Page 24 of Lawless
"Hades!" Reaper's voice barked from inside the dining room, followed by a high-pitched whistle.
With a soft, whining growl, the Doberman brought all four paws back to the floor but it was too late then. Heavy footsteps stomped across the floor until I was looking at three distinct but ridiculously handsome faces.
"Marrriposa," Jandro grinned, saying my name in that stupidly hot accent of his. "You look well-rested. And if I may say,well." His eyes lowered deliberately from my face to the deep V in my tank top. I felt the red flush creeping up my neck immediately.
"What were you doing out here?" Reaper was clearly not amused like his VP, but he asked the question with a simmering calm. "Eavesdropping?"
"What else am I supposed to do?" I shot back. "I'm here against my will, I have this whole house to roam, and no fucking clue why I'm here."
It was probably unwise to talk back to a killer, but not knowing a damn thing was eating away at me. I was also banking on the idea that if I was a guest in his house, my head was probably not on the chopping block. Plus his dog liked me, so that had to be something, right?
"Mm." Gunner sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, blue eyes shimmering with mischief. "She's a feisty one, Reap. Whatever you plan with her, hope you keep her around."
"Get the fuck out of here," his surly president replied. "Both of you. Get shit set up for the barbecue. I'll catch you there later."
Jandro and Gunner left while snickering to each other, which made my stomach drop.
"Hades," Reaper breathed softly. "Kennel, boy."
The dog trotted off obediently back toward the study. Then it was just the Steel Demons’ president staring me down in his decked-out luxury home. He had all the power here and we both knew it. I was well and truly fucked.
"What were you hoping to gain by listening to my conversation?" He started toward me, prompting me to back away.
"What do you want from me?" I stammered in return—my mind, body, and soul now in complete fight or flight mode.
Something hit my back—the bannister to the stairs. Reaper's hands shot out to grab it on either side of me, caging me in with no escape.
"Answer my question." He leaned in so close, the intensity of his eyes burning into mine. When I lowered my gaze, I got an eyeful of those full lips and the dimple in his chin I hadn't noticed before. He had shaved since coming home.
"To find out when you'd be going on another ride," I confessed. "So I could escape."
"Escape?" he barked out a laugh in my face and pulled one hand off of the railing, gesturing to the front door. "I told you this morning. You're welcome to leave whenever you'd like."
"I don't believe you," I seethed, willing my voice not to shake. "You're a murderer. You'll leave me to die."
He rolled his eyes as if dealing with a petulant teenager. "I'm not responsible for you if you leave this place. If you die out there, it's your own fucking problem."
I noticed he made no denial to me calling him a murderer, which just scared me even more. The way his eyes started roaming over my bare shoulders and chest made me fucking paralyzed.
"I don't see you running," he mocked. "Still too sore from the ride?"
His fingers closed around my shoulders and I gasped—partially from the fear of him touching me, but also at the pressure he put on a certain point right between my shoulder and my back.
It felt…good.
His fingers worked in a circle, driving deep into the knot behind my shoulder. I gasped again, the massage toeing the line between pleasure and pain. A smug grin crossed his face at my reaction.
"Turn around," he instructed.
"No."
"Turn. Around."
"I don't want to—“ my lip wobbled, images of Gretchen, Kitty, and all the girls standing in my line at the service center. I didn't want to join them as one of the sea of faces used by men.
"It'll feel better if I can reach your sore spots easier," Reaper said.
"You expect me to believe that'sallyou want to do?" I hissed through gritted teeth.
