Page 36 of Reaper's Claim

While I may not be interested in letting myself be interested, he wasn’t following the same reasoning. I let out a low sigh and dragged my eyes up to look at him.

“I’m just not in the mood.”

“I get it, being freshly dumped does that to someone.”

My face flashed with shock. Was it that obvious?

“You can wipe that shock off your face, love; I’m not a mind reader.” He cocked his head to the side slightly. “Just putting two and two together.”

“Two and two?”

“It’s either A, you gave it up to a dude and he left before you woke up or B, a hooker. And if that is the case, I’m more than interested in the hourly rate.”

“You’re a pig!”

He chuckled. “Not the second one then. Pity, I was more than keen.” He looked me up and down with his seductive gaze. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride. Unless you want to stand here longer looking like last night’s shag?”

The sting of my last bad decision was still freshly burning, and yet here I was lining up for a second round. So with crossed arms and a suspicious mind, I followed him to his car.

It was just a ride, right? It wasn’t like I was going to end up screwing him in the backseat.

I closed the car door and gave Drake a side-glance. “The name is Abby,” I muttered.

The engine roared to life and even though I had told myself it was just a ride, I had seen a glimpse of something within Drake’s eyes—that look, that flicker—I knew this wasn’t just going to be a five-minute ride.

But I wasn’t reaching for the handle. Instead, I leaned my forehead against the cold glass. Life was defined by moments and experiences, right?

I suppose I was a sucker for self-punishment.

Reaper

One Year Later

Her blonde hair was ruffled, her cheeks flushed, and an amused smile played across her lips.

I ran the back of my fingers down her bare arm.

She curved back into me. “You know, Kade, if you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to think you're about to burst out with a proposal or something.” She giggled.

I hadn’t seen Abby so relaxed. So happy, and it was here in my arms. I was seeing it for the first time. Something bubbled in my bloodstream, pride I think.

“You’re beautiful. You know that, right?” I looked into her crystal-blue eyes.

Her cheeks tinted red. “You can stop trying to charm me; you already got me.”

I rolled her onto her back, keeping my arm behind her. I could feel her naked body underneath me and in this second, I felt like everything was alright. Fuck, what was this feeling consuming me?

She was a gorgeous rare gem that I felt was going to crumble in front of me.

I slowly lowered my lips to hers and she arched up, meeting my kiss.

She reached up, locking her arms around my neck. I was addicted to her touch, to that smile, to her. And when she pulled away, I cringed.

Just before worry consumed me, I looked into her eyes as amusement sparkled within them. “Kade, you’re kind of a great kisser.” A soft giggle fell from her lips.

Her face began to blur, then fade, and before I knew it, I was pulled away from her. I woke up alone in an unmade bed. Rubbing my eyes, I pulled myself up. My mouth was dry, and I craved water.

Abby’s smile was still playing on my mind. Again, another memory ofthat nighthad managed to take over my dreams. Why couldn’t I just have a dream instead of reliving something from the past?

---