Undead Or Alive (Bad Things #3)(11)

“I want to taste you.” The words came out, unplanned, but truer than anything he’d said to her before. “I want your mouth beneath mine.”

Her gaze slid to his lips. Had her pupils widened? He thought they had, and her scent seemed to have deepened. But she didn’t look afraid.

She looked…curious. “Is your kiss safe?” Amber asked him.

His heart jerked hard in his chest.

“I don’t know what that crazy light was that shot from your hand. I’ve never…met a Reaper before.”

His lips hitched into a half-smile. “Generally, that’s because most people don’t live to tell that particular meet-and-greet story.”

Her eyes widened.

Fear.

He didn’t like her fear. “There aren’t many of my kind left.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Actually, as far as I know, I am the last of my kind.”

Her lips parted. “Oh. I-I’m sorry. I—I understand.” And her hand reached up, as if she were going to touch him. Willingly. It looked as if she’d give him a pat on the shoulder, but then her hand stilled, mid-air.

Every muscle in his body turned to stone. “You can touch me.”

She bit that delectable lower lip. “You sure about that?”

“It’s only my hands that have the power to kill. You can kiss me and be safe.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Amber muttered.

“You can touch me,” he continued darkly, “and be safe.” Though hardly anyone ever had touched him. Why touch Death? People feared Death too much to ever want to get close. She feared him, too. She wouldn’t trust his word. She wouldn’t— Her fingers curled around his shoulder. He felt that light touch sink beneath his skin and brush against what remained of his soul.

“Cass? I’m…I’m sorry that you’re alone. I know what that’s like.”

She had no clue.

But he couldn’t look away from her mouth. She was the first woman—the first to ever touch him so easily. He hadn’t needed to bribe her, hadn’t needed to promise her power or protection. She’d touched him to comfort him.

And she made him ache.

“Cass?”

“I want to kiss you.”

He heard the little hitch in her breathing. “No.”

His body tightened at the rejection.

“No,” she said again and her hand fell away from him. He missed that touch immediately. “No, you don’t want to kiss me. You don’t want me at all. I’m just some bounty to you, and you’re playing some dangerous game with me. But you don’t want this game, okay? You need to break the invisible cuffs or whatever the hell they are. Use the magic you talked about and set us both free.”

He couldn’t look away from her mouth. “I may have misled you.”

“Yes, I know. I just said you don’t really want to kiss me—”

“I can’t break the spell that locked the cuffs in place. They will link us for forty-eight hours, no matter what I do.” His delivery guarantee. He’d used the cuffs hundreds of times. Normally, forty-eight hours was all he needed for transport. He took in his prey, he kept the prey close, and when the forty-eight hours ended, he walked away clean.

His prey didn’t fare as easily. They often didn’t walk away at all.

“Forty-eight hours?” she repeated, voice hushed. “No, no, that’s too long! Leo will find you again!”

Cass laughed. “I don’t think so. Not if I don’t want to be found.” His gaze slowly rose to catch hers.

Hope lit her stare. “You…you can actually hide us from him?”

“I’m not working for Leo. He won’t get you.” That was a promise.

She threw her body against his. “Thank you!”

Cass was so caught off-guard by her move that he froze. Her arms were wrapped around him. She was hugging him, and her breasts pressed to his chest. Her whole body pressed to him, and she felt warm and she smelled good and his dick was hard with desire and he wanted to hold her tight— She looked up at him. “Sorry. But, um, you said you were safe to touch and—”

His control shattered. He’d never had someone embrace him that way. Yes, she’d just been hugging him, he got that. She’d been caught up in her relief. He got that.

Cass just didn’t care.

His arms closed around her, and they tumbled back onto the bed. His gloved hands sank into the thick mass of her hair and his lips crashed down on hers. He knew he should be more careful, he should use more restraint, but…

His control had shattered. All of the needs he’d held in check for so long burst free and he had to kiss her. His mouth locked to hers. Her lips parted beneath his mouth, and her tongue swept out to meet his.

She wasn’t afraid. Wasn’t hesitant. Amber kissed him with a raw need that ignited the dark desires he’d held back for too long. Finally, someone who wasn’t afraid. Finally, someone who wanted him.

He kissed her deeper, harder. Her clothes were between them. His were in the way. He wanted the clothes gone. He wanted them to be flesh to flesh.

He. Wanted. Her.

She gave a little moan and arched up against him. Her hands raked down his back. Her nails bit into his skin. Her lips parted even more as she kissed him and he— Stopped.