Page 36 of Run, Little Rabbit (Blood & Bonds #1)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Maxim

I feel on edge. My skin itches, and there’s a buzzing in my ears that sounds like a drum calling me to war.

Angel sits quietly curled up in the corner with a book, and I don’t understand how he can be so relaxed. Something is missing.

No. Not some thing .

Some one .

I need to get her back, and I’m actually considering starting a fucking war to get her.

Lev blew up the warehouse, which was probably the safest option out of the ones I gave him.

The casino would have caused the Quinns more of a headache, but there was a higher potential for more casualties there.

I was expecting a retaliation from Rory, but he has been unusually quiet.

I still don’t know what game the twins are playing either.

Am I missing something? This should be straightforward, shouldn’t it?

They have an informant in my ranks; I kill him and send them the head and…

nothing. Not a peep. I just feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Then there’s Echo, my little mob princess, and I’ve heard nothing from her. I don’t even know if she’s okay. Perhaps that is what’s bothering me the most. That I don’t really want to make a move on her family until I know where she is. Or what her intentions are.

Does she feel the same way as we do?

Did she feel that connection click into place with a clarity that rocked her to her core as well?

I pick my pen up and roll it between my fingers, my hands feeling idle with nothing to occupy them. Back and forth I roll the silver pen and watch the light catch on the shiny surface.

Angel drops his book onto the side table and huffs a frustrated breath. “Max, I can hear you thinking from over here.”

I frown at him across the room, but he just smirks back with a warmth that I find infuriating.

He unfolds himself from the wingback and strolls towards me, not stopping until he plonks himself on my lap, slotting his knees either side of my hips.

“What are you doing?” I rumble as he brushes his fingers through my hair, trailing them behind my ears before settling his hands along my jaw.

“Distracting you,” he replies, his voice low and sultry. “Is it working?”

Very much, since my cock is lengthening behind my zipper, but I don’t tell him that.

I just let him take his time. It’s not very often he takes the initiative to touch me, being more comfortable with waiting for me to tell him what to do, so I enjoy moments like these.

Probably more so because they are so rare.

“Close your eyes,” he whispers softly.

I purse my lips and raise a brow at him.

“Maxim Volkov, close your eyes.”

I slap his ass playfully. “Watch your tone, love.”

A breathy chuckle escapes his mouth and brushes against my lips. I love him like this, caring and soft. Pliable.

So goddamn edible .

I do as he says and close my eyes, shutting out my office and surrendering to the touch of his hands on my skin.

His fingers are soft as they ghost along the side of my neck, shivers and goosebumps rippling over me.

He slowly undoes my tie, then opens the buttons on my shirt, one by one.

His hands brush against my chest as he parts the two sides of the material, exposing me to his view.

The gentle breeze from the open window hardens my nipples, its cool caress pulling them into hard peaks.

Angel leans forward and runs his tongue up the length of my ear. “Keep those eyes closed for me.”

I hum in agreement, my fingers flexing against the sharp lines of his hips. I want to pick him up and throw him down on the desk. I want to rip his clothes off and bite him, mark him, and show the entire fucking world that he belongs to me, but I can’t. I don’t want to spoil his fun.

Angel’s hot mouth surrounds my left nipple, and my back arches into his touch. He bites it sharply, tugging it between his teeth.

“Fuck,” I moan, the pain dissipating into pleasure as he soothes the injured spot with his tongue.

I am so hard; every movement he makes as he wriggles above me is agony. I'm pretty sure he knows, because he keeps doing it, the little minx.

He gives a breathy chuckle as his nails score down my chest, no doubt leaving little red lines behind. I want to ask what he’s playing at, but I’m distracted again when he pulls at my belt buckle and lowers my zipper.

A low, sultry moan filters through the haze of my desire.

A feminine moan.

My eyes fly open at the unexpected sound. Daylight floods my vision, and I blink a few times to understand what I’m seeing.

“Echo?” Angel gasps, and I’m relieved that I’m not the only one seeing her. For a moment I thought maybe my mind had conjured up the whole image of her sitting in the chair, her hand in her underwear and her fingers buried deep in her pussy.

I jump to my feet, standing up with Angel, and I’m shocked. I can’t get my head around the fact that she’s here .

“How the fuck did you get in here?” I ask as I storm towards her, redoing my pants so they don’t fall around my ankles. That would be embarrassing.

“Through the window,” she says. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright; I can smell her desire.

It should be impossible to get into this building. Yet there she sits, bold as fucking brass, fingering herself while watching her own live porn show courtesy of Angel and me. “Did you kill the guards?”

Her luscious mouth pulls into a wicked smile, and I want to sink my teeth into her bottom lip. “Would it matter if I did?”

It wouldn’t, not really, but good help is hard to find. “No, but it would be a nuisance.”

She stands and straightens her cute little black leather skirt, mischief pouring from every inch of her face.

She looks lethal, kitted out in all black.

A long-sleeved black top, combat vest, and knee-high boots with a ridiculous number of laces.

How I missed her entering the room, I will never know.

And fuck. Me.

Her long red hair is twisted into two braids that fall behind her shoulders and down her back. I have the sudden urge to wrap them around my fist. I want to know how hard I can get away with pulling on them.

She steps closer, that fucking grin plastered on her face, and she laughs. “Well, I didn’t kill them. Veon got me this gorgeous little tranq gun for my birthday, so they’re just out for the count for a couple of hours.”

“A tranq gun?” Angel echoes, confusion pulling at his brow.

“Yeah, hands down, the best birthday gift ever.”

Who the hell buys someone a tranquilliser as a birthday present?

“Did you come here on your own?” I ask.

She crosses her arms across her chest and cocks her hip, a smug little smirk curling her mouth. “I did.”

“And you made it all the way to here without getting caught?” Angel asks, awe lacing his voice.

“Clearly,” she scoffs.

“Did you enjoy watching us?” I ask, loving how she swallows at my question.

“Yes.” Her reply is a little breathless, and her pupils start to dilate.

“Don’t you think you should punish her for breaking and entering?” Angel says as he stalks behind her, the predator in him coming out to play. I love watching him corner his prey; there’s quite a ruthless streak buried under that angelic exterior.

Echo starts to turn in a circle, but I snap my fingers, forcing her attention back towards me. “Eyes on me, princess.”

She stares daggers at me, and I feel her gaze slice against me with the pain of a thousand cuts. “You don’t need to click your fingers at me like I’m a dog.”

I stare straight back. “You shouldn’t be here, Echo.”

“I couldn’t stay away,” she replies softly, a vulnerability creeping into her voice.

“You should.” But I know that’s hypocritical of me. Now that she’s here, I don’t want to let her out of my sight.

I take a step closer to her until I’m barely a foot away. I’m physically unable to stay away from her. I could find her in a crowd, and I’d be struck with the need to claim her. To bite her and cover her in my marks.

Is it obsession?

Damnation?

Feels more like a damn curse. Like I have no control when I’m near her. I’ve never felt this volatile. This goddamn needy .

My arm darts out, and I wrap my hand around her throat before she can run away. Her eyes widen and her nostrils flare. She doesn’t say anything, just stares those pretty green eyes at me in defiance.

Fuck, I want to break her. I want to break that defiance and bend her to my will.

Maybe it is obsession. Everything about her turns me on.

Echo swallows, and her throat bobs against the palm of my hand. It does something to me. Something visceral.

I lean forward and swipe my tongue along the shell of her ear, and she shudders beneath me.

“S-stop,” she says, but her voice lacks conviction.

“But you like it, pet.”

She huffs. “Don’t call me that.”

“Call you what?”

She gasps as my teeth sink into the lobe of her ear. “P-pet… fuck…”

“But you like it.” I scrape my teeth along her jaw, and she shudders again. “You like what I do to you, pet.”

“Stop.” The word is sharp, and I pull back to look at her.

“You don’t really mean that, do you?”

She swallows, and again I feel the movement brush against my hand.

I trail my thumb along the soft edge of her jaw. “Why are you really here, Echo?”

“Can’t you figure that out?” She cocks an eyebrow, and I want to bite it off. That defiance of hers is like catnip to me.

I squeeze my fingers a little tighter around the delicate column of her throat. A little gasp escapes her mouth, and I lean forward to breathe it in. I want to devour everything about her.

“Please, can we punish her?” Angel asks, a needy little whine entwined around each syllable. He positions himself behind her and locks eyes with me over her shoulder.

He looks just as needy as I feel, and I want to capture that. I want to taste it and savour it.

I look deep into Echo’s eyes, captivated by the way the sunlight catches on the gold flecks in those emerald green irises. “Angel, get my tie and bind her wrists.”

Excitement sparks in his eyes as he darts past us to grab my black silk tie.

“What are you going to do?” she asks warily.

I lean closer and brush my lips against hers in a whisper of a touch. “Whatever the fuck I want.”

Her moan is low and guttural as I swing her towards the desk and bend her over it, pushing her down until her ass is in the air.

“Hands,” I bark as I hold her neck firmly against the leather surface of my desk.

She responds immediately, resting them on the small of her back.

Her pulse is racing beneath my fingertips, and I can’t resist the urge to roll my hips against her ass.

The whimper that escapes her lips has me doing it again, just so I can burn that sound into my memory.

“Jesus Christ,” Angel moans as he takes a minute to look at what I’ve done to Echo. He looks wrecked . His eyes dart over every inch of her, his fingers clenching and unclenching around the length of the black tie as if he doesn’t know what to do with his hands.

“Come here,” I order softly, beckoning him over. “Tie her wrists.”

He does as I say, treating her like she’s made of glass. He takes care to bind her wrists tightly enough that she can't move, but in a knot that is easy to undo if she asks us to stop.

When he’s done, he stands back to inspect his work.

“Good boy,” I say and he straightens his spine a little more under the praise. I turn my attention to Echo—who’s wriggling like a fish out of water, but it lacks any real intent—and love how flushed her face is and how wide her eyes are. She looks magnificent. “Comfy?”

“As I can be,” she says breathlessly.

“Be a good pet and stay,” I order, and her shoulders tense.

I wait for her to be still and slowly release my grip from the back of her neck.

I trace my hand down the length of her spine, over the tactical vest and over the round globe of her ass.

Her skin is so soft beneath my fingers. Smooth like silk.

I flip the leather skirt up and expose her to my view.

Angel gasps beside me, making me wonder how much he wants to be involved. He’s never shown interest in a woman before. Then again, we’ve never met anyone like Echo before.

“Remove the knife from her thigh,” I tell him, hoping that by giving him orders I can keep him grounded and stop him spiralling. The fact that he’s still hard and his face is flushed fills me with confidence that he is totally in this moment with Echo and me.

His fingers move methodically, unclipping the sheath and pulling that sleek little blade from her leg. He places it on the desk and then goes back to staring at her.

I trace a finger along the thin black band of her thong. How anyone calls this strip of fabric ‘underwear’ is beyond me. It barely covers anything. “Hmm, I think these need to go. Don’t you?”

“Yes,” Echo moans, rolling her hips against the desk.

I bring my hand down on her ass with a sharp crack. She yelps, but it’s followed by a long groan. “I wasn’t talking to you, pet. Not another word, or I’ll have to give you more.”

Which I wouldn’t mind in the least. My handprint looks good on her ass. It’s such a nice shade of pink on that pale skin of hers that I want to spend some time with her, her ass and my spanking bench.

I turn to Angel and grip his chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Take her underwear off, love.”

He swallows, licking his lips in anticipation. Angel drops to his knees like he’s about to worship at her altar, and a stab of jealousy slices through my chest. I restrain it, knowing I’ll have my turn soon enough.

Angel slips his fingers into the band of her thong and slides them down her legs achingly slowly. Echo is practically squirming, her fingers flexing, her hips twitching as Angel sits there and looks.

I hunch down on my knees, dropping to the same height as Angel and getting a look at the most perfect view. Her pussy is pink and glistening, and fuck, I want to drag my tongue along it.

“Angel, do you want to touch?”