Page 24 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

23

VIOLET

“I still can’t believe they’re kidnapping females to breed them. That’s so twisted.”

I softly snorted at Brielle’s comment, then looked up when my mom came bustling into my bedroom with a glass of milk and a plate of freshly baked cookies.

“Here you go, honey,” she said, handing them to me. “Do you need anything else? I could make you a sandwich too. You must be starving.”

“Thanks, but I’m okay, Mom,” I replied with a small smile. “These cookies smell delicious.”

She returned my smile, but it wobbled a little. “Okay. I’m just down the hall if you change your mind.”

As she leaned over the bed to kiss my cheek, I soaked up her scent and warmth once more. It helped anchor me to the present, to the reality that I was finally home .

“Love you, sweetie,” she whispered, sniffling a little. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“I love you too, Mom,” I replied, but my tears had long since dried up. We’d arrived back before dawn, but Nora, Brielle, and my mom had all been up to welcome us home. The second I’d felt their loving arms around me, I’d burst into tears. I’d cried and cried until I couldn’t cry anymore and then had spent the next hour snuggled between Nora and Brielle on my bed.

I’d told them everything, including the breakup with Reid, the hunters’ reasons for kidnapping females, and what had happened between me and Griff. They were still digesting all the shocking news, but Nora had seemed less shocked about the profession-of-love part. She’d even bitten her lip to hide a smile. I was too tired to question her about it, though.

Kolton and Jagger had promptly left again with the one-armed hunter. We didn’t have anywhere to keep him long term, and since he could still be used for questioning, Kolton had decided to contact the Supernatural Containment Agency.

They had the right facilities to keep him imprisoned and full-time staff to pressure him into revealing more information. Bill Andrews, the warlock Sheriff from Maine who’d helped us imprison Arrow and several witch elders last year, had agreed to meet them halfway and transport the hunter to one of the SCA’s high-security prisons.

He would stay in touch with any new information he learned about the hunters and even assured us that their field operatives would start searching for the missing hybrid females right away.

It was a relief knowing that they would help, but the world was a vast place. The hunters could be keeping the females anywhere .

Poor Desirae. She must be so frightened right now.

Bone-deep exhaustion suddenly swept over me, and I nearly dropped the plate of cookies.

“Okay, time for Vi to get some sleep,” Nora said, taking the plate and glass of milk from me and setting them on the nightstand. “We can talk more after she’s rested.”

I gave her a sleepy smile, barely able to keep my eyes open as she, Brielle, and my mom tucked me in.

Before leaving, Nora leaned down to give me one last hug and whispered in my ear, “I’m so happy for you and Griff. He absolutely adores you.”

Sudden emotion clogged my throat, robbing me of speech. Thankfully, she didn’t wait for a reply, sweeping from the room to quietly shut the door. As silence settled over the familiar space, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to drag me under. I was exhausted, so exhausted that I couldn’t think or see straight. Falling asleep should be easy .

But several minutes ticked by, and sleep wouldn’t claim me.

I was too . . . too alone .

My body needed physical contact, needed warmth from another. Needed the comfort of their scent and presence.

There was only one person who could give me all of that, one person who could put my fears to rest with a single touch.

Do it , Sable softly whined. I miss Whiskey too .

I locked my limbs in place, desperately trying not to give in. It wasn’t fair to him. Seeking Griff out now would only send the wrong message. This was my chance to fix things, not make them worse .

But as time crawled by, my need for him overrode common sense, and I shoved my blankets aside. On autopilot, I stumbled from bed and crossed the room, pausing at the door to listen before opening it and slipping into the hall. I could hear faint sounds down below, probably Mom getting the kitchen ready for breakfast, but no one was in sight.

Soundlessly shutting the door behind me, I stole down the hallway like a guilty thief, hugging the rectangle-shaped banister until I neared the bedroom directly across from mine. I paused a moment more to make sure no one was watching, then silently opened the door and slipped inside.

Right away, I noticed that the door to the attached bathroom was closed. The sink faucet was running, and I could hear Griff brushing his teeth. I almost left then. Almost sneaked out with my tail between my legs, Griff none the wiser for my slip. But something on his king-sized bed caught my eye, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Tucked between his pillows was the replacement teddy bear Melanie had gifted him this past Christmas. Teddy the Second, she’d named him, after the first one had been lost in the house fire.

I took a moment to inspect the rest of his room, realizing I hadn’t been in here since we’d rebuilt. The walls were slate blue, and the black, silver, and gray decor was decidedly masculine. There was a TV mounted on the wall and a weight bench in one corner, but nothing about the space screamed Griff . He used to have nerdy sci-fi posters on his walls and little action figures. Silly stuff that I used to tease him about yet stick in his Christmas stocking every year. They were all gone now, casualties of the fire that had destroyed our home.

I’d have to rectify that. His room needed a makeover pronto.

Curiosity lured me to his walk-in closet next, and I quickly poked my head inside. Nope. No sex doll. Unless he kept it under the bed.

A familiar-looking bag on one of the shelves drew my eye, and I picked it up with a gasp.

“Yeah, you weren’t supposed to find that,” a voice from behind me drawled.

I whirled to discover a shirtless Griff in the closet doorway, a sheepish grin on his face. Thank heavens he was wearing pants , although they were the gray sweatpants that hugged his dick, making it really hard to focus. Still, I shook the lingerie bag in my hands and hissed, “Griffin Hayes O’Neal, I looked everywhere for these. Why are they in your closet?”

Leaning against the doorframe, he rubbed the nape of his neck before admitting, “I couldn’t stand the thought of Reid seeing you in them. Especially the purple one.”

My mouth fell open. “You . . . You were jealous?”

“Ah c’mon, Vi. You bought that lingerie while thinking of another male. You wanted him to look at you, to lust after you, to have sex with you. Of course I was jealous. The thought of him eyeing you in that getup made me crazy.”

I blinked at him stupidly, unable to stop my stomach from fluttering. “Oh. Well, um . . .” I cleared my suddenly dry throat and tried again. “You could have just tossed it.”

A small laugh left him. “That would be a waste of perfectly good underwear. Just because I don’t want Reid to see them on you doesn’t mean I don’t want to see them.”

This time, my stomach swooped with full-blown butterflies. It was strange hearing him be so honest with me about how he felt—but not a bad strange. It felt nice. Really nice. I could become addicted to this feeling. Deliriously addicted.

I tried to think of a witty comeback, but my brain was suddenly empty of all thought.

When I just stood there gaping like an idiot, he studied me a moment before asking, “Why are you in here, anyway? Did you need me?”

“Uh, no. N-not for that ,” I quickly stammered, feeling heat creep up my neck. “I just . . . I couldn’t sleep and thought . . . I thought that maybe . . .”

“You could sleep with me?” he gently finished for me, his understanding expression doing funny things to my insides.

Biting my lip so I couldn’t stammer some more, I simply nodded.

He stared at me for another beat, then pushed off the frame and approached. As he did, the closet suddenly felt too small. A swallow got stuck in my throat, but I didn’t retreat, even when he took the bag from me and placed it back on the shelf. Even when he stepped closer to trail his fingers down the snake tattoo on my arm. Even when he slowly linked our fingers together and pressed his warm palm to mine.

Without a word, he turned and tugged me after him, guiding me straight to his bed. When he pulled back the comforter and sheets, my heart decided to betray me. It started to race, and Griff paused to glance at me.

I tried to look casual, unfazed, but failed miserably. In actuality, I probably looked like a petrified rabbit about to be eaten.

Confusion flitted across Griff’s face. He opened his mouth to question me, then must have thought better of it. With a quiet sigh, he simply said, “We’ll just sleep. If you want more, all you have to do is ask.”

I nodded again, feeling my heart rate begin to slow. Sleep. I could handle that. It was the other stuff I couldn’t handle.

As we both settled onto the bed, Griff picked up a remote on his nightstand and turned off the light. The room plunged into darkness, his blackout curtains sealing out the early morning sun. After a moment, though, my night vision kicked in, and I could clearly see him beside me on the bed.

He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling as if he was . . . waiting.

Waiting for me . For direction.

My heart rate picked up again, and I froze in place, uncertain what to do.

I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be here , I chanted to myself, and yet I couldn’t make myself leave.

“What’s wrong?”

I startled at the sound of his voice like a jittery deer. “W-what? Nothing’s wrong.”

“C’mon, Vi. I know you. You’re jumpy, hesitant, and your heart is beating like a drum. You’re terrified, and this isn’t the first time you’ve acted this way. It’s almost like . . .”

When he paused, I whispered, “Like what?”

He turned his head to look at me, his mouth set in a grim line. “Like you don’t know what you want.”

“I do know what I want,” I automatically replied before I could stop myself.

And I did. Oh God, I did. I truly did.

“Then tell me. Tell me what you want, Vi, because I’m starting to think that you don’t want—”

“I want you to hold me,” I blurted before he could finish.

He stared at me in silence for a long moment, then rolled onto his side and pulled me to him. When I was tucked securely against his chest, he quietly rumbled, “Is this good?”

I nodded, my heart slowing again as his warmth seeped into me. He brushed a lock of hair off my cheek, then gently ran his fingers through the silky tresses, making me want to purr like a cat.

A purring sound filled my mind, and I internally rolled my eyes at Sable.

Contentment settled over me, and my eyes drifted shut, but after several minutes, I was still wide awake.

Griff continued to stroke my hair, but when I didn’t fall asleep, he murmured, “Tell me what you want.”

I stiffened, my eyes snapping back open.

“Tell me what you want, Vi,” he repeated, the words a gentle nudge, a push . He knew I needed something more, and he wasn’t waiting for me to ask this time.

“I want you to kiss me,” I said, then nearly gasped, shocked by how readily I’d answered.

He’d pushed, and I’d willingly let him. I’d almost welcomed it. Oh God, what was happening to me?

Without a word, he placed his fingers beneath my chin and tipped my face up, then pressed his lips to mine. At how intoxicatingly warm and soft they felt, I immediately melted. He stretched his hand along my jaw and kissed me more fully, making my toes curl beneath the sheets. All on their own, my hands slid to his back and pulled our bodies closer. Closer. Not close enough. I tangled my legs with his, but it still wasn’t close enough.

“Tell me what you want, Vi,” Griff breathed against my lips

“Touch,” I whimpered back. “I want you to touch me.”

His body reacted to the words by shuddering against mine. A breathy moan escaped me as he pulled me impossibly close, close enough that I felt how hard I’d just made him. Slipping a hand beneath my night shirt, he slid his hot palm all the way up my spine. His other hand did the same but to my front, sliding up my stomach and between my breasts.

Frantic butterflies erupted in my belly as he broke the kiss to tug my shirt over my head, leaving my upper half bare. Then he rolled onto his back again so that I was sitting on top of him, straddling his waist. The sheets slid off of me, revealing my nakedness, but I didn’t care.

I wanted him to see me. I wanted him to look at me. To want me. To lust after me. And that’s exactly what he did.

As he took in my bare breasts, his eyes went molten.

“Gorgeous,” he said in a hushed whisper. “You’ve always been so incredibly beautiful.”

My bottom lip quivered, and I leaned down to kiss him. He dug his fingers into my hair and kissed me back, his mouth hot and needy against mine. The kiss turned passionate, our tongues seeking each other out as the need for more trembled through us both. My thighs tightened around his waist, and he gripped one to guide me onto his erection. As I felt it pulse through our clothing, I moaned into his mouth, my own core growing wet in response.

Sliding his hand to my butt, he gripped it hard and rocked against me. Pleasure unfurled in my center, and I arched back with a gasp. Griff lifted his head and kissed my exposed throat, continuing to grind himself against me. I placed my hands on his chest to steady myself, quivering with growing desire. His kisses trailed downward, making my breath come in short spurts. Still rocking against me, he lifted up even more so he could reach my breasts, kissing them both lightly until my nipples hardened.

When they did, he took one into his mouth. I arched back even more, completely lost to the moment. All I cared about was how it felt to be with him. Nothing else mattered. Any reasons I had for not wanting this to happen again fled my mind, because the only thing I wanted was this . It felt so achingly good to have him kissing and touching me. He knew just how to please me, and I was helpless to resist it.

As he continued to lick and suck on my nipples, leaving me a panting, quivering mess, his hand left my backside and slid between my spread thighs. The first touch of his fingers against my ultra sensitive clit nearly made me come. He wasn’t even touching my bare skin, choosing to rub me slowly through my pajama shorts and underwear.

“Griff!” I gasped out, grabbing on to his shoulders as my body bent backward even more. I quivered uncontrollably against him, pressing my knees into the mattress while he pleasured my nipples and clit in tandem. His free hand went to my spine, securing me in place so I wouldn’t topple over backward.

“Is this what you want, baby?” he murmured against my skin.

“Yes. Yes ,” I breathlessly cried.

My body was happily thrumming, basking in the incredible high his tongue and skilled fingers were giving me. Nothing compared to this. Being with him in this way was pure magic, and I never wanted it to end. I clung to him for dear life and panted through each wave of pleasure, refusing to come down.

This was what I wanted, and I had to have it. Had to have him .

I held on for several minutes, every inch of my body blissfully alive. Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come , I told myself, desperate for the incredible sensations Griff was making me feel. But when he abruptly slid his fingers into my underwear and touched my swollen clit, I lost it.

Euphoria exploded through me, punching the air from my lungs. I opened my mouth in a silent scream, my body stiffening as the orgasm consumed my entire being. As I shot sky high, he stiffened as well. With a deep groan, he jerked once, letting me know that he’d just come in his pants. The realization tipped me over the edge again, and I came against his fingers a second time.

Overwhelmed by the pleasure flooding my system, I went limp against him. He caught me, lowering my boneless body to the mattress while I continued to spasm from pleasurable aftershocks. With one hand still in my underwear to prolong the orgasm, he lifted his other to sweep the hair off my face.

Still trembling and spasming, I opened my eyes to see him already looking at me. The contentment, the happiness on his face—it was almost more than I could bear.

“I love pleasuring you,” he said in an awed voice. “Watching you come is one of my favorite things ever.”

A breathy laugh left me. “And what is your favorite thing?”

“You,” he automatically replied, his smile so devastating that I couldn’t breathe. “ You are my favorite thing, Violet Jane Rivers.”