Page 27 of Reaper & the Lioness (Lone Star Mavericks MC #1)

Chapter Twenty

B efore Thane’s taillights faded into the night, I dragged Eva into the cabin. Hawk snored in his crate, exhausted from playing an endless game of fetch with my brother.

I pressed Eva against the wall. “Are you ready?” I murmured, kissing her neck and pulling back to glance into her eyes. At this point, I didn’t expect fear or hesitation, but I wanted to make sure there wasn’t even a shred of uncertainty before we started.

She lifted her chin to meet my gaze. “I’m excited I lost for once in my life. That’s a first.”

I grinned and guided her toward the bedroom, tugging her shirt over her head as we moved. The nightstand drawer slid open, and I lifted out a pair of smooth black leather cuffs. I hovered over her, watching her chest heave in anticipation.

“You sure you know what you’re doing with those, or do you just like to play tough?” she taunted.

My lips quirked up in a dangerous smile. “Careful, Lioness. Keep mouthing off and you’ll find out just how tough I can be.”

Eva’s breath hitched and she bit her bottom lip. Her pulse fluttered under my fingers as I tightened the soft leather strap around one wrist, then threaded it through the headboard’s slot. Her other hand followed, wrists now pinned above her, body stretched out and waiting.

I paused, letting my gaze linger across her curves. Tension coiled between us before I moved to peck kisses along her jawline. “If at any point you’re uncomfortable or want me to stop, just tell me. I don’t want to do this if you don’t like it.”

She nodded, the sparkle in her eye telling me she was enjoying it already.

I kissed her chest and ran my fingers down her sides. She panted with each touch. Her nipples pebbled, and I sucked on each one as she arched her back to move closer to me.

“Fuck,” she whispered as she writhed, the restraints pulling taut above her head.

I pecked another kiss between her breasts as I began to move down to her belly, which had started to tense in anticipation. I unzipped her blue jeans, pulling them off and tossing them to the floor.

I continued downward, pausing at her hips to scrape my teeth against her. She let out a slight sound. I smirked, recognizing it as the same one that had escaped from the back of her throat when she sat beside me at the fire.

“I bet you were thinking about this moment all night. How often did you imagine yourself in my bed while we sat with our friends this evening?”

Another slight sound escaped her before she responded. “All fucking night.”

I pressed her legs open and began to kiss at an excruciatingly slow pace up the insides of her thighs, moving from left to right before stopping to hover right above her center. I stared up at her face, my hot breath blowing over her sensitive skin.

She squirmed beneath me, the anticipation killing her. This had become my favorite part: watching her unravel as she waited for what would happen next. It was beautiful and brutal to experience this woman, the one who always sought control, offer it up to me, piece by piece.

“Roman, please,” she begged.

To watch her surrender to the moment, to unravel, felt intoxicating.

In an agonizingly slow move, I pressed my mouth to her clit, flicking my tongue as she arched her hips upward and moaned my name again.

I hooked my arms beneath her thighs, lifting her as I circled her flesh in slow, deliberate strokes.

Eva moaned as I slipped one finger inside her and then another. She gasped as I curled them, the pleasure and tension rising. I continued my relentless assault, and the bed creaked as she pulled at the restraints and dug her heels into the mattress.

I paused as she edged toward her release. She whimpered, lifting her head to offer me a heated gaze. “Why are you stopping?”

I gave her a devilish grin. “Because it’s my prize, and I get to say when you come. I’m the one in control here.”

Eva smirked, a rebellious glint in her eyes. “You mistake anticipation for control. I’m the one who decides whether you get to watch me come.”

I laughed, loving the defiant response I’d come to expect from her. I kissed up her body, starting at her hips before moving to her ribs. I traced her tattoo with my fingers and then nipped at her breasts before standing up to slide off my jeans.

I paused as I stood before her, my eyes admiring every curve. A fucking goddess.

“Are you going to stand there and eyeball-fuck me all night?” she asked in a challenging tone.

I stroked my cock as she watched me with a hungry gaze. “If that’s what I want, yes,” I replied huskily before I lowered myself over her again, our lips meeting.

Who was I kidding? She held more control than I did now, because she had edged into my heart. Hovering above her, I kissed Eva and slid the tip of my cock against her. She arched into me, but I held myself just out of reach.

She growled. “Would you just fuck me already?”

I smirked. “You’re quite demanding.”

Her lips quirked into a smile. “I prefer to describe myself as assertive.”

“Hmm, I do like that about you.”

She arched into me again, using her legs to try to pull me into her.

“Say please,” I commanded.

“Fucking please,” she moaned.

“Good girl. I told you that you’d beg for me,” I said as I sank into her to the hilt in one smooth move.

Eva met me thrust for thrust, wrapping her legs around my hips as she arched her back to take me deeper. She pulled against the restraints, wanting to touch me. As she tumbled closer to her orgasm, the number of times she swore increased by the second.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” she chanted. “Don’t stop.”

Her entire body shook as she came. My strokes became faster, my release closely following. I spilled into her, groaning her name before I gradually came to a stop. I brushed a hair away from her eyes as she smiled up at me.

“Maybe I should lose more often,” she said with a chuckle.

W e spent all of Sunday in bed. Not just fucking, though there was plenty of that.

In between tangling in the sheets and showering, we lay talking about everything—books and movies, favorite foods, childhood memories.

She traced the tattoos and scars on my chest with her fingers as I answered questions I’d never let anyone else ask.

We’d drift to sleep, only for one of us to wake the other for another round.

By the time the sun started to set, the room smelled like sweat and sex.

If anyone had told me I’d spend a whole damn day wrapped up in a woman, talking about favorite songs, I’d have laughed in their face. But with this woman, it felt right.

Eva slept deeply when I rose for work on Monday, her hair splayed across the pillow.

She looked so damn peaceful it made something tight and unfamiliar twist in my chest. I stood over her for a minute, just watching her breathe.

If the guys ever caught me getting sentimental over a sleeping woman, I’d never hear the end of it.

I forced myself to leave and padded quietly into the kitchen. I released Hawk from his crate, his boundless energy refilled overnight. I fed him after taking him outside, and gave him a small lecture about keeping quiet for another hour so Eva could sleep in.

I reached for a pen and a battered notepad, hesitating for a second. I wasn’t the type to leave notes. Hell, I barely texted. But I found myself scribbling anyway.

Fed Hawk breakfast. Don’t let him hustle you for seconds. Wish I was still in bed with you. — R

I read it over, lips quirking. Jesus fucking Christ, I sounded whipped. Still, I left the note propped against her coffee mug.

As I pulled on my cut and headed for the door, I glanced back at the bedroom. The urge to crawl back in beside her was strong—almost enough to make me call in sick.

After a meeting with the building inspector, I headed to the clubhouse to have lunch with Thane.

The familiar sight of bikes lined up outside greeted me as I pulled into the lot.

Inside, the clubhouse stood in quiet contrast to the tension that brewed beneath the surface as we prepared for our upcoming meeting with the Rangers.

Thane occupied his usual spot at the bar as he nursed a beer.

“How’s ‘playing house’ going?” Thane grinned as I approached. “Did you have a good night with whatever fucked-up idea you had to claim as a prize from your wager with Eva?”

I scoffed, grabbing a seat next to him. “Of course. Had I known she would enjoy it as much as she did, I would have asked you to leave earlier.”

“You should bring her to the club dinner tonight.”

“You think that’s a good idea? The contract is still out on her.”

Thane shrugged. “I can’t think of anywhere safer than a building filled with armed men who won’t hesitate to pull a trigger if anyone threatens her. I can tell this is more than a hookup for you. It would be good for her to get to know everyone better.”

He had a point. Eva itched to be somewhere beside the four walls of my cabin.

“I’ll see if she wants to come. She’s a bit of an introvert, but I’m sure she’d like to talk to someone besides me.”

Thane let out a rumble of laughter. “Why do I get the sense the two of you aren’t doing much talking anyway?”

I flipped him off. “Enough about Eva. Is everyone ready to head to Austin?”

The humor vanished from Thane’s expression. “Yeah, but this could go south fast. That’s why I want you to lead the operation.”

I nodded, the familiar adrenaline rush coursing through me at the prospect of action. “Send a message to the Hickok that we’ll meet in one week. That buys us time for planning. We’ll need intel, manpower, and a solid exit strategy.”

As I headed out to check on the drywallers at one of the houses down the street, I shot Eva a quick message.

Me: Want to go to the clubhouse for dinner tonight?

She responded immediately.

Eva: YES!! Can we bring Hawk?

Me: Sure. We’ll just have to take my truck.

Eva: Or you could get a sidecar. I could buy Hawk some of those cute little goggles.

Me: I am not putting a sidecar on my Harley. Be ready at 5:30, Lioness.

A smile tugged at my lips as I pocketed my phone. This evening would give Eva the chance to integrate with my world.