Page 50 of Christmas Mafia Prince
“The oldest one you’ve got,” I say in amazement. It feels like I’m part of a secret society now, and there’s nothing I’ve ever wanted more in life than to be special. “And you’ve always wanted to take part…” I leave it open for him to fill in and watch him pull out a bottle with a vintage-looking label. Even the seal looks different than on the wine bottles I know, but I don’t stop him when he produces a corkscrew and opens the bottle.
“It’s a mark of maturity. Of course, people get married at different times, and for different reasons, so it’s rather arbitrary, but this family stands on tradition, and I suppose I wanted to have my cake and eat it.” He pours some of the dark red wine into two glasses, then wipes the excess off the bottle’s mouth with something close to reverence. Moments later, we are both holding our drinks, and he’s embracing me. “I didn’t expect my rebellious decision would bring a treasure like you into my life. To a long and happy life, together,” he says and clinks his glass to mine.
I smile and take a sip of the wine, which for all I know might be more expensive than the engagement ring on my finger. I'm no wine connoisseur but even I can appreciate the depth of flavor on my tongue. It’s on the tart side, but with a hint of sweetness that only reveals itself after my next sip.
“To a forever,” I whisper, holding his gaze.
Damen bites his lip and strokes my cheek, keeping me so very close it has my heart skipping a beat. “Now this is also your legacy. You will always be a part of this family,mon chéri.”
My heart flutters, like it does every time he calls me that, and he goes on.
“I’ve wanted to take part in the hunt for so long. I was trained to kill and had the instinct for it, so being denied the honor just because I wasn’t married felt like a slap to the face after all I’ve done for my family. And until I met you, until you planted the perfect idea in my head, I thought I had to marry a woman to be granted the privilege. I thought the message was that I could either be gay or married, when now I see so clearly that I can have both.” He leans close and kisses my temple as we stroll along the wall filled with death. “Titus lorded his wins over me for many years, like the kills were comparable to the hard choices I had to make out there, working in much harsher conditions to secure our family’s position. I’m pretty sure that’s why he’s so furious. He can’t stand that tomorrow everyone will find out he’s far from being our most prolific hunter. All thanks to you.”
I ingest all this information as though it’s tastier than the wine. I’m greedy for every detail about Damen. We might not be married yet, but in my mind, he’s already my husband.
“And do you…liketo hunt?” I ask as I take my last gulp of wine.
His lips crook like the crescent moon, and he finishes his own drink before placing both glasses on the cabinet. “Does that excite you? That I can track any prey of my choosing and take its life without it even noticing that I’m near?” he asks, pulling his very fingertips across my neck as if he’s assessing my pulse, wondering what it would take to still it.
I never thought about it, but when he puts it this way… yes, yes it does excite me. I swallow, hypnotized by his gaze. “Maybe a little.” Understatement of the year. He is a predator through and through—that is what always attracts me to men—but unlike my exes, he doesn’t use that power to make me small andunimportant. He wants to make me happy. He cares about me. Some would say it’s madness that a man like Damen, who quite literally keeps corpses in his basement, makes me feel safe, but I can’t stop my heart beating for him.
He’s the answer to all my desires, and I want to leap straight into his arms, trusting he’ll catch me.
“A little?” he asks, leading me farther into the room where a billiards table larger than my whole apartment, with legs as thick as an elephant’s, is surrounded by yet more skulls. “I don’t believe that.”
His hazel eyes are lit with the thrill of the hunt. Green and gold. They hold the spark of heat mixed with a calculating frost. The hunter has put his mark on me, and I don’t even want to escape. I want to be part of his territory.
“Okay, maybe a lot.” I’m breathless as I take one step back. Then another.
His eyes darken, as if the motion of my body throws gasoline over the fire burning inside him. Heat weaves through my muscles like gold thread when he stiffens, sniffing the air as his nostrils flare, seeking the aroma of my delicious flesh.
He is going to hunt me down, of that I’m certain, but he’ll need to work for it.
The growl escaping his throat is my signal, and I take a step back, with my man approaching at the same pace, gaze never leaving mine. It might be only my imagination, but I feel that he’s salivating, ready to sink his teeth into my tender flesh. He absent-mindedly reaches for a container with several pool cues, and pulls one out before jabbing my chest, until I’m cornered. He turns the wooden cue, using it to create a barrier to keep me in place.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Despite adrenaline skyrocketing in my body, I don’t feel unsafe. This moment doesn’t feel like a bad boyfriend finallyshowing me his real face. The empty sockets of human skulls might be following my every move, but instead of it being a turn-off, I’m getting horny for what I’ve denied myself for a week.
“Me? Going somewhere?” I ask innocently, then dip as fast as I can and dash behind the pool table. He whips around faster than I imagined possible and grabs my jacket, but I pull out of it and leave it in his hands. Pretty proud of that move, actually, since it’s saved my skin many a time.
I love the grunt he makes when the fabric is all that’s left in his hands, and I bolt around the pool table, excitement pulsing in my veins as I hear his feet hit the carpeted floor. I stop at the corner and stare at him, but he doesn’t follow my cue and speeds up, fully intending to hunt me down.
Oh, I’m so horny. So very horny I wish he would catch me already, but the longer I deny him, the sweeter it’ll feel when he’s on top of me.
I don’t think he’s ever looked hotter. Not even naked. He’s so raw and unfiltered with me, and every time I catch his eyes on me, my breath hitches. Damen wants me so much I feel he might rip my clothes open when he gets to me. Because he will. I’ve got no doubt about that.
We slow down when we’re across from each other and circle the table like a wolf and a deer. His excitement is thick in the air, and the next time he bolts, his boots thundering over the carpet, it takes me too long to run. I’m hypnotized by the beauty of my predator.
He’s gaining on me all too fast, my short legs no match for his, but I have one last card up my sleeve. As soon as he’s at arm’s length, I leap to the table and crawl across it.
The green felt is hard under my knees, but this wouldn’t be fun if not for my very real desire to evade him. Every muscle in my body is working full throttle, and I’m about to leap off the other side of the table with a yelp of triumph when something closesaround my ankle and pulls on it so hard I fall flat on my face. Hot air dances between my lips as I gather my thoughts, but the band I now know to be Damen’s hand drags me back, making my chin and palms burn from the friction.
I grab at the surface of the pool table, but it’s no use—there’s nothing I can hold onto.
“Got you,” he rasps like a beast about to consume the meal it’s been waiting for. He holds my leg as if he already owns all of me.
“Not yet!” Dazed, I get to my hands and knees, but he’s not pulling me off, he’s climbing onto the table in moves so swift I now know how good he must be at his job. And then he’s on top of me, pushing me right back down with his weight. I lost, but oh how sweet it will be to tastehisvictory. I let out a shameless moan when he presses his cock against my ass and I get to feel how hot he is for me.
