Page 8 of Merciful Lies

Anna is perfect.

And for tonight, she’s mine.

CHAPTER FOUR-ANNA

One entire wall is lined in mirrors and it’s nerve wracking.

Is this guy some kind of pervert?

I roll my eyes. I mean, obviously.

I hear a lock clicking and a doorknob turning, and it’s loud like a firecracker.

I startle and move to cover myself with my hands.

“Drop your hands,” a deep, gravelly voice commands one second before I see him.

Holy. Shit.

My breath freezes in my lungs as I take in the enormous figure of a man standing in the doorway. He’s still cloaked in shadows, but one more step inside the bedroom, and I can really see him.

He’s huge. At least a foot taller than me, and thick ropes of muscle cover his arms and torso.

He’s only wearing jeans, and damn, they look like they are struggling to contain him. But his face. It’s familiar.

“You look like Angel,” I blurt.

He dips his chin, and it looks like he’s going to smile. But he doesn’t.

“Angel is my cousin and my second. My name is Nico,” he replies. “Do you know why you’re here, Anna Keller? Do you understand what you’re here to do?”

I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. His voice is so rich and masculine, I swear he should narrate audiobooks or something. I press my legs together, hopefully in a way that doesn’t draw attention.

But his gaze drops to my thighs, or maybe he’s looking at the close-cropped curls covering my sex, so I guess I failed to be inconspicuous.

“I’m, um, here to pay a debt. To give you my body for one night in return for wiping my brother’s bill clean.”

He nods. His eyes never leave mine.

He steps forward, raising his big, inked up hands to my face. His nostrils flare and my eyes go wide when I feel him wrap his long fingers around my throat.

“Why are you doing this for him, huh? Your brother is a piece of shit,” he growls, startling me.

“He's my brother.”

It’s the only answer I have. But I can see it makes him angry. Or maybe that’s disgust marring his otherwise handsome features.

He steps back, releasing me, and I can breathe more easily. But I’m cold without his hands on me. And I’m very aware that’s not something I should be feeling.

His gaze rakes over me from head to toe, not lingering anywhere in particular. I’m a little disappointed but not surprised.

The man, Nico, looks like he’s chiseled from marble. I feel flabby and unworthy by comparison.

I’m nothing special.

And yet, there I am. Butt ass naked. Standing in front of a crime lord built like a superhero.

I’m nervous. I might start sweating, and God knows, my knees are knocking.

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