Coldhearted Heir (The Heirs Book 1)

by Michelle Heard

  Fuck this shit. I’m done.

  I rush out of the club, and only when I reach the sidewalk, do I realize I forgot my purse on the table, so I can’t even call a cab. It’s a thirty-minute walk at most. I can do it.

  I stalk down the road, angry at myself for getting jealous when I have no claim to Hunter.

  I thought…

  Doesn’t matter what I thought. I must’ve just imagined things. Hunter and I are just friends. At least I have that.

  HUNTER

  A curtain of dark silky hair falls over my shoulder, and then I hear Mila say, “I think Jade left.”

  “What?” I dart from the chair, and my eyes snap up to our table. Seeing only Hana and Noah sitting at it, I frown at Mila. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, and she left her bag. I thought she was just stepping out for fresh air, but she’s been gone for ten minutes. I went to check, and there’s no sign of her.”

  “Christ, Mila! You should’ve told me the second she left,” I snap. I break out into a run, and when the cold night air rushes over me, worry claws up my spine.

  I yank my car keys out of my pocket and run to the vehicle. Getting behind the wheel, the engine roars to life, and the tires squeal as I pull out of the parking area. I search along the road as I drive, hoping she just decided to walk home, and nothing bad happened to her.

  Dark thoughts start to swarm in my head, making my heart race with fear. I’m about to have a panic attack from worry when I find her down the next street, heading in the direction of Trinity’s campus. For a moment, I feel relief ripple through me.

  If Mila didn’t see Jade leave the club, Jade would be walking home alone. At fucking night! God knows what could’ve happened to her.

  When the headlights of my car shine over her, she doesn’t glance back, but instead, wraps her arms around her waist and keeps walking.

  It’s fucking cold outside, and the jeans and silk shirt she’s wearing can’t possibly offer her any warmth. I swerve the car around her then bring it to a stop a couple of feet ahead of her. Shoving the door open, I jump out.

  Jade stops walking, her eyes on me as I stalk toward her. I stop an inch from bumping into her. Shrugging out of my jacket, I drape it around her shoulders.

  Tilting her head back, she stares up at me with her eyes sparking with anger. Even in the darkness, I can see how pale her cheeks are from the cold.

  “Left arm,” I grumble, wanting to get her warm before we talk. Thankfully Jade listens, and I pull the sleeve up her arm, before moving the right. “Right arm.” With the way too big fabric of my jacket covering her, I feel a little better but then growl, my voice low and hoarse, “Don’t ever do that again,”

  A hurt look ripples over her face as she snaps, “Fine.”

  “Why did you leave the club?” I ask, wanting to know what had her so upset she’d rather fucking walk home than ask for a ride.

  Her features tighten, and her eyes narrow on me before she turns her glares to the road. “I’m tired and wasn’t about to watch you and Jessica hook up.”

  Her words are a shock. A good one that makes all my anger fade like mist before the sun.

  “Look at me.” My eyes burn into the top of her head until she lifts her face and brings her simmering gaze to mine. “You got jealous?” I ask to make sure I’m not just hearing things.

  Things I so desperately want to hear.

  Fuck. Please say yes. Please. I can’t keep pretending to be friends a minute longer.

  Letting out a sigh, she shakes her head at me, then snaps, “Yes, Hunter. I got jealous.”

  Lifting my hands to her face, I frame her cheeks, my fingers splaying into her hair, and then I crush my mouth to hers.

  I always thought a kiss was just a kiss.

  Until Jade.

  The second my lips touch hers, everything around us fades away. The cold. The street. The past.

  Everything, but Jade.

  My need to touch her, to make her mine is demanding, and filled with desperation. Jade parts her lips for me, and without a second’s hesitation, my tongue sweeps inside, staking its claim.

  I move one hand to the back of her neck, and I hold onto her like she’s a lifeline.

  Because she is.

  She’s always been my lifeline. Even during our fights, she was my everything. I’d rather spend a lifetime of fighting with Jade than a second without her fire, bringing warmth to my life.

  Jade’s hands come up, and she grabs hold of my biceps as her body presses into mine.

  I nip hungrily at her bottom lip before plunging my tongue back inside the inviting warmth of her mouth.

  Fuck.

  The intensity of the moment crashes over me, and for a moment, I rock on my feet. I wrap my other arm around Jade’s waist and pull her tightly against me.

  I’m never letting you go again.

  Never.

  I pour the words into the kiss, and Jade pushes her body onto her tiptoes to get closer to me. Her fingers trail into my hair as she meets the strokes of my tongue with her own.

  Never in a million years would I have guessed the passion behind our fights would lead to this moment.

  This is why our fire never burned out but instead kept growing out of control. It was bound to destroy us or fuse us together.

  I’m so fucking relieved it’s the latter.

  Our lips crush against each other, our bodies melting together. Jade clings to me as I move my hands down to her ass, and gripping hold of her, I lift her. She wraps her legs around my waist, her hands grabbing fistfuls of my hair as her tongue continues to lick the inside of my mouth.

  The heat of her core pressing against my abs has my cock going hard as steel at record speed.

  Fuck, I feel like superman.

  Jade’s always challenged me. She took me to the highest highs and lowest lows. My blood rushes through my body with want for this woman. Wanting her all to myself, I break the kiss and walk us to the car. “We need to get off the street.”

  Before I take you right here.

  Jade nods, her breaths exploding over my skin as she ducks her face into the crook of my neck.

  Reaching the vehicle, I drop her to her feet and open the passenger door. When I look down at Jade and see her swollen pink lips, I can’t resist and press my mouth to hers. Just a single hard kiss because I’d much rather continue this in the privacy of our suite, instead of next to a street where anyone can see us.

  When I have her seated in the passenger side, I reach for the seat belt and pull it around her. Once I have the belt clicked into place, I pull back and look at her. Her flushed cheeks have me leaning in and pressing another quick kiss to her mouth.

  Silence fills the car on the drive back to the campus. I park the vehicle and climb out. Rushing around the front, I go to open the passenger door. When Jade gets out, I take hold of her hand and walk into our dorm.

  When we step into the elevator, Jade glances up at me. “Just so I don’t misunderstand things, what just happened?”

  “We happened,” I murmur, my voice still hoarse from the intensity between us.

  “We happened?” she asks, confusion flitting over her features.

  Not wanting to scare her off, I bite my declaration of love back. It might be too soon for Jade to hear. She needs time to get used to the idea of us as a couple.

  Us.

  A couple.

  A smile begins to play over my face. “Yeah, we,” I say as the doors slide open. I take hold of Jade’s hand again and walk to our suite. Using my free hand, I swipe the keycard through the lock, and once we’re inside and the door is closed behind us, I turn to face Jade and spell things out for her, “You and me. It’s happening, Jade.”

  Chapter 21

  JADE

  Hunter wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his solid chest.

  Hollllleeeeyyyyyy shit.

  I can’t believe what’s happening right now. Hunter just kissed me like I’ve never been kissed before.
My heart’s a happy mess, but worry still blurs the edges of what could be my happily-ever-after.

  “Are you sure?” I ask, concerned that he might just be reacting to residual emotions he has left from all our fights.

  Turning his head, he presses a kiss to the crook of my neck. My eyes drift shut from the amazing tingles, caused by Hunter’s lips on my skin.

  “Yes,” he breathes, his word fanning hot air onto my neck and sending a wave of goosebumps rushing over my body. “Are you sure?”

  Am I?

  I’m not sure if this is the best thing for us, but I’m certain it’s what I want.

  “I’m scared it will affect our friendship,” I admit. I’ve screwed up so much where Hunter is concerned, that I don’t want to risk losing him.

  Hunter tilts his head and giving me a reassuring smile, he says, “Jade, if we could survive the last two years, we can survive anything.”

  I never thought of it that way. I’ve put us through hell, and Hunter never backed off. He stayed by my side every step of the way.

  A relieved grin spreads over my face. “You’re right.”

  His eyes soften as he stares at me for a while, then he whispers, “I want to kiss you.”

  Anticipation rushes down my spine. “Nothing stopped you before,” I tease.

  “Yeah,” he gives me a sexy grin that has my stomach doing Olympic-worthy cartwheels. “Can I kiss you, Jade?”

  I nod, my tongue darting out to wet my lips as the anticipation keeps growing.

  Pushing against my body with his, Hunter steers me toward the living room. He sits down and taking hold of my hips, he tugs me forward. I climb onto his lap, resting a leg on either side of his lower body.

  Hunter lifts his hands to my face and framing my cheeks, he pulls me toward him. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmurs. One of his hands slides up behind me, and he wraps his fingers around the back of my neck.

  Staring into his blue eyes, I’m caught in their depths. I’m highly aware of the feel of his body against mine, and a cloud of desire begins to drift over me.

  “Can’t you feel it too?” he asks, his eyes hooded on me.

  “Damn, it’s all I can feel. Kiss me already!” I wrap my arms around his neck, and not wanting to wait for another second, I fuse my mouth to his.

  A deep groan escapes from Hunter’s mouth as his lips begin to war with mine for control of the kiss. It’s a new war — One I’ll gladly lose for Hunter.

  Sparks zap between us until the air feels electric. Heat sizzles through me, making anticipation and want whirl in my abdomen for this man.

  My brain grows fuzzy, and my limbs heavy as Hunter continues to stroke the inside of my mouth with his skilled tongue. I love the taste of him and can easily become addicted.

  When I need air, I break the kiss, but I don’t pull away. Our breaths rush into each other, and our eyes lock.

  I’m just about to kiss him again when the door opens.

  “Fuck,” Jase exclaims when he spots me on Hunter’s lap. “Ookkaaayyy…” He tilts his head and frowns. “I’ve had way too much to drink to deal with this right now.”

  Mila bumps into his back and growls, “Move your ass. I need to pee.”

  “Hey,” Hunter says, his voice a little hoarse. “You’re back.”

  “Ahh, um…” Mila stutters while getting out of everyone’s way. The group files into the suite, each one coming to a stop when their eyes land on Hunter and me.

  “Finally,” Fallon yells and rushing over to us, she throws her arms around us. “I’m so happy!”

  “Are you guys a couple now, or is this a new way of fighting?” Jase asks.

  My eyes dart to Hunter’s, and not wanting to assume things, I leave it to him to answer Jase as I quickly move to sit next to him.

  Hunter’s eyes drift over my face, and a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. With a sexy grin, he says, “We are definitely a couple.”

  Definitely. That’s a solid yes, right?

  With my eyes locked with Hunter’s, our friends let out sighs of relief and hollers of joy.

  Hunter pulls me into a hug, and when I feel his breath skim over my ear, he whispers, “I’ve fought so damn hard for you. No one will ever fight for you the way I will. Be mine?”

  I’m overwhelmed with happiness and pull back a little as tears blur my eyes. I close them for a moment as I take deep breaths while I try to regain control over the happy mess inside of me.

  When I open my eyes, it’s to see a worried look on Hunter’s face. Everyone is quiet as if they’re waiting for a bomb to drop, and I can’t blame them.

  I clear my throat before I say, “You’ve always been my best friend, who stood by my side even when I tried to push you away. You’re the man of my dreams, I never knew I was dreaming about.” I take a deep breath and can’t keep the tear from falling as I continue, “Hunter, I loved you during the happiest and darkest moments of my life. When my life fell apart, and I dealt the only way I knew how to, you took every blow.”

  A sob shudders through me, and it’s all from realizing what I almost lost, and how much I have.

  I blink the tears away so I can see his face. “I’ve always cared for you as a friend, but now… I love you with everything I have.”

  I don’t care that I just laid my soul bare to Hunter, or that it happened in front of everyone. All I care about is that he knows how much he means to me. I never want a day to pass where Hunter doesn’t know he’s everything to me. He’s the ground beneath my feet, the sun warming the coldest parts of my being.

  Hunter takes a deep breath, a look of awe parting his lips, and then he yanks me against him, and our lips crash together. It’s a hard but quick kiss, then he says, “Thank fuck.” Another kiss. “God, you made me work my ass off.” Kiss. “I’m never letting you go no matter how damn angry you get when we fight.” Kiss. “Fuck.” Kiss. “Finally.”

  When I begin to chuckle, he pulls back, and with his eyes smiling into mine, he whispers, “You were always meant to be mine, Jade. Love doesn’t come close to describing how I feel about you.” His fingers trail over my face. “Your fire… christ, you’re fire. I live for it.”

  “God, I drank too much,” Jase sniffles. “I can’t believe I’m fucking crying.” Disgusted, he wipes a tear from his cheek.

  Mila and Hana are clinging to each other, happily smiling at us. Kao and Noah just grin at us.

  But Fallon… Fallon’s a sobbing mess, relief coming off her in waves, and I know Hunter and I fighting must’ve been so hard for her.

  I reach over to her and give her hand a squeeze. “And we love you for always being the middle man… ah… woman between us.”

  “I’m just so glad,” she says. “I feel like a proud mom whose kids finally made up.”

  I let out a chuckle and hug Fallon. Before I finish wrapping my arms around her, everyone piles onto us.

  “Ahhh…. Get off,” Fallon cries with laughter. “Y’all weigh a ton.”

  HUNTER

  I’ve hardly slept as the morning sun begins to creep over the horizon.

  I kept replaying the previous night in my mind, scared I’d wake up to it all being a dream.

  Excitement bubbles in my chest as I throw the covers back. Walking into the ensuite bathroom, I reach into the shower and turn on the water. Stripping out of my sweatpants, I step under the spray and go through my routine.

  Done, I dry myself off and wrap the towel around my waist. I brush my teeth and shave, then walk to my closet. My eyes scan over all the outfits, and wanting to look good, I grab a black pair of cargo pants, a button-up shirt to match and black leather brogues from Versace.

  I roll the sleeves of the shirt up to my elbows as I head to my desk to grab my Rolex and strap it onto my wrist.

  Pleased with how I look, I open my bedroom door and seeing Jade’s is open, I glance inside. There’s no sign of her, so I’m guessing she’s at the gym.

  Jase yawns as I walk into the kitchen. �
��You want some coffee?”

  “Please.” I sit down at the counter and grin at him. “I didn’t sleep a wink.”

  He glares at me. “Then why do you look so awake. I’m dead on my feet. I swear I’m going to sleep through all my lectures.”

  “Serves you right for partying so hard,” I taunt him.

  He places a mug in front of me and drinks a huge gulp from his own before he says, “You being on cloud nine with love is too much so early in the morning.” Finishing his coffee, he slumps back to his room.

  I chuckle as I drink my own beverage, and I’m busy rinsing out my mug when the door opens. Jade comes in, her eyes on her phone as she takes the earphones out. She’s sweaty and still catching her breath, but damn, the outfit looks fucking good on her.

  “Morning,” I say as I lean back against the counter.

  Her head snaps up, and she stops dead in her tracks. “Morning.”

  I grin at her. “We’re a couple.”

  She lets out a burst of laughter. “Yeah. So that happened last night.”

  I know she’s not going to hit our relationship running. Jade has only had one boyfriend, and she needs time to get used to the idea.

  Boyfriend.

  My grin widens. “You’re my girlfriend.”

  A blush creeps over her face, as she admits what I was just thinking, “I have to get used to the idea.”

  Pushing away from the counter, I walk toward her. Jade’s eyes drift over me, and when I see them turn darker, I feel fucking pleased that she likes what she sees.

  When I lift a hand to her face, she yanks away from me. “No, I’m all sweaty from the jog. Let me shower first.”

  I dart forward and framing her face, I plant a hard kiss to her mouth, then growl, “You all sweaty is one hell of a turn on.”

  “Hunter,” she gasps, her face instantly turning a bright shade of red. She pulls free and darts around me, running for the safety of her room.

  I let out an amused chuckle. Damn, I’m going to have so much fun teaching Jade what it’s like to be in a relationship.