Fanged Desire (Leyore Coven #3)

Chapter 19

Hunter

“Addison, I’m beat. How much longer do you intend to overwork me?” I scooted my chair back on its wheels, slouching until my chin touched my chest. “If I stare at this screen any longer I’m going to go blind.”

Addison was perched on my desk, legs crossed, sipping on yet another cup of coffee like it was her only lifeline. She shot me an astonished pout like the mere notion of quitting was preposterous. “Might I remind you, this was your idea? And besides–”

She waved a stack of papers in front of my nose, damn near delirious herself considering the hour. “We’re only halfway through these files. We can’t quit yet.”

“You’re a bad boss and I deserve a bathroom break.” I lounged back in my chair, flicking through open tabs on my laptop, one eye on the screen and the other on her legs, poking out from what was as close to a miniskirt as you could get away with before it became panty-curtains.

Whether it was sleep deprivation or general boredom poisoning my thoughts, something about the scene had my mind wandering back to the night at Micere, when I’d kissed her on the sofa and my wandering hands had wanted more. Addison’s skimpy club attire was out of place in my office, but something about the contrast only added to the faint buzz of arousal deep in my belly.

“You know. I’ve been thinking...” she said, interrupting my ogling and eyeing me over the rim of her mug. “For someone who supposedly works in sales, you’ve got a suspicious amount of experience with late-night heists and general skullduggery.”

I sniffed, dropping my gaze to her sparkly stilettos. “It’s called versatility, Addison. You should give it a try.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m learning.” She chuckled, a hint of a smirk on her lips. “Though I’m not sure breaking and entering into a fairytale mansion was exactly on my agenda. Thanks for that.”

“ You didn’t break in anywhere.” I turned my nose up, clicking through a few tabs, squinting at a couple of blurry photos. “And it’s not a fairytale mansion, it’s a goddamn Elven fortress.”

“Trivial semantics.” She took another long gulp and turned her attention back to her papers.

“You’re really downing that coffee, aren’t you?”

Addison paused, looking over her half-empty mug like she hadn’t even noticed. “What? It’s keeping me awake.”

I hiked up a brow, folding my arms as I looked her over. “At this rate, you’re going to vibrate right off my desk. Which – by the way – is not for sitting on in the first place.”

She rolled her eyes, setting the mug aside. “I’m fine.”

“You say that, but I’m pretty sure you’re already three cups in. And it’s, ” I glanced at the corner of my screen, “past midnight.”

Addison shrugged, leaning back on her palms. “Caffeine is what’s keeping me from face-planting into your files, so it’s best you stop policing my coffee intake and brew us a fresh pot.”

“Yes, your majesty.” I pushed myself upright, dragging my feet as I shuffled over to the coffee maker, muttering all the while. “I’ve unleashed a monster.”

It was strangely easy to fall into this rhythm with her – banter, little jabs, the occasional eye roll. And even though we were holed up in my office at an absurd hour trying to connect dots in a series of disturbing files – not to mention our futile pursuit of whatever the hell this A-gene was – I didn’t mind. I liked her company, just as much as I liked her legs in those stockings.

I pushed another round of coffee into the machine, the familiar hiss and gurgle filling the office as it brewed. Addison waited, her eyes already trained on the mug I held out for her.

“Here. Your fourth cup,” I said, handing it to her with mock solemnity. “May you survive.”

She accepted it graciously, grinning in her victory. “You act like it’s some kind of sin to drink a little caffeine.”

Before I could retort, a faint sound drifted from outside the office doors – footsteps, voices – and I froze. Addison noticed and tilted her head, about to question me, but I held up a finger, listening. Who the hell would be here this late?

My question was answered immediately when clear as day came a familiar voice, echoing down the hallway. “Oh, come on Jordan, she’s a hermit! I’m starting to worry she’s growing roots in that office chair.”

“Shit,” I muttered, grabbing Addison’s arm and yanking her to her feet.

Her coffee sloshed in the mug and she hurriedly set it down, rounding on me with her mouth open in protest. “Hey! What – who is that?”

“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 her knees 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 between keep moving and please 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 the two coffee 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?”

“Absolutely,” I muttered, still shaking my head. "And she’s never gonna let it go.”

“Well.” Addison brushed herself off as her eyes narrowed in my direction. “That was... something.”

I slumped back in my chair, letting out a long breath as I stared up at the ceiling.

After a few tense minutes of morbid spiraling on my part, Addison lifted her damning coffee mug and brought it to her lips, taking a long, slow sip as she surveyed me.

“So…” she asked, brow raised with casual curiosity, “did you hide me because I didn’t sign the register, or am I just your dirty little secret?”

I avoided her gaze for a moment, unwilling to admit that I didn’t really have a good answer for her. Sure, I was partially concerned about Jordan discovering my antics at Micere. But more than that, some clinical part of my consciousness understood that I was afraid.

Connecting Addison to the people I was closest to felt like crossing some forbidden line, acknowledging that she was so much more than just a passing interest.

When the silence dragged on, I risked a glance in her direction. I expected her to look hurt, disappointed maybe. Hell, I’d kissed her and then never brought it up again, buried it like it had never happened. Then I shoved her under my desk like a stowaway when my friends showed up. From Addison’s perspective, I must have looked like a walking red flag.

But when I caught her eye she only smiled – a small, smug smile that was somehow even worse. She saw right through me. Which meant she also understood the power she had over me.

Addison dropped her gaze for a beat, swirling her coffee before asking, “Are those women elves too?”

I laughed, maybe a little too quickly. “Definitely not.”

When it was clear she was expecting more, I scratched the back of my neck, avoiding eye contact as I mumbled under my breath. “They’re actually, uh… they’re just like me.”

Thank God none of them had dropped any hints about their actual “drink” plans. There were only so many subtle ways to explain the intricate complexities of vampire nightlife without horrifying someone.

Addison tilted her head, eyes narrowing as though she could pry open my thoughts if she only looked hard enough. “And what exactly is that? What are you?”

“Good question.” I tried to keep my tone nonchalant and forced a smile. I could feel her getting closer and I knew I should deflect, but there was something about her scrutiny that was both unnerving and magnetic.

“Fine, leave me in the dark.” Addison scoffed before her voice dropped an octave. “Then tell me this; how dangerous are the elves, really?”

When I raised a brow in question she rolled her eyes, settling against the edge of the desk and folding her arms. “I mean, it’s obvious they’re trouble, but every time I ask, you seem… less than worried.”

My pulse hitched when I realized just how close she was, standing squarely between my parted knees. I could feel her presence, electric and steady like she’d carved a space in my orbit just for her.

A smirk tugged at my lips, a thread of confidence slipping into my words as I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“The elves?” I shook my head slowly. “They’re not as dangerous as I am.”

Addison held my gaze, her expression unreadable for a second before a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. The glint in her eyes told me that instead of deterring her, my words had only drawn her in further.

The space between us seemed to shrink, the air thickening with tension. Her eyes darkened and she edged closer, then glanced down at her feet like she hadn’t given them permission to move.

“That should probably scare me,” she murmured.

“Does it?”

Without really thinking, I lifted a hand, letting my fingers brush the curve of her jaw, pulled in by some unseen leash she had fastened around my neck. I had never planned for this, had never let anyone get this close to my heart – not since… well, since I learned better. But with Addison, it felt like throwing all that caution to the wind was the only option.

“No.” She whispered the confession, leaning into my touch. “It doesn’t.”

I wasn’t sure it was a good idea – hell, I was pretty sure it wasn’t – but in that moment, I couldn’t have cared less. I stood slowly, closing the gap between us, and Addison pressed a hand to my chest – whether to steady herself or push me away, I couldn’t know for sure.

But then she looked up at me, lips parted as her next words died on her tongue. That same hand fisted the fabric of my shirt, tugging me closer as she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to my palm. I tilted her head, felt the brush of her breath against my face, taking in every inch of her features from the slope of her nose to the length of her lashes.

When she opened her eyes again, I saw my own simmering desire reflected back at me.

The kiss was slow at first, tentative, like we were testing the waters after our last entanglement to see if anything had changed. But it deepened quickly, the world outside the small, illuminated office space falling away as we lost ourselves to each other.

Her hands found their way to the nape of my neck and my arm snaked around her waist, the other planted firmly on the desk, fingers splayed out as I leaned into her, the feel of her against my body igniting something I couldn’t possibly ignore for a moment longer. I felt her fingers in my hair, the roaring heat of her body against mine, and any idea of boundaries or good sense evaporated as I gripped her tighter, lost in the sensation of her lips.

The papers on my desk rustled wildly, scattering as she shifted beneath me and the kiss turned urgent, reckless. Somewhere in the back of my mind a little voice whispered that I was crossing into uncharted territory, that I was playing with a fire that would only burn me alive. But I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I broke the kiss just long enough to allow Addison to gasp for air, but not long enough for her to do much more than that, returning her fervor tenfold as I captured her lips again. The heat between our bodies smoldered on, stoked by raw passion and a deep, insatiable hunger. The scent of her blood sang to my senses, the erratic thrum of her heartbeat the sweetest of symphonies.

Every press of my mouth against her was full of heat and teeth and tongue, and she was left breathless, gasping in her attempts to keep up, nails raking down my back as she pulled me closer.

When my mouth finally moved from hers again she reared forward to tug at my lower lip with her teeth, sending a fierce bolt of desire reverberating through my body. I hitched her leg at my waist, propping her on the edge of the desk as I bowed over her, lips moving to her throat to explore her skin with my tongue. I could feel every inch of her through layers of clothing as she ground against me, heat searing through the fabric.

My teeth grazed the juncture of her neck, slipping the cropped sleeve of her shirt off her shoulder, and she gasped in response, off-balance as I explored her with my mouth. Her nails dug into my nape but faltered when my tongue traveled lower, trailing down her clavicle. Before she could right herself I surged into her, splaying her out on the desk.

When she was flat on her back, hair spread out in waves, my hands found hers, pinning her arms above her as she arched against me. My tongue continued to explore, insistent on leaving no part of her untouched, every nip and kiss leaving her more breathless and desperate by the second. The world narrowed to this moment, a hazy blend of desire, need, and the thrill of the forbidden – a moment that both of us knew had been building for far too long, unleashed in the privacy of the secluded office space.

It wasn’t just a distraction or mere lust. It was Addison – fierce, determined, and impossibly alluring. I wasn’t concerned with danger or consequences. Addison was my center of gravity. Every breath, every caress, every fiery spike of passion revolved around her.