“Don’t think I can do that.” He sat back on the couch and slung an arm over the back.
She shrugged. “Fine. Will you help with my shoulder again? Your fingers felt really good.”
Ryker stifled a grin under the mask.
He hauled himself up and stalked toward her. Her eyes heated as he reached out to press his thumbs into her shoulder, kneading. She let out a low moan and tipped her head forward, making that ache in his groin worse.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked softly, as if he was lulling her into a trance.
“Doing what?”
“Why do you kill people?”
His hands froze as he tried to find the words. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does,” she said, leaning into his touch to encourage him to keep going. “You don’t seem like the kind of person who does this for fun.”
He picked up the motion again. There was something oddly comforting about her. “I don’t.”
“Then why do you do it?” Her breaths were low and even while he worked that spot that gave her so much trouble. Seeing the scars on had made it easy to understand why she kept begging for them to untie her. At least he’d been able to make Ezra see reason. His friend might be a dick, but he wasn’t completely heartless.
“I have my reasons,” he said finally. “Like I’m sure you have yours.”
Willow chuckled. “Yeah… reasons. Do you owe someone?”
“Doyou?”
“I was telling the truth,” she said simply, “I’m not in debt anymore.”
Anymore.
“Who did you owe?” he prodded.
She sighed, tensing at whatever answer she was about to give. “Companies. The law.”
“Like real debt?” This was interesting.
“Yes. The kind of debt that doesn’t get you killed in the mountains.”
“But you thought we were after you?”
Willow straightened a little, but remained pliant in his grip. “I think it’s your turn to tell me something.”
“It isn’t my debt.”
She tipped her head back and met his eyes. There was a softness under that tough front she put up. “That makes a lot of sense. Who is it?”
“Why do you care why I did this?” he asked. They had been so close to putting a bullet into her gorgeous head and leaving her to rot in the ground.
“Because you’re interesting to me.” Her pretty blue eyes found his again, roaming what she could see of his face.
Ezra’s steps sounded from outside the door. He ran his gloved fingers up her shoulder and neck, then nestled them in her hair. “Back at you, pretty girl.”
Ryker dropped his hands and backed away before taking his seat on the couch. The door swung open, and with it, the cold wind from outside. Ezra slammed the door behind him as quickly as he could to keep the warm air in. The woodstove had done well to heat the space, but he still wondered about the other rooms.
Ezra blew into his gloved hands in an effort to warm them and furiously rubbed them together.
“Any new information on our girl here?” Ezra asked, stalking toward Willow.Our girl.He liked the sound of that. A protective urge flashed through him, but something darker lurked beneath—something that wanted to take part in breaking her down. He wanted to make her answer only to them.
