Hunter (Riders of Apollo #2)

Chapter 14: Marielle Lennox

I just melted.

He is perfect.

To be honest, I am so willing to make them turn the car around so that I can stay with him, the way he was looking at me just made my heart speed up and all I wanted to do was jump him. He wanted to as well, I know that much, and I am so surprised that I was able to resist my own temptations.

Because damn, he is my favourite temptation and soon enough I'm going to get a proper taste of all he has to offer. I feel my breathing getting heavier as my stomach tightens in response to my thoughts, so I roll the window down slightly and take a deep breath. Thankfully the other two are distracted doing whatever they do, and the driver is watching the road, so they don't notice how fired up I just got only thinking about Hunter.

Fortunately, we pull up at the mansion and I'm able to get out of the car, the cool fresh air chills my system enough to let me act like a normal person. I'm borderline obsessive now. I'm just hoping that once I've experienced it, this excessive obsessing will go away, I strongly doubt it though especially considering how Lexie and Peyton are about their men.

I've heard every dirty story and I am incredibly jealous. When they first started talking about it, it didn't really bother me because I wasn't concentrated on anyone but after Hunter... let's just say I went from mild mannered and well behaved to willing to walk out of the pink room and find him to make the tightness go away.

And yet, I've managed to hold out for this long. Two and a half months I've known him, closer to three if you think about it and I'm getting frustrated. I understand that he's trying to be a gentleman but right now I need him to stop that and give me what I want. "You coming, Mari?" Peyton calls out.

"Not in the way I want to," I mumble so that no one hears me, "Yeah!" I hurry up the steps, finally able to push aside my dirty thoughts and hopefully keep them away for the whole night. My jaw drops as I step into the ballroom.

The walls are decorated with sheer golden curtains with walls of fairy lights and a large chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. It looks incredible, awe inspiring really, the cake is stood in the corner reaching fifteen levels high decorated with edible red roses and white fondant.

The gift table is unreal, stacked high enough to break a normal table but this one is redwood and carved gorgeously. Everyone here looks amazing with long dresses that complement their figures and enhance their natural beauty, as expected most of the guests are Latina and their dance moves make me jealous, they basically glide. At this point, I'm glad the guys couldn't come.

"Peyton, my darling, welcome welcome!" I recognise that only Lucia and Peyton are wearing crowns, everyone else has their hair down or in complicated braids and buns with flawless makeup and curvy bodies. Yeah, I'm very grateful Hunter couldn't come. Anyway, I assume the crowns signify their importance to Matías, gold for the Queen and silver for the princess.

Peyton has amassed quite a large network of powerful friends and we take advantage of that all the time. Like right now we're wearing designer dresses, in the middle of a beautiful ballroom with a free bar. Speaking of which, Peyton is already there. If she could I'm sure she'd drink straight from the tap. A server comes passed with some champagne and I take a glass for myself and one for Lex who takes it gratefully.

Lex and I basically glue ourselves to Peyton's side, she knows most of the people here and we need her to be the first port of contact. I'm a socially anxious human being and I can hardly keep up a conversation with people I don't know, Lex struggles to start the conversation with strangers but she can maintain one once it's started.

The only problem is quite a few people here don't understand much English, so we need Peyton to translate, so when one person is talking to me in Spanish and Peyton is talking to someone else it just gets all the more awkward. I just smile and nod and hope to God nobody is asking me a question.

Despite these problems I'm actually enjoying myself, dancing with strangers and drinking expensive champagne, living my best life really.

That is until Peyton sprints over and throws me behind her, Lexie close behind. I don't realise what's happening until Matías, followed by a full armed guard, slams in through the main doors, heading straight for Lucia.

"Who's attacking?" Peyton interrogates Matías as we follow them somewhere. Lex and I have hiked up our dresses so we can catch up, but Peyton and Lucia seem completely unfazed.

"Chinese Triad. We've got about a hundred attackers, outnumbered two to one." Peyton pulls two guns out from beneath her dress and cocks them, handing them to us seconds later. We don't question it, just take them from her and I relax slightly as the handle settles in my hand. I'm not a good shot but I know how to point and pull the trigger so hopefully I'll at least be able to deter the attackers.

"Can Lex and Mari stay in the safe room with Lucia?"

"What about you, little sister?"

"I love a good fight, besides, how will you survive without me?" Matías rolls his eyes and presses his hand to a random wall at the back of the mansion. It opens to reveal a small room with a couch, fridge, a few shelves and a small bed. The three of us step in and watch as Peyton and Matías prepare for another fight. "Lex, Mari call the boys. Keep 'em updated. Oh, and if Reign gets mouthy tell him I'll reward him later." She cocks the gun then winks.

The door slips shut, and Lucia turns on the monitors that will show us everything that happens in the entire mansion.