8. MADDOX #2
An hour later, we’re sprawled across my oversized couch, eating melted Cookies ’n Cream ice cream while my oversized dog lays sprawled across Lyra’s lap. He hasn’t left her for even a second, and honestly, I’m nervous about the moment when she decides to head home.
The room is quiet, and I lean back deeper into the couch with my arm slung over the backrest, gazing at this stunning woman across from me. “You’d help me bury a body, right?”
Her hand stops in Smooch’s fur and she looks up at me, her brows furrowed. “Depends. How big is the body?”
“Uhhh . . . big,” I say with a nod.
She considers it a moment. “All that dead weight sounds heavy,” she muses. “Could we hack it up into travel size pieces?”
“I’m sure we could arrange that.”
“We’d need a room with a drain and some saws.
Not the cheap shit, either. Maybe medical-grade to get through the bone.
And not a chainsaw. That seems like it’d be messy.
Harder to clean evidence, you know? Maybe we should get something to line the floors.
Easy disposal. I’m not a big fan of cleaning up.
” She drags her spoon through the ice cream again before her head snaps up, her eyes wide.
“Oh, also. How are we supposed to transport all the pieces? I’m thinking of coolers, but if you have a better idea, I’m here for it. ”
I just stare at her and slowly put my spoon down. “Fuck, I am so in love with you.”
She barks a laugh, waking Smooch, and his head lifts off her lap, glancing up at her and making sure she’s good before settling back into a deep sleep, a loud snore ripping out of his furry body.
Lyra grins at me. “Do you always fall for random women you screw in back alleys?”
“Nope. This’ll be a first.”
She rolls her eyes, assuming I’m just laying it on thick and not realizing just how fucked up she’s got me. She holds my stare, and I indicate with my chin for her to climb that sweet ass over here.
“Come here,” I murmur through the silence.
Lyra purses her lips, but not a moment later, she’s squeezing out from under Smooch and climbing across the couch until she’s straddled over my lap, her arms thrown carelessly around my shoulders.
I hold her stare, a sly grin playing on my lips.
“I know you think this is just a little fun, that I’m just an asshole playing the ultimate game to get you in bed, and sure, maybe I am.
But it’s just a matter of time, Savage. You’re gonna fall so hopelessly in love with me, and when you do, ain’t nothing gonna keep me from making you mine. ”
Her brow arches. “Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She leans in closer, her lips brushing past mine, and just before I capture her lips and kiss her deeply, she pulls back, teasing me like the little she-devil that she is. “A man like you, you wouldn’t be able to handle all of this falling in love with you.”
I take her hips tight, grinding her against me. “Oh, baby. If there’s anything in this world that I can handle, it’s you.”
Lyra laughs, and then gives me that look, the look that tells me she’s got me right where she wants me, warning me that she’s already five steps ahead.
She pulls back, climbing off my lap and grabbing the discarded ice cream, then runs her fingers through Smooch’s coat as she passes.
I can’t take my eyes off her as she strides across my living room, making her way into the kitchen.
When she bends to put the ice cream back into the freezer, I drag one hand over my face.
Christ. This woman is going to kill me.
Lyra pauses there and glances back over her shoulder, meeting my heated stare. “You’re staring.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’ve got me by the fucking balls.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“Painfully.”
Lyra laughs and closes the freezer before making her way back toward me, only she stops a few feet shy of the couch, leaning gently against the kitchen island, one brow arching with a silent challenge.
A smirk pulls across her lips, and she waits, dragging this out, knowing she has my complete, undivided attention. “How bad do you want this?” she purrs, her tongue rolling over her bottom lip and sending a deep need pulsing through my body.
Oh.
My.
Fucking.
God.
I’m obsessed.
Everything in me stills, and suddenly, there’s no room for wild, inappropriate flirting or smartass comments. Nothing else exists but her.
I’m on my feet before I’ve even realized that I’ve moved, inching toward her as though every step brings me closer to the oxygen I need to breathe. I cross the space between us and stop in front of her, letting my hand settle low on her waist as she looks up at me, waiting for my response.
“Oh, my sweet little savage, you are dangerous, aren’t you?”
“More than you could ever know.”