Chapter 2

[Elena's POV]

The sky had gone entirely dark, but the bodies lying motionless on the grass under the moonlight were clear enough for me to see.

A dozen men, arms all covered with tattoos, with either cigarettes or guns in their hands, stood around two bodies lying motionless on the grass. Their bulky bodies, grim faces, and predator postures made them all look like gang members.

But the one that stood out the most was the one standing right before the two bodies.

He had a gold metal mask covering the upper half of his face, revealing only his sharp jaws and a thin pair of pursed lips.

Unlike others, he stood still and silent, and didn't look much like a gangster; yet, his presence radiated an overwhelming pressure.

Thick, dark brown hair framed his face. His neatly trimmed beard and sharply defined jawline exuded mature, masculine charm.

A tight-fitting white shirt clung perfectly to his broad chest, with a few buttons opened, showcasing his firm muscles. His tan arms glowed under the silvery moonlight, the smooth lines of his muscles looking almost unreal. The black dress pants he wore accentuated his long, straight legs, so perfect that it was hard to look away.

He looked like a wolf of the night, dangerous and cold, yet impossibly magnetic.

Maybe it was the alcohol that made me bolder, but I honestly thought they were filming some kind of mafia movie. Or maybe... some weird ritual.

I took another swig of vodka, stumbled forward, and asked while struggling to straightly point a finger at them with a goofy smile. "Are you guys shooting a movie?"

All eyes turned to me, including the man in the gold mask.

For a brief moment, that 6-foot-3-tall, dangerously handsome stranger, with his magnetic build and commanding aura, stole all my attention.

And, damn, I actually forgot to breathe.

"Who let this woman in? You idiots didn't leave a look out at the bar?!"

His voice was icy, sending a shiver down my spine despite it being only June.

"Boss, I'm sorry," said one of the bald men, bowing his head, clearly terrified. "This is your territory. I didn't think anyone would dare to come in."

"We'll kick her out right away!" a red-haired man volunteered, almost in panic.

The redhead was about to grab hold of my arm when another said, "I think she's one of the guests Jake invited to the party tonight."

Jake?

Damn it! Why did someone have to bring him up now? I'd almost managed to drink him out of my mind.

"Jake? Jake Marlowe? That bastard!" I staggered forward, walking past the redhead.

I raised my vodka bottle and stormed toward the man in the mask. Everyone tensed, hands reaching behind their backs, some even pulled out their pistol and revolvers, aiming them at me.

I glanced at the black barrels, narrowed my eyes around in search of cameras. But... there weren't any.

"No cameras? Aren't you guys filming a show?" I asked, letting out a confused laugh.

The man in the mask raised his hand, motioning for his men to lower their weapons. Then he looked at me.

His voice turned gentle, magnetic. "What did Jake do to you?"

What did Jake do to me? A very good question!

Alcohol boosts into my system, and all rage resurfaces in my heart. Raising the vodka with one hand while the other pointing a finger at the masked man, I shouted, "Jake is a fucking asshole! And tonight, I'll be one too!"

With a long stride, I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to my height.

Eyes staring at him, and lips only an inch apart, I hissed, "Fuck me!"

Waiting for nothing, I tiptoed, let go of the vodka, letting it shatter to the ground, and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him.

He didn't respond to my kiss. I felt his body stiffen for a second before he pulled away quickly and pulled a gun from his back, firing in the air.

The sound made me flinch and succumb to his chest.

"Leave!" One shout from him, and the footsteps of a dozen of his men clearing the area echoed before my ears.  

"Hey, where are they going?" I asked like a curious child, ready to pull away from his chest like nothing happened and look around.

But an arm immediately snaked its way around my waist and pulled me right back to him. Faster than I could gasp, his lips were already brushing against my ear. "You little thing, do you know what you're doing?"

Currents of excitement rushed through my skin. And all sorts of sensations started building up within me. Sensations I had never felt before, but one thing was for sure. It's far better than any drink, as my mind emptied out.

Thirst for more, I didn't bother to reply to his question and slid my hands from his neck down to his muscular chest and onto his well-defined abs.

I closed my eyes and leaned my neck closer to his lips, while I tiptoed and yearned for my body to be as close to his as possible.

I felt him taking a deep breath before he hissed on my skin, "You asked for this."

With that, he pulled me closer to him, if that's even remotely possible. He buried his head between my neck and shoulder as his other hand swiftly lifted up my left leg, grabbing it tightly.

Moan escaped my lips and my head leaned back when he started sucking on my collarbone.

"Don't stop..." I whispered when his lips pulled away from my skin, but my words were cut off when he kissed me on the lips.

It was deep, fast, and demanding. His tongue forced its way in while the hand that wrapped around my waist started sliding up to the side of my breast, and the one that was supporting my leg had slid forward to my inner thigh, making me intoxicated with anticipation and unexplained excitement.

Lust filled every bit of me. Hands on either of his shoulders, I pulled for support and kissed him back with the same intensity.

My back arched from the sensation as I pulled him toward me, wanting more and more, but that led to both of us being out of balance, and falling to the ground with him on top of me.

By instinct, my hands slipped off his shoulder and found support on the ground.

And that's when I felt it. That sticky, warm liquid that my palm landed onto.

Swallowing, I slowly turned around and saw the corpse beside me with its eyes open and a hole in its head.

"First time fucking a woman next to the corpses. Kinda thrilling," the man whispered while his lips were brushing small feathery kisses on the line of my jaw.

And that's when I snapped out of my drunken state.

"W-what? Corpse?" I asked, pulling away as far as I could with him still holding my waist.

The man finally pulled away from my jaws and looked me in the eyes before he let out a devilish smirk and nudged his head to the side where the two corpses were.

"I just executed two traitors. Now... shall we pick up where we left off?"