Page 33 of TBR: Dead But Well Read

“Yes.”

I waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent, his purple eyes studying me.

Anger boiled in my belly. About freaking time! Fury was exactly the distraction I needed.

“Why did you attack us? We did nothing to you!” The lightbulbs in the ornate wall sconces flickered, humming loudly as my temper burned hotter. “You almost killed us!”

His expression didn’t change. “I saved you and those men.”

How could he be so calm and self-assured?

“Are you serious right now?” Lifting myself up onto my knees so that we were almost eye level, I glared at him, wanting him to see my mounting fury. “How do you think you saved us? By throwing Lochlan and Evander through a freaking brick wall?”

The reaper’s hands moved to my hips, holding me still as he leaned in. His rough jaw brushed against mine as he whispered in my ear. “It’s all about perspective, pet.”

“I’m-I’m not your pet,” I responded, hoping he hadn’t heard the quiver in my voice. “And I don’t need perspective! I was there! I saw with my own eyes what happened.”

“Since you aren’t leaving here until I’m ready to let you go, I think ‘pet’ works.” His knuckles brushed against my cheekbone. “You’re such a stubborn little thing. There is always more than one perspective.”

The reaper’s lips brushed against my mouth, and I fought to swallow the whimper that rose unbidden up my throat. How could this stranger hold such power over me?

“Consider the situation we are in now. From my perspective, it appears you must have used some type of magic to track me. Then you teleported into my private chambers smelling of sex and dressed in a way meant to seduce me. The only logical reason for you to do this is because you plan to murder me the moment I let down my guard.”

I reeled back as though he’d struck me. “You can’t be serious! I didn’t want to come here… I don’t even know where here is! And you need to get over yourself, because I certainly didn’t come to seduce you. Besides, you aren’t my type!”

“Don’t lie to me, pet.” The reaper’s hand traveled down my ribs. “There is a wet spot on my slacks that tells another story.”

He took his time, exploring every inch of my body that he touched. What game was he playing?

I snuck a furtive peek down, and an instant later, the lights in the room flickered as horror rushed through me. He hadn’t lied. There was a slightly dark spot on his slacks where he’d sat me on his thigh. Despite my humiliation, I refused to admit he had any effect on me.

Lifting my chin, I shrugged carelessly. “You said I was a pet. I guess I haven’t been housebroken yet. That still doesn’t mean I want you.”

His purple eyes glowed a brilliant violet. “What have I told you about lying to me?”

Refusing to back down, I met his gaze and lied through my teeth. “I’m not lying.”

He was motionless for several long seconds before nodding and leaning back in his seat. “I do enjoy a good game. What do I get if I prove you’re lying?”

“What do you want?” I asked, more than a little curious about what I might have that he would want as a prize.

I owned nothing of value except two special edition hardcovers of my favorite shifter romances that I’d rescued from my house, and not even a grim reaper himself could pry them from my cold dead hands.

“You’ll spend the night with me. In my bed.” His fingers brushed lazily up and down my bare thigh, making it difficult to focus.

I narrowed my eyes. “And you’ll let me walk away, the same amount of dead as I am now, at sunrise?”

He nodded. “You have my word that no harm will come to you.”

“And what do I get when I win?” I pushed.

Sitting up, he ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me so close that our mouths nearly touched. “Whatever you want.”

Hmm. I could use that to get more information about what was happening and why they’d been in the tunnels. Or maybe I could ask for protection for the guys.

“Alright, deal,” I breathed, fighting the urge to lean forward a fraction so that I could feel his lips brush mine.

Leaning back, I stuck out my hand. Instead of shaking it, he caught my hand and placed a soft kiss on the back. My insidesquivered, and I could feel my odds of winning plummet with that one suave move. This was going to be far harder than I thought.

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