Undead Or Alive (Bad Things #3)(14)

But…something else that was rude? Kidnapping a woman. Handcuffing her with magic.

Stripping in front of her.

So if Cass didn’t want her staring at his awesome ass, then maybe he shouldn’t have handcuffed her in the first place. Or stripped.

So Amber just propped her shoulders against the door frame and stared through the glass shower door at Cass. There was no steam drifting in the air—nothing to block her vision. From what she could tell, the guy had jumped into an ice cold shower.

That was actually a bit flattering.

He was totally naked. He’d even ditched those all-important gloves of his. The water crashed over him. His hands were flattened against the tiled wall, his head tilted down, and his shoulders hunched. He had some seriously broad shoulders—and he had a big, dark tattoo on his right shoulder. What was that, exactly?

She inched a bit closer to him as she tried to make out the design of that tat. The top looked like some kind of long, curving blade and— Amber sucked in a sharp breath. It was a scythe.

Her lips parted. Okay. That was a little scary. But then, Cass was scarier.

He was also sexy. She should not find him sexy. She did. Sometimes, Amber thought she might be too much like Luke. Because she definitely had a dark side.

Cass’s head turned. That bright stare pierced her through the glass.

“It’s not helping.” His voice was a low rumble.

She blinked. “Um, excuse me?”

He moved to fully face her and she realized exactly what wasn’t being helped. The guy was aroused, most impressively aroused, and no, the cold water didn’t seem to be helping his condition.

“I want you.”

She could see that. But Amber spun on her heel, giving him her back. “Not happening, Reaper. Those hands of yours are bare, and if you think I’m in the mood for an up-close and personal dance with death, you need to think again.”

In response, she just heard the water thundering down behind her.

Nervous, Amber kept talking. “Besides, if you’re trying to woo a woman into your bed, kidnapping isn’t a good first step. You probably should try flowers. Chocolate. Definitely chocolate. Not handcuffs. Save that stuff for later, you know? When you find out what kind of kink she likes.”

The water kept pouring down.

Amber risked a glance back at him. His eyes were still on her. Her gaze dropped. Oh, yes, definitely still turned on. She swallowed. “I need to get out of here.” And she stumbled forward but she just got a few inches past the door frame when she was jerked back.

Stupid invisible tie.

Bam.

“I am really hating you right now,” she muttered. Being stuck to him via a five-foot tether sucked.

The water turned off. No more pounding. Just a steady drip, drip, drip of sound. She grabbed a towel and tossed it back at him without looking at his naked body.

“Don’t worry, sweets. You aren’t the only one who hates me. You’re just another in the line.”

His voice sounded—sad. Did the Reaper truly get sad? She looked back at him and saw that he’d wrapped the towel around his hips.

“I’m used to others fearing me—and hating me. That’s nothing new.”

Now she was feeling bad for him. “Cass—”

“We should get some sleep. We’ll be heading out on a plane in a few hours.”

Right. Because he still planned to turn her over to Luke and, yet, there she was, actually feeling sorry for the guy. Without another word, they headed out of the bathroom, and then he dropped the towel and climbed into bed.

She kept standing.

Cass patted the mattress next to him. “You can stand all night or you can sleep here.”

Not a gentleman. “And you wonder why women aren’t jumping into your hands.”

But at least those hands were covered in gloves once more. She narrowed her eyes on the gloves in question. “Those will stay on all night, right?”

“Yes,” he gritted out. “They will.”

“Good. They’d better.” Then she crawled over him and took the empty spot on the bed. He was under the covers so she made a point of staying on top of them. As soon as she dropped her head on the pillow, he turned out the lamp.

They were immediately plunged into darkness.

And she was far, far too aware of Cass lying next to her. She could practically feel him. He was warm and way too big and the guy took up more than his fair share of the mattress. If she moved just another inch, she’d be touching him. Not going to happen. Amber rolled away from him, giving the Reaper her back.

“Why does Luke want you?”

She should have known he’d get back to that. “I told you already, I took something of his.”

“Maybe if you give it to me…maybe Luke will let you go. I can give whatever you took back to him, instead of trading you.”

It’s not that easy. “You’re offering to let me go?”

Silence. He sure seemed to like silence.

“Thought so,” Amber muttered as she punched her pillow. More silence. They were lying in bed, inches apart, and he was naked. They’d been having one hell of a make-out session before sanity had reasserted itself and he’d jumped into the shower.

What if sanity hadn’t come back?

Amber knew she had to watch her bad boy weakness. It could not come into play again. Because the Reaper? She feared he’d take everything she had to give…and then he’d still turn his back on her in the end. Men couldn’t be trusted. No one could be trusted.