Page 10 of Lethal

He looks over at me, the damn dimple flashing my way. “The weapons have always been me. I am the expert, after all.“ For some reason his answer has me glowing, a shroud of happiness surrounding me.

The street our victim lives on is in a rich neighborhood, no surprise there. But the ease with which we were able to bypass the guarded gate is concerning. When Cole comes to his senses, we need him to wipe the footage of us ever being here.

The car slows as we draw closer to the house we’re looking for. The estates are spread out, plenty of land between each one which affords us privacy as we stay here. Jasper parks on the street outside our victim’s house. It’s currently hidden from view by trees, making our approach even easier. As soon as we finish the hit, we’ll move the car closer to it to make sure we don’t draw any attention to us.

Our target is a man by the name of Richard Cumberland. He’s been embezzling from his company, and his partner is the one who took out the hit. We don’t have all the details on why, but I don’t really care. I get to kill a man with my lover. That’s the extent of my concerns. Grayson might bring out some humanity in me, but it does nothing for my morality.

The file I studied confirms his typical routine. If it’s accurate, he should be home, and the housekeeper won’t come for another five days. It’s almost too perfect. What are the chances we get to pull off a job and get to stay in an amazing spot? Is this what my life will be like from now on?

I mean, sure, we could pay for a place to stay. Do things legit. But it lacks appeal compared to this. Not to mention, the file has pictures of his house. It’s fucking gorgeous, and the view is phenomenal. Why not spoil ourselves with a package deal?

Jasper pops the trunk and grabs the duffle bag he put together with everything we need. “Ready, Little Bird?”

“Ready.” He hands me a syringe filled with a drug to knock the man out. After I finished going through the file, Jasper went over his plan with me, grilling me on the details to make sure I knew exactly what to do when. I’m able to go into this with confidence, a startling difference from when I started killing. Back then my kills could be considered organized chaos. Now, I get to do it with the men I… care about.

We sneak up the driveway, keeping to the shadows, having waited for nightfall. The night air offers a warm breeze as the moon hangs overhead. The perfect backdrop for a little murder and mayhem.

Grayson waits in the car, not wanting to get in our way, at least not until we have the man subdued. Then he plans on coming in and watching me have my fun. He seems to get off on that more than the doing part. Reminds me of the times Vander spied on me fucking. Especially the first time I was with Jasper. We really have some notable memories in our short past. Makes me anticipate our future even more.

When we get to the side door, Jasper takes out a set of lock picks. He has it open in no time at all and slips in ahead of me. We slink through the house, keeping quiet as we search for Richard.

If Cole was here, I’m sure he could’ve hacked his devices and given us an exact location. His absence creates an ache within me, an empty void mocking me. I’m getting a small taste for the kind of team we could be if all its members were together. This is supposed to be distracting me from him, not making me want to ditch this plan and resume my hunt.

Jasper raises his fist in a motion to stop, letting me know we finally found our target. He backs away from his spot so I can switch with him, allowing me to get a view of what we’re working with. I quietly press toward the edge of the wall and peek around it. The kitchen is well lit, every light in the room turned on, and Richard is sitting at the counter watching TV.

His back is to us, allowing the perfect opportunity to sneak up on him. I hold up my thumb, and Jasper moves around me. We duck low as we travel across the open space, passing by furnishings that could only have been picked out by an interior decorator.

At the last second, my hot as sin assassin stands to his full height and wraps his arms around Richard. The sight of his powerful arms restraining the panicking idiot almost distracts me. But when he turns the man around, I jump into action, the needle already uncapped.

With a step forward, I jab it into his neck and push the plunger, delivering the sedative that will knock him out. “This feels really anticlimactic,” I complain as the man slumps in Jasper’s hold.

He gently lowers the limp body to the ground. “Sometimes the job calls for us to kill the target in a specific way. It’s part of why his ticket hasn’t been taken care of yet. Few of us enjoy the boring ones.” He straightens his shirt, drawing my attention to his broad chest, and I wipe the corner of my lip, checking for drool. “But it’s good to know how to stage a suicide. Never know when it might suit a situation better. Aid your narrative.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I concede, watching as he slinks toward me with a coy smile, putting me on guard.

“Do you have a favorite weapon from what I’ve given you so far?” His arms wrap around me, and he grasps my ass, lifting me onto the paper strewn desk next to us. I fist his shirt and yank him toward me until he’s flush against my front.

“You want to talk about my darkness, Jasper?” I coo, running my nose along his jawline until my lips brush against his ear. “Want to tell me about the things you did as Ravenmaster?”

He shudders with the sensation of my lips whispering against him, and grips my hair in his fist, pulling back until my chin tilts up. “Yeah, I do, Little Bird,” he rumbles before kissing me. It’s dominant and all-consuming. So delicious it makes my toes curl.

Jasper controls every movement I make, tilting my head even more as he deepens the kiss, continuing his efforts to consume my soul. Wanting to take a piece of me he can keep with him forever. But he already stole it the first day we met. There’s something about Jasper that made me feel owned from the very start. Something inside me knew without any evidence. I’m his and he’s mine.

By the time we separate, I’m breathing heavily, and my panties are wet. I’ve spent the least amount of time with Jasper, but he has a way of making each and every moment with him count exponentially. “Naughty, Birdy,” he growls, biting my bottom lip. “Letting me distract you. I want an answer to my question.”

I teasingly roll my eyes and run my nails over his scalp. “Can you really blame me? My hot ass boyfriend turns out to be my stalker and an assassin on top of it. I’m horny as fuck. You’ve been leaving me needy and unsatisfied all day.” I flick my tongue out, licking his lip sensually. “When’s the last time you fucked me, Jasper? It’s been so long I’m having trouble remembering. Did you have a fat cock or a pencil dick?”

All of a sudden, I’m face down on the desk, and his large hand smacks my ass. Once, twice, three more times, then two for each cheek. The fabric of my jeans mutes the impact. It’s disappointing really, more of a tease than the stinging pain I want. Suddenly, his chest is against my back. “Such sass for a pretty little mouth. You need a reminder of how big my dick is, baby? You missing me?”

With a slight struggle, I work my arms under me and push up enough to strain my head around to look at him. “Jasper,” I whisper, dropping all the playfulness my tone held before. “I do miss you. Maybe it’s because Cole is gone, and I’m feeling that loss on another level, but you’ve been distant lately.”

His strong hands flip me so I’m facing him once more. Indecision crosses his features, telling me I haven’t imagined his absence. Like he’s not fully been with me since… I’m not even sure when. He says all the right things, turns up when I need him most. But this is the first time we’ve spent quality time together. At least that’s how it seems.

“I’ve been a little distracted lately,” he admits, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. “My attention has been split in two. I’m sorry, Little Bird. I have an organization to run that takes a lot of my time. If I knew I was going to meet the woman destined to be mine, I would have planned to take the time off.”

At least I know I wasn’t making things up. “Guess it’s a good thing you have brother boyfriends to pick up the slack,” I tease, but really, it’s kinda true.

“Brat.” He twists one of my nipples, and the slight pain sends pleasure straight to my clit. “But I’m thankful for them. You’ve put together quite the lethal team, Little Bird. I’m impressed. Now let’s finish with our host before I end up fucking you on his desk and he wakes up.”

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