Page 104 of Faking Ties

“Me neither. How are you?”

“To be honest, I’m trying really hard to not freak out right now. What happened was frightening. I’ve never experienced a break-in before. But I’m also terrified that what we’re dealing with is going to become too much, that the long distance will take its toll on us and?—”

“I’ll never leave you,” he says, cupping my face with both hands and staring at me intently. “There isn’t a world that exists in any universe without us being together.”

It’s exactly what I needed to hear, to calm my frantic thoughts. I close the distance between our lips, needing him. It’s not a sweet kiss. It’s feral, desperate, and tearful. I tug at his pants and pull down the zipper. My need for him, to feel all of him, is so great, I can’t focus on anything else right now.

“I need you inside of me,” I plead.

“I’ve got you.” Hunter lifts me by the hips and helps me pull my leggings off.

When I’m bare, I line him up and sit down, taking him fully within one motion. He captures my moan with a kiss. I rock back and forth, slow and torturous. He wraps a hand behind my neck and our foreheads meet, us breathing each other in.

My chest smashes against his, his other arm banding around me, as if the goal is to get us as close as physically possible. But it’s not enough; we’ll never be close enough to satisfy my need for him. The need that stretches and builds between us like a rubber band pulled taut, ready to break at a moment’s notice.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” I chant over and over again, trying to imprint myself onto him. To form something between us that’ll carry us through for the rest of our lives. A connection that’ll stand the test of time, the rise and fall of empires, the end of the world and after.

“I love you forever and ever,” he repeats nonstop, his words weaving through mine, until we form a duet in perfect harmony. Until our words become a vow. He grips my neck and pulls me back, just a few inches so that he can stare at me as he says his vow and me mine. He stares into the very essence of me. Past my pupils, through my glistening corneas, and burrowing deeper. It’s the most intimate moment of my life, like he's deciphering constellations within the very well of my soul, charting a course only he can navigate.

“I fucking love you, Elodie Smith.” His eyes glistenwith tears, and I reach out with a trembling hand to cup his face and wipe them away.

“And I love you, Hunter Holt. You’re my home.”

He crowds me, the air crackling with our declarations. A low growl erupts from his chest, sending a primal shiver down my spine. My breath hitches, a gasp swallowed by the urgency within me, within him. His lips collide with mine. Insistent. A scorching brand. We devour each other in a frantic dance of tongue and teeth, a silent battle for dominance that leaves me breathless and yearning. The kiss is a primal claim, a desperate plea whispered against my lips that tastes of raw hunger.

His hands grab my hips and hold me steady while he drives into me, igniting a fire that consumes me whole. Warmth builds inside my core until I shatter into a million glittering fragments. It's the most beautiful destruction of all, a supernova of every emotion I've ever known. In the blinding aftermath, I rebuild, each shard held together by the warmth of his adoration. I rise anew, stronger and forever changed, bathed in the radiant sun of our love.

I lay my head on his shoulder, panting, trying to orient myself after such a soul-mending experience. He’s just as breathless as he says, “No one has ever chosen me, until you.”

I lift my head and meet his gaze. “Let’s choose each other.”

“Promise?” he asks, vulnerability shining in his gaze.

“Promise,” I say firmly. “What we just did? It felt like a vow.”

“Because it was.” His thumbs lazily swipe back and forth over my hips. “We’re practically married now.”

“One day,” I whisper, as a fantasy flashes across my vision, one with me wearing a white princess dress and him waiting for me beneath an archway of flowers.

“One day soon.” He nips at my lips.

I grin. “Deal.”

HUNTER

Thepersistent glint of silverin the rearview mirror mocks me.It isn’t just one car anymore, there are apack of them. Some are sleek and flashy,otherswith boxy silhouettes. Some are with paparazzi, some are with normal people. All bound by the desire to uncover if there are two Stellas. Practice,errands,even a fucking coffee run—I’m constantly followed.

It’s stifling.

It’s infuriating.

It’s terrifying.

Just yesterday, someone tried to run me off the road when I was on my way to Jake’s house.

My security detail,two hulking guys named Grant and Tank, suspect they wanted to check my car in case Stella’s impersonator was hiding inside. People arebecoming more bold, and I’m terrified to leave Minnie alone, afraid someone will hurt her in their efforts.

At least Elodie is safe at her mom’s house and she’s not having to deal with this. That’s the only thing making this bearable. Stella’s on complete lockdown, having a far more difficult time than me. She’s had over twenty break-in attempts at her penthouse within the past couple days, and her houses nationwide were also targeted.

---