Page 1 of Pretty Wicked Secrets

1

RILEY

My whole bodyis buzzing with pleasure, betraying me just as ruthlessly as these fucking Reapers have. That last orgasm was so intense that the afterglow feels almost radioactive—and all from a man I fucking hate.

Something twists inside my chest as Maddoc’s cock pulses inside me again, his muscled body pressed against mine in the aftermath of our heated, rough fuck.

Maddoc Gray. Leader of one of Halston’s most dangerous gangs. A man I was stupid enough to start to believe in. To count on.

To… care for.

I try to focus on something else besides the anger and hurt crawling through my veins like poison.Anythingelse. The way the edge of the counter he just fucked me on digs into the backs of my thighs. The silence in the kitchen that tells me my distraction worked, that my sister got away.

“Shit,” he breathes, the sound dragging out on a slow exhale. “I’ve imagined this way too many times. But this was better.”

He nuzzles my neck, and my skin crawls.

I have to get out of here. I can’t fucking be here anymore.

Chloe is long gone by now, I’m sure of it. She’s free. But I never gave any thought to how I might get out after she escaped. All I cared about in the moment was covering for her so that she could get out of the house without being seen.

As Maddoc lifts his head and smooths my multi-colored hair back, his eyes warm and his face flushed, my gaze drops to the gun he left on the counter.

Moving in a flash, I wrap my fingers around the cool steel, gripping it tightly. Before I can stop to consider what I’m doing or second guess myself, I lift it to Maddoc’s temple.

He stiffens, the warmth in his expression turning to shock. He pulls back, just far enough to look into my eyes… and rolls his hips just enough to remind me that his cock is still buried inside me.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, butterfly?” he asks, his voice eerily calm as he narrows his eyes.

I grit my teeth and press the gun harder against his skin, grinding it into his temple.

“What I have to,” I bite out. “What youmademe do. You forced my hand when you betrayed me.”

My finger curls around the trigger, my pulse racing. Maddoc’s nostrils flare as he senses the movement, and tension crackles in the air as he holds my gaze, his gray eyes churning like storm clouds.

Then he moves.

It’s so sudden and smooth that it catches me by surprise, one muscled arm shooting up and knocking into my forearm with bruising force.

The gun flies out of my gasp, and he jerks away from me, his cock slipping free as he dives for it.

Fuck. No!

I push off the counter and land on him with a grunt, grappling for control as we both reach for it, my hands sliding on his naked, sweat-slick skin.The gun goes skittering across the floor, and I cling to his back as he lunges for it, then scratch and claw at his face, digging my fingers into his hair and yanking his head back to keep him from reaching it.

He’s a better fighter than me, stronger and more well-trained, but I’m running on pure adrenaline and a primal, bone-deep will to survive. I lash out with everything I have, managing to land a lucky blow against the back of his head with my elbow.

He grunts, going down to the floor, and I scramble forward and grab the gun. The second it’s in my hands, I roll onto my back, holding it with both hands this time as I aim it at him.

Maddoc freezes, already up on one knee with an arm extended toward me.

“Don’t. Fucking. Move,” I bite out.

Slowly, he lowers his arm to his side, shaking his head. “Whatever you’re thinking about doing, butterfly, I promise you, it would be a mistake.”

“Don’t call me that. And my only mistake was trusting you,” I say. I’m panting as hard as I was while he fucked me, but now it’s from adrenaline and fury. “This whole goddamn time, you three assholes have been after Chloe for your own gain. Iheardyou and Dante in your office. You lied to me. You want to use her for something that will benefit you. Rescuing her was never about helping me.”

My voice cracks on the last part, and something shifts in his eyes, his expression hardening.

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