Page 6 of Mercy for Reaper

“Holly,” I repeat after her, the name rolling off my tongue smoothly.

“What about you?”

“Reaper.”

“Like the cloaked guy who comes to take souls after death?” she says with a small laugh. “Is that really your name?”

“Most people look horrified when they learn that’s what I go by.”

She chuckles, her eyes swimming with humor. “What did you do to get that name? Steal a bunch of souls with your handsome face?” The smile drops from her lips, and her cheeks quickly turn a rosy hue. I can tell she’s embarrassed by her words. “I . . . I didn’t—”

“You think I am handsome,” I say, tightening my grip on her hand when she tries to escape.

“How the hell are you so strong when you’re nursing a gunshot wound and a head injury?” she mutters, tugging at her hand. I’m careful not to hurt her, but I don’t let her go.

“You didn’t answer me, Holly.” I run my eyes over her face and drink up her flushed expression.

“God, you’re so vain,” she says, glaring at me, and the corners of my lips tug in a smile at her fierce expression. Fucking hell, I haven’t felt like this in a long time. Haven’t had a reason to smile in ages, but this girl brings out a side of me I thought was dead. “Fine, you’re handsome. Now let go of me.”

I do let her go, but only so I can wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me. She gasps when she lands on my lap, and I know . . .

I know I should take it easy, for her sake and mine. Hers because I don’t want to terrify her into thinking she’s stuck with a mad man, however true that may actually be, and mine because my head is aching.

And yet, I can’t seem to grasp my logic long enough to follow through.

I want her.

I crave everything about this girl, and yet, I know I cannot have her. She would run for the hills if she knew the kind of man I am, but I want to revel in her world even if only for a few minutes. Soak in her purity and bask in her innocence.

She’s a rare soul, uncorrupted by this dirty world.

It’s like coming up for air after a life spent drowning.

Holly is my breath of fresh air.

“What are you doing? You’re going to hurt yourself,” she scolds, checking to see if my movements have disturbed anything, but I grab her chin and force her eyes to meet mine. Her green eyes flash with something akin to curiosity when they lock on mine, and I have to bite back a groan at the blatant innocence in them. I thought she’d be at least a little afraid of my actions, but it’s clear she isn’t.

How the fuck is she real?

“I’m still not so sure I haven’t made you up in my head. I keep thinking that I am lying in that warehouse, bleeding out, and you’re the angel come to take me to hell.”

“Why hell?”

“I am not a good man, Holly,” I tell her truthfully, breaking eye contact to trail my gaze down her body. Her nipples poke at the tight top, and a groan climbs up my throat with the need to lean down and run my mouth over the perky buds.

Christ, I am not just a bad man. I am a fucking reprobate for desiring this girl that saved my life. To want her the way I do is sick, but I can’t help myself. I want to bury myself inside of Holly, and with the way she’s watching me, I am tempted to do just that.

“Have you . . .” Holly starts, but she hesitates. Her eyes shift from me for a second, and I watch her bite her bottom lip as she organizes her thoughts before looking back at me. “As a nurse, I swore to save all lives, but . . . h-have you ever hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it?”

My eyes stay on hers as my hands drop back to her waist and I pull her flush against me. Her lips part on a gasp when she feels the press of my hardness against her. The evidence of my desire for her is obvious, but she doesn’t try to run away, and that’s all the confirmation I need.

“Never,” I assure her, looking her in the eye so she can see that I’m telling the truth before trailing my hungry gaze down her body. “I have never hurt anyone that didn’t deserve it.”

Chapter Four

Reaper

Control yourself.

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