Dead Drop (The Guild #2)(5)

“No,” I finally responded. “Not tonight, anyway.”

She wrinkled her adorable nose, then shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Amusement rippled through me, but excitement quickly surpassed when she tugged the bed clothes down and straddled me. My hard cock nestled against her hot pussy, and I gave a low groan of appreciation.

She rocked against me, teasing, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. “If you think I’m falling asleep around you, though, you’re deluded. No offense, Leon, but”—she paused, rising up on her knees to grasp my erection in her hand, guiding me to her opening—“I don’t trust you.”

The air escaped my lungs in a whoosh as she sank down onto my dick, taking me in one movement despite how tight the fit was. “I’d be disappointed if you did,” I admitted when I caught my breath. “So I guess we just have to stay awake. Whatever will we do?”

She gave a soft groan, bracing her hands on my tensed abs as she rose and fell slowly, teasingly. “I think this is a good start,” she whispered in a husky, sex-drenched voice that went straight to my dick. Goddamn, she was worse than any addiction. Somehow, I sensed she could easily be the death of me, too.

Now, she’d challenged me, though, and I was determined to fuck her so good she wouldn’t be able to keep those beautiful sapphire eyes open a moment longer.





As it turned out, I was the one who fell asleep first. My plan backfired, and she fucked me into a deep, dreamless sleep. The kind of restful sleep that I hadn’t had… maybe ever? I certainly didn’t remember ever sleeping so well. When I woke, my muscles ached in the most amazing way. My dick tented the sheets, rock hard, and a warm feeling filled my chest.

“Danny,” I mumbled, reaching out for her with just one eyelid cracked. I needed to touch her skin, to feel her breath on my lips, to know that she was still here with me.

But the bed beside me was empty and cold, and I sat up with a heavy sense of dread.

“DeLuna!” I shouted, but she didn’t respond. Of course she didn’t. She’d waited until I had fallen asleep… and left.

I wasn’t even mad about it, either. She was a mercenary, raised by the Guild. Her actions were like that of a frightened animal, slinking away silently and running for safety. Of course, I knew better than any that she was no mere house cat. Danny DeLuna was a predator, but so was I.

She must surely know, the game had only just started between us.

Smiling, I climbed out of bed and sauntered into my bathroom to shower but pulled up short when I saw the mirror.

“Shit,” I murmured, my pulse racing with excitement, “now you’re just teasing, DeLuna.”

On the mirror, she’d left me a very clear message. Or so it may seem.

Leon,

This was fun, but lose my number. You’ll never see me again.

x Danny





She’d signed off with an imprint of her lips, and it did all kinds of delicious things to my emotions. It was a challenge, obviously. She was running, but she wanted me to chase her.

I took a closer look at the writing, touching a finger to the ink. Then I brought it to my mouth.

Fuck. She’d written it in blood, the sick bitch.

My dick hardened like stone. Even more so when I spotted the freshly applied dressing on my thigh. She hadn’t written it in her own blood, she’d used mine. And somehow managed to cut me without ever waking me up.

Oh yeah. I was coming for her… No way in hell was I walking away from a woman who was clearly my soul mate. We were fucking fated.





3





The solid smack of leather gloves hitting the heavy bag soothed my frayed nerves slightly, but I still carried tension between my shoulder blades that held me on a knife’s edge day and night.

“Maybe he decided to let it go?” Jude suggested when we took a break. She was breathing heavily, sweat plastering her hair to her forehead, and I grinned.

“You need to get down here more often, Mackenzie; you’re puffing like an old lady.” I tugged my own boxing gloves off and grabbed my bottle of water. I wasn’t going to address her suggestion that Leon had decided to let it go. That wasn’t even remotely a possibility. Not for him… or me.

Jude grimaced and took a long drink from her own bottle. “Fuck you, DeLuna. I’m probably the fittest librarian in the world.” She limped heavily over to where she’d left her cane, then shot me a teasing smile. “Maybe you need to stay with me more often, kick my butt back into shape.”

“Oh, honey, that boat sailed a long ass time ago,” I teased, nodding to her leg. She knew what I meant. The broken leg that had ended her future as a mercenary had been a thorn in her side ever since. Multiple surgeries and an infection had left her with extremely limited mobility in her left leg. The fact she was at the gym with me at all was impressive.

She wrinkled her nose at me, but it was in good humor. We were close enough that we didn’t take offense to teasing, and I knew better than anyone else how much her leg still hurt her—emotionally as well as physically.

“Come on, Mackenzie, that bottle of vodka in your freezer is calling our names.”

Jude scoffed. “It’s ten in the morning!”

I shrugged. “So what? You don’t have to be back at work until Monday, right?”