Pride

Chapter 2 :Exquisite

Chapter 2: Exquisite

"The Allegiant General, Enric Pryde, and his wife, Lady Anamar Pryde," The announcer boomed as my parents walked down the large staircase towards the waiting crowd.

A resounding round of applause died down as I approached the doors with Armitage.

"Miss Pryde," Armitage said, holding his right arm towards me.

I placed my hand into the crook of his arm as I gave him a small smile.

"General Armitage Hux, escorting Lady Eladia Pryde," came the announcers voice, causing a slight shiver to run up my spine.

Armitage's large hand covered mine, causing me to glance up at him.

"It's quite alright. They won't bite. At least most of them," he assured me, giving me a small smirk.

We walked down the staircase, a light laugh playing at my lips. Armitage didn't seem half bad for being a man who worked with my father. I had heard stories about him. Everyone had. The mighty Armitage Hux, General of the First Order Army who boldly led his Storm Troopers into the Battle of Crait, obliterating the Rebel Army. His name littered the pages of history books, second only to that of our new Supreme Leaders.
We made our way through the crowd towards a small table at the side of the room.

"See, that wasn't so bad," he whispered, leaning close to my ear.

I glanced up at him, his face now next to mine. Up close he was quite handsome; sharp features and green eyes combined with amber hair.

His eyes seemed to dissect every aspect of my face, finally settling on my lips.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, his face still close to mine.

"Y-yes," I answered, feeling the light brush of his breath as he let out a small laugh.

"I will be right back then with refreshments for us both."

With one final glance at my lips, he walked towards the back of the room to the bar.

I stared after him, my mind traveling a mile a minute.

What in the galaxy was that???

"That was Hux putting on his best performance," came a deep voice from over my shoulder.

Glancing up at the sound I was met with rich brown eyes staring directly into my own.
Oh.
The stranger's lips curved up slightly at the edges, causing the smallest of wrinkles to form at the corners of his eyes.

"I don't believe we have met yet," I breathed out, still taken aback by him.

He was absolutely stunning. I had never found a man beautiful before, but this stranger was exquisite. Full lips parted slightly as he stared back at me, a soft layer of five o'clock shadow lingering on his jaw. His dark hair was long and soft, reaching his shoulders. But the most alluring aspect of him was the sprinkling of freckles that covered his face and led down his neck. My eyes followed those freckles down towards the collar of his black suit, lingering on his wide chest, wondering if they continued on....

My thoughts were interrupted by the slight shaking of that wide chest as the stranger chuckled.

"You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied," he said stepping around me to stand by my side.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," I replied softly, clearing my throat in an attempt to compose myself. "You forget yourself."

"You're like me. I'm never satisfied," he said, staring out over the crowd of people.