Page 19 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

18

VIOLET

My heart wouldn’t stop racing. I hadn’t meant to tell Griff that much.

Especially about taking care of my last heat at the bunker. Alone .

He no doubt pitied me but was too nice to say so. And that was the problem. He was too nice . Too nice to push me away. Too nice to make me deal with the harsh realities of life on my own. He’d always been there for me no matter what, just like he’d promised me seven years ago.

Only I realized now how selfish I’d been to accept that promise. To accept his help and comfort over and over again without thinking about how he felt. Without asking if he even wanted to be with me in that way.

Deep down, though, I’d always wondered. Always assumed he’d chosen to pursue me out of pity. Because he was too nice . Because he was my brother’s best friend. It was almost like he’d expected to help me with my heat when the time came. Jagger certainly wasn’t going to do it, and Mason . . .

Well, Griff’s older brother had tried to pursue me, but I’d known he’d only done so to get closer to Kolton. To rise in the pack ranks. And to piss off his brother, of course.

It had been easy to reject him. But Griff, on the other hand . . .

He’d always been my greatest source of comfort. My security blanket.

Rejecting him was next to impossible, and ending things between us last year had nearly broken me. I’d needed to do it, though. Needed to do it before something terrible happened.

He was nice. Probably the nicest male I’d ever known. But it wasn’t fair of me to take advantage of that. To exploit it. Eventually, he would have grown to resent me, so I’d left before he could leave me. Before the damage became irreparable.

Letting him go so he could find a female worthy of being his mate had been the most selfless thing I’d ever done. I thought for sure we could both move on yet still remain good friends. As long as he was in my life, I could survive it if he pursued another female.

But as he followed me toward the empty house, it hurt. It still hurt to be this close to him. To keep rejecting him, especially after he’d confessed words I couldn’t get out of my head. Confusing words that didn’t make any sense.

I couldn’t possibly be everything he needed. He deserved so much more than what I’d been willing to give him. He was only saying that to spare my feelings. It was obvious that our wolves were head-over-heels for each other. Whiskey was probably struggling to accept other females in Griff’s life the same way Sable struggled to accept other males. Their feelings often bled into ours, making it hard to differentiate them.

The attraction Griff felt toward me had no doubt originated from those feelings. Even more, he probably never would have offered to help with my heat if it wasn’t for Whiskey and Sable’s connection. But it was clear he didn’t fully see that; otherwise, he wouldn’t have started to pursue me again.

Reid had been right. I needed space from Griff. We were making the same mistakes all over again, and I was terrified of the consequences should it continue. But this past chaotic week had forced us back together, and I couldn’t seem to distance myself from him no matter how hard I tried.

It didn’t help that we were currently traipsing through the woods naked, running on adrenaline highs, and heading toward an empty house together.

Yeah, I was screwed. So screwed.

Still, I ignored him and my racing heart as best I could, focusing on finding a way inside the cabin without breaking anything. The door was locked, of course, and so were all the windows on the first floor. Griff easily hoisted himself up to a second-floor balcony in back, then checked the french doors. As they swung open, he looked over the railing at me with a victorious grin.

I grinned back before I could stop myself. He was just so . . . so Griff . Always finding ways to help. Always brightening even the most bleak situation with his wit and contagious smiles. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten this far without him.

As he disappeared inside the house, a thought formed. I tried to shake it off, but it persisted. Touching my arm, I turned the idea over for a moment longer, then headed around to the front of the house. Griff greeted me at the door, still grinning as he opened it wide for me to enter.

“Any sign of a phone?” I asked, stepping into the foyer.

“No. I think this is a vacation home. The human scents are faint like no one’s been inside for weeks, and the fridge is empty.”

Running a hand through my tangled hair, I sighed in disappointment. “Well, keep looking. We’ll reimburse the owners for our stay after we get home. I’m going to take a shower, but holler if the hunters arrive. I have a bone to pick with them.”

Cracking another smile, he nodded and moved aside so I could brush past. I almost stopped and told him of my idea, then chickened out and hurried toward the stairs. A hot shower was just what I needed to clear my head. It was getting harder and harder to think straight around him.

After a blissfully long shower, though, I still couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I stayed upstairs long enough to blow-dry my hair and slip into a white terry cloth robe, then went in search of Griff. I found him standing at the wide windows in the living room that overlooked the lake.

Still naked.

His back was turned to me, and I allowed my gaze to take him in. Even after two decades of seeing him in various stages of undress, I never failed to appreciate how perfectly sculpted his body was. A sudden urge to caress his skin with my fingertips shivered through me, and I bit back a frustrated curse.

“Take your time,” Griff lightly teased, still facing the windows. “I always enjoy being admired. Why do you think I walk around naked so often?”

“Jagger used to tell me you have a skin condition that doesn’t allow you to wear clothing for long periods of time without breaking into hives.”

Griff barked a laugh. “He’s always been jealous of my cavalier nature. And the fact that my dick is bigger than his.”

I snorted. “Sure you wanna stick with that story? I’ve seen both of your dicks.”

“Why, Violet Jane,” he said, turning toward me with mock surprise. “Are you trying to make me jealous? ‘Cause it’s working.”

I rolled my eyes, fighting back a smile. Remembering my idea, I quickly sobered and, before I could chicken out again, blurted, “I want you to bind us.”

The mock surprise on his face immediately transformed into real surprise. “Bind? With this? ”

When he lifted his right arm to point at the dark snake tattoo wrapped around his forearm, I nodded.

“Why?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

I nervously bit my lip before admitting, “Because those hunters obviously want to kidnap me and are going to great lengths to do so. If they’re successful—”

“They won’t be.”

“If they are and we get separated, I want to ensure we’re able to find each other again.”

His frown deepened. “You don’t think we’re going to make it back home?”

“I didn’t say that, but . . . several hybrid females have been taken already. These hunters are skilled, and I want to be prepared, just in case.”

He studied me for a long moment, then said, “The binding spell is dangerous. It’s infused with dark magic and can be unpredictable. You saw what happened to Nora when Kolton performed it on her.”

“Because she tried to break it. The pain only flared up when she attempted to back out of their deal. If you perform the ritual with me, I can guarantee I won’t try to break it. Not willingly anyway.”

His lips thinned. When he didn’t respond, I prepared to put up a fight. But he surprised me a moment later by saying, “Okay.”

I blinked at him. “Okay?”

“Yes. It’s a good idea. Just in case.”

I nodded in agreement. “Just in case.”

“With one condition.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Name it.”

“We seal the deal with that kiss you promised me.”

I stopped breathing.

Seeing the shocked look on my face, he took a step forward. “Just one kiss, Vi. One little kiss. Seems like a small price to pay for my snake.”

I knew he meant the tattoo, but my eyes darted below his waist all the same. Curse my stupid eyeballs. When they looked back up at Griff’s face again, his lips were curling into a knowing smirk.

“Shut up,” I said before he could say whatever teasing remark was in his brain. He didn’t say a word, but his smirk grew. Forcing my gaze to remain on his and not that wicked mouth, I blew out a sigh and muttered, “Fine. You have a deal.”

The second I agreed, his chocolate eyes turned molten. Great. He definitely wasn’t planning on this being a quick peck. At the realization, my body eagerly warmed, making my skin feel way too hot in the robe.

Traitor , I hissed at my overactive libido.

But my fear of being separated from Griff kept me from backing out of the deal. It was a kiss. One kiss. It wasn’t like he asked me to have sex with him.

I could handle a kiss. One last kiss between friends, right?

As I felt a drop of sweat slither down my spine, Griff gestured for me to sit on the living room couch. I stiffly perched on a cushion, watching him slowly approach me. Expecting him to sit beside me, he startled me by kneeling on the rug at my feet. Our eyes were level now, and something about the position felt intimate. He wasn’t even touching me, but I almost couldn’t stand the sudden tension sparking between us.

Not knowing what to do next, I waited for his direction. He searched my face for a moment, as if to make sure I was truly okay with this. I stared back, silently assuring him I was. With a small nod, he held out his hand to me and said, “Violet Jane Rivers, do you wish to bind yourself to me?”

Ah, hell. That almost sounded like a marriage proposal. Why did I think this would be a good idea?

Too late to back out now.

Swallowing hard, I forced my fist to unclench and placed my trembling hand in his. “I do,” I whispered.

His eyes flared brightly, and he gripped my hand tightly, murmuring a single word in Latin: “Conecto.”

An electrical charge immediately zapped my palm, making me jump. Griff held fast to my hand, using his free one to push up the sleeve of my robe. I glanced down just as the snake tattoo that he, Kolton, and Jagger had all gotten several years ago started to move. Fascinated by the magic that allowed a tattoo to come alive, I watched the snake slither off Griff’s skin and onto mine. It wrapped around my forearm once, twice, three times, the black head coming to rest near my elbow.

“Cool,” I said, admiring the snake’s detailed skin. Griff let go of my hand, only to trace a finger down the snake’s body like he was petting it. Except that he was petting my arm , and the skin pebbled pleasantly at his touch. To cover up my body’s reaction, I glanced up at him and teased, “Miss your snake already?”

He cracked a small smile, continuing to stroke my arm. “It looks good on you.”

As he slowly met my gaze, I tried to swallow and failed. His irises were still bright, and there was no mistaking the message in them. It was time to hold up my end of the deal.

“What now?” I quietly asked, knowing all too well what was next.

Still, he humored me by answering, “We kiss.”

As my heart started to race, his finger on my arm stilled.

Watching me closely, he added, “But only if you want to as badly as I do.”

Oh, God. Why? Why did he have to say stuff like that?

Barely able to breathe, I managed to whisper, “Griff?”

“Hmm?”

“Shut up and kiss me already.”

His nostrils flared, and his eyes glowed even brighter. I knew from experience that Whiskey was riding him hard right now, encouraging him to kiss me. But I suddenly didn’t care. Even if Griff only wanted to kiss me because his wolf familiar wanted him to, the need to feel his lips on mine one last time was all I could think about.

So when he leaned forward, lifting his hand to grip my nape, I held perfectly still. And when he brought our heads slowly together, watching me the entire time, I didn’t look away. I didn’t flinch. Didn’t protest. Didn’t do anything but allow it to happen.

He obviously wanted to take his time, though. Each movement was calculated, as if his intention was to milk the experience for all it was worth.

One kiss? Fine. He was going to make it a kiss worth remembering. A kiss that left a mark similar to the one now on my arm. A brand. A claim , so to speak. Not a claim between mates, but a claim nonetheless.

He wanted to kiss me so I would never forget. Forget what , I didn’t know. Forget him? Impossible. He’d crawled inside me and imprinted on my soul a long time ago. This kiss wasn’t going to change anything.

Or so I thought.

The first sweep of his lips over mine, I knew I was done for. The charge that had been building between us burst, and I sucked in a sharp gasp. He paused to soak up my reaction, his mouth scant centimeters from mine. The tension started to build again, the electrical charge crackling in the breath of space between us. I fisted the robe in my lap, forcing myself to draw air. Air that was laced with his spicy clove and cinnamon scent. Air that we were sharing . Every breath that left him entered me, and every breath I expelled entered him.

Holy hell, what was this? We’d never done this before. Never shared breath as if feeding each other oxygen. It was intimate. Erotic . And every breath I accepted from him warmed my insides and left me trembling for more.

“Griff,” I softly whimpered, needing more so badly that I felt sick.

He inhaled my whimper, watching me tremble for another moment before brushing another kiss over my mouth. The electrical charge burst again. Only this time, it zipped through my insides, heading straight for my clit. When it struck, I stiffened all over with another strangled gasp, shocked when my core fluttered with a small orgasm.

A kiss. A kiss did that.

Griff released a low growl, and I knew he’d just scented my arousal. “Open your legs for me, Violet,” he said in a guttural tone, then wedged his body between them when I complied. “Now open your mouth,” he continued, with such authority that my core fluttered again.

The second I obeyed him, he grabbed one of my hips and plunged his tongue into my mouth. As it firmly stroked mine, the world exploded around me. His scent and taste ensnared my senses, and I arched against him with a low moan, letting my eyes roll shut. His hold on me tightened, drawing our mouths and bodies closer together. My hands raised to grip his neck and hair, and my legs lifted to securely lock behind his waist. The move pried open my robe, and I remembered too late that I was naked underneath. That he was naked.

His hot arousal pressed against my throbbing core, and I breathlessly cried out into his mouth. He went feral at the sound, feverishly thrusting his tongue against mine. His hand on my hip pulled me closer still, making the deep dorsal vein in his shaft rub my clit. When the friction grew wet with my arousal, it was his turn to moan into my mouth.

I full-body shuddered, completely turned on by the sound. We kissed and rocked against each other for several long moments, long enough that I was about to lie back on the couch. About to encourage him on top of me. About to beg him to slide that glorious dick inside me. I was ravenous for him. Obsessed . Had it always been this good between us?

Yes. Hell, yes.

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

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

Nothing compared to this. He was the only male I’d ever been intimate with, but I knew, just knew that 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 me sing . 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 a kiss , 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’s my turn 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. Only you. 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, the only one. 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.