Hunt Me

by Elodie Colt

  Tears prickle my eyes as I watch him battling the conflicting emotions in his head. “Say the words, Daniel. I need to hear them.”

  He presses his eyes shut, and it takes him a small forever to open them again. “I love you. So fucking much. I need you by my side. I need you in my life. I just… need you.”

  “I need you, too,” I whisper, the words so heavy on my tongue I nearly choke on them. “But I don’t know how to do this,” I add, waving a finger between us.

  His hand finally leaves my throat, and he cups my cheek. “Me neither.”

  As if he can’t stand to go a second longer without kissing me, his mouth connects with mine again. The next thing I know, Daniel picks me up, wipes everything off his desk with no care about ruining his expensive stuff, and places me right where I want to be—underneath him.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” I can’t help but ask, although it’s pretty bad timing with Daniel still beneath me.

  And inside me.

  Daniel frowns, eyes still half-slanted in lust. He can’t keep up with my unpredictable mental leaps being all sexed up, and I fucking love it knowing it makes him even crazier for me.

  With a yank, he sits up cradling me to him and going deeper with the motion. God, I wish he could take root in there.

  “Depends,” he murmurs in a voice so deep, it vibrates through his cock and right into me.

  “On what?” I whisper, his answer scaring me a little.

  It was only hours ago he told me he made the decision to quit his business in favor for another one—a decision I hope he considered thoroughly.

  Daniel yanks up my knees to hook them over his shoulders, and I topple over from the sudden movement, Daniel burying me beneath him. The position allows him to go so deep, the breath snags in my throat.

  “How loud you can moan for me,” is his answer before he starts loving me with the passion of a wild beast. And moan I do—so loud, in fact, Daniel clamps a hand over my mouth to keep my scream from traveling all the way to the cockpit.

  Anyway, this is our great plan. I’ll stay with Sam and the girls for the time being while Daniel looks for a property nearby, switching his business from drug to art dealing, which, he assures me, will work with what he wants to accomplish for Valentina. He already bought the museum my mother owned, eager to fill it with my creations.

  He wants to make my dreams come true. He wants to give up everything for me. Until now, I didn’t know how love felt, but now that I do, I can’t live without it. Without him. Ever.

  “How did you know that Victoria would deceive you?” I ask afterward, enjoying the Mochaccino the flight attendant hands me.

  Daniel drags a hand through his hair. “A few years ago, Ramos and I made a deal. I would turn a blind eye to his business in exchange for him helping me find my father. We kept our collaboration a secret. Victoria thought Ramos was my enemy. When she came with the story that Ramos killed Piero, I knew she was lying.”

  “Wait…” I mutter when it hits me. “You knew? You knew Victoria was behind all this the entire time, and you let her—”

  His hand grips my chin, suddenly startling me, his gaze steely. “You were never in danger. Javier knew and played along when I sent you off.”

  “She had a gun!” I counter.

  “One that wasn’t loaded. Emilio made sure of that. It was all planned through.” His eyes are pleading. “I’m sorry. I never wanted to drag you into this.”

  “You kidnapped me,” I remind him with a playful smile. “You dragged me into this, literally.”

  Daniel gives me a breathtaking smile. “The best decision I ever made.”

  “True,” I agree, and we sit in silence for a while. “Did Ramos find him? Your father?” He nods. “Is he still alive?” I ask tentatively when I notice Daniel’s hand forming a fist. The hate he feels for his father equals mine. I can only guess what happened to him, given Daniel’s power…

  Daniel sidesteps the question and kisses me instead.

  ~~~

  “This is weird,” I mumble when Daniel stops the rental in front of Sam’s house. Everything looks the same—Sam’s car, the glittering curtains in Kendra’s room, the cactus on Ruby’s window sill, and Skyla’s surfboards lined up against one wall.

  Daniel plants a kiss on my forehead before I step out to reunite with the girls.

  “Oh my God, oh my God…” I smile at Kendra’s voice resonating from somewhere.

  “She’s here!” Ruby.

  “No way!” Sam.

  “Really?” Skyla.

  I lift my arms to shield myself as four girls bounce out of the house, ready to tackle me. Kendra hits me first, crushing me in a bone-tight hug.

  “What happened?” Skyla.

  “Are you okay?” Ruby.

  “What the fuck is this?” Kendra. Grasping my chin, she yanks my head up to have a better look.

  “A spider tattoo on your neck? Seriously?” Sam.

  “WTF? I thought you were kidnapped! When did you get a tattoo?” Skyla.

  “It’s a… long story,” I say with a smile. After the incident with the tarantula, I decided it was worth getting a tattoo of it, so we stopped by at Zach’s on our way here. Now, an image of the spider adorns on my neck.

  “You’re happy,” Kendra mumbles in disbelief. The girls frown at her.

  “Of course, she’s happy. She’s home again,” Sam throws in.

  Kendra shakes her head. “No, that’s not it. She’s—” Her voice falters, and I can guess what stopped her mid-speech when a car door shuts behind me.

  “Who the hell is that?” Ruby whisper-shouts, shocked.

  “Are you the asshole who took her?” Kendra yells all of a sudden, super pissed and ready to blow like a timebomb. “Are you the motherfucker who—”

  “Yes. Daniel DeLuca.” Calm and sexy as ever, he extends a hand, and Kendra’s jaw drops to the ground. “By the way, I’m also Leonara’s future husband.”

  This puts everyone short. Most of all me. “I’d definitely remember me getting engaged with you.”

  “Will you say no?” he counters with a cocky grin.

  “I hope this is not the official proposal.”

  “Come on. Don’t tell me you’re the girl who needs me to drop to my knees and put twelve carats on her finger.”

  I feign to ponder over this. “Too risky. I’d swallow it next time I suck my fingers after eating burger and fries.”

  “Oh my God, he is her future husband,” Skyla gushes, whereas Kendra is still fossilized.

  “They are… perfect,” Sam mutters in astonishment.

  I shut them out as my gaze continues to bore into Daniel’s. This was a proposal, or at least a teaser of what’s about to come, and if the grin on his face is anything to go by, he knows I’d answer his question with a three-letter word.

  “I need a drink. Or five,” Kendra mumbles, completely befuddled, and we all go inside.

  While I let the girls rave about me coming home with my kidnapper slash lover in tow, Daniel and I retreat to my room. Taking the painting from my backpack, I unwrap it carefully before hanging it on the wall and stepping back to examine it.

  “You don’t wanna sell it?” Daniel asks.

  I shrug. “My boyfriend is a billionaire, so who needs a measly million dollars?” Daniel chuckles knowing I’m joking and circles his arms around me. The painting is all I’ve left of my mother. To me, it’s worth more than money can buy.

  I turn around to face Daniel. His expressive eyes tell me he knows what I’m going to say. “Did you mean what you said out there?”

  “Hmm?” He feigns nonchalance just to keep me in suspense.

  I wiggle a finger between us. “The me-you-forever-until-death-do-us-part thing.”

  A mischievous smile tugs at his lips. “Did I take you off guard?”

  “You can say that.” I wind my arms around his neck inhaling his spicy scent.

  “Now you know how you make me feel all the time.�
�

  I grin, liking the idea of him fighting me with my own weapons. “You’ll never see me striding down the altar in a white dress, DeLuca.”

  “We could dye it aquamarine if you want.” I laugh but choke when Daniel conjures a ring adorned with a real, shiny aquamarine—the kind I only ever saw locked in a jeweler’s glass showcase. Not waiting for my voice to return, he slides it on my finger.

  “I’ve never had a ring that didn’t pierce my skin,” is my stupid remark.

  “No, but now you have one that will pierce your heart.”

  ~~~The End~~~

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  About the Author

  First things first—I'm not an English native speaker. I live in a boring little town on the outskirts of Vienna, Austria, so probably very far away from you! I'm an avid reader and have been reading English books my entire life. When I write, I can't think in my mother tongue anymore. For a long time, this was the reason I refused to take that leap of faith into publishing, because I feared I could never compete with the others. A year later, I decided it was worth the risk, and now here I am... Crazy!

  I’m a hybrid steamy/erotic romance author. Doesn’t matter if contemporary, paranormal, dystopian, or urban fantasy—I write & read them all!

  Relationship status—living happily with my boyfriend, not married and no kids, yet. I have a fulltime job in marketing and wish to make a living as an author. Let's see how this will turn out in the future...

  I'm too organized. Everything has its place, everything is planned. Also, I’m always busy and looking for work, which is pretty exhausting sometimes.

  I'm a music hoarder. My playlist spreads over every genre and is organized very neatly. I play piano and guitar pretty well, but I’m just playing at home for fun. I love to sing in my car. Dancing is my secret hobby. If I could turn back time, I'd build a street dance crew, but this ship has sailed, lol.

  I have an uncanny talent for remembering faces and names, but I’m shitty when it comes to directions. I'm not kidding you, I can get lost everywhere, especially on ski slopes!

  I don't function without my morning cup of coffee—Café Latte to be precise. I love movies, my Kindle Reader, snowboarding, wakeboarding and sunbathing. I hate The Simpsons (I know, I’m probably the only person in the world, but I just can’t warm up to them), zombie movies, and fish (as in the food—got sick once and can't touch that stuff ever since).

  My biggest idol is Stephanie Hudson, author of the Afterlife Saga. I've never read such mind-blowing books in my entire life. I dream of visiting her someday and just talk with her about how she invented such an epic story. So, Stephanie, if you read this, please let me know, and I'm on the next flight to the UK!

  That's pretty much the short version of it. If you want to know more or have the feeling you need to stalk me, find me on the usual platforms.

  Stalk me here: Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Website

  Acknowledgments

  Again, I find myself humbled by the awesomeness of the indie community, and I can’t tell you how proud I am to be part of it.

  First, I want to thank my kick-ass Street Team. Your constant support amazes me every time. Thank you a million times!

  Second, thank you to Nicole Locker. Your eye for the detail is amazing, and you helped me with a major story problem I figured out I had one week before release. You kept me from having a heart attack!

  Special thanks go to Jena, my PA. In the two months we’re working together now, we already accomplished so much! Thank you very much for your devotion, your time and your great work. I’m really looking forward to going on this journey with you!

  As always, a big shout goes to Yvonne, my cover designer who’s with me for a long time now and was super fast in creating the covers of The Heed Me Novellas. The result is amazing!

  My love also goes out to my editors at Swish Design & Editing Kaylene and Nikki. Thanks for your feedback, your attention to details, your support, and your constant help to improve my writing. You’re gorgeous!

  Last, but not least, thanks to everyone who bought my book.

  Love, Elodie

  Other Books & Upcoming Releases

  Standalone, In Blood We Trust

  The HEED ME Novellas - Contemporary Steamy Romance

  Book 1, Hire Me

  Book 2, Hit Me

  Book 3, Hunt Me

  Book 4, Handle Me, coming 2019

  The JAYLIOR Series - Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

  Book 0.5, Appion (A Jaylior Novelette)

  Book 1, A Flare of Hope

  Book 2, A Flare of Power

  Book 3, A Flare of Sorrow

  Book 4, A Flare of Love, coming 2018