Page 58 of Midnight Hunt

I’d just forced myself to forget. To move on.

But why? Why would I want to forget and move on fromthis?

Nothing compared to this. He was the only male I’d ever been intimate with, but I knew, justknewthat no other male could compare. I’d been kissed by a handful of other males before, and the kisses had been nice. But Griff brought me to life. He set me on fire and made mesing. He—

He abruptly broke the kiss and pulled back, breathing heavily. When he stopped rocking too, I peeled open my eyes with a disappointed whimper.

“Why did you stop?” I asked, my mind a haze of lust and confusion.

“Because the deal was akiss, not sex,” he replied, his own eyes clouded with desire. “I just wanted you to know.”

“Know what?”

“That I want you. That I’ve never been ashamed to be with you. You aren’t an obligation to me, Vi. Never have been, never will be.”

“Griff . . .”

“No, it’smyturn to speak now, Vi, and you’re going to listen,” he said, giving my head a little shake. “I love you.”

I lost the ability to breathe. “I . . . I love you too, Griff. We’re family.”

“No, Vi. Not like that.” Tugging one of my hands free, he pressed it firmly to his thundering heart. “You feel that? It beats for you.Onlyyou. Have you ever wondered why I’ve never pursued other females since being with you? Because you’re all I see. You’re the first thing I think about when I wake up and the only thing I dream about when I fall asleep. I’ve been wrapped around your little finger for as long as I can remember, and there’s no disentangling myself from you. You’re the one for me, theonlyone. And even if you continue to see me as only a friend, I needed you to know how I truly felt.”

I stared at him, my eyes wide as I tried to comprehend all that he’d just said.

When I didn’t say anything, he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and whispered, “No matter what, I’ll be here for you. Never forget that.”

With one final kiss, he let go of me and stood, then silently left the room.

19

VIOLET

I was scarfing down the second bag of Doritos I’d found in the kitchen when Sable’s voice finally invaded my thoughts.

Girl, he just handed you the moon. Why are you stuffing your face with junk food right now instead of swooning?

I shoved another Dorito into my mouth without answering. Honestly, Ishouldbe swooning. I’d never heard Griff say something so beautiful before. Each word had been open. Raw.Genuine. I couldn’t stop replaying them in my head. Couldn’t stop weaving them into the tapestry of our past.

Yes, I’d always wondered why he hadn’t pursued other females, even while he was helping me with my heat. I’d never had a claim on him, and he could have dated whenever he wanted. And yet he hadn’t.

I’d assumed his promise to me, his feelings ofobligationtoward me, had stopped him from moving on with his life. Not because helovedme. The kind of love that terrified the hell out of me.

He said that he wanted me. That hesawme. But for how long?

Sighing, I set down the Dorito bag and turned toward the stairs. He’d gone up to take a shower, and I could still hear the water running. We’d only been here for about half an hour, but I already felt the itch to keep moving. We were so close to home and yet so far away. The others were undoubtedly frantic with worry by now.

I pulled up my robe sleeve to study the snake tattoo again. I didn’t regret the decision to bind myself to Griff, even if doing so made things that much more complicated between us. With this tattoo on my arm, he could find me anywhere. It was like a tracking device, one that sent signals directly to his brain. If those huntersdidmanage to separate us, I could hold on to hope that Griff would find his way back to me.

But, for the first time ever, I wondered if he would evenwantto. If he’d wash his hands of me and walk out of my life forever if . . . if I pushed him away again.

Burying the awful thought before it could finish forming, I straightened my spine and headed for the stairs. He’d just poured his heart out to me, and I’d left him hanging. The very least I could do was talk to him. About what, I wasn’t entirely sure. I knew he wanted me to say the words back, to be open and honest like he’d been with me. But . . . but I wasn’t ready.

Wasn’t ready to bare my soul and let him see what a terrible mistake he’d made. I wasn’t strong enough for that yet. Probably never would be.

My heart felt heavy as I trudged up the stairs and walked down the hall to the bathroom he occupied. I raised my hand to knock, then rolled my eyes and reached for the handle.

This wasGriff. I might be drowning in self doubt and fear, but he was still the nice guy I’d grown up with. Still the fun-loving goofball that got under my skin yet made me laugh like no other.

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