Page 53 of Draven

I set my mouth in a firm line. His suggestion may come with good intentions, but if it was his sister who’d been kidnapped, drugged, and ended up dead, he’d burn the world down until he uncovered every shred of information. “Yes, I want to know. I want to know everything.”

He grazes my cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re tough, Lola, but do me a favor. Before you go picking at that thread, think long and hard, yeah?”

My sigh is loaded with annoyance. “Stop lobbying me, Draven. I don’t need to think about it, and if you were in my shoes, you wouldn’t have to think about it, either. I have to know. I’m not dumb. I’m aware it will be difficult and painful, but I can’t not.”

Left with little option but to accept my decision, he nods, although I can tell he isn’t happy about it. Too bad. He’ll just have to deal.

“I can ask Rick if you like. No promises.”

I don’t tell him that if the answer comes back as no, I won’t leave it there. I’ll carry out my own investigation until I find someone willing to talk. I have to know what happened to Kiera in her last few days on Earth.

“Thank you.” I stand, picking up my beer bottle and gesturing to him with it. “Want another?”

He gets to his feet and peels the bottle from my fingers, placing it back on the table. “No. I want you.”

Curling his hands around my neck, he presses his thumbs underneath my chin and tilts back my head, then kisses me softly. I sink against him, drawing on his strength. Something tells me over the coming days and weeks, I’ll need it.

A sliver of light peeking through a gap in the drapes wakes me. I yawn, stretch, and peer at the clock through half-open eyes. Groaning, I rub my eyes. It’s only six and I’m not due on shift until ten. A knot unfurls in my stomach. Returning to work with everyone knowing I’ve been demoted sucks. Most of my coworkers will be supportive, but there’s always the odd asshat who takes pleasure in someone else’s downfall. Still, the sooner I return, the quicker I can begin the battle to get my job back. I’ve never walked away from a battle in my life, and with the fire Draven lit underneath me, I don’t intend walk away from this one. My boss caught me at my lowest point yesterday. If Kiera were still alive, it’d infuriate her to know I’d given in without a fight.

I wince. People say that after the funeral the grieving process begins, and life starts to move forward. Well, not for me. Not until the people who did this to Kiera, and to those other women, are caught and brought to justice. Grief isn’t possible for me until that happens. Until the perpetrators are behind bars, I’ll lock my feelings up tight. I’ll be no use to anyone if I let them run free.

Rolling onto my side, I break out into a smile. Draven has his back to me—his skin an intricate map of ink drawn over defined muscles. My fingers move of their own accord, tracing the wings of an angel that dominates the center of his back. I pause over a name etched into the left wing: Ruby. A flash of jealousy steals my breath. Is Ruby an ex-lover? Does the angel signify she died? Does he still love her, miss her?

“You can use your tongue if you like,” Draven’s gravelly morning voice rasps.

I slap his shoulder. “Jackass.”

He shifts onto his back, palming my left boob. “You know you want to.”

“Who’s Ruby?”

He arches an eyebrow. “Jealous, Lola?”

“No,” I say too quickly. “Just curious.”

He laces his fingers together and raises them over his head, cupping the back of his neck as he stares at the ceiling. “She’s the love of my life.”

A fierce flame ignites in my chest, burning so hot that I risk self-combusting. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t live without her. I’ve honestly never loved anyone as much as I love her.”

The fiery burn worsens. I make a fist and press it to my sternum. What kind of a man cheats on the so-called love of his life? He can’t love her that fucking much.

“You’d better get back to her, then,” I bite out, throwing the comforter to one side.

I only get one leg out of bed before Draven hauls me backward. In one smooth move, I find myself beneath him, his big, inked body looming over me, his smile so broad, his cheeks must ache.

“You are jealous. Oh, Lola.”

“I am not jealous.”

“Liar.” He lowers himself and kisses me, hard, fast, his tongue parting my lips with ease. I shove at his chest, but he’s far too strong, especially from this submissive angle. So, I do the only thing I can think of.

I bite him. No holding back, no gentle, sensual nibbling. Nope, this is a full-on bite. His blood floods onto my tongue, and he launches upright as if I’ve shot him.

“Fucking hell, Lola,” he expels, his fingers touching his bottom lip.

I use the moment of distraction to slip from beneath him and get out of bed. “Good luck telling poor, unfortunate Ruby how you got that injury.” I grab my robe off the back of the door and push my arms inside. “Oh, and you might want to cover up the scratches I put on your back last night, too. Send her my sympathies for getting hooked up with a cheating asshole like you. I don’t sleep with men who are taken. Fuck you very much for luring me into breaking that rule.”

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