Midnight Hunter (The Execution Underground Book 3)

by Kait Ballenger

  “What were you doing at the club, anyway?” she asked.

  “I came here first, looking for you. You didn’t let me know you were safe. When you weren’t here, I decided to check the club. Luckily I parked out back and saw what was going on. Truth is, I was worried about you, and I wanted to apologize.”

  She raised her free hand. “You don’t have to...”

  He shook his head. “No, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I understand why you hid your black-magic use from me. I get it. And I should have told you about the history between our fathers.”

  Vera readjusted the ice on his cheek. “We both could have trusted each other a little better.” She flashed him a smile, but he could tell it was forced. “All water under the bridge now.”

  He placed his hand over top of hers. “No, it isn’t. I hurt you in other ways, too.”

  * * *

  DESPITE THE ICE clutched in Vera’s palm, the heat from Shane’s touch radiated through her hand. She pulled her hand away in the guise of rearranging the ice. No way was she going to allow him to give her a pity speech. “I’m not sure what you mean.” The last thing she wanted to hear from him was the “it’s not you, it’s me” routine. That would really drive the nail in the coffin of the already-shittastic night she’d had.

  Shane didn’t take the hint. “When we kissed, I...”

  Vera held up a hand to stop him. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Dr. Grey. I get it.”

  She stood. “I’ll be back. I need to get some antibacterial ointment on this scrape.” She gestured to the mark on her cheek, where Johnny had pushed her against the brick wall.

  She scurried to the bathroom a little faster than necessary, then closed the door behind her and allowed her weight to sink against the wooden frame. She wished she could allow herself the luxury of letting her emotions out. Screaming, crying...anything to release the tension. After her realization earlier in the evening that her feelings for Shane were becoming more than just a girlish crush, she worried that maybe she had been wrong when his message made her think the feelings were mutual. A reiteration that he was uninterested in her was more than she could handle.

  The fact that she’d found his little display of heroics against Johnny to be beyond sexy didn’t help the matter, either.

  She focused on the in and out of her breath in order to collect herself before she searched the cabinet for the antibiotic ointment. Once she found it, she applied it to the small wound, took a deep centering breath and returned to the living room.

  Shane stood waiting by her door with his leather coat on. “I called one of the other hunters for a ride home, so you wouldn’t have to go to the trouble.”

  She nodded. “Thank you.” A weight lifted off her shoulders. She needed some alone time.

  “Would you do me a favor and wear this?” He reached inside his jacket pocket and removed a circular silver pendant hanging from a thin silver chain. “It should help, just in case Nathanial figures out what we were up to and comes after you.”

  She extended her hand. “Sure. That’s probably a good idea. When I first went to the coven, he asked if I was related to my dad. I told him no, but I don’t think he believed it for a second.”

  Shane looked contemplative for a moment before he said, “If he recognized you as Johnathan’s daughter, he was probably the one who sent that familiar after you, because blood from one of Johnathan’s relatives would benefit his spell.” He looked down at the necklace. “That makes this even more important, then.” He undid the clasp. “Allow me?”

  She nodded, and he stepped toward her. Slowly, he brushed her hair from the back of her neck. A shiver ran down her spine. The things just a brush of his fingers could do to her.

  “Can I ask you something?” He placed the chain around her neck.

  She nodded.

  “Have you ever wanted something really badly that you know you shouldn’t have, yet you can’t stop yourself from wanting it?”

  She chuckled. “Dr. Grey, I’m addicted to black magic. You just described my addiction to a T.”

  He clasped the necklace but allowed his fingers to trail down to the pendant at the front. He held the pendant in his fingers, his hand resting just above her heart. She was certain if he paid attention, he could feel the fast-paced thump of her heartbeat. His nearness sent her heart racing.

  Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Have you?”

  A half grin crossed his face as he continued to stare at the pendant. “Yeah, I have.” He looked up to meet her gaze as his smile faded. Her breath caught in her throat. The sweetest sadness shone in his eyes. He released the pendant and brushed his fingertips gently across her cheek. “It’s torture.”

  He turned away from her then and walked to the door. Twisting the handle, he stepped out into the hallway. He paused, but he didn’t look back at her. “Good night, Vera.”

  She drew a deep breath. “Good night, Dr. Grey.”

  With that, he closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the silence of her apartment once again.

  Vera wandered into her room as if she were in a trance and sat on the edge of her bed. Had he been trying to say what she hoped he was? Her mind flashed back to their kiss, the way his tongue had explored the inside of her mouth, the way he’d moved his body flush against hers. Those were not the actions of a man who didn’t want her. Nor was the way he’d protected her in the alley, or that touch of the cheek he’d just left her with, or any number of other actions.

  When he’d said he didn’t want her, he’d been lying. She’d been silly to think otherwise. She had enough self-esteem and belief in herself she was certain of that now. Actions spoke louder than words, and Shane Grey’s actions were screaming. He wanted her, but he wasn’t going to let himself have her, all because he was her professor.

  He was too afraid to not play by the rules to allow himself some pleasure, and she just couldn’t stand for that. Well, she’d never been one to play by the rules. She knew what she needed to do.

  Skyrocketing from the bed so fast that Binksy awoke with a resounding howl, she darted into her living room in search of her textbook. She had class tomorrow, and she planned to school one stiff-lipped handsome professor in just how naughty a schoolgirl she could be.

  * * *

  SHANE STROLLED INTO his classroom fifteen minutes early the next morning anticipating the quiet solitude that usually came with being the only person in a lecture hall. To say he’d been nursing a slight hangover from his binge the night before was an understatement. He’d spent the vast majority of the morning with his temple throbbing like a jackhammer and feeling as if his retinas would burn at the smallest hint of light. A few aspirin and a Bloody Mary later, he felt significantly better.

  That was until he spotted Vera sitting in the front row. The idea of quiet solitude immediately flew out the window. At the sight of her, every ounce of guilt and shame he had harbored over his behavior the night before rushed back like a kick to the family jewels. He wasn’t even certain what to say.

  He chose silence as he set his messenger bag down on his desk and began to set up the PowerPoint for his lecture. He hadn’t anticipated her being here at all, let alone early. She was the kind of student who generally strode in casually late and sat at the very back of the lecture hall.

  “I got your message from last night,” she said, breaking the silence between them. “I listened to it when I got home from the bar.”

  He nodded, though he didn’t look up from what he was doing. “Good.” Finally, he built up the courage to glance up at her. She looked as gorgeous as ever, sexy and perfect in one of her usual little getups. As if he didn’t feel guilty enough already...

  “I’m sorry for everything I said and did. It was inexcusable,” he said.

  A devious grin
spread across Vera’s sweet pink lips. “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll be paying for it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. Before he could ask her exactly what she meant, another student entered the lecture hall, bringing their conversation to a screeching halt.

  Surprisingly, even with Vera’s presence in the front row, his hour-long lecture on the history of aphrodisiac potions in early occult practices went off without a hitch. He quickly found himself in the zone of information and presentation that professors so commonly experienced when they spoke, like a meditation or chant of sorts.

  When he reached the end of his presentation, he turned on the lights to the groaning of several students before he finally asked, “Any questions?”

  Vera’s hand shot up into the air like a live wire. Shane nearly cringed, considering her earlier words. He was reluctant to call on her, but he had no other choice. Considering she was the only student with her hand up, he couldn’t very well ignore her.

  He pointed in her direction. “Yes, Ms. Sanders?”

  She lowered her hand. “So theoretically speaking, the type of aphrodisiac potions that were used among early occult practitioners, if recreated nowadays, could work, because the ingredients were all natural aphrodisiacs?”

  Shane nodded. “Yes, in theory.” He turned back toward the class, but Vera’s hand shot into the air again. “Yes, Ms. Sanders?”

  “So they could work on anyone?”

  He nodded again.

  A smirk spread across Vera’s lips. She raised her voice to ensure everyone in the lecture hall could hear. “Really? That’s fascinating. So it would even work on handsome young professors?” she asked.

  Shane’s face immediately flushed with heat as every female student in the room burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. He quickly regained his composure.

  “That’s quite enough. Class dismissed,” he said before adding. “Ms. Sanders, my office—now.”

  A round of catcalls greeted those words as they all quickly retrieved their bags and exited. Shane followed suit, making a beeline straight for his office. He didn’t bother to check and ensure Vera was following.

  When he reached his office door, he paused, allowing Vera to waltz in before him, a smug grin on her face. He slammed the door behind him, not bothering to give a flying shit who heard the result of his anger. Vera flopped down in the chair in front of his desk, her arms crossed over her breasts and a broad smile on her face.

  Where the hell did she get off thinking she could conduct herself like that in his classroom? Her sheer nerve stunned him. That coupled with his frustration toward himself because she looked oh-so-tantalizing in that little getup that it was enough to send him over the edge. His anger and frustration simmered like a pot of boiling water until he was ready to burst.

  “What in the hell were you thinking?” he spat. He rounded his desk so that he stood directly across from her.

  “Whatever do you mean, Dr. Grey?” The emphasis felt like a punishment, and he was certain that was exactly how she intended it.

  “You know exactly what I mean, Ms. Sanders,” he hissed. Two could play at that game.

  She frowned. “I was just asking thoughtful questions, Dr. Grey. I don’t see why that made you so angry.”

  “Thoughtful questions? You were taunting me.”

  She stood and met his gaze. “Taunting you with what, exactly? You can’t taunt someone with something they don’t want.”

  Really? That was what this was all about? The fact that he’d pushed her away? Surely she had to understand why he couldn’t act on his feelings. She was his student, for fuck’s sake.

  He stepped back behind the desk, then leaned across it until their faces were only inches away from each other. Adrenaline and frustration pumped through his veins. The air pulsed with tension. Didn’t she see what she did to him?

  “What do you want me to say to you, Vera? That the first time you walked in here and asked me to tutor you, what I really wanted to say was, ‘Let’s put this whole professor and naughty-student thing to work’? Or that every time you smile that coy little smile of yours I want to throw you up against the nearest bookcase? Do you want me to tell you how, even though there is nothing I want more than to fuck you until you can’t think straight, I can’t, because I’m your goddamn professor? Is that what you want? Does that admission of my unprofessionalism make you feel better?”

  And then, before he could stop her, she drove him over the edge. She smiled that damn coy little smile and said, “Yes.”

  He was done for.

  One second they were nose to nose across his desk. The next thing he knew, his mouth crashed into hers and he was dragging her onto the desktop. His office supplies and accolades smashed to the floor as he laid her out across his desk, exploring the insides of her mouth, the curve of her teeth and tongue, for everything it was worth. She tasted like cinnamon and apples, an intoxicating combination of sweetness and spice that pushed his cock harder against the fly of his jeans. He could drown in her taste.

  A small moan vibrated from the back of her throat, and any shred of reservation he had flew out the window. He wanted to taste every inch of her. His hands snaked up her sides to cup her soft breasts as his mouth trailed from her chin down her neck. As he palmed both of her breasts, the thought occurred to him that she was entirely too clothed.

  Wrenching at the hem of her top, he pulled the material free. Her long ebony locks splayed like a halo behind her head, but he knew better. Vera’s looks may have come from heaven above, but the desire in her eyes marked her as anything but an angel. She grinned a devilish grin as his eyes raked over her form.

  “Bras should be outlawed.” He wasted no time wrapping his arms around her to unclasp the one thing standing between him and the sweet tip of her nipple being inside his mouth. When her breasts fell free, his breath caught. Vera was a sight to behold. The round spheres of her breasts tapered to soft, slight points, and the deep pink blush of her nipples contrasted with her creamy white skin. The taut peaks were like candy to his eyes. All he could think about was the sweet bubble-gum taste of them in his mouth.

  “You’re gorgeous.” His words came on a rush of breath.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes for this occasion, Dr. Grey.” Suddenly her use of his title took on a whole new meaning. He shucked his shirt off in seconds, happy to respond to her complaint.

  Not willing to spend another second away from the warmth of her body, he positioned his hips between her legs as he leaned over her and sucked the bud of her breast into his mouth. The sweet and salty taste of her skin flooded his tongue, and the resulting moan that escaped her luscious lips throbbed even more desire straight into his cock. He swirled the soft button between his lips, teasing her with the edges of his teeth.

  “Shane,” she breathed.

  All semi-coherent thought fled his mind. Before he could control himself, he reached one hand up under the short length of her skirt until his fingers made contact with her panties. He nearly swore. Even through the fabric of her underwear, he could feel her wetness, confirmation that she was just as turned on by this as he was. He couldn’t wait to be inside her.

  “You’re so wet.” He dipped the finger dampened by her pussy into his mouth.

  Her eyes widened, and she chewed on the plump flesh of her lower lip.

  “Tell me what you want from me.” The command hung in the air between them.

  “Take me,” she whispered.

  “What was that?” he teased. He leaned over her and sucked her nipple into his mouth again. Her back arched against the mahogany desk.

  “Take me,” she said again.

  Slowly, he trailed his lips over the mound of her breast, down the line of her torso, lingering momentarily near the soft skin of her belly before he hooked his teeth on the edge of her skirt. Caref
ully, he pulled the material away from her body, using his hand to guide the movement.

  She watched with wide, eager eyes, devouring the sight of his head nestled only inches away from her sex. As his hand reached the hem of her panties, he hooked the soft material along with her skirt and inched the garment away from her body as slowly and meticulously as possible. As wet as she already was, he wanted her dripping with need when he finally slipped inside her. The rise and fall of her chest quickened at the sight of him taunting her with his touch, and he nearly growled at the smooth sway of her breasts.

  “What is it you wanted again?” A devilish smirk crossed his face while he pulled her panties free from her ankles. For a moment he thought of stripping her of her shoes, but one look at her naked, displayed before his eyes in all her glory, only her knee-high leather high-heeled boots between her and complete nudity, had him second-guessing that thought. “I’ll let you keep the shoes.”

  She spread her legs, giving him an ample view of her most intimate curves. Damn, she was gorgeous. If he thought the full pink lips of her mouth were luscious, that was nothing compared to the glistening of her lower lips. He’d been right to think she was dangerous, because he knew already that he could lose himself inside her. His cock throbbed against his jeans, longing to break free. He wanted nothing more than to plunge himself deep inside her. But he wanted—no, needed—to hear and see her beg for him.

  He unbuckled his belt and stripped it from his jeans. Though he would never lay a hand on a woman, he cracked the belt playfully before dropping it to the floor. “I asked you a question.”

  She grinned and bit her lower lip again. “You heard me,” she said.

  He stepped forward. Crouching to his knees, he rested his head against the smooth bare skin of her mons. “Are you sure about that?” He inhaled the sweet scent of her sex, and a growl rumbled from deep inside his throat. He couldn’t stop himself. He wrapped his mouth around the sweet bead of her clit and sucked the satiny skin between his lips.

  She bucked against him. Another growl rumbled through him, and he knew from the writhing of her hips that she felt that growl all the way through her.