His Regret by Bella J.

Chapter Fourteen

Scarlet’sheart was no longer beating inside her chest. Instead, it beat in her goddamn throat. While those damn steel elevator doors opened—which seemed like it took an eternity—she stopped breathing. Everything around them faded to nothing, except for the steel doors in front of them. The only sounds she could hear were the beating of her heart and her inner self freaking the fuck out.

Sure, Hunter had a gun aimed at the damn door, but seeing blood and brain matter against the walls of the elevator was not on her bucket list, thank you very much. Unless it belonged to one specific douchebag.

Plus, if there was no one on the elevator—which would be a good thing—that would mean she would have to get into the elevator—which would be a bad thing…for her.

“Hunter,” she whispered while he stood between her and whoever was about to come out of that elevator.

“Shhh.”

She glared at the back of his head. “Did you just shush me?”

“Shut up.”

“Asshole,” she whispered.

When those two steel doors finally opened, Scarlet let out the breath she was holding.

It was empty. Thank God.

Oh fuck.

“Come on, we have to move.” Hunter grabbed her hand and pulled her into the elevator so fast she hardly had any time to object.

Scarlet scampered to the back of the seven feet wide and six feet deep tiny little space of panic. Hunter pushed the button to the ground floor, and then hammered the close button at about ten times per second. Kind of like her heart was beating at that moment.

The doors closed, and Hunter sagged against the wall before pinching the bridge of his nose while Scarlet was silently—yet quickly—starting to hyperventilate.

“What kind of shit are we in here, Scarlet?”

She had no intention of answering that question. The only thought that was like a giant wrecking ball inside her brain was that the damn elevator seemed like it was getting smaller by the second.

“Scarlet?”

She abruptly held up her hand, silencing him, and closed her eyes to concentrate on her breathing—and trying not to vomit.

Tiny space. No air to breathe. No one can hear her. No one can see her…except him, the man of her nightmares. The root of her fear. The fucker who stole everything from her.

She could hear his evil voice echoing through her mind like he was right there with her. She could even smell his god-awful breath tainted with the stench of cigars and malevolence.

“Is my Little Red scared?”

“Don’t worry, Little Red, I’ll take care of you real good.”

Oh God, she couldn’t breathe.

“Scarlet, are you okay?”

“I can’t…I can’t breathe.” Her heart felt like it was on the verge of exploding, her brain about to short circuit from all the thoughts, the fear, and the panic.

“Don’t tell me you’re claustrophobic?”

She opened her eyes and pushed her back flat against the wall behind her. “Not so much claustrophobic as scared shitless of tiny, enclosed spaces where all you can see are four walls that have the potential to smother the life out of you.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

She didn’t even try to answer him. Her entire body had already gone into full blown panic mode, her chest constricting to the point where she literally could not breathe.

“Scarlet?”

When she looked up, he was standing right in front of her, holding her face in his hands, green eyes focused on hers. “You need to breathe, okay?”

She shook her head, unable to tell him just how fucking impossible his request was for her. There was no way she would be able to get fresh air through her mouth and into her lungs. The panic was just too much, taking up every last little space inside her chest.

He tightened his grip on her face and stepped forward, putting his body flush against hers. “You can do this. Just look at me and focus on your breathing.”

She tried to jerk her face away from him, but he jerked her face back toward him. “Look at me.”

She couldn’t.

“Look at me!”

The sound of his deep voice filled her mind, and she opened her eyes, looking straight at him.

“Good. Now you need to breathe, baby, okay? Just take a deep breath.”

“I can’t. I can’t breathe, Hunter.” She was in full freak-out mode and she no longer had any control over her body as she started to thrash against him, needing air—needing space.

“Scarlet!”

“Let me go! I need to get out of here.” Hunter’s rock hard chest became her punching bag as her flight or fight instinct kicked in with the panic that wreaked havoc inside her mind and body. That was what small spaces did to her, made her want to fight anything and everything that came in her way. She would literally claw her way out of that tiny little elevator if that was what it took.

“Scarlet, stop!”

“Let me out of here!” Tears burned the corners of her eyes, and then it happened. Hunter crashed his lips against hers—hard—and instantly it wasn’t her fear of the four walls around her that had her heart racing, but rather the fact that Hunter was kissing her.

She stilled while he kept his mouth on hers, not moving—just kissing her so fucking hard that she was sure their teeth were touching. His tongue didn’t beckon her to open for him. No. His tongue forced its way past her lips like there wasn’t any other option, invading her mouth with decadent demand. With his tongue moving relentlessly from one corner of her mouth to the other, he kissed her more fiercely than she had ever been kissed before in her entire life.

And the best part was, she kissed him back. The feel of his lips against hers sent heat straight down to the center of her belly, a wave of electricity shooting up her spine.

He tasted like mint, tequila, and something uniquely…Hunter. The warmth of his mouth washed over her, slowly causing the panic in her chest to dissipate.

Their tongues lapped and danced, sucked and swirled, and Scarlet slowly felt the need for more, wanting it all from him. Anticipation started to slowly turn from a slow burn to a hot, wild inferno that raged deep inside her core. The longer his lips remained on hers, the more primed her body became for him.

More hard, fierce kissing, more heady moans, and all control started to slip from both of them. It was like there was this ticking time bomb shoved right in the middle of them, just waiting to go off. Like they were rushing toward something, needing to get wherever the fuck it was they were going fast. It was insane. It was raw. It was powerful, and it felt so damn necessary.

With her fists she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, putting their bodies flush against each other. She felt the heat of his body slowly start to flow through her, numbing the fear, allowing her lungs to expand as she finally managed to breathe. When he pushed his denim clad thigh between her legs, she sucked in a breath when the ache for a release that her body demanded shot straight up her spine.

They were all lips and hands and panting breaths. They were no longer in the elevator that had her freaking out in the first place. They were now in a different place where all that mattered was ravishing each other…shattering each other. And the way he kept on kissing her, devouring her mouth like he was starved for her taste, said he had the same amount of desire pulsing through his veins as she did.

How many floors were there exactly? It felt like time just stood still, everything happening in slow motion around them.

Every passing second his mouth remained locked on hers, it felt like he was busy sucking all the panic and the fear right out of her, replacing it with something she had never felt before. Something intense, powerful, something that could break them both.

Too soon he broke the kiss, placing his forehead against hers, his chest rising and falling rapidly. A part of her didn’t want him to stop, yet at the back of her mind she knew if they didn’t stop, it would just be a downward spiral from lust to regrets.

A few seconds passed before he managed to ask, out of breath, “You good?”

All she could do was nod while she stared into eyes filled with every shade of green swirled together to make the most perfect pair of irises Scarlet had ever seen.

He took a step back. “Good. Now get ready to run.”

Goddammit.

The second the doors opened, Hunter grabbed her arm and literally dragged her through the parking lot.

“Your bike is that way.” Scarlet pointed in the other direction.

“We’re not taking the bike.”

Hunter stopped in front of a big black Hummer, and Scarlet paused. “Your wheels?”

“Yup. Get in.”

Scarlet rushed around the Hummer and jumped in the passenger seat. Although she had never been in one, she loved those damn big-ass wheels. And when she turned to look at Hunter in the driver seat starting the ignition and pulling away with screeching tires, Scarlet felt the most intense attraction toward him stir inside her while she pictured herself straddling him, taking him, and riding him like her fucking Kawasaki.

Hunter reached for his phone and started dialing.

“Who are you phoning?”

“Shhh.”

“Did you just shush me again?”

“Adam? Dude, where are you? I need a favor, man. We’ll be there in twenty.”

Scarlet stared at him, wondering what the hell he was planning. “Why are we meeting Mr. Underwear Model?”

Hunter glanced at her. “Mr. Underwear Model?”

“Yeah.”

Another glance from Hunter. “You think Adam is hot?”

She shrugged. “If you’re into that whole pretty, blue-eyed boy with chiseled features type, then yes.”

“Well, are you?”

“What?”

Hunter glanced at her again before turning his attention back in front of him. “Into the whole pretty, blue-eyed boy with chiseled features type?”

This time it was her turn to shoot him a sideward glance. “Why do you want to know?”

“No particular reason.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “No, I’m not.”

The tiniest hint of a smile crept up on his face. If Scarlet wasn’t watching him so intently, she would have missed it. She suddenly had the urge to smile as well, especially when she could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers.

Just as they drove out of the undercover parking, Scarlet glanced in the side mirror and saw three guys trying to run after them.

She sagged into the seat and placed her hand on her forehead.

“Hey, you okay over there?”

Scarlet shook her head. “It’s never going to end. He will never stop until…”

“Until what?”

She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her, waiting for an answer. If there ever was a time she wished she would get a bad episode of verbal diarrhea, it was now. Everything inside her was screaming for her to tell him. But she just couldn’t get herself to do it, to let the words come out. Talking about it was just as good as reliving it. To not talk about her past made it feel like it never happened, as if it was just a horrible nightmare. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t so fucking lucky.

She looked away and at the road in front of them. “Just drive, Ace.”

It wasn’t long until they came to a stop in front of a huge black iron gate. On either side of the gate were white pillars with statues of gold lions sitting like they were staring out over their kingdom. They looked more like beasts than lions to her.

Hunter pressed the buzzer and stared straight into the security camera. The gates slowly opened and they made their way down the driveway. While she stared at the landscaping, the beautifully manicured lawn, flowers, and trees, Scarlet thought back to a time when she used to live on an estate. When she used to sit in the backseat of her mom’s car, staring out at their gardens while they drove to church on Sundays. Her sister would sit next to her and Scarlet would envy her in her beautiful church dresses. Because Willow was older, she got to wear make-up and knee-length dresses long before Scarlet was allowed to. Her sister’s hair would always be loose, curls hanging down her shoulders. Scarlet’s hair, which was just a shade darker, would always be tied in a ponytail since it would annoy the crap out of her hanging all around her face.

The memories stabbed through her heart, and she closed her eyes, pushing it all back. Scarlet didn’t want to think of those times. She didn’t want to remember all the good she once had in her life. It was over. All those good times no longer existed except for in the far back corners of her mind. And if there was a way for her to be able to erase all those memories that would resurface every now and then to torture her, she would do it. Having no memories at all was better than having all the good memories that continued to haunt her. You couldn’t miss something you didn’t know you had.

They stopped in front of what Scarlet could only explain as a motherfucker of a house. It was a huge three-story mansion, with more windows than fucking walls.

Scarlet gaped at the architecture in front of her.

“Impressive, huh?” Hunter opened his door and got out.

“Very.”

Scarlet took one last glance at the mansion in front of her, noticing that the front door alone was probably wider than her entire damn apartment. Taking a deep breath, she opened her door…and hit Hunter right in the face.

“Fuck!” he bellowed, and grabbed his nose.

“Shit. I’m sorry.” She jumped out and tried to get a look at his face. “I didn’t see you.”

“No shit.”

“Hey, what the hell were you doing by the door anyway?”

He paused and looked at her while pinching his nose. “I wanted to open the fucking door for you.”

She balked. “You what?”

“Open the door for you. You know, that’s what men usually do.”

Dumbfounded, Scarlet stared at him as he let out a few soft groans while rubbing his face. And then she burst out laughing.

His eyebrows slanted inward. “What’s so fucking funny?”

“You.” She continued to laugh. “Your face is starting to look like a damn Christmas tree.”

“I’m glad you find my injuries amusing.” He pushed past her and headed up the stairs. “Come on.”

Scarlet still snickered. “So you wanted to open the door for me, Prince Charming?”

“Shut up.”

They were still on their way up the stairs when the huge-ass front door opened and Adam came walking out…with a damn towel wrapped around his waist.

“What’s this about, man?” Adam held his arms out wide.

“I need your help.” Hunter stopped in front of him and glanced down at the towel. “Please tell me there’s something beneath that towel.”

“What kind of a guy do you think I am?” Adam grinned, and then unwrapped the towel. “Of course I’m not wearing anything under the towel.”

“Good God.” Hunter tried to look anywhere except at Adam’s schlong.

Scarlet, on the other hand, kept on staring. “Wow, that’s impressive.”

Adam looked down at his package and then at her. “I know, right?”

“It’s like a dead rabbit hanging there.”

“Okay.” Hunter pulled Scarlet closer and placed his hand in front of her eyes. “Adam, put that dead animal away, would you?”

“Oh, believe me, it ain’t dead.”

Adam covered up and Hunter took his hand away from Scarlet’s eyes.

“So what’s up, Goldilocks?” Adam crossed his arms in front of his chest just as two girls came running out of the house wearing nothing but thongs and nipple patches. Silver star nipple patches. So the underwear model seemed to be a Twisted Fable regular as well.

The girls squealed like damn horny teenage girls when they found Adam and then basically glued their bodies onto his.

“Girls, girls. Please.” Adam placed his hands around their waists and kissed one—with tongue and all—before turning to the other and kissing her too. If Scarlet had eaten that morning, her breakfast would have been splattered all over the thirty thousand dollar paving right about now.

“Adam!” Hunter barked.

“Go wait for me in the Jacuzzi, girls. I’ll be right there.” Adam let go of their waists and smacked them both on their semi-naked asses as they ran back into the house.

Scarlet frowned at Adam. “Man whore much?”

“Go fuck yourself much?”

“Quit it.” Hunter stepped forward. “Adam, we don’t have time. I need a car.”

Adam glanced at the Hummer. “You have one.”

“A car that isn’t registered in my name. And then I also need access to your beach house in Winnetka.”

So that was the favor Hunter was talking about on the phone. It made sense. Obviously, Wolfe had figured out Hunter was helping her, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent those guys to his apartment. So it would only be natural to assume Wolfe would be on the lookout for Hunter’s Hummer.

Adam narrowed his eyes and suddenly looked all kinds of serious. “What’s up, Hunter?”

Scarlet looked over at him and saw Hunter was staring at her before turning back to Adam. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I don’t doubt that. But the fact that you’re actually on my doorstep asking me for help means this shit probably runs pretty deep.”

“Adam, don’t ask questions I can’t answer right now.” Hunter looked back at Scarlet again. “Because I don’t have the answers myself.”

Those green eyes of his stared at her like he was willing the answers out of her. But what could she tell him? What kind of answers could she give him that wouldn’t make her seem like a weak woman, a statistic, a name on a list of millions of other girls and women struggling with the same kind of demons? All the answers he was looking for would make her seem like a twisted individual with a sick past—tainted and corrupted. And why the hell did she suddenly care what he thought of her?

“Fine,” Adam interrupted her thoughts. “You know the access code to the beach house, and you know where the garage is. Go pick a car.”

Hunter grabbed her hand and was almost halfway down the stairs. “Thanks, man.”

“Any car except for the—”

“I’m taking the Bugatti.”

“Goddammit,” Adam cursed behind them, but Hunter didn’t slow down and rushed around the house toward the garage, still holding her hand. Why did he keep on doing that? Why did it seem like he was grabbing her hand every chance he got? And why the hell did she like it so much?

“Fuck me.” Scarlet stared at the garage, which was bigger than Hunter’s entire apartment building. “How many cars can one guy have?”

“Adam has a thing for cars.”

“And pussy, apparently.”

Hunter snorted. “Yeah.”

Scarlet followed him while he walked straight down the middle of two rows of cars.

“Here.”

They stopped in front of a silver and black Bugatti, and Scarlet tried really hard not to seem impressed by it. “Nice wheels. But wouldn’t we kind of have a giant flashing red sign above our heads in a car like this?”

“Not where we’re going.”

Scarlet looked his way. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

She leisurely walked around the car, admiring every curve of the world class sports car. “You say that like you actually think I trust you and that I will just go with you wherever you want to take me. But I’ve got news for you, Batman, I’m not that easy.”

Then like a fucking lightning bolt, Hunter had her pinned against the car, glaring down at her like he didn’t know if he wanted to kill her or devour her—which might just be the same thing.

“You need to start talking, now.”

“Whatever about, Mr. Keaton?”

“About what the fuck is going on.”

“I told you—”

“You told me squat. Do not for one second think that I actually believe this shit you have going with Wolfe is as simple as you standing in the way of him getting a hold of Granny’s fortune.”

Scarlet lifted her chin. “I told you what you need to know. You do not have to know anything more.”

“When I’m the one with the gun risking my life, I need to know more—a whole lot more.”

Usually, Scarlet had all kinds of comebacks. Lacking wiseass and snarky remarks hidden with a healthy dose of sarcasm was not something she experienced on a regular basis. But being this close to a man who, for some weird and wonderful reason, had her insides all tangled up in a bundle of raging, fiery hormonal mess—she had nothing. No witty comeback. No sarcastic slap in the face. Nothing. Zilch. Nada.

He pushed harder against her, his hands flush against the roof of the car. Having approximately six feet and seven inches of pure steel and muscle towering over you, green eyes that could melt the panties off any woman within a nanosecond staring down at you, now that was what Scarlet would call a great recipe for mind-blowing sex—or a giant fucking disaster. She also had the memory of how his lips felt against hers still fresh in her mind, making it even more difficult to not think about warm breaths, sweaty bodies, and cries of pleasure peeling the plaster off the walls.

The more she stared into his eyes, the brighter his determination beamed from those beautiful green irises of his. And for a reason completely unbeknownst to her, she was suddenly overthrown with the need to tell him everything. Not just what she thought he needed to know, but everything. But could she trust him? It had been so long since she allowed herself to trust anyone. Yet here she was wanting nothing more than to be able to trust a man she had only known for twenty-four hours—a stranger.

She inhaled sharply. “Fine. If we can manage to get away, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Everything, Scarlet.”

“Yes,” she blurted out. “I said everything, didn’t I?”

“Good.” He stepped back, giving her some breathing space, allowing her mind to think of something other than having his body all over hers. Just as he was about to move around the car, he stopped and turned to her. “And that back there, in the elevator…”

“You mean when you kissed me?”

“Yeah. That.”

“What about it?”

“I was just trying to help you get a grip of yourself. So don’t read anything into it.”

If it wasn’t for the cold, hard look in his eyes, or the way he stared at her like she was some sort of disease trying to infect him, she might have called his bluff. But it was there, written all over his face that she had no reason to believe that their little tongue fucking-fest had affected him the same way it had affected her.

The kiss was nothing more than a distraction, a way to get her raging panic under control. Of course it was nothing more than that. What the fuck was she thinking?