Page 37 of Waging War
I pause for a moment, thinking about Cooper and Kenneth and the lengths they’ve gone to keep Hazel safe. Maybe she’s right. I may not like them, and I may want to choke the life out of Cooper, but she’ll be taken care of once she’s back where she belongs.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“Let’s go.” The quicker we get this over with, the closer we’ll be to stopping Diablo and the farther I’ll be from the distraction that is Hazel.
She rounds the back of the vehicle and stops short in front of me.
My chest tightens at the sight of her classic getup—an old pair of leather tights, black boots, and a white tank and leather jacket combo. I drink my fill of her, imagining peeling off each layer torturously slow.
Does undressing her with my eyes before reuniting her with her undead father make me an asshole?
Probably. But it’s not just her body I desire.
Hazel was born into a world of violence, and I want to explore her scars. If I had the chance, I’d memorize every inch and detail of her. Like the little dimples she has imprinted on her lower back or the burn mark on her right shoulder that I kissed. Those brilliant inked wings that arch across her entire back before ending on either side of her hips are forever seared into my memory.
“What?” she asks, seemingly annoyed with my perusal.
Guess I’d paid closer attention than I thought.
“Nothing.”
Reaching into my pockets, I produce a pair of handcuffs. Her eyes fly straight to them, widening as I snag her wrist before enclosing it inside the metal cuff. I quickly snap the other end around my own.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Ahh. There’s that familiar spark.
I smile as my responding spark rises to greet hers.
I jingle the tiny key in front of her. “Restraint not your kink, baby?”
Blood rushes up to color her cheeks, and I admire the way her embarrassment accentuates the fat little freckles sprinkled across her face.
I pinch her nose with a wink. “Can’t risk you taking off on me, now can I?”
She’s furious as she wrenches our connected hands up and gives them a shake. “Are youtryingto get yourself killed?”
The shrill in her voice has my smirk deepening. “Your little boyfriend doesn’t scare me.”
She rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t deny that they’re dating. Did she let me fuck her knowing she’d be back in his arms soon enough? She didn’t strike me as the type to mess around, but I don’t like the idea of being her little toy.
“He’s not—”
“Not what?” I press.
“It’s complicated.”
“That’s a cop-out. Do you belong to him or not, Hazel?”
She turns on her heel, but I use the connection between our hands to haul her back to me.
“I belong tono one,” she growls.
I want to be furious with her, but not a drop of anger boils my blood. When her hand flattens over my shoulder to steady herself, fusing my lips with hers is the only thing that makes sense. I crave that sinful sensation as my mouth brands her before I’m forced to give her up.
Hazel gasps.
“God, I love it when you do that,” I rumble.
