Page 70 of Fanged Desire
“Relax.” I sighed, kicking off my shoes. “If this place is as secure as you say, we should be fine.”
She eventually moved to sit across from me, but her posture remained rigid. “I just… I hate that they got to you. That they had you.”
Her words caught me off guard and I frowned, straightening up. “Hunter, you came for me. That’s what matters.”
She shook her head, frustration flickering across her face. “Cathy could’ve… It could have been bad. if I’d been faster, maybe…”
“Stop.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “You’re not a superhero, Hunter. You’re a – well, a vampire which I guess is close – but above all else, you’re just one person. And you saved me.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line before her shoulders slumped, and she dropped into the chair opposite me. “I’m not letting them take you again.”
I watched her for a moment, taking in the sharp set of her jaw and the tension radiating off her in waves. She was so different from the cool, composed woman I’d first met, the one who seemed like nothing could faze her. She’d thrown her whole life into jeopardy because of me. And still, I had to ask more of her.
“When are we going after Cathy?”
Hunter lifted a tired gaze, running a hand down her face. “We need to wait for Caden. He’ll be scoping out the best way to break in, figuring out security layouts and all that. He still knows his stuff, even if he’s traded in stakeouts for diaper duty these days.”
Caden, who I’d only recently learned of, was apparently an expert at juggling toddlersandtop-secret investigations. It came as no surprise that Hunter was seemingly close friends with an ex-private detective.
“And once we’ve got the info?”
“Then we go in,” Hunter said simply. “But until then, you need to rest.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You meanweneed to rest. You could do with a break too, you know.”
“I’ll stay up and keep guard.” She shook her head, waving a hand at the door. “Just in case.”
“Hunter, this place is a random – albeit very fancy – hole-in-the-wall. I doubt anyone’s going to find us here.”
When she didn’t budge, I softened my tone. “You’ve been running on fumes since the lab. You need rest as much as I do.”
Her jaw worked like she wanted to argue, but I stood and crossed the room before she could. I tugged gently at her arm, trying to coax her toward the bed. “Come on. You can tell me all the things you’ve gotten up to under these sheets.”
Hunter let out a short laugh, though it sounded strained. “You don’t want to know.”
I grinned, but when I glanced up at her I could see the faint shadow of shame in her expression. She let me tug her toward the bed and sat down gingerly, like she wasn’t sure she was allowed to relax. I settled down beside her, a little unsteady myself considering the events of that evening.
For a while we stayed where we were, and then Hunter leaned her back against the headboard, sighing as she stared up at the ceiling.
I mimicked her actions, shoving a pillow under my shoulders as I lay down beside her.
“You know,” I said after a beat, watching her from the corner of my eye, “my life has never been more chaotic than it is right now. But when I’m with you… it’s weird. I feel calm. Comfortable. I feel like I can handle anything. Like I’m safe.”
Hunter’s gaze flicked to mine, her expression unreadable. “That’s dangerously close to admitting your feelings. And we both agreed we wouldn’t do that.”
I shrugged, even as my heart pounded in my chest. “We’re about to break into a crazy lady’s mansion on a harebrainedrescue mission. We might die. The least I can do is admit that I think you’re all right.”
That pulled a genuine laugh from her, low and rough, and it did something electrifying to my insides. Hunter turned to face me fully, lifting a hand to brush a strand of hair from my face. For a moment her expression was so raw, so open, that it stole the breath from my lungs.
“You’re more than all right.” She said it quietly, her thumb brushing against my cheek. “I’ve kissed countless lips in this building, all their faces blur together. But none of them…” She paused, her eyes searching mine. “None of them ever got to me like you have.”
Her words, or maybe the way she was looking at me, and the way she cradled my face – it sent my heart into overdrive.
I wasn’t sure who moved first, but the distance between us disappeared in an instant.
It was like the room had erupted in flames, engulfing both of us in a matter of moments. Hot and choking and untamed. Hunter and I were entangled, burning in the same fire, caught in a desperate need that eclipsed everything else entirely.
Her lips brushed against my neck, a feather-light caress followed by teeth, sharp canines – pointed fangs. My skin prickled where her mouth moved but I refused to pull away, refused to budge in my acceptance of who, and what she was. Her hands, strong and sure and possessive, tugged off my coat and settled at my waist. I clutched at her back, felt taut muscles flexing beneath my fingertips where they slid under her shirt.
