“A traitor already,” he said, more playfully now. “It’s going to be a long couple of hours, but I’ll just have to find various ways to make time pass quickly.”
She had no doubt that he would.
While they enjoyed a delicious five-course meal, they talked to the other guests sitting at their table, a few of whom were already acquainted with Hunter. Elle was content to listen to their conversation between each delicious dish they were served and take in the atmosphere. She caught sight of Helena and her stepsisters sitting a few tables away and was eternally grateful that their backs were facing her so she didn’t have to withstand their nasty looks during what was an enjoyable dinner.
When they’d finished their rich, decadent chocolate ganache tart for dessert, everyone dispersed to enjoy the rest of the festivities. With Hunter’s arm settled around Elle to keep her close to his side, he was surprisingly attentive as they wandered through the various rooms, exploring all the fairy-ta
le aspects of the ball, which completely enthralled her. They stopped to listen to Raevynn Walsh sing her hit songs from the elaborately decorated stage that had been set up in the ballroom and then spent a good amount of time in the silent-auction area, checking out all the offerings on display. And though Elle didn’t bid on anything, and neither did Hunter, it was still fun to see all the extravagant items that had been donated to the cause.
She enjoyed another glass of champagne as they continued strolling through an area with fun fairy-tale backdrops and what looked like a real enchanted forest. She was laughing at something Hunter said to her when she saw Helena, Gwen, and Claire not far away, and their heads turned to stare at her as soon as one of her stepsisters realized she was in the vicinity.
Hunter noticed them, too, and deliberately steered clear of the trio . . . but as they made their way through the various rooms, she realized that her stepmother and sisters were following her and Hunter, trying to covertly watch what happened between them. Elle found it ridiculous and annoying.
“They’re very determined to spy on you, aren’t they?” Hunter said, sounding equally irritated by their persistence.
“It seems so.” If they weren’t at a formal event, surrounded by elite guests, Elle would have confronted them by now, but she wasn’t about to make a scene. “They’re wasting their time following me around when they should be enjoying the ball. I don’t know what they expect to see.”
“Oh, I do,” he muttered, a frown creasing his brows.
She blinked at him in surprise. “You do?”
“Oh, yeah, I do,” he replied, his tone piqued. “So why don’t we give them something to look at and gossip about?”
His gaze quickly searched the vicinity, though Elle wasn’t sure what for. But when he looked at her again, his whole demeanor had changed and there was a sly, sexy gleam in his eyes that had her pulse picking up its beat. Taking her hand, he walked her a short distance away, to a more secluded area where there was a huge, round pillar and less people mingling. Backing her up against the cool plaster, his hands settled firmly on her waist as he stepped closer, until she could feel the press of his thighs through the chiffon skirt of her gown.
She gasped at his outrageous move and what he planned to do, even as she realized that Helena, Claire, and Gwen could still see them. “Hunter, this can’t be appropriate.”
He smirked down at her. “After everything I’ve already said to you tonight, do I really strike you as a man who likes to follow rules? News flash, Just Elle, I hate propriety and decorum, and while I know it definitely has its time and place, right now, I don’t give a fuck about being a proper, respectable gentleman. Not when I’ve been dying to kiss you for the past few hours.”
Raising one of his hands, he pressed his fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head back farther and positioning her mouth just inches away from his. “You have five seconds to say no,” he warned, giving her the option to stop him.
His eyes were so mesmerizing as they stared into hers, and there was no denying what she wanted just as badly. Her lips parted of their own accord, giving him the answer he sought. As his mouth descended and slid across hers like heated silk, everything and everyone around them seemed to fade away, including the three people who’d been watching them up to this point.
Considering Hunter’s assertive personality thus far, she’d expected a fast, hard kiss from him, not this soft, sensual tease of his lips on hers as he coaxed them farther apart. With a soft moan, she invited him deeper, welcoming the slow, decadent sweep of his tongue against hers and the addicting male taste of him. The kiss gradually grew deeper, claiming her more thoroughly, and even though he’d told her he didn’t give a damn about being a proper, respectable gentleman in a public place, she felt his self-control and knew he was holding back from completely ravishing her.
When he finally lifted his head and broke the kiss, he was breathing hard, his jaw clenched, the hot, dark lust in his eyes confirming just how difficult it was for him to maintain his self-control. It was a heady, exhilarating thought that she’d brought such a sophisticated man like him to this heightened state of need.
“We’re done here,” he demanded, his voice gruff with arousal. “I want you all to myself so I can kiss you how I really want to without an audience.”
Between all his dirty talk throughout the evening and now this steamy kiss, her desire was at an all-time high. Without hesitating, she nodded her agreement. “Yes.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Hunter grabbed Elle’s hand in his and laced their fingers together, holding on to her securely as he led the way through the ballroom and around guests, his sole focus on the elevator located just outside of the ballroom. He pressed the call button, and as soon as the doors slid open, he stepped inside with Elle, then retrieved his private key card, swiped it through the reader, and tapped the button marked with a capital H.
“Where are we going?” she asked curiously. “Aren’t the upper floors the MadX-Tech offices?”
“That would be the second floor of the building,” he explained, which didn’t require a special key card to access during normal business hours. “When my brother renovated this warehouse years ago, he made the top three floors living quarters. Mine is the third, which would be that button with the H. The fourth level is my sister’s place, and the penthouse belongs to Maddox.”
She gave him a flirtatious smile. “Well, that’s convenient.”
He lifted her hand to his mouth and let his lips caress the backs of her fingers. “At the moment, very much so,” he agreed, just as the double doors opened to a marbled entryway. Up until this point, he’d never brought a woman here, but taking Elle to a hotel seemed pointless when his bed was so much closer and he was beyond impatient to have her.
As they stepped out, he released her hand, and she immediately gravitated toward the living room and the floor-to-ceiling panes of glass that overlooked most of the city. The apartment itself was all sleek, masculine furnishings and décor, courtesy of Tempest’s eye for design.
“Oh, wow, your place is incredible,” she said, her voice filled with awe as she set her little purse on the sofa table, then walked to the windows to stare out at the spectacular view. Without any interior lamps on, the entire room was shadowed, but the lights from around the neighborhood gave off just enough illumination so that it wasn’t pitch-dark.
The cell phone in his pants pocket vibrated, and he pulled it out and glanced at the text from his brother that was addressed to him and Tempest. A little anxious about how things had gone down with Maddux and Theodore, he opened the message and read the condensed note: It’s done. I’ll talk to you both in the morning.