Ari blinked his eyes open, and I slid my phone under the blankets so he wouldn’t guess at what I’d done. We made eye contact, and he nodded.
“I found out Donny lied to me about needing to fight for a spot at the shelter. Bastard wanted to dangle it over my head to get his cock wet.”
I tossed back the blankets and slithered from the bed down to the floor, ending up on all fours above Ari, and he rolled to his back to stare up at me with his chest rising and falling fast. He was a predator and I didn’t think he liked this position much, but he spread his legs and threw back his blankets, displaying a hard-on he clearly would like me to touch.
“What an idiot, thinking he could control someone like you. You’re better than him in every way possible.”
Ari rested his hands on my chest while I traced my fingers along his vivid tattoo. The tiger’s snarl reminded me of the way Ari looked when he was irritated. “I like this.”
He turned his arm so I could see the design better and gave me a small, real smile, one that still managed to be cold. He would have to learn to do better when he was around other people, but I liked that he could be himself with me, free of the expectation to act normal.
“Tigers are predators who stalk their prey. With one strike, they kill an animal several times their size. Snap necks. Rip flesh apart.” He smiled and stroked his finger over mine where I traced the black outline along the back of the beast. The light touch spiraled heat into a tight knot in my gut and shocked life into my cock. I leaned down and pressed my lips to the tiger’s nose and luxuriated in his soft skin. With one tiny caress, I knew he would be a joy to touch all over. I wanted to explore him and see if he tasted good in all the mysterious spots hidden by his underwear.
Ari tilted his chin, offering his curvy mouth, and I groaned because I wanted him, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about that fucker Donny, who’d conned his way into Ari’s sweet body.
“Master, I want you,” he whispered. “Please, I killed for you.”
Smiling, I shook my head. “What did I say you had to do first?” I wrapped my hand lightly around his throat and moved his head back until he rested it against the floor. His lips parted as I caressed my thumb around his Adam’s apple. I knew he trusted me—to some degree—or he wouldn’t tolerate our position, and the fact that a man as dangerous as him was willing to let me dominate him sparked another vicious throb of pleasure that raced through my cock.
“I know what you said, Master.” The words vibrated against my fingertips in a strangely sexy way.
I pressed a kiss to his forehead and swore I could taste the tang of blood, which probably wasn’t healthy, but I didn’t hate it—just the opposite. My stomach muscles tightened, and my cock swelled to the point my underwear was uncomfortable.
“Shower. Be ready to do something fun with me tonight. Eat what you want from the kitchen. Don’t dig through my belongings. You know what I mean. You’re allowed to go anywhere you want in the house, but don’t violate my privacy. Do you understand what I’m asking?”
“Yes, Master.” He pouted, eyes narrowed.
I had to laugh because clearly I’d foiled some plan already forming in his head, and I was having fun trying to anticipate what he would do next. In a way I understood Ari’s actions, but he wasn’t a simple man, and if I got too comfortable in my superiority, he would quickly find a way to knock me on my ass.
“I mean it, don’t do it. I don’t want to have to punish you.”
His scowl deepened, but a feverish devotion gleamed in his eyes as he licked his lips while nodding. “Yes, Master.”
“You’re a good little killer,” I whispered, smiling because his face brightened at the praise, giving me more clues about his life. He hadn’t been complimented much, but it wouldn’t be difficult to rain appreciation on him. I was regretting my hang-ups because I wanted to kiss his mouth and own the softness. Instead I planted my lips on his neck, right below his jaw, and kissed down the center of his chest and lower until his underwear got in my way, and then I sat back on my heels.
His cock stretched out the fabric of his underwear and I could see the thick outline. He was a compact man, but he was as beautifully shaped here as everywhere else, and nature hadn’t been stingy. I ran a finger along the fabric where it was doing a bad job at keeping him contained and he thrust his hips.
I hopped to my feet. “I’m getting ready for work, but you can go back to sleep for a little bit if you want.”
He stared silently at me, like a snake, and I could practically feel him dissecting every word I’d said.
“Be good today, Killer.”
He nodded and watched me as I left the room, and his cold gaze was heavy on my shoulders as I sped toward the shower. Oddly enough, I appreciated his reactions more than I would’ve liked someone cooing and telling me they loved me as I headed off to start my day.
Ari was just like me, and there was no better comfort than familiarity. I’d never had this type of relationship, and I’d also never understood everyone else’s need to couple up and be shackled to another person. Maybe this was why they tolerated weddings and all that crap.
I’d never felt love, but the sensation popping like champagne bubbles in my chest was good, and I liked it.
* * *
“Faster, Paxton!” I yelled and braced my hands on the black dashboard as he jammed his foot on the accelerator, sending our black-and-white cruiser launching forward along the busy streets of downtown New Gothenburg. We passed the new glass-and-steel skyscraper—or at least, it was the tallest building we had in our city. I doubted anyone from a big metro area would call the Divine Conglomerate’s offices anything other than a glorified high-rise.
The cruiser came within half an inch of a delivery driver for Rainbow Pizza, with his gaudy, eye-bending vest. He was perched on a Vespa moving slower than the legal speed limit, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding when we passed him without knocking him over. Someone honked at us, and Paxton swerved into the oncoming traffic lane, which was thankfully clear, then back over into ours. I panted like I was in labor while my heart tried to climb out of my throat.
“Fast enough for you?” he snarked.
I’d been excited and nervous all day, waiting to hear something about the corpse Ari had created, even though I knew realistically it could be a while before anyone discovered the body. The boredom had been broken when a call came over the radio asking for assistance in a high-speed chase.
