Page 55 of Blood & Heartache

I flicked my gaze over at him for a second. Everything I was, wanted to make him fear me, to have him realize I wasn’t Astin and he should be extremely wary. There was no telling what could happen when Darkness was in control of things, especially when her gun was out of bullets and she’d need more.

Rounding the corner, I spotted the guard telling me where my little piggy was hiding. Now I just needed something to make him squeal, and I knew just where to look to find what I wanted. I let myself fall back a step then grabbed the back of the man’s suit jacket and pulled it over his head. This gave me enough time to slam my elbow into the middle of his back, knocking the wind out of him as he dropped to his knee. There, on his low back, was a knife tucked into a sheath as I suspected. Grabbing the handle, I pulled it free and tried to shove him out of my way, but before I could make my move, he grabbed my ankle and dropped me on my ass, using my movements against me.

“If you wanted my knife that badly, you could have just asked, Darkness,” he scolded. “Is it that you can’t help yourself, or were you trying to prove a point?”

Flipping the knife into a ready position, I launched myself at him, swiping upward with the knife. He managed to dodge my attack and get behind me faster than I’d ever seen anyone move before. Oh, it’s on. Even though I’d shut out the pain of the wound in my leg, I knew it was hindering me, being weaker and unsteady for a fight like this. When I turned to face him, he was crouched low, ready to attack with another knife in his hand.

“Do you really want to play with me, assassin?” I taunted.

A slow, easy smile appeared on his face. “What gave me away?”

“You’re good, deadly silent, and fucking fast. Makes you an assassin or a ninja, but I’m thinking an assassin makes more sense. You were the one picked by Daddy Dearest to contain me. Now it makes sense. There’s a chance you might survive a fight with me, but so far no one else can boast that,” I said as I slowly circled the man Astin was demanding I call Luca.

“I’m sure you mean that to intimidate me, but really, I view that as a compliment,” Luca shared. “If I get you to consider me an equal, does that mean I’m safe from your bloodthirsty rages?”

Tilting my head, I considered that. “No… no one is safe when I shut everything out. She demanded we do this together, so she’s more present than ever before. Must be why I feel the need to answer your infuriating questions.”

“All right, no more questions. Let’s allow our skills to do the talking… first blood wins,” Luca challenged.

“Any rules on how much blood?” I inquired.

“Just so long as neither one of us needs to be seen by the doc. Too much is going on, and neither of us can afford to be wounded. Well, wounded again in your case,” he rambled, flipping his knife in the air like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Do we have an agreement?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you live and can be of use to Astin when this is over,” I assured him.

“That’s not what I said,” Luca argued, but I was done talking.

Digging deep, I pulled out all the skills that had been hammered into my body over the years. Kicking off my shoes, I launched it right at his face, which he batted away easily, but it gave me the second I needed to make my move. Going low, I did a sweep kick aiming for the back of his knees. I got my foot hooked around one and started to pull him off balance, but the motherfucker did a back flip pushing off the floor with one hand to keep his balance. The second he had his feet under him, he was flying at me.

Our attacks were set at warp speed as I dodged, attacked, and kept a close eye on him, waiting to spot his tell. He moved as if he were dancing, flowing from one move to another in a twisted dance of death. This was a waltz I knew well, and I matched him step for step as our bodies twisted and twined around each other with the threat of pain if either of us faltered. I could feel sweat trickling down my back and knew I needed to end things quickly, or I wasn’t going to have the stamina to keep going much longer. Deciding on a risky move, I locked blades with him and slipped his arm, putting us chest to chest.

He seemed a little taken aback, and I used that to slam my lips to his, snagging his bottom lip between my teeth. In a blaze of triumph knowing that I’d just won our battle of wills, I bit down, making him grunt with the sudden pain. The coppery tang of his blood was all I could taste, and I started to pull back, but he dropped his hold on my arm to dig his fingers in my hair, pulling out my bun. Spinning us, he slammed me against the wall and tucked his leg between mine, pinning me securely as he twisted the blade out of my other hand. Then his lips were on me again, urgent in their need as he sucked, nipped, and possessed my mouth. I groaned when he shifted his leg so my clit rubbed against his thigh.

“While I like your style, Darkness, I should probably tell you I won,” Luca whispered in my ear before nipping at the sensitive skin right behind my ear.

“Impossible.” I panted. “I was in the clear until I bit your lip.”

Pulling my hair back, he licked a spot on the back of my neck that stung. “You’re right, but the tip of my blade caught right here as you moved in. So, I win, and my prize is… you stop threatening to kill me on account that I just proved you might not survive another fight with me.”

Letting out a snort, I shoved him back. “I wouldn’t be so confident about that. As you pointed out, I’m still wounded. That alone should tell you next time I’ll be all that much harder to kill.”

“Darkness, are you flirting with me?” Luca asked as he wrapped a hand around my throat and pulled me against him. “I just want to make sure I’m not reading the signals wrong because I really want both sides of Astin to want me as much as I fucking crave her any way she’ll have me.”

Well, if both of us hadn’t already wanted to climb him like a tree and blow his fucking mind right here in this hallway, then that would have sealed the deal. “Did you think I’d waste my time doing the dance of death with you if I wasn’t interested? As for Astin, she made me learn your name, so I’d think twice about killing you. I think it’s safe to say she’d like to keep you around.”

Luca lifted me on my tiptoes as he owned my mouth, exploring every part of me as he forced my trust as his grip tightened around my throat. The pleasure and danger were a heady mix I’d never allowed myself to experience. It set my nerve endings on fire, begging for more, but just as I’d have deepened the kiss, he pushed me away.

“You have a job to do first,” Luca reminded me. “If you’re quick about it, there might be enough time for me to fuck you rough and dirty before our big night.”

“Don’t tease me if you’re not being serious,” I warned.

Luca backed me up against the wall, pinning me there by my throat in a grip so tight I struggled to breathe. Then his hand slipped between my legs, spearing me with two fingers, making me gasp, only I couldn’t get in enough air so it sounded more like a gurgle.

“I just wanted to see how wet you were for me. No sense in convincing you I’m serious if you’re not into it too.” Pulling his hand away, he showed me the two glistening fingers. “Fucking soaked is what you are, Darkness, and I get the feeling you haven’t had a lot of appreciation for what you’ve done recently. After all, you saved my life that night, and I plan to show you how grateful I am over and over again. But first, you have work to do.”

Releasing me, he slipped the two fingers coated in my desire and sucked them clean, letting out a soft moan. “Oh, I’m definitely going to need to spend some time eating that shit out.”

My body shivered in need at his words betraying how pent-up I was. There had been too many sexy men around, each making it blatantly clear that they wanted me—well, us. Shaking my head out of the lustful haze I’d fallen into with Astin pushing to be more present for that experience, I’d all but lost my grip on reality. Closing my eyes, I took long, deep breaths as Astin stepped back, allowing me to once again take control.