Chapter 14

14

Hunter

She brushes past me, and for a moment, I want to turn and pin her in place against the door frame. And perhaps, she expects it, too, for she glowers at me. It turns into a look of surprise as I step back, then follow her down the corridor to the elevator doors. She stabs the elevator button, then turns on me. "What are you doing?" she hisses.

"What do you think I’m doing?"

Her gaze narrows. "Don’t do that."

"Do what?"

"Don’t think you can change my mind about our dating."

I tilt up my lips. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

"So, why are you standing here with me?"

"Why, I’m waiting for the elevator, of course."

She tightens her lips. "You—" she begins to speak but the elevator dings. The doors open to reveal an empty cab.

I clap my hand on the doors to hold them open, then jerk my chin toward the cab.

She opens her mouth as if to protest, then changes her mind and walks through. I follow her in and press the button for the ground floor. The doors close and the elevator begins to descend.

We stand in silence for a few seconds, watching the numbers count down. The orange blossom, vanilla scent of her seems to intensify. I curl my fingers into fists at my sides. Do not do this, do not. You’re going to stand for elections; you’re on track to become the Prime Minister of this country! You don’t need to screw everything up by risking your reputation. And what choice do I have? If I let her go now… I may never see her again. And then I’ll have lost the opportunity I had to feel her, hold her, touch her, kiss her…. Kiss her.

I swing my arm out and slam the stop button. The elevator jerks to a stop.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

She reaches for the control panel, but I grab her shoulders and push her up and into the wall of the cage. Her jaw drops. "Have you lost it completely?"

"Would you blame me if I had?” I flatten my palm on the wall next to her face. “Do you have any idea what being in close proximity to you does to me, Zara? Do you know just how much I need to feel my skin against yours, my lips on yours, my breath mingling with yours, my hands cupping, squeezing, kneading your curves as I bury myself in your hot, tight pussy?”

Color flushes her cheeks. Her chest rises and falls. She opens her mouth, then raises her gaze over my shoulder and at the camera in the far corner of the cage.

"It’s not working."

"Eh?” She swivels her head in my direction. “How do you know that?"

"I have my means," I assure her.

Her gaze widens. “You mean to tell me that you knew how to get to that camera, in this lift, at precisely the time we are here and ensure the camera is out of order?”

I thrust out my chest, hold her gaze.

She draws in a sharp breath. "So this is how you use your power?—”

“—And my connections.” Thank you Michael.

“—To make sure you get what you want?"

"Only when it comes to you." I glance between her eyes. "I’d use any means possible to make you see the fallacy of your ways."

"And that includes accepting help from the Mafia to shut off the camera in this lift?" she snaps.

Very good. She’s smarter than I gave her credit for, but a part of me already knew that. She and I, together? We’d be unbeatable. But first, I need to tame my Fire. Not that fire can be tamed; contained maybe, temporarily. And I certainly don’t want to douse my Fire, but won’t that battle of wills be thrilling? A flush of anticipation pulses through my veins. My balls tighten. I widen my stance to accommodate the column that throbs between my legs, then incline my head. "If needed."

She seems taken aback, then squares her shoulders. "While I have to credit you on your ingenuity, I must warn you, you’ll never succeed in changing my mind."

"Is that a challenge, Fire?"

"It’s reality, Hunter." She tips up her chin. "Your background gives you the confidence to walk on the morally gray side, with the blind faith that you’ll get away with it, knowing that you are risking your career… And for what?"

"For you."

Her gaze widens. She reads my features, and she must see something there that gets the message home. She swallows. "Hunter, don’t make this more difficult for both of us."

“It’s very simple, Zara. We’ll be good together—more than good, we’ll have the kind of sex that comes along once in a lifetime—and you know it.”

“Excuse me, are you hearing yourself?”

“Are you, Fire?” I search her features.

"I’m not sleeping with you, Hunter." She firms her lips.

"You will.”

A shudder grips her shoulders, and her pupils dilate. Oh, she feels the certainty that has every part of me thrall. She senses the truth in my words. Her subconscious does, even if her rational mind is unwilling to accept it.

She tips up her chin. "No." The pulse at the base of her throat beats faster.

"Yes," I murmur.

She leans her head back against the wall of the elevator car. "Not sure what you’re high on?—”

“The nearness of your body.”

She chuckles, then rubs at her temple. “Jesus, can’t believe I actually allowed myself to laugh at that. Hunter, you have to stop this. You can’t keep—” She waves her hand in the air.

“Can’t what?”

“You know—” She gestures between us.

“No, I don’t.”

“You’re going to make me spell it out, aren't you? Fine, here it is. You can’t go around making these sweeping statements like you mean it.”

“I do mean it.”

“No, no. Stop right there.” She shuffles her feet. “Enough already with the cheesy platitudes.”

“Nothing cheesy about the truth, Fire.”

“Oh, my god.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “Are you seriously hearing yourself? You sound delusional, obsessed?—”

“I am, about you.” I lean in closer until my chest brushes hers, until my breath raises the hair on her forehead, until her scent intensifies, and I draw it in and hold her essence deep in my lungs.

A trembling grips her. “Hunter, this is all wrong. I can’t let you do this. I can’t let you jeopardize your career…and mine."

I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Or maybe, this is how we take the leap to finding a path that’s different, but much more satisfying for the both of us."

One side of her lips twists. She opens her eyes, and in the depths of her gaze, I see pain and regret…and something else. Something that gives me hope and squeezes my heart at the same time. It’s a kind of wistfulness, a forlorn yearning, a longing for something that is so within our grasp. Something that she is going to turn her back on. Again.

"Don’t do it," I snap.

"It’s already done." She lowers her gaze and, this time, when she raises her eyelids, there’s only calm acceptance, and a steely resolve. One that makes the band around my chest tighten further. I tighten my hold on her, and she stiffens. "Let me go, Hunter."

"I can’t."

"Oh?" Her lips thin.

"If I did, you’d hate me for not pushing my advantage when I had the chance."

"If you don’t release me, I’ll hate you more."

"I’ll take my chances." I lean into her, and she begins to struggle. Every brush of the sweet cradle of her hips sends a thrill of piercing lust radiating out from the point of contact. I pin her with my hips, and she gasps. A flicker of heat bursts to life in the depths of her gaze. Finally, fuck.

What I wanted to do earlier? I only temporarily managed to control my impulses. But being with her alone in the enclosed space of the elevator car, combined with her stubbornness in not wanting to give us a chance, has pushed me over the edge. I have no regrets that I manipulated the situation to essentially trap her here with me. I have no compunction that I’m holding her against her will right now. I’ll take every opportunity I can get to convince her to give us a chance.

I lower my head until our breaths mingle. I draw in her scent, pulling it deeply into my lungs, letting it sink into my cells, and allowing it to slide down to my cock, along with most of the blood in my middle section. My head spins. My muscles harden. I am so engrossed in her that it isn’t until my head snaps back and pain slices across my cheek that I realize she slapped me.

Anger pulses through my veins. Lust streaks under my skin. I glare at her, and the pulse at the base of her neck skitters. Her breath comes in pants, her pupils dilate, and something seems to snap inside of her. Thank fuck. It’s the same animal instinct I’ve tried to hold in check since I met her. We move at the same time.