<b>Chapter </b><b>94 </b>
-HUNTER~
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The house was dark when I pulled into the driveway, my headlights cutting through the midnight air like
usations.
Vincent’s words echoed in my head: ‘Go get your woman.‘ But as I sat there, engine ticking as it cooled, doubt crept back in like a fog.
What if she wouldn’t listen? What if I had already destroyed whatever trust we had built?
I made my way through the back entrance, nning to head straight to the servants‘ quarters. I had to try….had to at least apologize for today, even if she mmed the door in my face.
But as I passed the kitchen, I stopped dead.
Celine stood at the ind, her back to me, reaching up into the cab for something.
She wore a short nightshirt that barely grazed her thighs, and her dark hair hung damp against her shoulders, clearly fresh from a shower.
The soft kitchen light caught the droplets still clinging to her neck.
My mouth went dry.
She must have heard my footsteps because she turned, her eyes widening when she saw me. For a moment, neither of us moved.
“Hunter.” My name on her lips was barely a whisper. “I thought you had gone out.”
“I did. I came back.” I stepped closer, noting the way her fingers tightened around the ss in her hand. “Couldn’t sleep?”
She shook her head, not meeting my eyes. “Caesar had a nightmare. I was getting him some water.”
“Is he alright?”
“He’s fine now. Went right back to sleep.” She finally looked at me, and I saw the exhaustion in her face, the lingering hurt from this afternoon.
“Hunter, about today…”
“I’m sorry.” The words tumbled out before she could finish. “God, Celine, I’m so sorry. The way I spoke to Caesar, the way I let Mother… I hate myself for it.”
Her expression softened slightly. “You were overwhelmed. I understand that, but…”
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“No.” I moved closer, close enough to smell her shampoo, something clean and sweet that made my chest. tight. “There’s no excuse for raising my voice at him. He’s just a baby, and he was curious about something perfectly innocent. I took my frustration out on him, and that’s unforgivable.”
She was quiet for a long moment, studying my face. “He asked about you tonight. Wanted to know if you
were still his friend.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “What did you tell him?”
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“That sometimes grown–ups make mistakes but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.” She set the ss down
on the counter.
“Hunter, I need to know something.”
“Anything.”
“Are you going to marry her? That woman…Mia?”
The question caught me off guard. “What? No. God, no. Where would you get that idea?”
“Your mother brought her here to meet you. They were talking about…”
“My mother brought her here to manipte me. To show you that there are women she considers more ‘suitable‘ for someone like me.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. “But I told her to leave. Both
of them.”
Celine’s eyes widened. “Both of them?”
“Mother’s is at our family estate as we speak. She’s overstayed her wee by about three weeks.”
Something shifted in her expression…surprise, relief, maybe hope. “You kicked your mother out?”
“I told her the truth. That Caesar has a mother who loves him, and that’s worth more than all the ‘stability‘
and ‘structure‘ she thinks she can provide.”
The distance between us felt like an ocean, but also like nothing at all. I could see the pulse at her throat, the slight part of her lips as she processed my words.
a
“Hunter…” she started, but I couldn’t let her finish. Couldn’t let her find reasons why this was still
impossible.
I reached for her, my hands finding her face, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. “I meant what I said this afternoon. About never hurting Caesar. But more than that…,I would never hurt you. Either of you.”
Her breath hitched. “I know. I think I’ve always known, but today scared me so much..”
“I know. I’m scared too.” The admission slipped out before I could stop it. “Terrified, actually.”
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“Of what?”
‘Of losing you. Of not being good enough. Of the truth, I’m still hiding.‘
“Of this,” I said instead, my voice rough. “Of how much I need you.”
Her hands came up to cover mine, her touch warm against my skin. “Hunter…”
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“Tell me to leave,” I whispered, moving closer until I could feel the heat radiating from her body. “Tell me
this is wrong, that I’m your employer and we can’t do this. Give me one good reason to walk away.”
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She was quiet for so long that I thought she might actually do it. Then she rose on her toes, her lips brushing
against mine like a question.
“I can’t,” she breathed against my mouth. “I can’t think of a single reason.”
That was all the permission I needed.
I kissed her like I was drowning and she was air, deep and desperate and full of everything I couldn’t say. She melted against me, her arms winding around my neck, and I lifted her onto the counter without breaking the kiss.
“Hunter, Again…we can’t…,” she gasped as I trailed my mouth down her throat, finding that spot that made
her shiver. “What if someone sees…”
“Everyone’s asleep. It’s just us.” I pulled back to look at her, taking in her flushed cheeks, and her kiss-
swollen lips. “Just us, Celine.”
Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, and I groaned at the contact. The nightshirt had ridden up, and my hands found the smooth skin of her thighs, thumbs tracing small circles that made her
breath catch.
“Your room,” she whispered against my ear, her voice sending fire straight through me.
I didn’t need to be asked twice.
I scooped her up, her legs still wrapped around me, and carried her through the dark hallways to my bedroom. The moon spilled silver light across the floor, turning everything ethereal.
I set her down beside the bed, my hands tangling in her damp hair as I kissed her again. She tasted like toothpaste and possibility, like everything I had been denying myself.
Her fingers worked at the buttons of my shirt, fumbling slightly in her eagerness. I helped her, shrugging it off and tossing it aside before reaching for the hem of her nightshirt.
“Are you sure?” I asked, even though stopping now might actually kill me.
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In answer, she lifted her arms, letting me pull the fabric over her head. She stood before me in nothing but a pair of simple cotton panties, and I had never seen anything more beautiful in my life.
“Jesus, Celine.” My voice was hoarse with want.
She blushed, starting to cover herself, but I caught her hands.
“Don’t. You’re perfect.”
I kissed her again, slower this time, mapping every inch of her mouth while my hands explored the curves I’d been imagining for weeks.
She arched against me when I found her breast, her nipple hard against my palm.
“Hunter, please,” she gasped, and the sound of my name on her lips nearly undid me.
We fell back onto the bed together, all hands and mouths and desperate sounds. I kissed body, taking my time despite the urgency coursing through my veins.
When I reached the edge of her panties, I looked up at her.
“Tell me what you want,” I murmured against her hip bone.
“You,” she breathed. “All of you.”
way down her <fnd187> The rightful source is FιndNovel</fnd187>
I hooked my fingers in the stic and slowly pulled them down her legs, pressing kisses to every inch of
skin I revealed. When I settled between her thighs, her hands fisted in the sheets.
“Oh God,” she moaned as I tasted her, her back arching off the bed.
I took my time, learning what made her gasp, what made her tremble. When she finally came apart beneath my mouth, crying out my name, I felt like I could conquer the world.
She pulled me up to her, her hands shaking as she worked at my belt. I helped her, kicking off my pants and
boxers before settling over her again.
“I need to get….”
“I’m on birth control,” she whispered, her face flushing. “And I’m clean. I haven’t been with anyone since…”
‘Since Ceasar’s father and you.‘ The thought should have bothered me, but all I felt was gratitude that she
was here, that she was mine.
“Me too,” I assured her, positioning myself at her entrance. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, pulling me down for another kiss as I slowly pushed inside her. We both gasped at the
sensation, the perfect fit of our bodies together.
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“Fuck,” I breathed against her mouth. “Celine…”
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She felt like heaven, warm and tight around me. I stayed still for a moment, letting her adjust, pressing soft
kisses to her face until she shifted beneath me.
“Move,” she whispered. “Please.”
I started slow, building a rhythm that had us both breathing hard. Her nails raked down my back, spurring me on, and I lost myself in the feeling of her, in the soft sounds she made, in the way she said my name like
a prayer.
“Harder,” she gasped, and I was helpless to deny her anything.
The bed creaked beneath us as I picked up the pace, driving deeper, chasing the building pressure in my
spine. She wrapped her legs around my waist again, changing the angle, and we both cr
“I’m close,” she panted, her head thrown back. <ol><li>t. </li></ol>
“Look at me,” Imanded, and when her eyes found mine, dark and zed with pleasure, I knew I was
lost. “Come for me, Celine.”
She shattered around me, her body clenching tight, and I followed her over the edge with a groan that
seemed toe from my soul.
We copsed together, breathing hard, sweat cooling on our skin. I pulled her against me<b>, </b>tucking her head
under my chin, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
{3:17 AM}
Now she sleeps beside me, one arm draped over my chest, her fingers syed over my heart. The
moonlight paints everything silver…her bare shoulder, the curve of her spine, the tangle of dark hair across my pillow.
But I can’t sleep.
The DNA test burns in my memory like a brand. ‘Caesar is mine.‘ The words echo in the darkness,
demanding to be spoken.
I should feel triumphant. Powerful. In control. Instead, I feel terrified.
‘What if she hates me for not telling her sooner? What if she leaves? What if I lose this–the quiet, the
warmth, the family I never thought I wanted?‘
I turn slightly, watching her face, so peaceful in sleep. There’s no trace of the heartbreak I know wille when the truth finally spills out.
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I want to tell her. Right now. Wake her up, cradle her face in my hands, and confess everything. But I don’t. Because the moment I tell her, everything changes.
No more stolen kisses. No more quiet moments with Caesar. No more pretending we’re something fragile
and secret.
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The illusion will shatter.
Instead, I whisper what I should have said hours ago: “I love you.”
It slips out unguarded, raw, and soft. A confession she doesn’t hear.
But it’s true. God help me, I love her.
I close my eyes and wrap my arms tighter around her as if by holding her close, I can keep t1 just a little longer.
uth at bay
But it’sing. I can feel it in the silence, in the way my heart stutters beneath her hand, in the knowledge that this peace won’tst forever.
Tomorrow, I’ll tell her everything.
Tonight, I’ll hold her and pretend we have all the time in the world.