Page 17 of Begging for Mercy
I don’t like hearing her say his name. When she first brought him up, I thought she was joking. Ihopedshe was. But seeing him tonight brought everything into focus: Mercy has a target on her back, either because she’s a virgin he wants to ruin or because she interrupted their body dump. Either way, he’s interested, and it makes my skin crawl. I’ve never liked that fucking guy.
Mercy pats the bed beside her. “Don’t just stand there. Sit.”
Like a dog, I obey, closing the door before coming to sit beside her. She stares at the ceiling, and I stare at her. I mean really,reallylook. The dark circles under her eyes worry me, but they aren’t new. She’s always had trouble sleeping. I grab the lavender spray from her nightstand and spritz the air before lying down with her. The bed creaks beneath our combined weight. “Is there more that you’re not telling me?”
She crinkles her nose. “Well, you already know that I’m a virgin. What more is there to say?”
I roll onto my side and prop my head up on my elbow. “I’m serious, Mercy.”
“So am I.” She glances at me before staring at the ceiling again. “His brother Zane says that Reaper can’t fuck me, or he’ll kill me. That’s his win condition. I can’t have sex with Reaper.”
ThankGod.That’s the best news I’ve heard since this nightmare began. I hide a smile beneath an unconvincing cough. “Why does he care?”
“How should I know?” She rubs the back of her eyelids. “I think it’s because of how easy Reaper is. He’ll fuck anything. So if he gets in my pants, like he probably wants to, it’s an easy win for them.”
“Nothing about you is easy, Mercy Morningstar,” I murmur, brushing the back of my hand over her upper arm. “If he’d known that, he wouldn’t have picked that as his condition.” I’ve never known Mercy to have a crush on anyone, let alone hookupwith someone. Now it makes sense. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were a virgin?”
“I didn’t think it mattered.”
“It doesn’t,” I say gently, “yet.But it will if Reaper finds out. That’s why I asked.”
Reaper’s a fucking bloodhound when it comes to virgin pussy. He’ll find out sooner or later… so it’s better if she weren’t one.
I try to keep my voice even as I say what’s on my mind. “I could help you.” My heartbeat spikes at the thought of Mercy giving herself to me. I’ve never been with a virgin, but knowing that it’s Mercy’s first time would make it special. She deserves more than a good time. It needs to be special. After everything she’s been through, I’d like to give her something no one else could. More than my friendship. More than sex. Something… deeper.
A flush colors her cheeks. “Are you saying that you want to sleep with me, Samson Wright?”
I swallow, suddenly at a loss for words.Yesfeels like the understatement of the century. “I?—”
Mercy suddenly rolls onto her side and covers my mouth with her palm. “Don’t,” she whispers, biting her bottom lip. “I don’t… want to ruin anything. You mean a lot to me, Sam, and sex will just complicate things.” Her blush deepens to scarlet, trailing down the curve of her neck. “Besides, it’s not like you’re in love with me or anything, and I only want to have sex with someone I love. That’s why I’m still a virgin. I know that I said I’d throw it away if I could, but I just…” She trails off, lowering her hand and looking away. “I’m just frustrated. It’s hard to find love when no one even looks at you.”
Brushing my thumb across her cheek, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. If only she could see what I see. She’s more than some family legacy or a lost artist.
No matter how dark it gets inside my head, she’s the girl who always brings me back to the light.
“I see you, Mercy Morningstar. I’ve always seen you.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I breathe in her scent and tuck it deep inside my chest for safekeeping. “The offer still stands. When you’re ready, I’m here.” I pull her into my arms and hold her close. Neither of us sleeps, but there’s a comfort here unlike any other I’ve felt.
I won’t letanyonetake that away from us.
Chapter 7
Zane
By the timeKane makes it home, I’m ready to tear him a new asshole. I couldn’t sleep after learning that he invited another player into the game, but not only is there one other person to worry about, it’s Samson fucking Wright. His father is one of those corporate guys who make shady deals in the background. Killing his son will turn heads our way, no matter how cleanly we go about it. And if we kill Mercy and leave Sam alive?
That man will strike back if we take his pretty little friend away.
It’s a lose-fucking-lose situation now, when it was so simple before. No one would mourn Mercy Morningstar’s disappearance, but Sam is another story. The heir to the Wright fortune is a face we can’t erase so easily.
Kane steps through the front door, and I’m on him in two seconds flat. Shoving his chest, I snarl at him. “What thefuckwere you thinking?” His back slams into the wall. “Sam Wright isn’t a target.”
He looks at me without a spark of recognition in his eyes. “Should that name mean something to me?”
Frustrated, I wrap my fists in the front of his t-shirt and haul him into the living room. “Yes, it fucking should. You didn’trecognize him? You’ve tried to sleep with him twice.” I keep a detailed record of every frat brother and sorority sister that Kane has sex with, and Sam’s name has never made it onto the list. I don’t think he’s into men. Tossing Kane onto the couch, I pick up my laptop from the kitchen island and hand it to him. “Here. Read his file.”
While Kane browses Sam’s school records, I pace from one end of the apartment to the other, burning my usual path across the carpet. I’m wearing it thin from how often we do this. “You know that I look into all of our targets.”
“I know.”
