“Hunt!” she cries, shoving me. “Oliver has been nothing but helpful and kind! Stop being such a dick!”
“Can’t help it. He won’t stop calling you princess.” I turn an exaggerated pout in her direction. “You’re my princess. Not his.”
“Don’t whine.” Shh huffs, crossing her arms. The movement shoves her perky tits up and out of her sports bra. My eyes dropto her chest, and my cock perks right the hell up. “My eyes are up here! Gah! Didn’t anyone ever teach you manners?”
I tug her closer to me and lift my brows. “Considering I was raised in the seventh circle of hell, no, baby, I didn’t learn any manners.” I waggle my brows. “But a few nights ago, I did learn what it takes to make my girl scream—”
She claps a hand over my mouth and screeches, jolting from her seat.
“Hunter Morris!” she whisper-hisses, shooting Oliver a wide-eyed look. “I can’t believe you just said that!”
I chuckle and poke my tongue out, running it across her soft skin. She yanks her palm away with a scowl. I hum, licking my lips. “Mmm, tastes like chocolate and sprinkles.”
Ella blushes and wipes her hand on her zip-up sweatshirt. “You gave me donuts.”
I nod and yank her onto my lap. I expect her to fight me since we’re surrounded by strangers in the tech room, but she curls up against my chest and sighs. It’s a testament to how worn out she is. I brush back the hair that’s fallen from her ponytail and tuck it behind her ear.
“Did you have enough?” I murmur. “You haven’t been eating. I can get you something else, or more donuts, if you’d like.”
She giggles. “As good as those donuts were—” Her stomach growls loudly, interrupting her words. Ella darts an embarrassed look at Oliver, who merely waves away her concern.
“Did you find them in the break room down the hall?” he asks. She gives a hesitant nod, and he grins. “They’re amazing, aren’t they? I normally eat at least three a day.”
Ella leans forward excitedly, and for a split second, I forget that I hate the little fucker.
“Are they from somewhere in the compound? The cafeteria or something?”
Over the last few days since we arrived, we’ve explored a bit more of the underground fortress. When Madeline said theLes Beaux VoyousCompound was twenty feet under the heart of San Francisco, she must have meant the top level, because the compound falls ten floors into the earth and stretches for miles in every direction.
According to Oliver, it was once a military research facility but had been sitting abandoned for over a decade. Though we’re still not sure how finances work inLe Milieu, there’s no doubt in my mind these people have some serious backers. They’d have to, to make this place all that it is.
He chuckles and adjusts his glasses again. I’m beginning to think it might be a nervous habit.
“Sort of.” His cheeks turn a bright shade of pink that reminds me so much of Ella’s, I can’t help but smile. “There’s uh, actually this girl—”
“Oh my God! A girl?” Ella squeals, clapping her hands, and bounces on my lap.
I grunt as her delicious ass presses directly against my hardening cock. I quickly bundle her in my arms, freezing her movements before I embarrass us all by coming in my boxers.Again.
“Oops, sorry,” she murmurs, not looking sorry in the least. She gives Oliver a puppy-dog look and curls her hands beneath her chin. “Do you like her? Tell me!”
I laugh, shaking my head and tug at her ponytail teasingly. “Leave the poor guy alone, my love.”
Her dimples pop out with an adorable smile and I can’t help it, I press a kiss to each. Fuck. How long have I waited to have this with her? We’ve always been touchy-feely, but things are different now.
There’s an ease about us. She ebbs, I flow. She moves, I follow. We’ve fallen into the romance part of love so fucking easily that I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Surely, it can’t be so simple to love your best friend?
“Actually,” Oliver says hesitantly. “Her name is Lucy, and she’s—”
“Hey, son,” a deep voice rumbles, followed by the sound of the heavy metal door clanging open. Oliver’s mouth snaps shut as Ella jolts from my lap. I move to tug her back, but before I can, the voice continues. “Maddie wants to know if you’ll be coming for din—”
Robert, Madeline’s husband, barrels around the corner, his face turned toward his phone in distraction. Though the room is loud with the sound of computers and people chatting, it feels like everything suddenly goes silent.
He must feel it too, because he comes to a standstill and jerks his head up. His eyes widen as he takes us in, his gaze sliding from Ella to me, before settling on Oliver, where he lingers for a long moment.
“Oh, uh, hey guys.” Robert shoves his glasses up as he stumbles over his words, and like a sheet being pulled, I finally see it.
