by Jess Buffett
She had just finished putting a few things in a carry bag when Hunter came back into the room, his shirt still unbuttoned, and his deliciously bare chest on display. She licked her lips as she drank him in. The man was simply gorgeous. Hunter’s lips quirked at her perusal.
“Honey, you might want to stop looking at me like that. I doubt Sebastian wants a show, and I really don’t feel like giving him one.” He chuckled.
Shaking her head, she tore her eyes away from him to see Sebastian standing in her bedroom doorway. Gabriella stretched her head back to gaze up at the man, feeling extremely tiny in his presence. Sebastian must have had at least four inches on Hunter. There was something about the other angel that made her pause. Maybe it was the fact that he was the son of Michael, or that the very sight of him in his golden magnificence was a little overwhelming. Either way, something about his amber brown eyes seemed very old.
“How old are you?” she blurted out. Heat infused her face at her unexpected words. She really hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
The older angel looked at her curiously. “Funny. That was the first thing your bonded asked me too. Do I really look that old?”
Hunter snorted, slapping the other man on the back. “Dude, you are that old.”
“Guess you have a point.” Sebastian chuckled. Turning his attention back to Gabriella, he said, “To answer your question, I’m one hundred and forty-two.”
“Oh, wow. Okay then,” she said more to herself than anyone. Gabriella figured the guy was older, but seriously? That gave a whole new meaning to the word for her.
Sebastian’s eyes danced with amusement before he focused on Hunter. “Anyway, I came here to tell you that we’ll be leaving soon.” His eyes slid back to her. “You’ll be safe to stay here while we’re gone.”
Gabriella frowned. “But I thought you said we had to leave before Ash decides to come back with reinforcements. I know we don’t have to travel far to search for Landon now, but surely we should try to find somewhere safer, shouldn’t we?”
“That was before,” Sebastian said simply.
Yeah, because that answered the question. “Before what?”
“While you two were, ah…well…busy…” Sebastian cleared his throat. “We had a visit from a few of our fathers. The external mess from Ash and his men was far greater than we could handle on our own, too wide spread. They told us that they had acquired the tower we’re in about a month ago and all of its penthouses, bar this one which Gabriella already owns. The residents have since been extremely well compensated, and what furniture that will need replacing is already being taken care of.”
Jeez, those angels sure don’t mess around.
“After fixing everything and making sure no traces of the incident could be found, they placed wards in every place imaginable. Apparently, the gold surrounding the penthouse floors will help reinforce the wards. They said there wasn’t a better place for us to finally set up. Set up for what, I have no idea, but then again I’m used to them only feeding me tidbits. It’s how they work.”
The man sounded bitter about that, not that she blamed him. Lack of answers were seriously starting to piss her off too. Hang on…what did he just say?
“Wait. So you’re telling me that your fathers own the entire tower? They’re the ones that bought it a couple of months ago?” she asked incredulously.
Hunter shrugged. “Well, it is one of the highest points in the southern hemisphere. Kind of makes sense that the archangels would own it.”
Make sense? When did any of this start making sense? Huh, she guessed she missed that memo. “And how did they manage to do all this so quickly?”
Hunter and Sebastian shared a look. “They’re archangels,” they explained in unison.
They’re archangels. Of course. Silly me.
“Guess there’s no point in packing?” she said, extremely relieved. Having spent so many years building up her business, the last thing she wanted to do was let it go. She would have though, for Hunter.
“No. However, we are heading out soon to begin our search. We’ll be in teams of two, Hunter you’re with me. The sooner we leave, the sooner we find him,” Sebastian replied.
Gabriella nodded, trying to hide how nervous she was to let Hunter out of her sight. She didn’t know which she feared more, the idea that he could be hurt, or that he wouldn’t return.
“Hey, it’ll be fine,” he whispered, kissing her softly.
Wasn’t that what he had said last time?
“I know,” she whispered, though who she was trying to convince she had no idea. “Just be safe, okay?”
“I will. I’ll be back soon,” he promised, then turned and followed Sebastian out of the room.
* * * *
Hunter and Sebastian had been gone for almost an hour when Gabriella’s phone rang. Seeing the number for the tower management, she answered quickly while making her way to the kitchen in search of coffee. This should be interesting.
“Hello?”
“Ah, yes. Ms. Richards. It’s Reginald.”
“Reginald, hi,” she answered stiffly, not knowing what to expect.
The man was a continuous thorn in her side when she made arrangements for functions. He was neither management, nor owner of the tower, however many requests passed through him. He had a god-like complex from the power such a position afforded him and enjoyed making things difficult. They had been in a silent war since the time she had gone over his head and spoken directly to management about an issue.
Had he given her a choice, perhaps she could have handled it differently, but as it had stood, the man’s arrogance had left her with no other course of action.
With the business she brought in, and the fact that she owned one of the penthouses, the management had been quick to appease her, which had served to piss the man off further. So Gabriella couldn’t even begin to imagine the gloating she would be on the receiving end of after the mess from last night. The men may have worked hard to tidy the debris up, but there was no hiding the gaping big holes left in the walls, or the shattered windows.
“Ms. Richards, management has asked me to call you and thank you,” he said.
She stumbled to a stop. “I-I’m sorry?”
“They appreciate that you and your brother will not be taking any action against them for the previous evening’s incident. It is terribly fortunate that no one was harmed.”
“Um…yes, it was?” Damn, that sounded like a question, but she really didn’t know what was going on.
“Yes, yes,” he continued as if she hadn’t even spoken. “Who would have thought bursting pipes could do so much damage? Regardless, we thank you very much for not taking things further. Though, since your husband’s company has officially purchased the tower I suppose it would seem rather redundant.”
Her what?
“My husband?” she inquired.
“Yes. The representative for the company revealed that you have in fact married one of the co-owners of Archsons, Inc. Is this not the case?”
Archsons? Oh, for the love of…
“Ah, yes,” she replied quickly. “Well, it was supposed to be kept under wraps, but I suppose the cat is out of the bag. Listen, Reginald, I have another call I have to make. No need to worry about the faulty pipes, I’m sure my husband will take care of everything.”
“Excellent. And congratulations, ma’am,” he responded, sounding eager to get off the phone.
Gabriella hung up, dialing Hunter’s number immediately, thankful he had thought to give it to her before he left.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, honey. Everything okay?”
“I guess that depends on what your opinion of okay is, husband,” she stressed the last word and waited for his response.
A nervous chuckle sounded through the line. “Um, yeah, about that…”
“Yes?”
“I honestly didn’t know until about an hour ago.”
She thought about making him sweat i
t out, letting him think she was furious, but she really didn’t have it in her. What she wanted was answers. “When will you be home?” she asked absently.
She heard his intake of breath. “Home?”
“Yes, home,” she said softly, suddenly understanding. “Come home when you can, and we’ll talk. You can explain things to me, okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be home soon, Gabby.”
The emotion in Hunter’s voice reminded her that none of this was really his fault, and that he felt just as lost as she did. “I’ll see you when you get here.”
After hanging up, Gabriella’s stomach alerted her of how long it had been since she had eaten. Deciding to go in search of food, she grabbed her purse and keys. Since it wasn’t safe to travel outside of the tower at that moment, she would make do with the café downstairs.
If Hunter would be staying then she needed to begin grocery shopping more often. Living alone, she’d never felt the urge to cook for one, but now…it could be nice having someone to share a home-cooked meal with.
Taking the lift, Gabriella slowly began to absorb everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Her life had changed so dramatically, and yet each time she remembered Hunter was back in her life because of it, she couldn’t help but feel grateful.
The doors opened on a ping, and she stepped out. Gabriella made it three feet before her name was called. Turning to see who it was, she was drawn up short by a familiar face.
“Brad? What are you doing here?” she asked as the man moved toward her.
She was taken a little by surprise when Brad wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. “Ah, Gabriella. It’s been too long.”
Extricating herself out of his embrace, she chuckled awkwardly. “Um, yeah. About five years, or so.”
“Like I said, too long,” he replied.
She felt more than saw the way his eyes raked over her, and she tried hard not to grimace.
“Five years? Really? Then I’m so glad my bosses insisted I come down here to drum up business. I hadn’t been too impressed when I got the call this morning, but I am now.”
“So you’re here for business?” She tried to act interested, but the man had always rubbed her the wrong way.
Gabriella had met him in her third year at University and had thought he was nice enough. Thinking nothing of it, she had invited him to her twenty-first birthday. Brad had taken that to mean she was interested in more, and her party had ended in disaster when he tried to persuade her to give them a go. She remembered being furious when he had brought Hunter into the conversation. Somehow he had heard about him, and rightfully believed that she was still holding out hope for him. Managing to ignore most of his remarks, it had been when he had spoken about Hunter negatively that she had become enraged.
Things had been difficult after that, and Gabriella certainly hadn’t missed him when they had graduated and moved on.
“Yeah, my bosses have been trying to get the business of some powerhouse group. Michaelson, Zera, Bailey, and a few others. Apparently they recently purchased the tower and have made it their residence, so I’m here to scout the place out. It honestly shouldn’t be too hard,” he explained, as cocky as always.
Oh, if he kept flirting with her, it would be impossible, she thought. One look at him and Hunter would likely tear him apart, not sign a frigging deal. And what was with this company? Granted, they hadn’t had a lot of down time to speak, but she suddenly realized how little she knew about Hunter and the others.
“Good luck with that,” she muttered, trying to make her escape. She was hungry and tired, and really didn’t want to speak to the man.
Before she made it even a step, Brad grabbed her arm, a little too tightly. “No need to rush off. Like I said, this should be a simple bag and tag.” He chuckled, though to Gabriella it sounded more like a cackle.
“Sorry, Brad, but I’m really busy.” Gabriella tugged on her arm, growing annoyed when he wouldn’t let go.
Brad laughed. “You always were too busy for me.” Moving closer, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’re still pining over that ridiculous boy? You know he probably did it, right? Killed his foster parents, set the fires. When are you going to give up this silly infatuation for a criminal and pay attention to the real men around you?”
“You mean like you?” she snapped, furious beyond measure. They were the exact same words he had said at her twenty-first, the same accusations. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Brad. Hunter is twice the man you ever will be, and for all his faults, at least he isn’t an egotistical, self-absorbed prick!”
The last part was shouted, and people turned their heads as they walked past. Gabriella didn’t care.
“Now, Gabby,” Brad whispered, hastily dropping her arm. “There’s no need to—”
“Don’t call me that,” she seethed. No one but Hunter called her that.
Gabriella shivered with anger, worried at just how much aggression she was feeling. She knew she had every right to be mad at the bastard in front of her, but this almost felt like she wasn’t in control. She couldn’t understand it.
Her body was taut, like a thin cord being stretched…a little more pressure and she might just snap.
Out of nowhere, strong, firm hands clamped down on her shoulders from behind, and Gabriella sighed, immediately feeling all the tension draining away.
Hunter.
Chapter 9
Hunter had sensed Gabriella’s tension from the moment he’d neared the building. Panic had flooded him when he thought she’d been in trouble, and jealousy swamped him when he caught sight of Brad.
All negative emotions fled him, however, when he overheard Brad telling her that he was there to gain the business of Archsons, Inc. A company Sebastian had set up a long time ago, knowing that eventually they would all need an obvious income not supplied by their fathers. They would need a foot in this world in order to live in it. The business had grown larger than anything Sebastian had ever envisioned, and by the time Hunter had joined the group, their individual net worth was enough to rival Gates, Buffett, and Jobs.
Hunter stepped up behind Gabriella, resting his hands on her shoulders. He smiled when he felt the tension drain out of her body at his touch.
“Everything okay?” he whispered into her ear.
“We were just having a minor disagreement,” she said, turning to face him as his arms snaked their way around her. “Nothing serious.”
Hunter’s brows furrowed as he glared at Brad. “It didn’t sound like nothing.”
Her fingers tangled through his hair and she tugged, bringing his mouth to hers. Hunter was more than happy to accommodate her. “It was, trust me,” she breathed against his lips, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss.
A throat cleared, and he fought the urge to introduce Brad’s face to his fist.
“I guess you did find a way to move on.”
Hunter heard the bitterness in the other man’s voice as Gabriella faced Brad again. “Not at all. Hunter, this is B—”
“Brad,” he finished for her. “Yes. I know.”
He grinned at the confused look she threw over her shoulder at him. He knew the moment she recalled the memory he had shared with her when her eyes widened.
“Wait. Hunter?” Brad asked suspiciously.
She sighed. “Yes. Hunter. And we were just leaving. Goodbye, Brad.”
“Do you really think it’s safe to be spending so much time with a suspected criminal? I mean, aren’t the police looking for you?”
Hunter could tell Gabriella was expecting him to snap, to grow angry at the other man’s accusations. Instead, he chuckled. “The police aren’t looking for me, Brad. A full investigation was launched to find me and the person responsible. Which they did, years ago. You don’t need to know the details, only Gabriella, and she already does. Oh, and while we’re in the midst of clearing up misunderstandings, you can explain to your bosses exactly why they won’t be getting a
ny contracts from Archsons, Inc.” He winked at her. “It’s not wise to piss of the very person whose arse you’ve been sent here to kiss, Brad.”
“Wait, you’re H-hunter Bailey?” Brad visibly paled when he finally made the connection.
Hunter’s grin was almost feral. “Yes, now if you’ll excuse us. I have to go ravish my wife.”
He heard Gabriella barely stifling her laughter as he latched onto her hand and dragged her behind him.
“Wife, huh?” She turned on him when the doors to the lift closed. “Something you forgot to tell me? Or should I say ask?”
If it weren’t for the amusement sparkling in her emerald gaze, Hunter would have been worried.
Using his body to press her firmly against the wall, he lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was sweet and sensual, but the underlying feeling was there, the need for her. He pushed the honeymoon phase to the back of his mind. There were other things that took priority.
Like proposing to the woman he loved.
Hunter wanted to curse whichever uncle had paid a visit to the management to set things up for them. Revealing Gabriella as his wife had forced him to move up his plans. There had been roses, candlelight, and so much more.
The doors opened and Hunter stopped her from walking off. He wasn’t headed back to the penthouse. Taking her hand, he opened the door to the stairwell. Taking the stairs, Hunter led her to the emergency exit door. Popping the lock, he pulled her out onto the roof of the tower. The sight was breathtaking, the entire city sprawled outward, not a thing was hidden from them.
Hunter turned to face her, slowly sinking to the floor, kissing her as he went. Once on his knees, he glanced up at her, smiling when he reached behind him to retrieve the small pouch in his pocket.
“I had planned a more romantic setting, and the view pales in comparison to your beauty.” Untying the string, Hunter allowed the ring to fall out onto his hand. Taking it between two fingers, he held it up to the woman he planned on spending eternity with. “This was my mother’s. My parents weren’t bonded but they did love each other. The day my mother told Gabriel she was pregnant, he presented her with this ring. She wore it until the day she died.”
