CHAPTER 25
Hunter’s Goddess Of Victory
Hunter
Athree-beat knock, hesitant in nature, rapped against my front door.
I paused in the middle of spraying my cologne, brows drawn. Was that Gabriela? Hope sparked in my chest. I finished buttoning my black dress shirt and beelined it out of my bedroom.
It was Friday evening and the grand opening of Josh and Cade’s joint venture, an old establishment that once belonged to their dad, now renovated into a high-end nightclub for the reveling populace of Montardor. Our entire group of friends and teammates were going as a show of support. I offered to drive Gabriela, but my sweet neighbour insisted on meeting me there, choosing to hitch a ride with her friends. She left me on edge after sending a selfie that barred the lower half of her face and torso.
I couldn’t glance away from those crimson lips curved in a smirk, like she knew exactly what kind of effect she had on me, and the plunging neckline of her short, form-fitting, sequined red dress. A diamond necklace collared her slender throat and from the middle of it, a singular thread of jewels trickled down the valley of her plump breasts like a short leash.
I had the unfathomable urge to tug at the end of her necklace and make her crawl to me on all fours like a submissive brat.
Underneath the filthy shot, she had the audacity to text me:
If you’re a good boy tonight, I’ll let you unwrap me—Gabby
No choice but to fuck my fist in the shower, I’d been counting down the minutes ever since, excited to see Gabriela again after missing her for the last forty-eight hours.
Maybe she changed her mind, I thought on my way to the front door. Maybe we could go to the club together. Of course, after taking a quick detour that involved my mouth, my fingers, and her tight-as-fuck pussy. I wanted to kiss her lips until they were all pouty and leave my marks all over her skin so when we walked into the club, every motherfucker with a hard-on for Gabriela knew she wasmine.
But the second I swung open my apartment door and saw the person on the other side, my face fell.
It was my sister.
Dressed in her corporate work attire with an overnight bag slung over her shoulder, she stood blank-faced, head down, and completely drenched from the rain, the ends of her dark hair dripping a puddle next to her shoes.
“Heidi?” I mumbled warily.
Her eyes snapped up and that blank expression shattered, kaleidoscoping in many shades of distress and helplessness. “Hunter?”
I didn’t ask her what was wrong. Simply opened my arms. Heidi immediately rushed in, hugging me and trembling. From the cold rain or whatever was haunting her, I didn’t know. “Are you okay?”
“N-no,” she croaked. “I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced. I…I need to be somewhere that doesn’t remind me of Dad or Jaden.”
My rough exhale fanned against her forehead and I rubbed her back in comfort. “You never have to apologize. My home is your home. Stay here tonight, all right?”
I had a spare room that I converted into a guest bedroom in case Mom or Heidi decided to sleep over.
She pulled away from my chest and sniffled, registering my ironed dress shirt and how it was soaked from her hug. “Oh, are you going somewhere?” she asked and I nodded solemnly. “I-I didn’t realize. I’m sorry for encroaching on your plans.”
I held her tighter. “You’re not a bother, Heidi. I’ll cancel and we can stay in, hang out like old times.”
“I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that. Please go.” She wiped the tears from under her eyes. “I’ll spend the night here, if that’s okay, and be gone in the morning. I just want a reprieve from”—her gaze darted away briefly—“everything.”
If there was anyone who deserved a break, it was my sister. Sometimes, Heidi reminded me of a lonely leaf blowing in the blustery wind. Forcefully flowing with the current, nothing holding her down, and living life on everyone else’s terms. Her own wishes be damned.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I already knew her answer. Nonetheless, there was no harm in asking.
Heidi shook her head. “No, but thank you for offering.” She took off her shoes and her sopping blazer, a cloud of sadness looming above her. “I’m going to take a shower and then relax. Do you mind texting Mom to let her know that I’m here?”
“I will.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Listen, if you want to invite a friend, feel free to do so.”
Maybe if she asked one of her girl friends to come over, it would help take her mind off whatever was plaguing her thoughts—whatever caused her to leave work and rush here, rather than home or Jaden’s.
“I just want to be alone.”
