He grabs my hips and lifts me. “Feet on my mine, now.”
I drop my heels down with a little more force than necessary, making him chuckle. He wraps a hand around my waist and moves in sync with everyone else on the dance floor. The more I fight, the worse it gets, so I let him guide my body. If only lifewas like this. Trusting someone enough to lead when you can’t do it yourself is a luxury I’ve only experienced in the army. It’s exhausting being responsible all the time. Maybe I need to stop thinking...
He arches a brow as he changes direction. My hands, wrapped around his elbows, itch for more. I drag my lip between my teeth and glide my fingers up until I clasp them together behind his neck. His eyes widen in surprise. It’s acting. One kiss for the show.
His gaze drops to my lips, and he sucks in a breath. I arch up and graze my mouth against his. Not quite a kiss, more like a promise of what’s to come.
“Eleanor,” he groans as he closes his eyes. A feminine sense of pride and power burns in my veins, knowing I can make a man like Hunter King shiver in anticipation. “You are a fucking tease.”
Tease? He thinks this is teasing?Buckle up, Hunter, you haven’t seen anything yet. My teeth sink into his bottom lip, and I tug on it lightly. “Fuck,” he snarls, his eyes snapping open and locking with mine. He hooks one hand under my ass and hoists me up as I wrap my legs around his waist. He spins, striding off the dance floor as his hand tangles in my hair, fisting it, tilting my head back so he’s staring at me. There’s a fire in his gaze as my back hits something hard, and his impressive erection is a hot brand between my thighs.
“You want to play games, trouble?” he taunts.
“Yes.”
“Let’s see who blinks first. Keep your ankles locked.”
He puts a little more pressure on my core as he tilts my head to the side so he can kiss and lick the side of my neck. His teeth scrape along my thundering pulse, causing little fissions of pleasure to dance down my spine. That feels… Wow.
I buck against him. I want his lips on mine. Now.
“Hunter, put the lady down. We need to talk.”
He stops the sensual assault on my body and leans his head against my shoulder, his body practically vibrating with need. I catch William’s gaze. He’s got his arms folded, and there’s an element of amusement on his features. Could he not have waited? I’m kind of busy being almost kissed by my fake boyfriend, and he’s interrupting before we get to the good part.
“Now.”
“Give me a minute,” he snarls. He’s fighting his erection, I realize, and there’s some part of me I didn’t know existed that is possessive over his arousal. Fury rises within me. I don’t want a crowded bar to witness it.It’s mine.
William rolls his eyes and strides away.
“He’s gone,” I whisper. “You can put me down.”
He jerks his head back, brow furrowed as he studies my face. Surprising me, he leans forward and places a soft kiss on my forehead. “This is on hold, but we have unfinished business, Ellie. Don’t even think about retreating from that fire.”
“It’s for show,” I whisper.
He chuckles with a shake of his head. “If that’s true, you won’t mind giving me your dry panties as proof when we get home.”
With that, he grabs my hand and begins stalking through the crowd to find his boss. It’s not the panties comment that has me flustered... it’s the home one.
Chapter Thirty-One
Hunter
Never meet your idol.
Ikeep a tight hold of Eleanor’s hand as we weave our way out of the bar and onto the street. The sun has set, releasing the moon to the sky, and with it, the thousands of stars I want to show Eleanor are within her reach. William throws open the door to his wife’s bakery, the smell of fresh bread still hanging in the air. It’s long past closing time, but I appreciate that we aren’t making the short journey to the compound which would likely freak Eleanor out.
Cheryl pokes her head out from the kitchen, no doubt doing some late evening prep for the morning. The day of a baker is long and hard, but she seems to love it. And Lord knows, she’s damn good at it. She smiles at me before glancing at the woman I’m dragging behind me. The door closes and Carlson appears next to Cheryl. There’s a little bit of chocolate on his chin, and some pastry flakes on his checked shirt he always keeps fully buttoned.
Carlson Evans is a child tech genius. He graduated high school a year early and was labeled a difficult kid because he could run rings around his teachers without even trying. His grandpa is a long-standing member of the MC and offered to take him from parents who were at a loss of how to help or manage their own kid. William didn’t question the move at all. One of his skills is finding out what makes someone tick and utilizing it for the good of the club, but also making sure the person gets as much as he gives. My bet is Carlson could give the legendary Ghost a run for her money. In fact, he probably already idolizes her. I glance at the genius in question, making sure she’s okay and keeping my face carefully neutral.
His gaze flicks to Eleanor, and his throat bobs. I was already aware he’d figured out Ghost was here; that was apparent the day we arrived when he alerted William to the hacker prodding at our defenses. A short conversation with the prez meant she was granted almost full access to our town so long as I took responsibility. Plus, it meant she owed him, and favors in the bank from someone like Ghost were too tempting to pass up. I’m aware Carlson has been taunting my little hacker, but she hasn’t mentioned anything. I figured it gave her something different to focus on besides the high-stakes crazy bullshit the rest of her life is bogged down with.
However, seeing the way Carlson stares at Eleanor, I realize it’s the first time they are officially meeting face to face. But he knew what she looked like. My eyes flick between the two of them, the carefully hidden confusion clear on Eleanor’s face. She’s not careless enough to leave any clues in the circles they run that she is even a woman, so when... oh. Well, fuck. The scent Charlie keeps picking up at the edge of the yard. My little hacker has a little stalker. Also figures why the cameras covering that part of the street keep losing periods of time. I dropped Carlson a message about it, three times, and he said hewould look into it. What he failed to mention was he was the fucking cause as he tried to erase the evidence of his doe-eyed appreciation of a woman that is a legend in his world.
William sits at one of the tables and waves a hand in polite demand to join him. Cheryl smirks, then winks before disappearing inside the kitchen. What meddling game is she brewing up? I don’t imagine for one second we will get out of here without a little interrogation from the Reapers’ queen. She will bide her time until William is done conveying whatever is so urgent he’d seek me out on a Friday night and disrupt what was about to become a very hot moment with the woman I’m falling for.
