REAPER'S KISS (5 page)

chapter thirteen

(jace)

*NOW*

I had the shot glass an inch from
my mouth when Prez smacked it out of my hand. He grabbed the back of my leather
cut and growled in my ear.

“Meeting. Now.
”

I thought the son of a bitch was
going to drag me but he gave me the chance to walk on my own.

The table was mostly empty except
for Prez, Gunner, and Gage.

“We have a problem, don’t we?” Sid
asked as he stood at the helm of the table.

“Prez… give me a break,” I said.

“What’s happening?” Gage asked.

“I didn’t know she was coming to my
house,” I said.

“She?” Sid asked. “What the fuck…”

“We’re talking about the prospects,”
Gunner said.

“What?” I asked.

Gage stood up. “Everyone shut the
fuck up and get on the same page.”

Sid gritted his teeth at me. “You’re
with Ava right now?”

“She’s at my place. I have no idea
what to do with her right now.”

“Shit,” Sid yelled. He kicked his
chair.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“Two of our prospects were
attacked,” Gunner said. “One was run off the road. The other shot.”

“Fuck,” I said. “Bad?”

“Guy that was run off the road
broke a leg. The other…” Gunner placed his pointer finger to his temple. Then
he shook his head.

“Christ,” I said. “Who did it?”

“Black car,” Gage said.

“That’s all we’ve got,” Sid finally
said. “So every time I hear about this Ava bitch there’s something bad
happening.”

I then felt like I had been punched
in the gut. I pulled out my chair and collapsed down. “Holy shit.”

“What?” Sid asked.

“Prez, that black car was on my
street,” I said. “Maybe looking for me.”

“What?” Gunner asked.

“When Ava showed up… she was
pounding at my fucking door. I opened it and she fell inside. She was scared to
death, saying some car was following her.”

“I call horse shit,” Sid growled. “She
was probably dropped off by that same fucking car. Goddammit.”

“Easy,” Gage said.

I felt rage build up inside me. “Ava?
What the fuck would she have to do with this?”

Sid pointed at me. The President’s
finger twitched. “You’re blinded by some sweet fresh pussy, Jace. That’s what’s
happening. Can’t you fucking see that?”

It was like Sid was beating me up
with words.

Goddammit, maybe Prez was right.

“Fine,” I said and stood up. “What
do you want me to do? Kill her? Huh? Want me to go after her father?”

“No,” Sid said. “We need to solve
this problem the right way.”

“And what’s that?” Gage asked.

“There’s something going on around
here. Taking out prospects.” Sid looked at me. “Does that sound familiar?”

I felt ice in my veins. I didn’t
need to go back down memory lane. I had the scars on my body and a bullet hole
scar on my back to speak for me. Shit, that night I was supposed to die but
instead of meeting the reaper I ended up getting a full patched in leather cut.

“That was…”

Sid held up two fingers. “There
were two. We got one.”

“And, what, you think Ava did this?”
I asked. “She would have been… I don’t know, Prez, a fucking teenager.”

“Maybe someone with a fat wallet
and a fat cock is pushing her onto you. Something isn’t making sense with this.”

“So what do I do, Prez?” I asked. “She’s
in my fucking bedroom right now.”

“Let’s talk what we know,” Gunner
said.

“We busted up some gambling rings,”
Gage said.

“And then Prez sent me to the
store,” I said.

“It was a hot spot for the PD,” Sid
said. “I did it as a favor to check it out. The PD doesn’t want the shit press
about shutting down an old store. The damn thing is like a relic. The owner,
Jake, said his wife was murdered there. Same night you were attacked, Jace.”

“Hurry up. We
’ve got
about two minutes. Then we
’ve got to get to the store. I have to take
care of that bitch.
”

Those lines hit me hard. I crashed
down to my chair.

“What is it?” Gage asked me.

“Whoever attacked me… they killed
her. But there’s no connection.”

“Right now our only connection is
Ava,” Gage said.

“Which is why you can’t kill her,” Sid
said. “No fucking chance in hell.”

Ava hadn’t lied to me about her
mother then. Maybe she was telling the truth. B
ut the black car
… she
claims she saw it. Then she
’s in my house. But she was shaking
… she
couldn
’t sell it that good, could she?

“We have a prospect in the
hospital,” Sid said. “Another one is dead. We bumped up against something
pretty bad. Now we need to pull away and clear our names. And stay out of the
firing line.”

“How?” I asked.

Sid put his fists to the table and
leaned forward. He grinned at me. “This part you’re going to like, Jace.”

“Why’s that?”

“I need you to go fuck her,” Prez
said. “Fuck her, keep her happy… and most important…
keep her fucking
talking
…”

chapter fourteen

(ava)

*NOW*

I had to get out of the room. I was
too afraid to go outside, fearing the black car would return and I’d end up
getting killed. Somehow I knew all of this had to be tied to my mother’s death.
Yes, it had been over ten years since she was killed but something about it
just stuck inside my heart. Truthfully, I blamed my father for it. If his
gambling issues were part of what happened…
but why her? Why then?

Nobody took anything from the
store. They just shot her. They just…

I caught myself at the kitchen
sink, losing my breath. Thinking about that night made my throat tighten up. I
felt like I was going to pass out, but it always passed as a mild anxiety attack.
I never told anyone that it happened to me. I didn’t want to be forced to a
doctor to talk about it.

I walked through Jace’s house. I
couldn’t get a feel for him. On the outside, he was a rough and tough biker. He
fit the profile for a wild outlaw. Being patched in to the Bitter Aces told me
he had to have a police record. Yet he had a great aunt that left him a house?

I had no business being there or
trying to pick apart his life. I honestly had no idea what my business was at
all. Just to stay away from Dad and the store until all of this stuff blew
over.

When I saw the bathroom, I paused.
Call it stupid but I definitely needed a shower. A nice hot shower could calm
my nerves. Plus, I hated the way I looked. Waking up and going on the run wasn’t
part of my plan in life.

I had no choice but to go outside
to my car and get my bag. I didn’t have much clothing but enough to last me a
night or two. I managed to get back inside without any black cars and bullets
flying at me. That alone was a victory to me.

I went to the bathroom and stripped
myself naked. My skin tingled as I stood there in the outlaw’s bathroom. It was
kind of silly the way it made my stomach flutter but I couldn’t stop picturing
him in the bathroom, naked. I had seen how thick the root of his cock was. My
mind demanded to know what the rest looked like.

Foolish. Stop.

I looked at myself in the mirror.
It was long enough of a mirror that I could see my breasts. My darker
complexion gave way to rosy pink nipples. They were a little too big for my
liking, always leaving me a little self-conscious. I cupped under my breasts
and bit my lip, running my thumbs across the nipples. They were instantly hard
as I sucked in a breath. My body jumped, my hips jerking a little, a flood of
moisture between my thighs.

No lie, it had been a long time
since I had enjoyed myself. Everything for me was best left casual. That’s how
I survived. I feared anyone getting close… but I longed for it. I was desperate…

I shut my eyes and let my right
hand ease down my body. My middle finger moved over my belly button and down my
body. I was at the soft crest of my mound, just about to touch myself when I
hesitated. I stopped myself, letting out a long sigh, and I grabbed for a
towel. I bunched it up and stuck it to my face, smelling Jace. The clean scent
of his soap, the smell of a clean man. Something about him being so dirty yet
smelling this clean drove me wild.

I slowly wrapped the towel around
my body and hooked it at the top.

It was probably the closest I’d get
to feeling Jace, right?

I walked to the shower and turned
the water on.

I turned the knob for hot and
waited.

Taking a few breaths, mixed with
the rushing water and the steam rising, I felt peace. For the first time that
day.

But a few seconds later, before I
could take another really good deep breath, that all changed.

A hand slipped around my body,
another around my waist
…

I kicked and thrashed as I was
dragged back to the sink. When I looked at the reflection, I felt my heart race
even more.

It was Jace.

He broke his hold and backed up,
smiling like the son of a bitch he was.

I spun around and swung my hand,
slapping him across the face.

“What is wrong with you?” I yelled.

“This is my house, sweetie. And
that’s my towel.”

He reached out and grabbed the weak
knot. His fingers were touching my skin, almost touching my breasts.

He waited a few seconds and said, “And
that’s my shower. My water. My everything. Should I take my towel back?”

I swallowed hard. “Please…”

He pulled but didn’t strip me of
the towel. He forced my body to crash into his. I could smell him. The outlaw.
The roughness. The scent of grease and steel. The scent of a criminal. And it
was all turning me on.

“I want to know why you’re here,” he
said.

“I told you…”

“Someone went after my guys. Ran
one off the road. Shot another in the head and killed him.”

“What?”

“The description was a black car.
You said a car was following you.”

My heart sank. My jaw dropped. “Oh
my…”

“I need all the truth you’ve got,
sweetie. Or there’s no protection.”

“I’ll tell you anything,” I said. “I
swear, Jace, I don’t know about the car. I was on the porch, knocking on your
door…”

“I smell nothing but bullshit,” he
said.

He let me go and walked to the
shower. He turned the water off.

“What are you going to do?”

Jace stepped toward me. “I’m going
to get the truth, Ava. I need to piece this together, one way or another.”

I backed up. “Don’t hurt me, Jace.
I’m not lying…”

His hands grabbed my waist. “You’re
too beautiful to hurt, sweetie. That’s my downfall and your saving grace. Right
now, I’m thirsty. I’m hungry. And you’re going to tell me what I want to hear.
Understand me?”

I slowly nodded. I had no idea what
he meant by all of that.

His hand reached up and touched my
cheek.

Slowly, he led me from the bathroom
and around the corner to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him. My legs felt
wobbly.

I turned and stood there. “I don’t
know a thing about that car. I don’t know how this connects to you and me
except that you were there at the store. You hit Uncle Frank.”

Jace moved at me again. He closed
the gap in seconds.

“Keep going,” he whispered.

He touched my leg and cut to the
inside of my thigh. He lifted, taking the towel with him.

“I always find myself most honest
right after I blow my load, sweetie,” he whispered. His eyes were locked to
mine. His lips then brushed against mine. “So I’m going to get the truth, got
it?”

My bottom lip quivered with
excitement.

His fingers continued their climb
up my leg. He was just inches from touching me when he stopped.

“Sweetie, do you want me to stop?”

“No,” I said without thinking. “I… need…”

His fingers cut up and touched my
bare silkiness. My entire body bucked at him, my knees bending.

“Look at that,” Jace said. “You’re
already soaking wet. You like this fucking game, sweetie. So do I. I’m supposed
to keep you alive and play with you. Pleasure you. Keep you feeling safe. But I’m
not supposed to tell you that.”

One of his fingers grazed against
my hole. It moved up and found my clit. I was so sensitive. I was so tender. I
let out a soft groan as he wrote his name with his finger against my clit.

I was melting, faster than a
snowman on a Caribbean island.

His finger eased back down and
touched me again.

“Tell me the truth. That’s your car
out front?”

“Yes,” I said. “I swear. Keys are
in my back pocket in the bathroom. Jace…”

“Did you know your father was
running games out of the store?”

His finger made a circle around my
pussy.

“Yes,” I said. “But I didn’t…”

He thrust his finger into me. I
grabbed his leather cut and jumped up to my toes.

His finger sank so fucking deep. I
put my head back and groaned. My ass flexed tight as I started to rock at him,
trying to fuck his finger.

Slowly, his finger moved out of me.

His lips grazed my neck and moved
to my ear. “Fuck, sweetie, you’re so tight.”

“Jace… please…”

He wiped my own wetness down my
inner thigh.

He then pushed at me, forcing me to
sit on the bed.

I was eye level with his jeans, his
cock.

“What do you want me to say?” I
asked.

“Is your father in danger?”

“Yes. He’s always been in trouble.
Ever since my mother was killed, he’s been different. Or maybe even before that
but she shielded me.”

Jace reached forward again, easing
his fingers between my legs. My body was twisted with emotion. The tip of his fingers
grazed my pussy again. But he quickly pulled away. He put his fingertips to his
mouth and flickered his tongue against them.

“That tastes as beautiful as you
look right now,” he said to me.

My jaw dropped again.

“Jace… what is this?”

He slowly crouched down and touched
my legs. “This is me getting the truth, sweetie. And this is you earning your
keep around my house. I want to know why you showed up here. I want to know
what you want. I want to know everything you know.”

Jace’s hands slowly started to push
the towel up my body. When I felt myself become exposed to his sexy devilish
green eyes, I shivered.

It was crazy to trust Jace the way
I did. All I knew was that he was an outlaw. But he could keep me safe. And if
he could take care of me in other ways…

“You’re going to tell me everything
about the store,” he said as he got closer to me. He opened the towel all the
way to my belly button. “Is this what you want?”

He paused for a moment.

Asking me?

I looked down at Jace. Slowly, I
nodded. “I’ll give you everything.”

Jace grinned. “Yes, you fucking
will.”

His mouth moved between my legs. I
felt the hot outlaw breath spread across my sweet innocence, wrapping me up
tight. The tip of his tongue like a torture wand, gently caressing up, then
down.

I bit my lip and fought the urge to
scream.

I was so screwed
… so very
screwed
…

Jace curled his tongue around my
clit and I felt my legs tingle. My hips thrust at him and I grabbed the sheets
on the bed.

Was this really happening?

It was the wildest moment of my
life. I had never felt so instantly drawn to someone like I did to Jace. And
now he was on his knees, between my legs…

His tongue darted up and down
against my clit. He was driving me toward the edge already and he just started
a minute ago. What got me was his hands. They were at the insides of my thigh,
squeezing tight but not too tight. I was in his power, control, his command.
Yet it was my wetness that he devoured and craved.

Jace opened his mouth and engulfed
me, from my hood to my labia. He sucked the wetness off me and pulled away letting
out a wet smack sound. Then he looked at me. His lips were glistening, along
with the scruff above his upper lip.

“Fuck,” I whispered.

Inside, my body raged for him.

“Now it’s your turn to use your
mouth,” he said. “I want to know everything. You talk while I work.”

His tongue lapped up slowly against
my soft folds.

My hips rocked and I groaned.

“Shit,” I moaned. “Okay…”

Jace’s tongue moved up and down.
His eyes -
those green eyes
- looked up at me, burning at me.

“There’s games in the back of the
store,” I said. Jace’s tongue kept moving. “I don’t know what his position is
though, okay? Maybe he gets a cut of the bets for hosting it. But when there’s
games I have to dress up. Well, dress…down…”

Jace’s tongue moved up to my clit.
His eyes moved away from mine. He was solely focused on my clit.

He had no fucking clue what that
did to me. It was my sweet spot. My O button. And he was pounding it over and
over with the top and bottom of his tongue.

“… I walk around and make sure
everyone is happy. That’s my job there. I don’t want that job. I never…oh… fuck…”

I felt the deepest pit of my belly
start to flutter.

I was close to coming.

Jace slid his hands to my ass and
lifted me up. The towel started to open more, peeling up to the top. When it
opened, I was completely naked to Jace.

I didn’t care.

It felt too good.

My body wanted it so badly.

Hell, if I was going to end up
dead, this was the way to go.

“I’m close, Jace,” I purred. “So
fucking close…”

Jace moved his tongue down and
thrust it into me.

I bucked at Jace’s mouth, sucking a
breath and let out a groan.

He then took his mouth away from
me. He brought his hands around and started to massage my folds with his
thumbs.

“What happens at the games?” Jace
asked.

“They play cards. They deal drugs.
And women. Oh, fuck, I’m ready, Jace. Please… let me…”

“Easy, sweetie,” Jace said with an
evil grin. “This Uncle Frank… he’s the head guy?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s part
of it all. He’s always been involved. There’s secrets with him and my father. I
remember it from when I was younger. He’s got something over my father. I know
that. Well, I believe it.”

“So I need to figure this out with
your father?” Jace asked.

“I guess,” I said.

“I expected the truth with this
next question,” Jace said. He slid his thumbs up to my clit and made small but
effective circles. “Are you part of any of it?”

I groaned as my legs pulled at the
bed, demanding relief. I was just inches from the cliff.

“No,” I said.

“Sweetie, don’t lie to me anymore.”