Page 18 of Reaper & the Lioness (Lone Star Mavericks MC #1)

Chapter Fourteen

T he first slivers of dawn cut through the pines as I tossed Hawk’s ball.

The pup launched after it like a furry missile, all chaotic joy and reckless momentum.

Fucking hell. I’d watched these dogs take down insurgents in Baghdad with discipline sharper than most soldiers. This one? Pure, fearless chaos.

Just like Eva.

Hawk skidded back, mud-streaked and triumphant, dropping the slobber-coated rubber ball at my boots. “Again?” I muttered, taking a sip of my black coffee. “Fine. Last one.”

I arced the ball into the tree line. Let him chase shadows for five minutes.

Leaning against the porch rail, I surveyed my domain.

I’d built this cabin for solitude—tall fences, no neighbors, trails rigged with motion sensors.

Now, the scents of citrus shampoo and dog filled the air.

A whiskey glass soaked in the sink, smudged with red lipstick.

The intrusion should have bothered me more than it did.

Hawk’s bark echoed as he cornered a groundhog. My fingers twitched toward the Glock at my hip reflexively before I caught myself. Old habits. Older paranoia.

Eva’s laugh played in my head. “ Who says you’d be taking advantage?” The memory of her pressed against me on the bike, all warm curves and defiance, sent a jolt through my system.

She was a protected asset. A favor for Thane.

Bullshit.

The truth was one I wasn’t ready to confront. I’d killed for Eva last night and driven her to my home without a second thought. I’d never brought a woman back here. I’d always intended to maintain this cabin as my private sanctuary—separate from club business.

And that kiss …

I was surprised the leather on my jacket hadn’t been seared off by the heat between us.

Hawk trotted back, panting. I crouched, roughing his ears. “You’ve got to step up, pup. If you were big enough, you would’ve broken through that cage and launched yourself at that fucker’s throat without hesitation to protect your person. I was there this time, but you need to be ready next time.”

The pup licked my knuckles and nudged the ball again, oblivious to the weight of my words.

The creak of the screen door froze us both. Eva stood silhouetted in the warm morning light, her hair sleep-mussed, eyes still heavy. My chest tightened at the sight.

She padded barefoot across the dew-soaked grass. Hawk nipped at my knees, insisting I throw the ball again.

“He’s obsessed with you already,” she said, her voice still husky from sleep.

“Malinois imprint fast. Train him right, and he’ll die protecting you.”

She reached for my cup of coffee and wrinkled her nose after taking a sip. “You sound like you’re recruiting him.”

“Just stating facts.”

“He’s a foster. Within a few weeks, I’m sure he’ll get adopted, and I’ll have to say goodbye.”

We stood too close, and her sweet scent wrecked my focus. I stepped back and nodded toward the copse of trees and shrubs.

“My entire property is fenced and lined with motion sensors. But stay on this side of the tree line for now. It’s thick, and no one can see you from the road.”

Eva’s lips quipped up. “Paranoid much?”

“My paranoia is what kept you alive last night.”

She tilted her head in consideration and nodded in agreement. “I guess I can’t argue with that. I didn’t get a chance to thank you.” Her eyes bore into mine, mixed emotions swirling in their blue depths.

Hawk barked, shattering the moment. I tossed the ball harder than necessary. “I have to go check on a few jobs. Linc will let me know when he makes progress in tracking down Abell. Once I know more, we can talk about the next steps.”

“Next steps,” she echoed, voice flat. “You mean hiding here?”

“I mean surviving.”

Her chin lifted, defiance flashing in her eyes. “I don’t want to hide.”

“You will.” I moved into her space, crowding her against the porch post and reclaiming my nearly empty coffee cup. “Or I’ll cuff you to my bed until this blows over.”

Her breath hitched, but not in fear. Something darker, more primal, flashed in her eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would.”

The challenge hung between us. Hawk whined and pawed at my leg. I tossed the ball again, and he yipped excitedly as he chased it.

Eva shrugged, attempting to show a calculated nonchalance that didn’t quite mask her interest. She turned away, sauntering back into the cabin. “Come on, Hawk. It’s time for breakfast.”

The image of Eva wearing a set of leather cuffs in my bed seared into my brain.

Desperate for distraction, I flipped to my security cameras on my phone, checking the perimeter.

I’d have received an alert for any movement, but I needed to think of anything but Eva.

Otherwise, I’d call off work and spend the entire day figuring out what else she liked.

By the time I walked back into the cabin, Eva had stepped into the shower. I left her a note on the kitchen counter, along with a burner phone.

Do not turn on your phone. Use this one for now. The Wi-Fi password is on the back of the router. I’ll be back around lunch. Also, I took your keys. I’ll have a prospect pick up your Jeep from downtown and drop it off at the clubhouse.

I poured another cup of coffee, leaving half of the pot for Eva, and started my work truck. I had three construction jobs to check on, materials to order, and a meeting with an architect.

Two hours later, as I spoke to the drywallers at a custom home my company had built, my phone pinged with the chirp I’d assigned to Eva’s burner phone.

Eva: Where do you keep your food?

My brows furrowed. Did she hit her head?

Me: Generally in the kitchen. Did you check the refrigerator and the pantry?

Eva: I’m not an idiot. You have ingredients. Do you not have cereal hidden somewhere? Maybe a granola bar?

I’d gone grocery shopping the day before. There were a dozen eggs in the refrigerator, fruit for smoothies in the freezer, and vegetables in the crisper. Sourdough bread sat on the counter beside the toaster.

Me: I’ll be home in less than an hour, and I’ll bring you lunch. Just text me what you want from the sub shop.

I went back to work, ignoring the pings that followed until the fourth one. Fuck, this woman was needy.

Eva: Turkey sub on white. Extra mayo and avocado. Lettuce, tomato, jalapeno.

Eva: And a bag of their pickle-flavored potato chips with a large Mountain Dew.

Eva: And a chocolate chip cookie or two!

Eva: And next time you’re at the store, can you get some creamer? That is the strongest coffee I’ve ever had.

I shook my head as I went back to the blueprints.

I picked up my regular—a grilled chicken salad—and Eva’s carb and sugar coma at the sub shop and headed back home.

Hawk barked at me as I opened the door, latching onto my pant leg. With my hands full, I dragged him across the wooden planks to spread our lunch across the counter, swearing as his sharp teeth scraped against my calf.

Eva spoke animatedly to the person on the other side of her video call, her hair pinned up in a professional bun and dark-rimmed glasses perched on her nose.

She wore a sharp navy blazer and white top, giving lawyer vibes.

But on the bottom, she wore a tight pair of leggings adorned with skulls. I smiled at the juxtaposition.

She ended the call in an upbeat, chirpy voice I’d never once heard her use and closed her laptop, letting out a deep sigh as she removed her glasses. She stood and her eyes lit up as she moved toward the feast before her on the countertop.

“Thank you! I’m starving,” Eva said, unwrapping her sub and biting into it like a rabid street dog.

“Do you not know how to cook?” I scanned the kitchen as I thought of ten things she could have whipped up this morning.

“Of course I know how to cook. It’s just hard to do between meetings.”

Her tone sounded sharp and defensive. I raised my eyebrows at her as I took another bite of my salad. I didn’t believe her for a second, because Linc’s background check included her credit card statement, which mainly consisted of takeout and delivery charges.

“How do you stay in such good shape when you eat like a ten-year-old?”

“Are you saying I have a nice ass?” Eva smirked, her eyes challenging me.

I met her gaze, refusing to be baited. “I’m saying there’s no way you’re eating a nine-hundred-calorie sub, a hundred grams of sugar in your drink alone, and two cookies daily, and you look like that without doing CrossFit or something.”

“I take Pilates classes. Speaking of, what are the chances I could go to a class this week? You could come work out with me to make sure no one, you know, offs me.” She mimed drawing a blade across her neck, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth like a cartoon.

Her cavalier attitude toward her near-death experience grated my nerves. It was either a coping mechanism, or she truly didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

“Zero chance. You can’t go anywhere, especially to a business you go to often. Those will be the first spots they’ll be watching for you.”

She chewed on the straw and dragged it up and down in the cup, the sound of squeaky plastic worming its way under my skin.

My phone pinged. Linc had the rest of Eva’s background check ready, and Thane wanted to talk.

“I have to go handle some club business,” I said as I finished the last bite of my lunch. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

The roar of my bike did nothing to drown out the chaos in my head.

I prided myself on being cold, calculated, and unshakeable.

Most women had a healthy dose of respect and fear for men like me, especially ones like her who spent more time in boardrooms and behind desks than in sketchy bars and back alleys.

They instinctively knew I was a threat. But Eva was the first woman I’d ever met who I thought could meet my threats with her own.

She stared me down with her chin held high like a dare.

I couldn’t decide if she was brave, stupid, or just too new to my world to know better.