Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(29)

“Well.” Denver looked at the closed door. “He’s a fucking ray of sunshine.”

“Something’s up,” Ryker said, his chest growing heavy. He’d been so focused on Zara and the visit from Greg that he was missing signals. “What happened today at court?”

Denver turned toward Heath’s door. “You go figure out what’s up with your lady, and I’ll dig into Heath’s psyche.”

Ryker nodded. “We can meet in the morning and determine our next plan.” He paused. “If we have to talk about that woman again, let’s use Isobel Madison as her name, okay? That way we don’t ever have to say ‘Sylvia Daniels’ again.”

Denver blinked. “Yeah.”

“Good. Also, I think Heath should talk to the FBI about the Copper Killer case. He’s pacing the office like a caged tiger, and he needs to have a meeting with them just to do something. Okay?”

Denver nodded.

Ryker sighed. “Denver?”

“Yeah, I know. You’re welcome.” Denver opened Heath’s door and then disappeared.

Ryker breathed deep and headed back into his place to talk to Zara. It was time she leveled with him, whether she liked it or not.

Zara stepped out of the bathroom, tucking the towel securely at her breasts. She stopped short at seeing Ryker on the bed, which was the only piece of furniture in the room. “I don’t have spare clothes.”

“You’re not gonna need them.” His eyes darkened as his gaze ran over her freshly scrubbed skin. He still wore the faded jeans and T-shirt, but he’d ditched his boots and leather jacket. Sitting on the end of the bed, his elbows on his thighs, he was the perfect picture of masculine intent. A tension, one she didn’t recognize, swelled through the room.

She swallowed and pushed her hair off her shoulders. Her body started to thrum in a way unique to being with Ryker. He brought out something in her she didn’t quite understand. Even if her mind and heart had doubts, her body was all in. “Listen. I’m not going to lie.”

“That’d be a nice change.”

Her chin went down. “Hey—I’ve never lied to you.”

“You haven’t told me shit.” Even the clipped words held a sense of . . .dominance—a state at home in him, on him, around him. Why she responded to that with wild tingles, she’d never understand. But she had to shake her head to focus.

“You don’t get to know about my life, Ryker. We’ve gone over this.” Heat rose from her chest to her face. “You set the parameters from the beginning.” The concrete floor chilled her bare feet. Wearing nothing but the towel, she shivered with an unwelcome vulnerability, even through the ever-present desire. “You can’t change them now.”

“They’re already changed.” He clasped his hands loosely between his knees. “Come here, Zara.”

That voice. Deep and dark, with a commanding, sexual edge. Her body reacted instantly, her nipples hardening as she became wet. “Don’t tell me what to do,” she whispered, fighting need along with her temper.

“You like me telling you what to do.”

“Only in bed,” she burst out.

He smiled, the expression gentle and dangerous all at once. “Then get in bed.”

She shook her head just a little. If she got in that bed, she’d forget all about her anger, her independence, her safety. Oh, he’d keep her physically safe, but she’d known from the first kiss that he’d shatter her heart if she let him. “Not until we reach an agreement.” She clutched the towel like it was a lifeline.

“If you make me come and get you, I’ll make you beg tonight.”

A full-body shiver took her, and it had nothing to do with fear. Oh, she’d begged him before, and the result had been multiple orgasms that still filled her dreams. Her breath quickened. A flush worked under her skin, sensitizing her breasts. “You have to listen to me.”

“I plan to listen to a whole lot from you.” He stood, so tall and broad he took her breath away. “After we take the edge off.”

The sense that he’d stopped playing focused her attention solely on him. But it wasn’t that simple, now, was it? His taking the edge off would make her mellow, even pliant. She’d start dreaming about forever, and she knew better. It was all right to have a weakness if one acknowledged and fought it. Falling for him could be her weakness. So she lifted her chin and met his gaze directly. “We’re friends with benefits.”

“Is that a fact?” He stepped closer, leaving only a couple of feet between them.

“Yes.” Her voice stayed strong and sure, thank God. After dating for a month, they’d both had checkups, and she’d gone on the pill. For him. Okay, for her, too. “Accept the parameters, Ryker. You have no choice.”

He flashed his teeth. “So you just want to get fucked?”

The coarse language in that throaty tone nearly sent her over the edge. Her thighs trembled—with the need to run toward him or away, she wasn’t quite sure. “That’s what we have,” she whispered.

He reached her then, tucking one finger in the towel. His head lowered, his mouth next to her ear, brushing heat against her skin. “Tell me, then.”

Her mouth went dry, and her abdomen rippled. “Wh-what?”