A Dominant Fallen (A Dominant Series Book 2) (44 page)

“I see,” I reply with kinked, puckered lips.

Liam gestures his hand toward the open cab and I step inside.

W
ork keeps me busy, and my mind occupied, but, every now and then, I remember the disappointed look on Hunt’s face and the emptiness of our bed when I went to apologize. He hasn’t made any attempt at contact and it kills me.

I tried calling up to his office, but Rebecca said, ‘
He’s busy, Miss Hyde, and isn’t taking any calls at this present time’
. I know what she really meant was he wasn’t taking any calls from me. I wanted to run up to his office and insist he speak to me, acknowledge me. I can’t take much more of this.

I’m about to march up there when, mercifully, Chase steps into my office and asks, “You have any plans for lunch?”

“No, I’m definitely free,” I respond with a huge grin, relieved by the distraction. Plus, Chase and I have had such little time to hang out and talk, and I welcome the opportunity.

“Awesome. Let’s bounce,” he says, with crooked smirk.

I grab my purse, and we head for the elevators in the reception area. Unsurprisingly, Liam is standing there waiting for us with his hands clasped in front of him.

“I’m guessing Hunt asked you to stand guard as well.” I cross my arms over my chest and give him an are-you-kidding-me look.

“Yes, he did,” he replies, crossing his arms and giving me an are-you-going-to-question, cocked brow. I giggle and let my arms fall to my sides. “Are you heading to lunch, Miss?”

“Back to Miss, huh? I really must be in trouble…Yeah, we won’t be long.”

“I’m sorry, Miss, but I will have to accompany you.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I sigh.

“No, but I’m curious as to how one might shit another,” Liam teases with a self-satisfied smirk.

Chase laughs, and I mockingly roll my eyes, fighting the smile forcing itself across my lips. Even though Liam’s humorous bandage makes me feel better for a moment, I still can’t help but wonder if Hunt will ever trust me again.

W
e eat at a little café around the corner from the office while Liam stands out front waiting for us. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous, but he has his orders and I’m not going to argue with them.

Chase seems anxious as we wait for our food to arrive, keeping his hands in his lap and his shoulders slumped a bit. This is not the confident, outgoing man I know, this is a whole new shade of Chase.

When the food finally makes it out to us, he doesn’t dig in right away as he usually does. He simply stares down at it, with an uneasy look on his lovely face. Then, after what seems like an eternity he murmurs, “So,” He pauses hesitantly, “I was hoping I could talk to you about something.”

“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” I take a bite of my turkey club sandwich and a sip of root beer.

“Well, as you know, over these past few months, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Maya, and um…” He trails off.

“Yeah?” I ask, putting my sandwich back on the plate and leaning into him. My curiosity definitely heightened.

“Uh, as you know, I haven’t been with anyone since her and I started hanging out…I’ve really begun to have feelings for her.”

I squeal and clap my hands, catching the attention of more than a few patrons. I wave my apologies and focus on him again.

“Oh, Chase, that’s wonderful!” His hand is resting on the table and I clasp it in mine. It’s clammy. “I’m so happy for you two.”

“Yeah, well, the thing is, I haven’t told her yet.”

“Why the hell not?” I ask and smack him lightly on his bicep. “What are you waiting for?”

“I wanted to talk to you about it first, to be sure you’re okay with it.”

“Chase, are you asking me for permission to date my sister?” I ask, bewildered.

“Yes, actually, I am.” He combs his fingers through his messy auburn hair. “I don’t want there to be an issue between us. I need to know that you approve and have my back.”

“That is…adorable,” I say with a giggle, and he shoots me a shy, crooked smirk. “Look, if you treat her well and you’re both happy, then I couldn’t approve more. I am totally thrilled!”

I leap up and kiss him on the cheek, throwing my arms about his neck. He exhales a held breath, and I pull away, noticing a smile slowly creep onto his lips as he realizes he has the all clear.

“Thank you, Ellie.”

I sit back in my chair and take a big sip of soda. “How long have you known?”

“I realized it at the party when she was flirting with
Dr. White
, but I’ve been too scared to say anything.” He almost seems to snarl his name.

“You have nothing to be scared of, Cahill.” I chuckle at his jealousy. “She’s liked you,
forever
,” I confess.

“I know.” He scratches his head, which shows he’s upset by this and tousles his bed head even more. “I’m pissed at myself that it took me this long to see it or reciprocate.”

“It’s better late than never.” I shrug and take another bite of my lunch.

“True,” he agrees with a nod of the head. “Enough about this…How are you and Mr. Boss Man doing?”

I take a large sip of my root beer and avoid eye contact. “What’s going on, Ellie?”

I’m not sure if I’m aloud to tell him, but I really need to get this out. I feel so apprehensive and unsure about us right now.

“Hunt’s really upset with me.” My eyebrows shoot up when I say, ‘
really
’, emphasizing my point.

“Why? What did you do?” he inquires with a lopsided grin.

“Remember when I asked you to hang out yesterday?”

“Sure, you told Hunt you would go home, and you wanted me to come with you.” He attacks his burger then asks while he chews, “What about it?”

“Well, I didn’t.” My face wrenches, as I know he’s going to agree with Hunt, which he always does. Traitor. They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately. More than Chase and I have. It’s great to have them work with each other rather than against, but I do miss my best friend and wish we had more time for each other.

“Jeez, kid, really…? Where did you go?”

I take a big breath before speaking, “I went out for a drink with Walker, which I now know was a huge mistake, and Hunt found me there…He’s more pissed about me breaking my promise, but I know he wasn’t happy about Walk, either.”

“I would be too, kid.”
There it is.
“What did he do about it?”

“He,” I hesitate, unsure of how much I want him to know, but I go on anyway, “punished me.”

“What, like, he spanked you?”

“No, not all punishment is physical.” I deflate and fidget with a French fry on my plate, trying to figure out how much I explain without saying too much.

“I don’t want to give details, but he isn’t talking to me right now, and I’m kinda freaking out that I may have taken it too far. I know I was wrong, and I deserve this, but its killing me not knowing what he’s thinking or feeling. He was so cold last night.”

“Ellie, he loves you,” he states, taking my hand in his, “and he will forgive you. Though, you really need to stop pulling this crap.”

“What crap might that be?”

He lets go of my hand and gives me an are-you-really-pulling-this-shit look.

“Don’t play the dumb blonde act…You’re smarter than that.”

“I guess old habits die hard,” I reply with a shrug.

Devious Plans

A
fter lunch, Chase leaves to go run a few errands, and I head back to work. Liam walks a few feet behind me, which feels weird, as if I’m some criminal or something. I make it back to The Huntsman and cross the black marble lobby quickly, leading us to the private elevator. I’m about to swipe the cardkey over the plate when the doors open and he stands before me. He has a subtle scowl and his lips are set in a razor thin line. He’s still pissed.

He doesn’t move or speak or even blink. He just stares at me with those piercing emerald eyes until I almost shrink under their scrutiny. A lump forms in my throat and the acid in my stomach begins to boil, rising up into my chest. My palms are sweaty and my heart pounds so hard, I would almost swear it was ready to burst out.

Hunt’s intense gaze turns on Liam.

“I’ll take it from here.”

Shit, shit, shit!

“Miss Hyde,” he says, gesturing for me to join him in the elevator with a fluid movement of his hand. I swallow the lump in my throat and take a steadying breath before stepping inside. The door shuts, and Damian reaches past me to the button panel, brushing his hand against my arm in the process.

I can’t take this any longer!

“Damian,” I murmur, but he doesn’t so much as glimpse in my direction. He just stands there with that perfect posture and wide stance, dominating the small space to the point I feel suffocated. It’s overwhelming.

Finally, he speaks, “What have you learned, Miss Hyde?”

Relief floods me.

I turn to him with tears in my eyes and a quivering lip. “I learned to never break a promise to you. I’m ready to change, to start moving forward, to give myself to you. I’m so sorry, Damian. Please, forgive me…Please, just say my name.”

He remains still, unwavering, as if made of stone. I let out a defeated sigh. I’m almost positive I have ruined everything we’ve been fighting so hard to protect. Then, when I’m about to give up, he strikes without warning, pinning me to the cool stainless steel wall. He stares deep into my wide eyes, piercing my very soul. His warm, silky breath teases my lips, and I breathe him in, filling my lungs with Hunt. My eyes shut, and I moan against his delectable mouth.

“Gabrielle,” he moans back, answering my pleas. “I’ve missed you, angel.”

“I missed you, too, slick,” I say breathlessly, barely able to open my eyes. I’m intoxicated by him.

He lifts his hand up and grasps my high bun, yanking my head back and crashing his lips onto mine. His other skilled hand shifts the hem of my skirt and clings urgently to my exposed thigh, lifting it up to his waist. He keeps up the body-shaking assault on my mouth, dipping his velvety pink tongue inside, tasting and devouring me.

I toss my hands about his neck, pulling myself up, and claw at his upper back. He grinds his body into me and his very hard cock presses into my aching clit, rubbing against it just right. Our lip lock breaks when my head flies back and I let out a screamed moan. He comes down on my neck, ravaging it with his firm lips and soft tongue.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he purrs, and his words vibrate down my body. He pulls his face away, breathless, and says in the most tender of tones, “You are the reason I exist, Gabrielle.”

“Oh, Damian,” I sputter out, bringing his stunning face back to mine, “I need you more than air.”

Our lips play and caress, petting teasingly. We’re about to go in for more when the ding for my floor interrupts us and the doors open.

“This would be your stop,” he murmurs. “And, unfortunately, I have a lot I have to attend to before the wedding.”

“I understand…I’m just happy we’re talking again.”

“Me too, angel.” He kisses the tip of my nose and pushes himself away, fixing his rumpled jacket and collar. “I’ll see you tonight.”

A
fter a long day of work and making up, I finally make it back to The Artemis, ready to undress and unwind from the long day, when I hear a noise coming from the kitchen. I freeze, terrified it may be Dante coming to finish what he started. I put my hand on the button panel, prepared to make a mad dash. Suddenly, the kitchen door opens, and the girls come walking out, talking and laughing, halting when they spot me.

“Ellie,” they all cry out.

They’re all here, Maya, Jules, Sloan, Aubrey, and Keira.

“What’s going on?” I ask, relieved.

“You didn’t think we would let you get hitched without a sendoff party, did you?” Jules inquires, grinning her dazzling grin. She’s dressed to the nines, they all are.

“I don’t know how Damian will feel about this,” I reply, biting at my bottom lip. I don’t want him to be upset with me again, especially since we just made up for my fuck-up yesterday.

“You have nothing to worry about!” Aubrey informs me, with a pleased smirk on her face.

“Oh, I…”

“Don’t you dare try to get out of this, Ellie,” Maya warns, tapping her heeled foot on the ground. “Now, march your butt upstairs and get yourself showered. We will take care of the rest.”

“Guys,” I begin to whine.

“Go!” they shout in unison.

“Don’t make us tell Damian you’re being difficult,” Keira adds, giving me that same don’t-test-me glare that Hunt has mastered.

“Fine, okay, I’m going…I’m going,” I murmur, holding my hands up in a gesture to calm them down, and head up to the master bedroom.

O
nce I’ve showered, Jules and Sloan come up to my bedroom to help me pick out an outfit and do my hair and make-up. I can’t take them into our room, due to the explicit photos of me hanging all over the walls. I can tell they’re curious as to why we’re in this room, or whose room it is, but they don’t say anything, ignoring it.