Page 8 of Deadly Little Hearts

After closing my door behind me, I head down the stairs, holding on to the railing.Hazen comes through the front door, shutting it with a soft click.

“Where’s Lucas?”I ask, reaching the bottom step.

“He isn’t coming,” he replies, shaking his head.“He’s already half into a bottle of whiskey.”

“For fuck’s sake.He is going to be the death of me,” I grumble under my breath, moving toward my office.For all his big talk at our initiation party, he’s not done a thing about our new role as leaders, except to snort and drink our merchandise.Fucking idiot.

Hazen’s footsteps follow me down the long corridor.I can’t get there fast enough.I want to see her again.

The door to my office is slightly ajar.I push it open and suck in a deep breath through my teeth.Holy fucking shit.She’s sitting on the front of my desk with one leg crossed over the other, wearing black heels that could kill someone.The blue suit jacket hits her mid-thigh, and the suspenders attached to her knee-high black socks disappear underneath it.

I stalk into the room, heading straight for her.Her bright-blue eyes clash with mine, and I’m done for.The pull she has on me scares the shit out of me, but I never want whatever this is between us to dull.The flames are ablaze, and I’ll be damned if I ever let them burn out again.

As I close in on her, her soft floral perfume surrounds me.I brace my hands on the desk on both sides of her, caging her in.She shuffles slightly, unwrapping one leg from the other.I lean in until her mouth is mere inches from mine.She swipes her tongue across her cherry-red lips and my cock stirs.I want her.I need her now.

I go in for a kiss, but her hand on my chest forces me to hesitate, and I pull back, scowling.She raises an eyebrow.

“This is a business meeting, Gage.No touching,” she says with a click of her tongue, and I groan, wanting her even more.

Defying her orders, I push back on her hand, capturing her lips in a forceful kiss.A deep groan escapes her as our tongues meet.She succumbs to my kiss, only to shove me away afterward.I stumble back, raising my hands in surrender.

Hazen chuckles from behind me, sitting down on one of the recliner chairs, and I join him, falling into the seat by his side.

“Good to see you, Freya,” Hazen says, and the corner of her mouth lifts.

“You too,” Freya says, standing.She flattens the suit jacket and moves around the desk.Her heels click against the marble tiles.I can’t take my eyes away from her long legs.She needs to wear suspenders more often—or maybe not, as she’s enough of a distraction already.

She pushes back my office chair and sits down.Anyone else would be shot for sitting in my seat, but not her.I’ll play along with whatever game she’s initiating.

Leaning back, she crosses one leg over the other.“Where’s Lucas?”she asks, staring at the closed door.

“Not coming,” I say, and her face falls.

“Will he ever forgive me for what I did?”she asks in a soft voice, and I have no idea how to answer.

Lucas just lost both his parents, and as controlling as Nadine was, he loved her.What Freya did was in self-defense, and deep down, Lucas knows that, but it’ll take time for him to get close to her again.He doesn’t deal with shit.He bottles it all up and pretends he’s doing fine until it eventually spills over and turns into a flood.

I’m different.I’ve learned over the years that I need to deal with shit right when it happens.I can’t keep it inside, because it fucking consumes me, everything I do and think.My past with Freya and not being able to protect her taught me that—to never leave anything unresolved.It will fuck with your head until it’s fried to a crisp.

As kings of The Brotherhood, we can’t afford to leave anything unresolved.Everything must be dealt with, so we can be the strong, decisive leaders our brothers need.We had that drilled into us when we started our initiation all those years ago, but Lucas always struggled with it and clearly still does.

“He’ll come around.Just give him some space,” Hazen says.

“Now, why are we here, Freya?”I ask, eager to find out.

“I’ve got some ideas for you and The Brotherhood if you choose to accept.”She leans back in my chair, folding her arms over her chest.This is supposed to be a business meeting, but fuck me, she’s making it impossible to concentrate when she’s dressed like that.

“We’re all ears,” Hazen says, watching her intently, the corner of his mouth lifted.Looks like he’s enjoying this just as much as I am.

“So, it should come as no surprise that I want to talk about the love-hate relationship between Daringville and Daringhood.I want you to change that.To create a new chapter in leveling out the divide for more peace and stability.”

Running my finger along my jaw, I don’t say anything for several heartbeats, and Hazen remains silent beside me.Her eyes dart between us, as if she’s waiting to see how we’ll respond.

“And how do you propose that we do that?”I ask.

Her hands land on the desk with a slap.She pushes the chair back and stands, straightening her suit jacket before stalking around the table.She reaches the front before leaning back against it.

My eyes slowly move up her legs, taking in every single curve.She knows what she’s doing, and I’m not about to tell her off.I’ll entertain her, because why the fuck wouldn’t I?

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