Page 2 of Shadow of Death

“So your dough is a problem but screw your life? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Don’t try to tell me what to do!” I yelled, and then punched him in the gut. He didn’t flinch.

“So for dough you’ll fight? That’s what’s important?”

He was either an idiot or refused to see. Did an ant fight a giant? There were no choices. I had no options. There was no fight. I wasn’t sure if he was purposely trying to piss me off or if this was a new skill set he’d picked up naturally.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shoved at him again. It was clear I couldn’t move him or force him out of the cabin. The easiest thing to do was leave.

I moved around him, and he shifted in front of me.

“You’re really pushing my limits. Now get out of my way,” I yelled, still trying to avoid locking eyes with him. It was bad enough I could feel the heat he was throwing off.

“No. You’re not shutting me out. I won’t let you give up,” he said, blocking my way out.

“This?” I waved my finger back and forth between us. “This is nothing. This doesn’t work. This has no future. Now you need to get out.”

“No.” His voice was low but unmoving, just like him.

“I’m giving you one last warning. Get. Out. Of. My. Way.”

“No.”

I cranked back my arm, planning on punching him square in the jaw. He deserved it, and he’d heal anyway. Death hurting him wasn’t a concern either. I was pretty sure she liked him better than me. She nearly hummed whenever she was near him.

I didn’t have a chance, as he caught my fist before I could land it. He wrapped his other arm around my waist, hoisting me onto the table and stepping in between my legs.

“I’m not letting you give up,” he said. “It’s not happening. If I have to drag you through this fight by your hair, I will do it. What’s it going to be?”

“You don’t understand.” He kept acting as if there was hope when there was none.

“You’re right. I don’t. I’m asking you to fight for you the way I am. I know you want me as much as I want you.”

I made the mistake of locking eyes with him.

His hips were in between my legs, his hands planted on either side of me. He was nearly on fire, throwing off waves of heat. It might’ve been from anger or frustration, butmybody was responding with a different kind of heat.

My eyes dropped to his lips.

“Dammit, Piper,” he said, his voice all gravelly and nearly vibrating through me.

When his voice grew rough like this, it did something crazy to my insides, which were already feeling all sorts of funny. All I wanted to do was press into the bulge I could feel growing.

I arched into him, letting a soft moan out as the pressure brought relief and yet an unquenchable need.

Something deep in Kicks growled, and then he was pulling my hips hard against him, pressing into me while his other hand tangled in my hair, his mouth closing over mine and his tongue plunging in, keeping pace with the rocking of his hips.

He pushed forward until he was leaning over me, nearly covering my body with his.

As he moved over me, the darkness inside was nearly in a frenzy. I might’ve been able to ignore that, but then I heard Death purring near me.

I froze. Kicks felt me stiffening and leaned back.

I pushed at his chest. “I can’t. I just can’t.”

He dropped his forehead against mine as he strained not to move. Then, inch by inch, he slowly pulled away from me, looking strained.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just—”

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