Page 59 of Striker

“You hate my father.”

“I hate your father for what he did.”

“So, you’re punishing him through me?”

“You’re his blood.”

My mother’s words come to mind.Blood is thicker than water.

“But I’m not just him,” I say. “I’m also my mother.”

Darkness clouds his eyes and his grip loosens on my throat, but he doesn’t back away. Reaper leans in a little more and I feel his breath against my lips through his mask. “Blood isn’t the only substance that creates family.”

Cora’s face flashes in my mind.

“Loyalty. Love. Sacrifice. Those are what create a family. And the family we choose is more important than the family you’re born into. Rune Gavin is a sick man, Delilah.” This time, when he says my name, there isn’t any hatred. He says it softly. Almost like my name doesn’t burn anymore as it slips past his lips. “You think you know your father, you work for him, but you don’t know everything about him. You need to choose wisely.”

“What did he do to you?” I ask, fully aware that my hands have moved up and my fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt over his chest.

Reaper’s thumb sweeps over my bottom lip and I suck in at the feeling of his skin on mine, so wickedly hot it feels like his heat sinks into me, saturating my blood until my heart’s pumping lava through my veins.

“He cut away a piece of me,” he whispers.

“So you’re going to carve me up and send me back to him in pieces.”

“Never.” His breath fans over my face and he lowers his head until his forehead touches mine. “We told you we’d never hurt you.”

“Being away from him hurts.” My heart hammers against his and when he moves, I feel his hard length press to my belly, forcing all my senses to focus on every place we connect. A warm breath fans my face, reminding me of summer nights, smokey liquor, and regrets. “You’re trying to get revenge on him, but you’re just hurting me, and Cora, too.”

His breath heaves from his chest, and his body presses harder into me. I look up into those black eyes and for a second I swear I see something resembling tenderness, but then it’s gone and when he lowers his masked mouth near mine, his hungry, desperate gaze makes my fingers curl into the muscles of his chest.

Using his free hand, he lifts his mask just barely. My eyes move to his full lips, drinking in the dark stubble on his chin and the two thin lines slashing down his lips like melting claw marks.

He lowers his mouth and presses his lips to mine.

My eyes grow wide, locking on to his. My pussy clenches.

Gently, he sucks my bottom lip, then tugs it with his teeth. A sharp pain cuts through my lip as he sucks harder. Then even harder.

The thin slice where my teeth bit into my lip feels like it splits open again as he sucks harder, then releases it with a pop. His hot tongue slips over my lip, then slides between my parted lips. Metal and tangy heat touch my tongue. My fingers unfurl. My core tightens.

My hips tilt into him.

He releases a low growl, then sucks my lip in again, tasting my blood before he releases my mouth with a slickpop.

My lashes flutter.

“Can you be a good girl for me?” Reaper asks so low I’m not sure he even spoke for a minute, but I feel the movement against my lips, making my lungs feel like they’re about tocollapse. “Because I don’t know how much longer I can refrain from being every nightmare you’ve ever had.”

His breath against my flesh sends a shivering heat to my core. My fingers unfurl and splay out over his hard chest, greedily slipping down, feeling the thick planes of his body.

Reapers mask falls, covering his lips. Black eyes burn into me.

And that’s when I hear it.

Her sweet laughter rings out from the foyer and I suck in a breath, my chest expanding and nearly collapsing at the same time.

Reaper hears it too and backs away. I shove past him and run toward the door. My boots slip on the wood floor, my heart hammering, as I rush forward, gripping the doorframe to propel myself forward.

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