Chapter 23 Reyna #2
I purse my lips, thinking about the true question that’s been burning in my mind since he revealed himself.
“Then why aren’t you killing me?” His brow hikes.
“I just want to understand. It would have been easier for you to let the guy finish the job. I mean, killing me would be outside of your MO, but I know your secret. I know which kills are yours. I could tell the authorities.”
Stop giving him reasons to murder you.
“I could ruin your career, and get you sent to prison.”
Shut up, Reyna.
“You’d probably get life too.”
Idiot.
He closes in, trapping me in place with a hand on my hip before I can escape. The frozen mask melts away to reveal the determination in his eyes. Hunger blazes behind them. It’s in the heated way his eyes dip with possession.
No, that can’t be right. Obsession.
Longing fills me. He looked at me like that the last time we were alone, as though I was his muse. Just as it turned out he’s mine.
He traces the edge of my jaw down to my chin, tilting my face up to his. “I’ve found a kindred soul in you, and the world will burn before I let you go.”
My breath lodges in my throat when his lips brush mine. I want so badly to believe it. But part of me needs proof. And time. And a clear head to think everything through.
Maddox has proven he can be an asshole, but violent is the last thing he’s been when it comes to me. It’s what I’ve always wanted: to be the one someone chooses. The exception to the rule. Not because it’s convenient. Not because they have no other option. I wanted them to pick me because I’m me.
As heartwarming as the realization is, he’s answering around my questions. He’s only showing me pieces of his world—glimpses through the cracks in the wall he’s built around himself. Fragments of a person aren’t enough for me.
“Maybe I haven’t made it clear, love. You are a risk I’m willing to take.
” He kisses the spot beneath my ear. “I’ve tasted your depravity, and I want to get drunk on it.
” He sucks the soft skin of my neck into his mouth, and I swallow a moan from the pleasure that ripples down my spine.
“You’re intoxicating, Reyna. I haven’t been able to think of anything else but you. ”
My nails sink into his arms even though it hurts to move. His words and the feel of his lips are turning my brain into a jumbled mess. I press a hand to his chest to get him to stop. He doesn’t move far, keeping our noses a breath away from touching.
“What happens if I try to walk away?” I whisper.
His eyes darken. “I’ll find you. I told you that I wouldn’t be going anywhere once we crossed that line. Try to run, and see how little of a liar I am.”
“You can’t make me stay.”
“I’ll give you time. I’ll even give you space. But this ends one way, and it’s not us apart. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Just a week ago, I was losing sleep over our temporary relationship. Now he’s talking about forever, and doing whatever it takes to keep us together.
“What will you do to me?”
“What I’ve already been doing: immortalizing you.”
I shake my head. That’s hardly a straight answer, and sounds frighteningly like I’m going to land in the obituary notice. “You can’t make me do anything, Maddox.” His name sounds dangerous on my lips. “I’m not yours to twist and shape into what you want.”
“I know. You’ve done that all on your own.” He brushes his thumb over my lips. “Don’t be fooled. I’m not good for you. I may even be the worst thing to ever happen to you. But I promise that you’ll never be left wanting.”
He can’t promise me that. I don’t know if I want him to promise me that. Maddox Shaw is still a mystery to me.
“I—”
Fuck. I think I’m going to throw up.
“Woah, hey.” Maddox holds my weight. “I’ve got you, love.”
Everything is throbbing. I groan, latching onto the soft material of his clothes. My head hurts like a bitch, and the tea is making waves up my esophagus. He has me back in his arms and carries me through the house before I have a chance to argue.
“We weren’t done talking,” I grumble, squeezing my eyes shut. The harsh light is making it feel like my eyeballs are being scooped right out of my head.
“Tomorrow,” he grunts.
My eyes drift open just enough to catch the worry across his face. The mattress dips beneath my weight, and creaks when he wrestles the clothes off my frame. “What are you doing?” I ask when he unbuttons my skirt.
“Would you rather sleep in these clothes, or mine?”
My lips part, catching sight of his coat on the nearby chair. This is his room. “Sleep? Here? You…”
“Any murderer worth half his salt wouldn’t kill you while you’re wearing their clothes. That would be a forensics nightmare.”
What the fuck. “That doesn’t reassure me in the slightest.”
He shrugs. “Do with that what you will, Miss Sinaga.”
I shove him with the little energy I have. “I’ll kill you if you kill me.”
“That would be my preferred way to go.” I see his amusement through the darkness.
He tugs my skirt down my legs, and my tights follow suit. My head and stomach swim as I wait for Maddox to return. Without a word, he slides a pair of sweats up my legs, and eases his T-shirt over my head.
“I lied,” I pant as he lowers me onto the bed, placing a stack of pillows behind me—probably to keep me from choking on my own vomit.
He falters. “What is it?”
“I’m not fine, I think I’m concussed.”
Chuckling, he pulls the blanket up to my chin. “It’s a curse, always being right.”