Page 43 of Fanged Desire
I shot her an incredulous look, heart pounding. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Trust me,” she murmured, her lips curving into that infuriatingly calm smirk. “They won’t suspect anything this way.”
With a resigned sigh, I straddled her lap, trying to act as natural as possible, even as every nerve in my body screamed at the closeness. Hunter’s hands came up to clutch my thighs, fingers digging a little too close to the curve of my ass to not have been a deliberate move on her part. The heat between us was immediate, and I forced myself to focus on the task at hand.
The plan, apparently, was to keep an eye on Cathy while also... well, giving Hunter the mostconvincinglap dance possible. Which proved to be a challenge, given the fact that my brain insisted on turning the whole thing into an overanalyzed, scientific breakdown.
Seducing her had been much easier when the ball was in my court. Before she’d rescued me, kissed me, and got under my skin like no one before her ever had. It was hard to put on a performance when she’d already seen the person underneath, difficult not to overthink when she watched me with those dark, devouring eyes.
I shifted my weight and bit down on my bottom lip, sinking into the swing of things while the heat between us ramped up to near-scorching degrees. Keeping my eyes down, I linked my fingers behind her neck, rolling my hips in a way that did moreto stoke my own desire than it did to convince anyone else I wasn’t out of my depth.
“You’re good at this.” Hunter’s voice was a purr in my ear, and I tilted my eyes skyward to shield my burning cheeks.
“It’s pretty formulaic, really.” I tried to keep my voice even, but it hitched on the last word.
“When I tilt this way –” I curled my hips towards her, and then rolled them away again, arching my back as Hunter’s thumbs hooked into the seam of my jeans, “it maximizes the effect of–”
Her quiet laugh cut me off, a warm vibration under my hands. “You seriously over analyze everything, don’t you?”
I shot her a glare, but the heat in her gaze made my pulse quicken. “I like to be thorough.”
Her eyes gleamed with amusement. “Thorough, huh?”
Her hands traveled lightly up my hips, guiding my movements with a casual ease that only made things worse – or better. Depending on how you looked at it. My cheeks burned but I kept going, determined to sell the act.
Despite my initial embarrassment, I found a rhythm, letting myself get lost in the music – entertaining the smoldering heat that crept up my abdomen as her fingers brushed the bare skin under my shirt.
I leaned in close, pretending to whisper something sultry in Hunter’s ear, but instead, I hissed, “Can you hear anything?”
She tilted her head slightly, eyes half-lidded as if we were deep in our own world.
“Bits and pieces,” she murmured. “They’re definitely talking about someone.”
I tried to focus on their conversation, but the bass throbbed in my chest, making it hard to catch more than fragments. Words like “feast” and “meeting” floated over, but it was impossible to piece together anything coherent. Still, I caught the woman’sname mentioned once by her associate, his tone clipped and businesslike as he addressed her: “Cathy.”
Catherine Raine. Hunter was right.
When I met her eyes, Hunter’s mouth pressed into a line and she gave me a subtle nod. She’d heard it too.
Abruptly, the woman – Cathy – got to her feet, smoothing down the front of her sleek dress. Her companion followed, and without so much as a glance in our direction, they made their way toward the exit.
Hunter’s hands tightened slightly on my hips and she leaned toward me, lips brushing my bare neck.
“Show’s over,” she whispered, her voice low and laced with quiet restraint.
I nodded, reluctantly pulling away, trying not to think too hard about the lingering warmth of her touch. We both stood, slipping back into the crush of clubbers as we followed after the disappearing Cathy.
Ethan appeared at my shoulder a moment later, falling into step beside us. His expression was skeptical as ever as he jerked his head toward the exit. “She just slipped out. What now?”
“We follow her,” Hunter said, pushing past partygoers and guiding us into the street beyond. “And hope she doesn’t lose us.”
We followed Hunter to her car and she swung the passenger door open for me, addressing her clipped words at Ethan. “Get in if you want to come, but I’ll take no further sarcasm from you.”
Ethan grumbled under his breath but climbed into the back seat without further protest.
“I’m coming with for Addison’s sake,” he muttered to Hunter, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t trust you farther than I can throw you.”
Hunter rolled her eyes, shifting the car into gear. “For the best, really, I’m sure you’ve got terrible aim.”
