Page 28

Malik

Standing in the kitchen, I tighten my grip on Selene’s waist, my heart racing because she’s not pulling away, her warmth seeping into me like a drug. My sparrow, my obsession is right here, pressed against me, the scent of fresh coconut filling my nose from her shower. I press a soft kiss to her head, unable to resist even as she tenses against me. Fuck, I messed up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask,” I murmur. “Dante does that to calm me.”

She frowns, her eyes flicking to the living room where Dante and Harley are brawling, a lamp crashing to the floor. They’re fighting like schoolboys over a girl but we all know who’s going to win. It’s taking all my strength not to step in between them and give Harley a piece of my mind. However, Dante said I couldn’t do that and if Selene goes…

No, no. She can’t go either.

“Let them do that. It’s been brewing for a while.”

Selene cracks a smile just as Harley’s drunken voice cuts through the moment. “I knew you were fucking sleeping with her! What happened to bro code?”

Dante laughs as he dodges a swing. He’s definitely taunting Harley and I absolutely love watching. “Harley, our parents got married, but we’re adults here. What I do with my cock is no business of yours.”

There’s more scuffling, the coffee table scraping across the carpet, and something else crashing before Selene pulls away from me. I turn my attention back to her as she hops up onto the counter, her legs dangling over the side. “You both know, don’t you?” She doesn’t let me answer, already knowing the truth before I say anything. “Why the fuck did Dante never say anything?”

I shrug. “Probably for the same reason I didn’t. To protect you.”

She scoffs, a bitter edge to her words. “You taunted me with my fucking hammer.”

“I wanted you to think about me,” I purr, stepping closer, my eyes locked on hers. “And you did, didn’t you?”

“This is all really fucked up, and now my ex and his brother are fighting in my goddamn living room while there’s a…” She trails off, her eyes darting to the side, and I follow her gaze, my grin widening at the beautiful treasure she retrieved from this evening.

I reach around her and pull the banana jar from the counter, the heart inside swirling in preservative, a dark, beautiful lump with tendrils floating around it. “I’ve always wondered what you did with them,” I say, holding it up so that the kitchen light illuminates the organ inside. “Never imagined it would be so fucking beautiful.”

Terror is the main emotion in her expression but there’s a hint of intrigue and desire. I take my chances as I step closer, slowly parting her knees before setting the jar back onto the counter and pushing it back so that it can’t be seen. Then I reach up to run my thumb across the cut on her cheek, her lips parting despite the chaos in the living room. “Your craftsmanship is everything, Sparrow, but after this evening, I can’t stop thinking about the way you bleed.”

I take my other hand and caress her cheek, running my thumb across her lips before pressing the tip just inside her mouth. Her tongue licks it, a shudder running down my spine at the visceral need to have this woman. Selene leans forward just the slightest bit, giving me the invitation but I’m ripped away before I can do anything, Harley pressing a hand to my chest as he pushes me up against the opposite counter.

“What the fuck are you doing to her?”

Dante yanks Harley off of me, saving the police officer a stab to the neck. “I get that you’re fucking angry but whatever high horse you’re on is bullshit. How dare you fucking touch Malik?”

Harley spits out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Are you fucking him too? That’s rich. This is the man you chose, Selene? A man who lies to you and—”

Selene raises a hand and cuts him off, Dante resting against the counter beside her. She threads her fingers into his hair and yanks his head back hard. A grin spreads across my lips because I know the pain’s for him hiding that he knew her secret. It’s also a show of domination and I’m here for it. Dante winces, but his eyes stay on her, my cock twitching in my pants at the control she has over my man right now.

“The difference between Dante and you,” Selene pushes out, “is that I asked him to come over. I’d say get out or I’d call the police, but I’ve got one better. Get the fuck out, or I’m filing a restraining order, tanking your career, and making you truly hate who I’ve become.”

Harley looks like he wants to fight but I’ll be right there before he touches my sparrow. He thinks better of it, stomping toward the door but not without the last word as he yells that Selene will be summoned to the station first thing Monday morning. Only when the door closes behind him does Selene say anything.

She turns her attention fully on Dante, those gray eyes darker than a torrential storm. “I have beef with you,” she snarls.

I watch, intrigued on which way this will go. She’s already stabbed me for being too forward, but I want to see her take Dante down a peg or two before I step in. He lets out a heavy sigh, twisting himself out of her grip. “Selene, I didn’t say anything because you were very adamant about doing everything alone. You’re the Reaper and I respect that. I kept it quiet to keep you safe.”

“Safe? You let me think I was alone, Dante. You let me carry this, not knowing you knew, not knowing you were watching. That’s not protection. That’s control.”