amazing, but this time, we seem closer. I’m not lying here wondering if there’s something I should know.”
“Did you before?”
“Not necessarily, but now I feel like there’s nothing left.” I lift to his level, allowing the soft sheets to slip to my waist. “There’s nothing left to tell me, right?”
“No. Not on my side, but there is on yours.”
“Me? What would you like to know?”
“Why are you okay with not using condoms anymore?” He studies me. “You have to understand my intrigue since it’s a complete one-eighty, and I didn’t ask you for it.”
“I know, but after my last…”
Shit, I don’t want to bring this up and ruin the moment.
“Dorothy, I’ve been honest with you. Please give me the same courtesy. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
I nod and push up, sitting cross-legged before him. “After my last miscarriage, I asked to be on the best birth control known. User error caused… Never mind that. I wanted to be on something that I couldn’t screw up, so I had an IUD inserted.”
“And it’s better than the pill?”
“It’s ninety-nine percent effective, but I don’t have to worry about remembering to take it if I’m stressed or forget to pack it. It made me more comfortable, so I opted for that. We really should’ve been tested for STIs before we went without, though. I wasn’t thinking about that earlier.”
He sits and flicks on the light. “Are you worried about something?”
“A little.”
“Help me understand.”
I shrug and glance down. “Isabella says you were with her and I was with Jamison. I’m not sure, but who’s to say you weren’t with others?”
“Me, that’s who. And I wasn’t with Isabella either.” He sighs a growl. “I wish I could take that night back.”
I pull the sheets over my shoulders. “Well, she doesn’t. If anything, she’s hoping for a lot more.”
“That won’t be happening, so don’t let that thought enter your mind. Not for a second. ”
“Okay, I won’t. But we should still get tested.”
“If that’s what you want, we will, but I’m not worried.” He pulls me into his arms. “Don’t let thoughts of her seep into our reunion. There’s absolutely zero interest on my part, so please don’t worry about her.”
“Hunter, if there’s anything I’ve learned over the past couple of weeks, it’s that I can trust you. That’s worth more than you’ll ever know.”
“I hope that’s enough for you.” The insecurity in his voice fills the room.
I push away and find his fearful gaze. “Now it’s your turn. What are you worried about?”