Dead Drop (The Guild #2)(34)

After tending to my bruises and cuts again, I’d checked the lock on my door and placed a dagger under my pillow. Then I’d fallen into a heavy sleep of pure exhaustion.

Come to think of it, now I was starving.

I yawned and stretched, then snuggled into the hard warmth at my back. A strong arm tightened around my waist, pulling me closer until my ass bumped against some impressive morning wood.

“Mmm,” I sighed sleepily as soft lips brushed over my bruised neck. “Leon…”

Kai froze, all his muscles tensing in a flash as a low, angry growl rolled out of him. What did he think he was, a fucking werewolf?

I grinned, smug as fuck as I wriggled my butt against his erection and moaned like I was in the middle of a sex dream.

“You’re not fucking funny, Siren,” Kai seethed, his grip on my waist intensifying. This time, he ground against me with more intention, and my answering gasp wasn’t faked.

Still, I chuckled. “What did you fucking expect, sneaking into my bed? You’re not welcome here, Malachi.” And yet, I wasn’t exactly fighting to get out of bed and away from his embrace. Apparently, my Stockholm syndrome was still in full effect, because I was comfortable. Utterly relaxed.

The tension in his body melted away, and he gave a husky laugh back. “The way you snuggled into me all night tells a different story. Besides, I told you to stop calling me that.”

I gave a yawn and shrugged. Why wasn’t I leaping out of bed and putting him in his place? Shit, I didn’t even need to get out of bed, there was a knife under my pillow. But nope, I just used his thick bicep as a pillow and inhaled his crisp, slightly salty scent. He smelled like the ocean. How fitting, given his fascination with sea sirens.

But it wasn’t real. Kai had played me just as hard as I’d played him. Now what the fuck were we doing? Pretending like we were back on the island? The toothpaste couldn’t be put back in the tube, so right now we were both just ignoring the mess.

“I missed you,” he whispered, making a shiver roll through me. His hot breath teased my neck, and his fingers stroked my belly. “I couldn’t sleep, knowing you were right here within my grasp.”

I wet my lips, swallowing the desire to roll over and kiss him. To admit that I’d missed him, too.

“You didn’t miss me,” I whispered, those words hurting way more than they should have. “You never knew me. You missed Danielle, but I can’t imagine why. She cried all the damn time. Wasn’t that annoying as hell?”

Instead of making him angry at the reminder that I’d been manipulating and lying, I only seemed to be amusing him. He gave a husky laugh and kissed my neck. I needed to tell him to stop doing that.

“Yeah, the crying wasn’t my favorite part,” he admitted. “But she wasn’t who I’ve been missing. It was you all along, the quick-witted woman lurking behind crying eyes. Your act was slipping more every day that you stayed with me, and I think you know it. That’s why you eventually ran, isn’t it? You got scared, because what you felt for me was real.”

He said it as though he really believed I’d admit it. Like I’d even admitted it to myself.

Nope. I gritted my teeth and rolled out of his embrace. Or I tried to. He caught me around the waist, turned me over, and hauled me back against him with arms like steel bands. The only thing stopping me from kneeing him in the balls, then stabbing him through the trachea was the tender way he kissed my hair.

“Stop running, Siren,” he whispered. “What are you so afraid of?”

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? What was Danny DeLuna afraid of? Damn him to hell, he was questioning the size of my lady balls.

“Kai,” I replied with a sigh, my face tucked into his chest like we were made to snuggle like this. “What are we doing here?”

He gave a hum, the sound vibrating his chest beneath my cheek. Why was I letting him manhandle me like this? I could kill him with my bare hands, yet here I was, turning to fucking goo over a firm hug. I’d say I was sex-starved, but that definitely wasn’t the issue after my rendezvous with Leon a few nights ago. Dick drunk? Was that a thing?

“Right now I’d say we’re mending our bridges, wouldn’t you?”

I scoffed, my hand trailing up his side like it had a life of its own. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. At best, we’re forming a temporary truce.” He was shirtless, wearing just a pair of sweatpants, and the ink on his body was just as enticing as I remembered.

“It’s a starting point,” he murmured, his abs flexing as my nails scraped over his skin. One of his hands released my waist, coming up to stroke the stinging mess that Bryan’s garrote made of the side of my throat. “Want to tell me what happened?”

I inhaled sharply, then firmly pushed myself out of his arms to sit up. “There’s nothing to tell. The Circle is sending executioners after me, and I have no idea why.”

Kai didn’t move from his position, but raised his arm up behind his head. It was a cheap trick, making his muscles bunch and flex to draw my attention. “You have no idea?”

I shook my head, wincing at the ache in my neck. Bruising had stiffened the muscles up, and I was in desperate need of coffee. “None. But they clearly felt the need to escalate when you didn’t kill me. Why didn’t you kill me?” I frowned at him in suspicion.