I woke up as the sun shone down on my face from the window, my eyes blinking the harshness of the bright sun away and trying to focus.
Reed’s arms were wrapped around me. His hands clutched my waist, keeping my bottom close to his, and his other hand under my head, acting as a pillow. His scent surrounded me.
I admired his features. He was so sexy in his sleep. I gently put my hand on his wrist and tried to lift and remove it as slowly and carefully as possible. I had succeeded halfway when his hand grabbed mine and turned me over, pulling down underneath himself and climbing on top of me.
I gasped in surprise, barely managing to hold my scream.
“What?” I whispered as my eyes widened and shot up to look at his beautiful face.
“Why did you wake me up?” Reed growled in a sleepy voice and dropped his face in my neck, leaving a trail of kisses from the blade of my shoulder to the insides of my neck.
I twitched instantly, the ticklish feeling of his breath and warmth of his mouth igniting a spark of desire he started from the last night; it hit me with full force.
“You can sleep. It’s early in the morning,” I said, and he relaxed and pulled me again into the previous position. I waited to see if he again slept or was just acting, but then I felt his even breaths and again started to pull his wrist from my body after a while.
“What are you trying to do, kitten?” his raspy voice again interrupted me, and I groaned internally.
“You sleep, let me go,” I said and tried again to pull myself from his tight hold. He smiled but didn’t budge.
“Trying to get rid of me already, huh?” he asked amusingly, and I narrowed my eyes. I huffed and pushed him away some more, and he chuckled before putting all his weight over my body, restricting my movements.
“Stay with me,” he said, and his breath tickled my neck. I shuddered, and he smirked, knowing he was succeeding.
We laid there for an infinitely long time. Nobody spoke, just silently laying in each other’s arms in solace and comfort.
“Reed?” He made a soft noise from the back of his throat in response. I turned so that I could see his face. He opened his right eye to look at me as I didn’t say anything further.
“I know something is going on inside the pretty head of yours. Just ask away. I could feel it through the mate bond,” he said and again closed his eyes.
Damn mate bond. I always forgot how he could feel what I was feeling. But somehow, I liked this new bond between us. Now, we could know each other’s emotions even without speaking to the other.
“I have a question. Actually two,” I said and smiled innocently. He smiled his slow sexy-panty-ripping smile reserved only for me. Only me.
“Why, little mate? Why so eager for information?” he asked amusingly, and I pouted. He chuckled and kissed my lips so fast I hardly registered what had happened. He finally opened his eyes.
“Yes, ask,” he said, and although he was smiling, I knew he hated to get interrogated. Especially be me. But I wanted to know.
“The other night, you told me they wanted you to kill someone for the fulfillment of your part of the deal.” He nodded cautiously, and I could feel he was already distancing. The playful Reed was a second away from changing into the tyrant alpha.
“You said someone you love and hate the most,” I completed and swallowed the lump in my throat, ignoring the ping of jealousy filling my chest.
He nodded and sighed deeply, turned. Distancing me from himself. He looked at the ceiling in thought.
“You have seen my past, right?” he asked, still looking at the ceiling fan. I nodded.
“I think the answer is obvious,” he said. My eyes knitted together in confusion, and as he saw my reaction, he smiled again, but this time it was a sad and emotionless smile. Hollow.
“They wanted me to kill the moon goddess,” he said finally and looked from the corner of his eye to see my face.
My mouth fell open, and I swore it could be shipped for the subway tunnel. They wanted to kill the moon goddess? For real, the goddess?
He must have seen the horror on my face because, in the next moment, he placed his hands on my cheek and traced his fingertips across my jawline.
“Don’t worry; I told you I ran,” he said bitterly, but there was relief in his voice. Deep down, he knew he had made the right choice. Even I sighed in relief. God knows what would have happened if Reed tried to kill the moon goddess.
“Why did they want to kill her?” He looked again and shrugged.
“Don’t know. Witches never reveal their secrets.” I nodded. If I got anything from my few encounters with the witches, it was that they were smart and wicked. They meant no business.
“Okay, one more question…”
“I thought you said only two.” He outwitted me, and I narrowed my eyes.
“That was the part of the first question only.” He chuckled but shook his head anyways.
“No, the deal was only about the two questions,” he said, trying to keep his strong stance but failing miserably. I huffed and turned away from him and smacked his chest.
“Just get away from me already,” I said, trying to sound angry, but his voice was not helping. I know I was failing; I was fighting a losing battle against him.
He draped his one arm and pulled me again, and within a blink, he turned me so that we were touching nose to nose. His eyes were sparked like a thousand-megawatt bulbs were turned on at the same time.
His eyes slowly dropped down from mine and settled on my lips, and I swore I saw him suck in his breath.
“How about we start again what we left last night?” he said suggestively, and his eyes darkened with lust and…desire.
Although the invitation was tempting, I wanted him to taste his own medicine, and I smiled as an idea crossed my mind. Oh! This was gonna be way much more than fun.
I slowly licked my bottom lip; his eyes were settled on them, and I knew he was being turned on because there was a ‘big proof’ poking my stomach. Good.
His eyes darkened more, if possible, and I bit my lower lip. His breath was becoming more rapid, and I knew he was getting excited. A small part of me was delighted and content that only I had so much effect on him.
I slowly pulled his arms from me and smiled seductively at him. Not for a second, he blinked, and I climbed on him. I put his hands above his head.
“You wanted something from me?” I asked innocently, and he growled sexily. When I was assured that his hands were no longer near me, I quickly leaned in, near his ear. I knew he had closed his eyes as he felt my breath on his neck.
“First, you have to catch me,” I said and quickly jumped from the bed toward the door. Before he could register everything, I closed the door and locked it before hearing a loud thud from the other side. Within seconds I heard his voice from the other side.
“Open the door, kitten,” Reed said huskily. Suddenly I felt so powerful and so much in control.
“You think you will escape, huh?” He mind linked me this time. Although his voice was threatening, I knew he was enjoying me defying him. “It won’t be pretty when I catch you, kitten,” he threatened before I felt him moving away from the door.
I smiled triumphantly as if I had won a big battle, although I knew I would have to pay the price for it later, and saying that I wasn’t excited would be a lie.
“What are you doing here, Esma?” A very familiar voice interrupted my train of thought.