Page 27 of Reaper

“Why the hell not?” he demands, his breath hot against my cheek.

“Because …” My back hits the cold, unyielding wall. “I saw something I shouldn’t have. I know what you are, Reaper.” The confession feels like shedding skin, painful and revealing.

Reaper’s hands slam against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. His shadow looms over me, dark and foreboding. “What the hell does that mean? You used to like being with me. A lot. You loved riding on the edge, Lexi. What changed?”

His face is inches from mine. My gaze locks onto his stormy eyes. I once found solace in those dark depths, but now, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see anything but violence in them. My heart hammers in my chest, each beat screaming at me to run, to flee from the danger he embodies. But my body betrays me, yearning for the heat of his touch and the thrill of his nearness.

“Tell me,” he whispers, his voice a seductive caress that makes me want to spill every secret I’ve ever kept.

I swallow hard, trying to find my voice, but it’s lost in the labyrinth of my longing. Part of me is furious for being so weak, so drawn to the man who represents everything I fear. Yet another part, a primal and shameless part, craves the intoxication of his dangerous aura. It’s a battle between my past and my present, between the life I fled and the desire that still burns within me.

“Nothing’s changed,” I finally manage tosay, though it’s barely above a whisper. “I guess I never stopped wanting dangerous men.”

His smirk is a silent victory, and I hate myself for giving him that satisfaction. But as much as I try to deny it, Reaper has awakened something within me, an ember thought long dead threatening to ignite a blaze so hot it will burn what’s left of my life to ashes.

“Tell me the truth about why you left.” Reaper’s voice is low and menacing. “Or I’ll spank you harder than I used to.”

Heat floods my pussy while my heart jackhammers against my ribs. His threat should terrify me, yet it doesn’t. Instead, it leaves me gasping for air while my mind races with memories of past punishments that had been all too pleasurable.

Reaper’s hands are on me, and before I can register what’s happening, he spins me around and presses my chest against the cool wall. The rough texture is nothing compared to the roughness of his body pressed against mine. I can feel every hard line of him against my back, the undeniable evidence of his arousal. It sears through my clothes, scorching my senses.

A sharp nip at my earlobe jolts me from my daze. He bites just hard enough to sting before his tongue soothes the tender flesh, sending shivers cascading down my spine.

“We’re alone now. No one will hear you scream,” he whispers, his breath hot against myear, his voice a tantalizing mix of danger and desire. “I remember how wild you used to be. Is that part of you still inside? Did you lock it up away from everyone but me?”

“Reaper,” I moan.

I should be scared. Every instinct screams at me to push him away, to reclaim the control over my life that I fought so hard to establish. But the fear is overshadowed by an all-consuming need, a hunger that has lain dormant within me until this moment. As he overwhelms me with his presence, the world narrows down until the only thing that exists is the space between us. It’s filled with electric anticipation.

“Tell me what you want,” Reaper murmurs, his voice dripping with a kind of predatory patience.

My lips part, but there’s no sound, only the ragged rhythm of my breathing. The tension coils tighter, a spring wound to its breaking point. He’s waiting for an answer, for an explanation I don’t have the strength to give—not when my body is betraying me, not when it’s screaming for his touch.

And as much as my mind protests, my body has other ideas. It longs to be claimed by the man who embodies peril, who stirs a dangerous lust within me. I don’t want to stop Reaper; I can’t—because in this twisted moment, the fear and thrill are indistinguishable.

So, I don’t.

“Reaper,” I breathe out, the name a prayer and a curse all at once.

And it’s all the invitation he needs.

Chapter 11: Lexi

My heart races as Reaper’s calloused hands roughly grip my hips, pulling me close and leaving no doubt about his desire. My breath catches in my throat. I can’t help but melt against him. I’ve been longing for his touch since the moment he rescued me. He’s an addiction that’s laid dormant for years, but now it’s back, and I can’t do anything to resist him.

He brings one hand up to my neck, wrapping his fingers firmly around my delicate skin. The pressure is just shy of painful. Shivers of excitement ricochet down my spine. My sex throbs with the need to be filled by him. It’s been so long since I’ve been with a man. I know I won’t be ready for his length or girth. He’s huge, and I’m not ready to take every inch of him.

“Do you trust me?” he growls, his voice a deep rumble that reverberates through the living room.

“Yes,” I manage to gasp, using up what little air I have left in my lungs.

His tongue glides down my neck, hot and wet, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Chills dance along my skin, and I moan in anticipation. He licks his way back up, stopping just millimeters from my ear.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” he says, his voice low and thick with lust.

“Me too,” I breathe, my voice a shaky whisper.

He still has one hand wrapped around my throat, but the other is fumbling with the button on my jeans. The second it pops free, he yanks the zipper down. Dragging the fabric down my legs, he helps me step out of them before tossing them onto the floor.

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