KILLIAN Sera hadn't spoken in over an hour. She was curled up in my lap on the couch, her head pressed into my chest. My hand moved slowly up and down her back, but it was as much for me as it was for her. I needed to feel her breathing.Roman's voice was a low rumble from across the room, telling me what happened in that warehouse parking lot. The words were just background noise against the sound of her shallow breaths and the faint ticking of the clock on the mantel."...clean shot. Long-range. There was no clear line of sight to the shooter. They were gone before I could get a read on direction," Roman finished.My jaw tightened. "And you made sure no one followed you back here?"He nodded. "We switched cars twice. We weren't tailed."I glanced down at her. She still hadn't looked at me since Roman brought her home. Her eyes were glassy but dry, her mouth pressed into a thin, stubborn line. I knew that look. She was holding everything in, locking it down so tight she might
SERA The steam wrapped around us as Killian lifted one of my legs over his hip, lining himself up and sliding into me in one slow, relentless stroke. I gasped, my nails biting into his shoulders."Still so tight," he groaned, rolling his hips into mine until water was splashing over us. My legs were already shaking from the aftermath of the several rounds of orgasms that had already hit me.My moans bounced off the tile, echoing in the space. His grip tightened on my thigh, holding me exactly where he wanted as he thrust deep into me, harder. Every wet slap of skin on skin made desire coil tighter in my gut."You belong to me," he said in a thick voice, his forehead pressed against mine. "Say it."I smiled, leaning in to kiss him."I belong to you, Saint." The words had barely escaped my lips when he hit the spot that made my toes curl, my eyes rolling into the back of my head as I moaned aloud."Fuck...right there. Oh!" I gasped, arching into him as he pounded faster."You l
SERA. The funny thing about assassins is that we're great with knives, poisons, and making bodies disappear... but frosting? Not so much.The cake on my counter looked like it had been through a car crash. It had lopsided layers, and one candle was leaning to the side so badly, it was practically trying to escape. But I was proud. Because it wasn't a weapon, it was a birthday cake for my husband.In the midst of all the chaos that Black Scorpion had caused, how could I forget my husband's birthday? Especially when it was a day worth celebrating?"Is this poison?" Rue asked for the third time, her little hand hovering dangerously close to the frosting."Not for your daddy, no," I said, slapping her wrist lightly. "For you, maybe."She grinned like a mini criminal and went back to licking icing off her fingers when she thought I wasn't looking.The plan was simple: surprise Killian with Rue and me singing "Happy Birthday" off-key, and force him to eat cake, which he pretends to hat
RAFAEL I jolted awake in bed with a gasp, my chest heaving. I blinked several times, swallowing past the lump in my throat as I struggled to calm myself down.And for a hot second, I forgot where I was. Then it hit me. I was back in Ethan's ridiculously massive room. I was completely alone. Which, frankly, was a whole new level of nightmare fuel.Great. Just great. I was officially getting jumpy. And losing your edge when you live my kind of life? Yeah, that's like a chef forgetting how to boil water. Not cute.Fuck, my head was killing me.I slipped out of bed, careful not to jostle the healing bullet wound on my shoulder. "Ethan?" I called out in a hoarse voice, reaching out to hold on to the wall.The silence was suspicious. There was no deep voice calling me "sunshine" just to watch me roll my eyes, no footsteps padding towards me with a mug of tea I never asked for but always drank anyway.I sighed. "Alone again," I muttered dramatically. "Truly, the world conspires against
KILLIAN The drive home was hell.Every red light, every slow turn, every time she shifted in her seat, I felt it. I could feel the heat radiating off her, the way her thighs pressed together as though she was trying to keep herself from coming apart. I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned bone-white.When we finally pulled into the garage, I killed the engine, got out, and opened her door without a word. She giggled as I wrapped my arms around her waist and led her upstairs. We stopped by Rue's room to find her asleep.Then we proceeded to head to my room. The moment the doors slid shut, her back was pressed against it. I caged her in with my arms, my breath hot against her lips."You've been pushing me all night, Angel." I whispered.Her lips parted, but I didn't give her the chance to answer. I kissed her hard, basking in the soft moan that escaped her throat. My hands were everywhere. On her waist, her hips, and up her thighs, mapping every curve. And I was pr
SERA The gunshot from earlier should have been my focus. It should've kept me on edge. But with the way Killian's mouth moved over mine, tasting and claiming, I found it impossible to think about anything else.My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, refusing to let him retreat into that cold shell again. The soft hitch in his breathing told me he was teetering between control and hunger and I was more than happy to shove him over the edge.His hand slid down my thigh, catching on the lace of my hose before gripping firmly.Then I felt it. The tiniest flicker of movement at my back. The hairs on my neck prickled.Before I could react, Killian's eyes snapped over my shoulder, his gaze going lethal in an instant.The crack of his gun was deafening.I spun just in time to see a man crumpling to the ground, clutching at his shoulder, blood blooming between his fingers. His weapon clattered uselessly against the polished floor."Who sent you?" Killian's voice was icy as he