Page 54 of Reaper & the Lioness
I sighed, conflict churning in my gut. On one hand, this could be the break we needed to expose Hale. On the other, Reaper would be furious at the idea of me meeting someone in public while a price remained on my head. I’d have to make a serious case for him to understand why this mattered so much. I sent Matt a quick response.
Me: Let me check with my personal bodyguard.
Matt responded within seconds.
Matt: I can’t tell if you’re joking or not. You need to be there. We have to get this story published before Hale hurts anyone else.
Reaper’s truck rumbled up the driveway. I shoved my phone into my purse, pushing the dilemma to the back of my mind. I couldn’t wait to watch his jaw hit the ground.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ileaned against the hood of my truck, texting a subcontractor, when the door to my cabin opened. I knelt to greet the fur missile barreling toward me and nearly fell backward when I noticed a pair of soft black cowboy boots and bare legs before me.
My gaze continued upward to the soft black leather miniskirt that accentuated Eva’s ass. Her slim waist was wrapped in flames that licked up to her breasts in a deep V. Her hair framed her face in soft curls, and she’d colored her lips a sinful, deep maroon.
She embodied a dark goddess who I would kneel before until the day I died. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. My heart hammered, and possessiveness and pride surged through my chest. This fierce, beautiful creature belonged to me.
“Fuck,” I managed to say, my voice hoarse. “You look …”
Words failed me. How could I describe the reaction in my heart, mind, and gut? Like I simultaneously burned in a fire anddrowned in a lake. Like I wanted to show her off to the world but also hide her away.
Eva smirked, enjoying my reaction. She sauntered to me with lethal grace.
I straightened. “You’re going to cause a riot,” I said, only half joking. The thought of other men gazing at her sent a spike of jealousy through me.
“Good thing you’ll be there to protect me then, huh?”
“Always,” I promised, meaning it more than I’d ever meant anything in my life.
I leaned in close as I opened the truck door and inhaled her intoxicating citrusy scent. “We could always skip the dinner. Stay here instead.”
Eva’s laugh carried through the air. “Nice try. But I’ve been cooped up too long. Let’s have dinner with your friends, and then we’ll come back so you can find out what I’ve got underneath this little get-up. Or, maybe what’s not underneath.”
I groaned and shifted uncomfortably. Now I’d wonder about that all night. Did she wear lace under that skirt, or nothing at all?
I couldn’t stop glancing at Eva as we drove to the clubhouse. The way the warm sun caught her hair, the curve of her neck as she stared out the window, the slight smile on her lips. I’d fallen for her. Hard and fast.
“So, I need to ask you for a favor,” Eva started, her tone careful.
“Right now, I would burn the world down for you, babe.”
“I need to be at a meeting tomorrow at three at Maisie’s Bakery. Matt is meeting one of Hale’s victims there, and she’s willing to talk on the record. I need you to take me. You can bring the whole damn club to protect me if you want, but I need to do this. I need the closure, and this girl probably does, too.”
My grip on the steering wheel tightened. “No. It’s too dangerous. I can’t allow it.”
Eva’s head whipped toward me, and her eyes flashed in fury. “Excuse me? You don’t ‘allow’ me to do anything. You do not control me.”
“I’m not trying to control you. There’s a contract out on your life. You can’t just?—”
She cut me off. “I’ve been taking care of myself long before you came along. I don’t need a keeper.”
“This is about keeping you alive. In case you’ve forgotten, the Abells want you dead. The story is not worth your life.”
“And what about the girl? What about getting justice for what Hale did? I have to expose him.”
“We’ll find another way. One that doesn’t place you in the crosshairs. Let Matt do the interview.”
“Matt is coordinating it, but I have to be there, or else she doesn’t talk.”
