Page 53 of Fanged Desire
“Trouble,” I hissed, ushering her toward the empty space under my desk.
“What are you–?” she started, her voice edging toward a panicked yelp as I pushed on her shoulders, bending herknees and wedging her firmly into the cramped space. “Hunter, what–”
“Get under the desk!” I whisper-shouted, shoving her in one last time before plopping myself casually into my chair, leaning on a knuckle like I hadn’t just jammed a grown woman under my workspace.
Addison, to her credit, got the memo and fell silent. Between my knees I could see her in a crouch, staring up at me with a question mark in her expression. The door burst open a second later and Maxine strode in, looking every bit the uninvited hurricane that she was.
“Hunter!” She threw her arms wide, exasperation written all over her dolled-up face. “Why are you holed up in here like some reclusive wench?”
Jordan and River filed in behind her, both looking thoroughly entertained at my expense.
“I’m working, Maxine,” I said flatly, tapping at the keyboard for effect. “Which is apparently something you’ve forgotten how to do.”
“Working?” Maxine echoed, her hands on her hips. “At this hour? Hunter, look at you! You look like you need a drink. With friends. At a fancy bar.”
Jordan nodded along, slinging an elbow over the smaller vamp's shoulders. “And it just so happens that’s exactly where we’re headed.” Behind her, River lingered in the doorway, looking equally bemused.
“Pass,” I replied, barely looking up from the screen, uncomfortably aware that Addison was crammed between my legs, blinking up at me with wild confusion.
“C’mon, Hunter!” River chimed in, leaning against the doorframe with an exaggerated pout. “Dylan’s coming too. You’re really going to miss this?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
Maxine huffed, tossing curls over her shoulder. “We came all this way to find you. Well, actually, we stopped by to grab my purse – but the point is, we thought, maybe, just maybe, you’d be interested in joining us.”
“I’m not,” I replied immediately, at which point Maxine groaned loud enough to rattle the rafters.
I shifted in my seat and was rewarded with a pinch from Addison when my heel squished her hand.
Clearing my throat to cover her mumbling, I shot River a pointed look. “Use your prescience and confirm that there isn’t a single future timeline in which you manage to convince me to leave this chair.”
From the corner of my eye I saw Addison’s brow knit, piecing together the implications of my words.
“You’re no fun.” River blew out her cheeks, lips pursed as she lamented.
Jordan joined in, sighing dramatically. “Honestly, I don’t know what we’re going to do with her, Maxine. She’s impossible.”
Under the desk, Addison was mouthing something that looked a lot like;Is that your boss??
I ignored her, desperate to maintain the cool facade despite my voice rising to a squeak. “You can all leave now.”
Maxine threw her hands up in mock despair. “Fine. But one of these days I’m dragging you out of here, kicking and screaming if I have to.”
“Good luck with that,” I deadpanned, watching the trio dutifully file out of my office.
As the others left Maxine halted in the doorway, her eyes drifting over my desk. I held my breath, suddenly hyper-aware of every detail: Addison wedged underneath, her coffee mug perched innocently next to mine, and Maxine’s steadily growing, sly smile spreading wider by the second.
She didn’t say anything, not a single damn word. She just watched me, one eyebrow quirked. Jordan and River were already halfway down the hall but Maxine lingered, clearly savoring every last second of my discomfort.
I shot her a look, something betweenkeep movingandplease for the love of all that is unholy, don’t comment.My eyes flicked back to Addison under the desk, her mouth half-open as she waited for my cue to scramble out. A beat passed, and finally, with one last pointed glance at thetwocoffee mugs on the table, Maxine turned on her heel and sauntered out, the clack of her shoes echoing down the hallway.
I waited, barely daring to blink until the door clicked shut behind her. Only then did I release the breath I’d been holding, feeling a kernel of dread settling in my stomach like lead as I shook my head. Maxine would absolutely be cornering me for a “chat” sometime soon, and there would be no escaping it.
When I pushed away from the desk Addison clambered out, looking halfway between flustered and offended. “You shoved me under the desk?!”
“I did.”
She cast a glance at the door, before swiveling her gaze back to me. “Did she... she totally knew, didn’t she?”
