Page 41 of Reaper
Chapter Fourteen
Ara
The warmth that surrounded Ara made her smile as she blinked open her eyes and gazed out of the window to see the sun rising in the east.She shifted onto her back and groaned as her muscles clenched in protest at her movements.Glancing over to assure that Reaper hadn’t woken, she lowered the sheet to reveal her naked body.Her eyes widened as they took in the bruises that started to form on her hips, her thighs, and her forearms.
The night before rushed back.After Reaper had claimed her with his bite, he’d woken her again and again to make love, and she’d lost count of the number of orgasms that he drew out of her.Her desire had grown each time he’d touched her.The ecstasy of his touch drove her to demand more from him.When he surrendered to her, gripping her tighter to him as he plunged inside, it thrilled her and soon had her coming apart in his arms.
After he’d bitten her, he worried that he’d hurt her, but she reveled in the fact that he couldn’t control himself when they were together, and told him so.Instead of adding levity to the situation, his face hardened.
“I want to know if I hurt you,” he demanded.
She pulled him in for a kiss before she reassured him with complete honesty.“It doesn’t hurt.I love it when you lose control.To see your desire for me, and have you take me in the way you and I both want—well, I love it.I don’t want you to hold back with me.”
“But you’re human.I could really hurt you,” he argued.
Rolling her eyes, she pulled him in for a quick kiss.
“Like you would ever hurt me.”
Despite the warmth from Reaper sleeping peacefully beside her, her uncovered body began to shiver, and she quickly pulled up the sheet and cuddled against his side.The side of her neck tingled, a reminder of his words and promises from the night before.As she brushed her fingertips across the slight bumps, a buzz of satisfaction settled deep inside her.Desire flared in her again, but she ignored her reactions and settled for listening to his heartbeat and even breathing.
As she lay there in the quiet of the early morning, she couldn’t help the tears that filled her eyes as she remembered the details of Solomon’s death.Although the guilt of not being able to protect him would haunt her for the rest of her life, knowing the details of his death caused anger to lodge in her chest.She should have tried harder to save him, but her kidnapper had a direct hand in his death and the blame should be squarely placed on his shoulders.She understood that she couldn’t control anyone’s fate but her own and instead of the fear she felt the night before, she let anger wash over her.
Fear and panic had led her to make the decision to leave Reaper after she received the note and the drive, but with the clarity of a new day, she was mortified to remember how she acted in front of Ghost and Liv.Although she should have waited for Reaper’s return and explained her reaction, she freaked out and shut down, giving Liv no choice but to sedate her.She hoped that she didn’t cause too much damage to the house, and if she did, she would find some way to fix it.
But as much as she felt disappointment at her reaction in front of the others, she couldn’t bring herself to regret seeking comfort in Reaper’s arms as soon as she assured herself that he was safe.
He pulled her from her dreams, the one where a group of men tortured Reaper because they enjoyed her distress, and when she touched his smooth skin and found him whole, everything faded in the background but her need to feel alive in his arms.
The moment he claimed her, she knew that she didn’t possess the strength to leave him.Although she feared his death over any other scenario, even the one where she could be recaptured, she would fight anyone if they tried to harm him.She had to remember that she wasn’t defenseless.The best had trained her to survive, and she would, for him.
“What are you thinking about?” Reaper asked, his voice still scratchy from sleep.
Taking a deep breath, she told him every detail of what had transpired the night before, even the humiliating confession that she wanted to leave him for his own protection.She glossed over Solomon’s death as quickly as she could, before she mentioned the note.
“What note?”
Glancing around, she spotted the index card crumpled in the corner near the dresser.Groaning because of her sore muscles, she stumbled over to reach for the note and returned to the bed, handing it over to him.
She braced herself for his anger, but the roar of outrage that bellowed through the room, and probably the house, had her jumping.His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the note in his hand, and she held her breath to see what his next reaction would be.
The bedroom door was thrown open, taking her by surprise.Ara squeaked before she reached for a sheet to cover her nakedness.Once she had it tucked around her, she glanced at the doorway to see an alert Kai, scanning the room for danger.Reaper rose from the bed and tossed the note to Kai, who caught it and read it in a split second.
“Shit,” Kai said.“Get dressed.Meeting in ten, downstairs.”
“Kai, I’m sorry—”
“Not your fault.”With those parting words, Kai was gone.
Ara turned to Reaper as he walked toward the closet.Despite the looming presence of a threat, she felt her body respond to the sight of him.The muscles in his back and butt shifted as he walked, and she couldn’t pull her eyes away from him.She thought about wicked things that she wanted to do to him, mainly exploring him with her mouth and tongue, but his low growl brought her out of her thoughts.
“I feel the same way, beautiful, but we need to get downstairs.”Reaper grabbed a pile of clothing and tucked them under his left arm.
It took her a moment, but she blew out a breath and nodded.They were right to be concerned.This monster had tried to kill both of them, and he moved onto taunting.The threat had moved beyond his need to get her back; these were the acts of an insane man, and there was no telling what he was truly capable of.
Reaper reached for her hand and walked them into the bathroom.He adjusted the shower to the right temperature, and jerked the sheet away from her.A smile quirked his mouth into a sexy grin, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from moaning at the sight.
He took a moment to run his gaze over her, and she flushed when he noticed the newly formed bruises scattered around her lower body.But when his eyes traveled to his mark on her shoulder, his chest puffed out and his hands clenched at his sides.His eyes glittered with emotion that flashed by too fast to interpret.By the way his cock grew, his mark on her shoulder turned him on, and she blew out a breath of relief.She had been worried that he would worry over the bruises, while she reveled in the fact that it was Reaper who had left them on her skin.
