14. Riley
My shouldersimmediately tense up at the sight of Maddoc, but even though Dante steps away from me, his posture is still relaxed and confident.
“Logan had her by the throat,” he tells his leader with a nonchalant shrug. “I had to do something.”
“You had to do what, exactly?” Maddoc asks, his eyes gaze flicking between the two of us.
“I had to step in.”
Dante’s voice remains casual, but when I glance over at him again, I realize I was wrong about him being unaffected. Although he’s doing a good job of hiding it, there’s an expression on his face almost like he just got busted and knows it.
Busted for what?
For protecting me?
Or for touching me the way he was?
But that doesn’t make sense. Even though he and I were standing intimately close when Maddoc walked in, Dante already told his two friends that we fucked. Between that confession and the way Maddoc made me strip for all of them earlier, I can’t imagine the leader of the Reapers would give a shit about walking in on whatever may or may not have just been going on between the two of us.
But that’s not the vibe I’m getting from Maddoc at all right now. He definitely looks pissed as he stalks into the room, bearing down on us until he’s almost toe to toe with Dante.
“Logan had her by the throat,” Maddoc says, repeating Dante’s words. “And do you know the reason Logan was angry enough to go after her like that? It’s because Riley was snooping around where she doesn’t belong. Did you miss that little detail when you ‘stepped in’?”
Dante grimaces, and I wince.
Yeah, he’s definitely busted for letting that slide.
The two men have a silent face-off, and although I’m sure they’re communicating something in the silence, I have no idea what it is. Then Dante dips his head in a nod. He shoots a quick look in my direction, giving me a one-shouldered shrug as if to say there’s nothing he can do. Before I can respond to that, he turns and strides from the room.
“What exactly were you looking for when you decided to go snooping around our house?” Maddoc demands, stepping closer to me the second we’re alone.
I lift my chin, glaring back at him. “I was just—”
“Don’t try to lie about what you were doing,” he barks before I can finish. “I’ve already talked to Logan.”
I swallow, fear shooting through me at the mention of Logan’s name. But I forge ahead anyway. If I was going to let fear stop me, I would have given up long before I ever met the Reapers.Dante was right about me in that regard.
“What do you think I could possibly do?” I ask. “I’m your prisoner here, remember?”
Maddoc still looks pissed, but he huffs a breath that’s almost a laugh. “I think you’re the one who needs the reminder, butterfly. You came to us. You’re not a prisoner. You’re our guest.”
“And let me guess, Logan is your hospitality director?” I mutter bitterly.
I don’t realize I’m touching my throat, instinctively trying to banish the lingering heat from Logan’s hold, until I notice Maddoc’s gaze following my hand. I drop it immediately. Nothing good can possibly come of showing weakness in front of him.
“Actions have consequences,” he says flatly, staring hard at my throat for another beat before he lifts his gray eyes to mine again. “You’d be smart to remember that.”
“All I was doing was looking for the bathroom,” I say, shifting tactics as I try to put an innocent expression on my face.
Maddoc smirks. “There’s one right down the hall. You passed by it on your way to this room.”
I know.
“Oh.” I nod as if that’s new information. “Okay, then I’ll just go use that one. I didn’t realize it was—”
I step toward the door as I speak, trying to use this opportunity to slip away, but I don’t make it. Before I’ve even taken two steps, Maddoc grabs my wrist and yanks me backward. Slamming into his body feels like hitting a brick wall, and I gasp as he wraps his arms around me, clutching at one of his thick forearms.
“Don’t ever run from me, butterfly,” he murmurs, dipping his head to speak low in my ear. “Nod if you understand, because I don’t want to hear another lie come from that pretty mouth of yours.”
His breath gusts over my skin with each word, his hands splayed wide on my body to hold me in place, and I’m sure he can feel the way my ribcage vibrates with every thudding beat of my heart.
I open my mouth to answer and then remember he told me not to, so I nod instead.
“Good.” The scent of cedarwood drifts into my nostrils as his voice rumbles against my back. “Now let’s try this one more time. What were you looking for?”
He won’t accept anything but the truth, and somehow I’m positive he’ll know if I lie again. So I slump a little against his chest, letting out a defeated breath.
“I was looking for information I could use against West Point,” I admit. “In case you decided not to help me.”
The room goes quiet for a moment, and my eyes dart sideways, trying to get a glimpse of Maddoc even though he’s behind me. After another short beat, he makes a noise in his throat, sounding almost surprised.
“You really do hate them, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I whisper, my voice harsh with vehemence.
He chuckles, and I can feel his body relaxing slightly. “Good. They’re worthy of your hate, butterfly. I promise you that. And just so we can put this subject to rest, I will help you get your sister back. Understood?”
I drag in a breath as a rush of emotions makes my eyes water. “Thank you.”
He nods. I can feel the movement of his head, although he doesn’t respond with words. He also doesn’t loosen his hold on me, and now that I’m no longer quite as afraid, I become hyper aware of how close we are. Of his masculine cedarwood and leather scent. His hard body. Of the possessive way his handis splayed open just under my breasts, his thumb and fingers barely brushing against the bottoms of them.
His other hand is pressed flat against my lower belly, and for some reason, it makes heat stir deep inside me. He’s already had his fingers inside me once tonight, something my body reacted to in a way I didn’t expect, and if he moved his hand just a little lower, he’d be right there again.
My clit throbs, and I can feel my pulse in my neck, every thrum of my veins amplified by the slight ache left by Logan’s grip. My body feels like it’s been hit by a truck, having gone through so much in the past twenty-four hours that it can’t properly process sensations anymore.
Maybe that’s why I feel so hot, why it feels like there’s fire in my blood. Maybe that’s why I lean into Maddoc’s unyielding body instead of pulling away like I should.
“Please,” I whisper, not even sure what it is I’m asking for.
For him to let go of me? For him to not let me go?
The silence is deafening, and that one quiet word hangs in the air between us for a long moment. Then Maddoc’s chest expands, pushing against my back as he sucks in a deep breath. His arms cinch around me even tighter, and something brushes the side of my neck.
It’s his nose, dragging across the sensitive skin there.
Oh god. He’s breathing me in.
He’s scenting me like some kind of primitive animal.
The heat in my lower belly expands, making my clit throb harder. The room around us seems to swim in my vision as my gaze drops out of focus, and my fingernails dig into his forearm as my body struggles to comprehend what the hell it wants.
“Fuck,” Maddoc grunts. Jerking his face away from my neck, he shoves me roughly away from him.
I stumble, my legs almost giving out before I catch myself on the back of the chair. Holding on to it like a lifeline, I turn to face him, my eyes wide and my mouth dry.
What the fuck was that? What just happened?
For a moment, he looks as confused and off balance as I feel. His brows draw together, and he looks like he’s about to take a step toward me. But then he straightens his shoulders, clearing his throat and running a hand over his dark hair.
The hard expression I’m used to seeing him wear falls over his features again as he says, “We’ll help you, but there are rules you have to abide by while living in this house. As long as you’re here, you’ll either stay in your room or stick to common areas. The kitchen, the living room, and the main bathrooms. I don’t want to see you anywhere else.”
“Okay.” I nod, suddenly desperate to leave this room and the loaded atmosphere that still sits heavily in it. “Is that all?”
Maddoc hesitates for a half second, and I hold my breath. Then he nods toward the door with a sharp jerk of his chin.
“That’s all. Now get the fuck out.”