A Dominant Fallen (A Dominant Series Book 2) (5 page)

“I was confused,” I confess. “I missed you. I missed my dad. I was angry and depressed. I couldn’t help myself. Besides, we weren’t together so, technically, I didn’t cheat on you.”

“You’re right. I’m not mad. I understand. So long as you understand, it’s not to happen again. Really, Elle, you need to stop kissing everyone,” he teases.

“Ha! More like everyone needs to stop kissing me.” Suddenly, an awful, vomit-inducing thought pops into my head, and I have to ask, “Did you…hook up with anyone?”

“Hook up?” he asks, feigning ignorance.

“Did you screw anyone else?” I ask, annoyed he doesn’t give me an answer he knows I desperately need to hear.

“I know what you meant, but I would never call it hooking up.” I shoot him a peering look of mock irritation then smirk. “No, I didn’t hook up with anyone.”

I feel relief rush over me, and I ease into my nook, tossing my legs over his thighs.

“Good,” I reply with a satisfied grin.

“I’m glad you’re pleased,” He throws me a narrowed side-glance and a cocked brow. “And, a little offended you would need to ask.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why I did.”

“You asked because you were making sure I wasn’t naughty like you.” He sweeps his finger down my nose.

“Are you going to punish me?” I ask, unable to hide the anxious excitement in my voice.

“Possibly,” he answers with a nod.

“Great. So you’re going to taunt me with possible punishment.”

“You know me too well.” He smirks devilishly. “Besides, it isn’t fitting to call it punishment when you receive such pleasure out of it. I may have to find new ways to discipline you.”

“What might they be?” I inquire, a little too overly eager.

“What would be the fun in telling you?” he replies with a cocky smirk.

“This is a part of the punishment, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps,” he retorts nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders and going in for another sip of wine.

I decide to drop it and change the subject. I’m curious about what info Chase may have divulged, so I go with that. “What did Chase tell you exactly?”

“He told me about the kiss, Dante’s threat, and hinted toward other issues.” He gets this look of sudden recollection. “Ah, yes. He also mentioned my ex-sub.”

“Brooke?” I squeak.

“Yes. He called her looking for you…Did you tell him about me? Be honest.”

“Why would you think I did?”

“Answer me, Gabrielle, now,” he warns.

“Yes, I did. I told him I was your sub.”

“What else did you tell him?”

Oh, here we go. The dreaded interrogation. Why did I bring this up? Dummy.

“Not much. Only that I was your submissive, though I use that loosely, and how I felt about it.”

“Why would Chase call Brooke?” he inquires in that calm yet intimidating manner.

I squirm.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time together,” I respond truthfully, knowing he won’t like my answer. “He probably thought I ran to her place to hide out.”

“Have you?” He sounds displeased.

“Yes, she’s been amazing. She’s really helped me through our breakup.”

“Did you two talk about me?” he asks, and I can almost hear the fear in his tone.

“Yes.”

“What about me?” he asks impassively, but I know he’s dying to know.

Really? We have to do this now?

“About lots of things,” I answer, slightly annoyed.

He replies in a gentle reprimanding manner, “Gabrielle, please stop being vague.”

“We talked about our lifestyle, your relationship with her, etc.”

“Would you like to elucidate?” He turns toward me slightly.

“She taught me about being a sub.”

“Really?” He perks up, eyebrows rising with curious fascination.

“Yes,” I smirk crookedly at him, “Really.”

“Oh, come now. You must tell me what she said.”

“I’d rather show you…Actions speaking louder than words and all.”

“I look forward to it,” he responds with a huge shit-face grin, but it fades and his brows crease. “How do you feel about being my sub?”

“I loved it,” I assure him, taking his hand in mine and gently caressing the knuckles. “You know I did.”

“Do you still wish to participate?” He appears apprehensive.

“Yes, Mr. Hunt, I do very much.”

He lets out a satisfied sigh, taking a gulp of the wine.

“Excellent. Then, you may have this back.” He pulls my black and white diamond ring, a replica of his belt, my favorite belt, out of his shirt’s breast pocket. “I want you to wear this and never take it off again.”

He pinches my most significant finger and slides it on.

“Thank you. I’ve felt naked without it.” I run my finger over the white diamond buckle, gazing down at it fondly.

“I’ve been carrying it with me everywhere,” he confesses with a low, melancholy voice.

“You have?” I think I nearly swoon. “Then it makes it all the more special.”

“Yes, I carried it as a reminder you were real and not a dream.”

“I think you meant a real nightmare.” I smile up at him and he gives me a disapproving look. “Are the rules still in place?”

“Yes,” he answers with a firm nod. “Shall we review them?”

“No, I have them memorized by heart. However, I still want a contract as a guideline.”

I take another sip of my father’s private reserve. It’s flavorful and fragrant, the same wine I’ve always loved, yet there’s something different about it.

“I had them drawn up after our discussion in Seattle,” Hunt replies, breaking my train of thought. “We can go over it at later time. I would like to ease you back into the lifestyle. Ashamedly, I let my lust get the best of me last time.”

“I would like that. I want to learn. I desire this life with you as my Dom.” I smile up at him and nuzzle my head into his shoulder like an affectionate, little kitten.

He smirks down at me, amused. “I want to teach you and guide you in this life as my sub.”

“Well,” I breathe out, “now that everything is on the table, what shall we do, Mr. Hunt?”

“I would like to show you something if that’s alright with you?”

“They aren’t pictures of me sleeping while we weren’t together, right? I mean, you didn’t break into my apartment or anything.”

“I missed you, smartass.”

I roll my eyes. “I missed you too, control freak.”

He smiles down at me and chastely kisses my lips.

“Come. I want to show you.” He removes my legs from his lap and rises, extending a hand out to me. I take it, and he lifts me into his arms. “I can’t wait to get you naked and fucked thoroughly.”

“Well, what the hell is taking you so long?”

“Patience, my dear,” he gently reprimands. “We must teach you patience.”

“Delayed gratification sucks.” I pout.

“Yes, it can,” he agrees with a kinked smirk.

He releases me, taking my hand, and guides me upstairs. He walks us down the long hall to a door I’d never noticed before at the very end. We come to a halt and he turns back to me.

“I did this for you.” He has a nervous gleam in his mesmerizing emerald eyes. “Remember that.”

“Oh, shit, I’m not about to walk into a room full of bloody, hacked-up corpses, am I?”

He looks aggrieved for a moment, and I remember the detail about him finding his dead parents. I instantly cower, shooting my eyes down to my feet.

You stupid fucking girl. Are you really that dumb? Way to have a blonde moment you fucking…

He scoops a finger under my chin, lifting it, forcing me to face him.

“It’s okay, Gabrielle. You didn’t mean it.”

“I’m a fucking moron,” I utter.

“Hey! I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself in that manner. Ever. Do you understand me?” he asks with a stern yet loving tone.

“Yes,” I reply, nodding my head and smiling softly up at him.

“If you do, I will take you over…”

“Yes, your knee,” I interrupt, holding my hand up to halt him. “I got it.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome?”

He steps out of the way, allowing me to open the door to whatever lies behind. I grip the cool metal of the knob and firmly turn it, swinging the door open, baffled by what I discover.

Hear No Lies

I
scan the bedroom with a hurt curiosity. There is a massive bed with a plush white comforter, black sheets, and black pillows. The floor is white-stained wood with a huge white shaggy rug in the center. There is a sitting area in the corner furnished with black reading chairs and a little white table in between, with a large bouquet of white lilies, my favorite flowers, in an intricate crystal vase sitting atop of it. I notice there aren’t any dressers in the room.

There are three white walls with black crown molding, and one massive wall made of glass to our right, highlighting the same splendid view of West San Francisco and the brightly glowing Golden Gate in the distance. Everything is white and black, including Damian’s beautiful photographs of our spectacular city. There are a few of us mixed in from the charity, Olivia’s birthday, and about town.

He must notice me admiring them because he says, “Who knew the damn paparazzi were actually good for something besides sticking their cameras in everyone’s business.”

“Yeah. The vultures wouldn’t leave me the hell alone. It was really the cherry on my sundae. I’d done a good job of staying low key until you.” I smirk at him over my shoulder, and he gasps. “I’m happy I can still do that to you.”

“You do many things to me,” he murmurs, pulls my back into his hard torso, and shoves his face into my neck, breathing me in.

“You aren’t alone,” I purr, resting my head on his broad chest.

“No, not anymore, not since I got you back, and I never intend on letting you go again.”

“I don’t plan on going anywhere except your bed.”

“It’s our bed, Gabrielle,” he whispers into my ear, “yours and mine.”

“Fine, our bed,” I reply, lifting my head up and observing the setup of the room. “Would you please tell me what I’m looking at right now?”

“This is your room.”

My room?

“I’m not sleeping with you?” I turn to face him, still wrapped in his secure arms. “I thought you said it was our bed.”

“Of course you are, and yes I did. This is for you, when you need space or time alone.”

“I thought that’s what my apartment was for,” I retort, cocking an inquiring brow.

“You won’t be living there anymore. This is your home now. I’ve provided you with a hideaway. I can stand you needing time away from me, but I can’t
actually
be away from you.”

I want to tell him no, that this is ridiculous, but I won’t. Well, not now anyway. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers before we’ve had a chance to settle back into the relationship. Plus, I have no plans of going back there anytime soon.

“It’s a little odd, but terribly sweet.” I stand on the tips of my toes and kiss his chin softly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, angel.” He tilts his face in and returns my loving gesture on the forehead. “I used black and white for a semi-blank canvas. I figured you could add color, art, whatever you like. It’s your space. Feel free to do with it as you please.”

“Would you take pictures of us? Like the photos you replaced in your room?”

“Yes, I’d love that greatly. Are you sure you wish to expose yourself to my camera? It can be quite revealing.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to.” I set my hand on his chest, feeling his strong heart beat under my palm. “It would be an honor to pose with you, for you, an artist of your caliber.”

He lifts his hand to my face, tracing a finger down the side. “It would be an honor to photograph a woman of your caliber.”

He grips me tighter, heaving me into his hard body.

“Are you going to fuck me now?”

“No, I’m not going to fuck you, Gabrielle,” he replies, and I stare up at him, hurt by the fact he hasn’t taken me yet. “I’m going to make love to you, but not now. I want to make us dinner, unwind, and enjoy you on more than just a physical level. I want to spend time with you. Please, be patient.”

“Alright,” I reply, defeated. “I’ve just missed you. I want to be as close to you as possible.”

“Believe me when I say, I want you, angel. I always want you. However, we don’t need to fuck for me to feel close to you. Now, let’s get you changed into something comfortable and fed. You look famished.”

I try to remember the last time I ate. That is, besides the cheese and crackers I had downstairs.
Three days ago. No good.
Just then, my stomach gurgles, and I wrap my arms about my waist.