CHAPTER 35

VENUS

Today's temptation was unbearable. Because all it did was remind me how much I wanted him again.

After remembering what his capable hands felt like on every surface of my body, it was almost impossible not to get distracted looking at them. Even now, my brain was a jumbled mess as I tried to force myself to focus. To focus on anything but the sensuous movement of his full, impeccable lips or the taut, rippled perfection of his chest that was currently unclothed and on full display with the way he was stretching his back using a wooden staff.

All that covered him was a pair of black shorts, leaving very little to the imagination. Especially when I knew exactly what waited for me underneath—when I felt it so recently and the memory was a fresh imprint in my brain.

Just the thought of those lush lips grazing my body again and the weight of that muscled frame against mine drove me crazy. I didn't know how on earth we made it work in the Jeep … but damn did it work.

I really hoped I wasn't currently drooling.

River still wasn't around this morning, so we trained in the Saint Claire HQ garden instead.

After yesterday's "incident", we'd driven back here when the storm cleared.Although, we made the most of the time spent trapped in his car.

We stayed up late with the Knights once we returned, so we crashed for the night, not bothering to make our way back to the Stone homestead. I was more than willing to share a room with Kit and Billie, and grateful for the companionable distraction they provided. Once again, Griffin's pull was too strong for me to resist and had entirely undermined my plans of waiting until I'd spoken to River. I didn't know the right way to do this—it wasn't like there was a guidebook on how to successfully bring a love triangle to an end.

Was there?

If there was, I desperately needed a copy.

Still wanting to at least try to keep to my intentions, I kept busy when we got back.

Apparently neither of us slept properly though, because when I came down to make coffee at an ungodly hour, Griffin was already awake on the couch, spinning his kunai, seemingly deep in thought. The devilish grin he greeted me with when he saw who descended the stairs was enough to send heat coursing through my veins.

I was once again in a position where I didn't trust myself alone with him, and a quiet lounge room with a large, comfortable couch seemed like too much temptation. So I insisted on an early morning training session instead.

Stretching had proved to be a harder task than I had initially thought. Stupid of me to assume otherwise.

I tried to avoid him, keeping as much physical space between us as possible. Just like I had when we got back last night … except then I used the other warriors as a buffer between us. Now it was just us.

A blue-tinged, violet sky was just beginning to turn pale at the horizon, preparing for dawn. Though it was mostly still dark outside, the lower stars were slowly winking out one by one, but the brightest star—the planet Venus—still twinkled as it watched over us. I watched it back, using it to distract me from the equally beautiful view of the male before me.

When my avoidance was obvious, due to my clipped words and lack of conversation, Griffin finally cracked.

His brows pinched in as he gave my stretching form a once over, lowering the large stick from his shoulders. Gripping it with two hands, he used it to anchor himself as he leaned forward against it.

I braced for impact.

"Do you even think of me? The way I think of you?"He calmly demanded, his voice still cool and even, but dangerously low. "Am I even on your mind?"

"Of course you"re on my mind," I sputtered, pausing what I was doing to straighten.

He searched my face, looking for answers. "I'm honestly not sure that I am. I don't know how you can do it, if you feel even remotely the way I do." The words were a deep rumble in his mouth.

I sighed, taking a single step towards him. "I have made so many mistakes. And I'm scared, Griff. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to make more mistakes." My voice wavered, cracking with emotion as I tried to be reassuring and placating.

Hurt flashed across his eyes. Only for an instant before he replaced it with his stoic, strong mask. Even so, I noticed the tick in his jaw—the only physical sign he was frustrated. I knew he was trying to keep it together. To be calm and patient. And he had been. He honestly had. I just confused things more with my actions yesterday and my conflicting ones that followed the moment it was over. He had asked me if I was sure, he'd given me a moment to back out, even in the heat of it all.

There was no way I could have; I fell victim to my desire.

And he still had no idea that I had made my decision.

All I'd given him was mixed singles galore.

I knew I should have told him. But I also knew that once I did, there would be no holding off until River was back. Not after all this time and the crazy energy that buzzed and burned and flared between us. He had been keeping himself in check for the most part, fighting his own temptation, but once I told him, those fragile gates would flood open.

He blinked a few times before asking, "You don't want to hurt me?" His voice dropped even lower, if that was even possible. Quieter.

"No," I shrieked, no longer able to contain myself.

No longer able to fight what I felt. To keep it suppressed.

"I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt him by admitting that I choose you. Especially without talking to him first!"

He stilled, his body straightening. "You choose me?"

"Yes," I sighed, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. "No matter how much I try to deny it, no matter how much I try to push it aside, my heart has chosen you. It chose you from the early days in the compound and I constantly fought for it to make another choice. But I'm so tired of fighting. I'm so tired of being afraid."

He placed the stick against the wall and moved closer to me.

"Then stop fighting it. Stop fighting this one thing in your life. Stop overthinking it. Just say yes and we'll figure it out." His husky voice was desperate with cautious hope.

"And what if it wasn't you that I was saying yes to. What would you say then?" I challenged.

"I'd say we'd figure that out too. I'd just be saying it with a lot less lightness in my chest and a heart that's beating too damn fucking fast for a whole other reason."

By the knowing smirk on his too beautiful face, I knew he was remembering the heated moments between us yesterday; the answer that I was giving him without having explicitly said the words … until now.

The smirk turned into a full-blown grin. That rare angelic smile—full, and bright, and brimming with excitement.

Despite the pure hunger that also danced in his expression, he gently reached out to me and pulled me into him. Folded me in his arms as he held me tenderly.

For someone with such sharp edges, he could be so soft when it came to me. And I melted for it. For him.

We stayed in that embrace for blissful moments that I didn't bother to count. I just soaked it in. The unbridled tender feeling of Griffin Gray's arms wrapped around me, his face buried in the crook of my neck as he breathed me in again and again.

Eventually, when our breathing was so in sync that I wouldn't have been able to tell if one of us had stopped breathing, he pulled back slightly, cupping my face in both his hands like I was precious to him.

I kept my arms clasped around his waist, not wanting to let go, even as he lowered his lips to mine, worshipping them with slow but firm kisses that eventually turned harder as he continued, like he couldn't stop himself from claiming my mouth—claiming me.

And I was more than okay with that.

When he was satisfied that he'd tasted enough, at least for the moment, his returning smile illuminated my soul. And I grinned right back at him.

His eyes held so much light, the silver looking even more apparent than usual.

"Hey," he said, voice hoarse with emotion.

"Hey," I replied, my own smile growing at the familiar sentiment.

"We're back?"

I nodded. "We're back."

"Thank fuck for that."

A laugh spilled out of me. "You have such a way with words." My expression darkened. "Speaking of words, I need to tell River as soon as he's back. Like, the second he returns."

He tightened around me possessively. "That's assuming I let you out of my arms. Which will be unlikely for the next week or so at least. I plan to keep you in my bed." The corners of his mouth tilted upwards. "Or better yet, your bed."

"Griff," I moaned. More so in frustration … but there was still underlying pleasure to the sound as sparks shot through my body at his implication.

I forced myself to glare, showing him I was serious and that this needed to happen. It was bad enough we didn't wait to progress things further.

He just continued to smirk at me. "Have I told you you're adorable when you glare at me?"

"Probably."

He bent down to kiss me again, his tongue finding mine and pleading with it. I gave in and let them tangle together for a few blissful seconds until he pulled away, looking pleased and satiated.

"Yes, Supernova," he conceded. "As soon as he's back, you can go tell him. And I'll be nothing but supportive. Anything for you, baby girl." He slung his arm around my shoulder, leading me to the sparring mats we'd set up out here.

Nodding towards them he said, "Now that this whole mess has been sorted out and we're back to our regularly scheduled programming—the way things were meant to be—shall we get back to training?"

His eyes danced with humour, yet I knew that's how he truly felt. ‘The way things were meant to be.'

He had known this was right before I ever did.

He'd just been waiting for me to catch up.

I groaned at his suggestion of more training and found myself clinging to him tighter.

He was mine.

Using the power he knew he now had over me, he continued to walk me through a strategy he was teaching me as if him being shirtless was not a massive distraction.

I swear he was trying to make this harder for me on purpose now.

Surprisingly, none of the other hunters came out to join us, but from the commotion I could hear inside, they were all up and awake, presumably just giving us two some space. The Knights were an annoyingly perceptive bunch and they were probably taking bets on who I'd pick and how long it would take. I was sure they'd be able to tell there had been an update to the crazy whirlwind that was our relationship just from eyeing us through the window.

Griffin didn't seem to care about the spying eyes, choosing to continue with the defence technique he was showing me instead.

"If you have an opponent rushing towards you, you can use the clinch." His words rolled off his tongue with authority.

And suddenly his tongue was the only thing I could think about.

"Come at me," he commanded.

Swallowing my unwanted arousal, I did. He broke down the movement in slow motion, demonstrating it.

"You want to get your arms on the inside of theirs and hook your hands over their shoulders. From here you can control them." He played it out, bringing his hands through my upheld arms and placing them on my shoulders where he held me in place.

He lowered his head so his lips were by my ear. "I quite like having you exactly where I want you," he teased, the whispered words brushing against me in a way that made my body shiver with need.

"I know you do," I fired back. But my own words were strained with pleasure.

I loved the feel of his breathy chuckle that sounded in response.

"Once you have them here, then tie them up tight over the top of their arms so they can't throw any more punches at you." His arms slid over my biceps, locking underneath them and pinning me down. I wriggled, trying to get free with no luck. "Keep your hips locked in tight and close." He pressed his to mine, showing me what waited. "One hand can grab the back of the head. You aim is to get the dominate position." He tilted my head to the side and his face bent down as he held me, close enough that I could feel his breath on my skin. He kissed that joining spot between my neck and shoulder. Then licked up the length of the column, stopping at my ear.

"You want to hold them here until you get an opening to take them down or tire them out," he whispered. "Or in this case, until you effectively distract them." He nibbled my sensitive skin and I gulped. He seemed to be using the Alpha's absence and the lack of wolves around to his absolute advantage. Training hadn't been like this since back at the compound.

"Do you have that, Venus?"

As per usual, every rare time he said my name, my body wanted to give in to him. Give my all to him.

And he used it like his own personal weapon.

I nodded in response to his question.

"Good girl." He softly bit the shell of my ear, sucking it into his mouth. Sparks erupted.

Then he pulled back. "Now you try."

We did the move over and over again until I eventually managed to lock him down. Surprisingly, I managed to actually keep him held in the position.

"How does it feel to be on the other side of this?" I taunted when I had him in my embrace.

"Every position that involves you does nothing but excite me."

Oh, my fragile heart and fluttering vagina.

This time I licked his ear.

His answering groan vibrated through me. "You're killing me, Supernova."

"Griff?"

"Yes, baby girl?"

"Why don't you call me ‘Vee' like everyone else?"

It had always been on my mind. I knew he loved his nicknames, but he had never once called me ‘Vee' in all the time we'd known each other. Even when I'd insisted.

He got out of the hold I had him in with ease, turning to face me. His thumb came up, tipping my chin so he could look me straight in the eye. Grey to hazel green.

His expression was serious, as was his gravelly voice. "‘Vee' does not do you justice. You shine brighter than anything else. So to me you're either Venus, Supernova or Cosmo. You are radiant, and severely more important, and cannot be reduced to something as simple as a single letter."

I swallowed down all the emotions that rose to the surface, stopping the liquid that began to pool in my eyes. I knew my chin, held between his fingers, would be trembling as I fought against the tears. He had truly commanded his way into my heart again.

He"d never actually left.

I had no response for him, suddenly not feeling so talkative. But I nodded my understanding and he smiled down at me, leaning forward to capture my lips in what was more of a sweet and passionate kiss, taking his sweet time.

"How's that for ‘a way with words'?" He taunted, causing a soft chuckle to spill out of me and a coy smile to grace my lips. "Ready to go again?" He asked after he pressed his mouth to mine a second time.

Once again, all I could muster was a nod.

Then I silently got into position and we practised the technique again and again. The movements flowed on their own accord.

When we got tired of that, we moved onto weapons.

I twirled the twin sai in my hands.

Every time I held them, immense feelings of pride and power swelled through me. Like they were talking to me, telling me how they felt. Whispering to me all the ways I could use them. Telling me that I made the right choice.

I was so grateful he'd brought them back to me. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten them, but at the same time I didn't think I'd be allowed to take them.

Griff had assured me they were mine now, even if one day I decided I no longer wanted to be part of this warrior society. They'd always be mine.

Not that I planned on leaving again. I was well and truly finding my place among it all. Just call me the middle woman.

The purple aura I'd learned to harness wrapped around me, pulsing as if in reassurance and agreement, ready to assist me as I battled against the perfect specimen with the silver sword. Dangerous for so many reasons: his sheer dexterity, his angelic looks, and the hold he had on me.

But I put all that aside, keeping my attention on the sweet sound of metal hitting metal; on the dance of the movements between our bodies as we advanced and attacked; on the pleased upward turn of his mouth as he watched us with complete and utter satisfaction.