Mad Love

by Drake, Tabatha

  I spin back around to the desk girl. She glares at me with hellish green eyes. I suppose actively drooling over another woman in front of her completely voids any favors I may have had but that’s that.

  I clear my throat. “No, thank you.”

  She forces a polite smile before twisting around to ignore me.

  I follow Lilah across the lobby into the hotel bar. The place isn’t nearly as empty as the rest of the lobby, but the lighting is much darker, casting a cooler, romantic atmosphere that I should be able to work with. I might not have to rely on the element of surprise after all.

  I can get her alone the old-fashioned way.

  She gets a drink from the bar — a tall glass of red wine — and heads for the booth in the corner. I take a moment to stand in the dark and stare. I can’t help it. Lilah Hart isn’t just a deadly monster…

  She’s absolutely fucking gorgeous.

  Her black heels poke out of the bottom of the table, one bouncing lightly as she softly kicks her ankle. Angel-perfect skin covers every inch of her. The light above her table draws a shadow over her face and down to the cleavage overflowing out of the V-neck dress.

  I pause by the bar and ask for a beer before heading for her table. I don’t usually require liquid courage to woo a lady but this one might be more trouble than most.

  I walk over and pause over her shoulder. My nose twitches, catching that clean scent of her and my mouth waters.

  “Hello, Lilah.”

  She turns her head, eyes flicking up and rolling away just as quickly. “Archer Allen,” she says, annoyed. “The bounty hunter.”

  “Do you mind?”

  I don’t wait for a response. I slide into the booth across from her, quickly gripping the gun from my belt and resting it on my knee beneath the table. This is Lilah Hart, after all. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to notice my precaution.

  She sighs. “What do you want now?”

  “I saw a familiar face in an unfamiliar place. Figured I’d make the most of it.”

  “How did you know I was here?”

  I take a swig from my bottle. “I didn’t.”

  “You just happened to stumble on me in some shitty hotel bar in St. Louis?”

  “Weird, isn’t it?”

  She chuckles to herself before sliding her wineglass closer. “I guess that’s what we’ll call it.”

  I move as she does, raising my drink and we both take a sip. I let the cold liquid settle on my tongue to chill my nerves.

  Fucking gorgeous…

  “What brings you all the way out here?” she asks. “Tracking a bail jumper?”

  “Not exactly. I’m on vacation.”

  Her nose curls. “In St. Louis?”

  “I’ve got a thing for very tall, arch-like structures,” I quip. “Also, there’s a rather intriguing underground fighting tournament somewhere nearby. The Midwest Alphas. You heard of them?”

  “Oddly, yes,” she answers. “I have.”

  “It should be some decent fun if you’d like to tag along.”

  She scoops her phone off the table and swipes it on. “No, thanks.”

  Dig deeper…

  “Where’s your twin tonight?” I ask.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Aren’t you usually attached at the hip?”

  “Usually.”

  “Trouble on the home front?”

  “Archer…” She sets her phone down again. “I don’t want to talk about my family.”

  Jackpot. Her tone is solid. There’s a hint of sadness in her eyes. She’s not here on some mission. She’s here for an escape... and she’s dressed to impress.

  Getting her alone won’t be as hard as I thought it’d be.

  I throw on a charming smile. “What would you like to talk about?”

  “With you? Nothing.”

  “That’s a shame, love. I’m quite fond of a decent battle of wits.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she says, side-eying me. “It’s so cliché.”

  I smirk. “Most American women melt over it. Especially when I whisper it in their ears.”

  “I’m not most American women.”

  “Precisely why I gathered my courage and sat down here.”

  She tilts her head. “Courage?”

  “Well, the last time we saw each other, you left quite a mark.”

  Her lips curl. “Sorry.”

  I lean forward slightly. “That didn’t sound very sincere.”

  “Because it wasn’t.”

  “You could have killed me, you know.”

  “Maybe I should have.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  She shrugs. “You weren’t my target.”

  “Is that all?”

  She dips forward and my eyes instantly wander south to the impeccable cleavage spilling onto the table. “What are you implying, Archer Allen? That I’m harboring some intense, sexual attraction toward you that kept me from pulling the trigger?”

  “Oh, no implication required, love. That’s exactly why you spared me.”

  Her jaw sags in disbelief. “Wow.”

  “I don’t hear you denying it.”

  “Because it’s ridiculous.”

  “And you still don’t deny it.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Why bother? You’d only call me a liar anyway.”

  “Tell me the truth.” I shift in my seat, sensing an opportunity. “For the next five seconds, I’ll believe any word you say.”

  She presses her lips together. “You want me to be honest with you when you’ve had a gun trained on me since the moment you sat down?”

  Shit.

  I sit back and squeeze the grip a little tighter. “Old habit.”

  She slides down an inch in her seat and I feel her bare toes trace up my leg. My breath catches in my throat as her touch drifts over the pistol on my knee and her toes come to rest on my groin.

  I smile. “Wrong gun, sweetheart.”

  Lilah locks eyes with me as she digs her toes in a little deeper.

  I bite down on my inner cheek as my blood pumps south.“Well, then…”

  “I’ll tell you what, Archer,” she says, firmly stroking my erection to life. “I have a room upstairs. We can go up and let bygones do their thing. Or you can fuck off and go watch your stupid bum fights.”

  “So, you are attracted to me, then?”

  She jabs me with her toenail. I recoil as pain fires down my thigh. “On second thought, never mind,” she says, quickly sliding out of the booth. “I’ll find someone else to entertain myself with tonight.”

  “Wait—” I snatch her wrist, refusing to let go as she fires a death glare in my direction. “What room?”

  Her pupils dilate. “914.”

  I release her and sit back, letting my gaze trail all the way to her shoes. “I’ll be there.”

  “When?”

  “Soon,” I say, picking up my beer. “I paid nine dollars for this American piss water and I’m going to enjoy it. Don’t worry, love. I’m not going to stand you up. My cock would never forgive me.”

  She flashes a genuine smile and leans forward over the table. “Archer…”

  I admire the curve of her breasts as she drifts closer. “Yes?”

  “Call me love again and I’ll keep your cock in a glass jar above my fireplace,” she growls. “Got it?”

  I clear my throat. “Yes, ma’am...”

  She walks away, practically gliding into the lobby. I can’t keep my eyes off her ass to save my life. Graceful, elegant. A legitimate femme fatale for the modern age.

  I wait for her to disappear around the corner before deflating completely. “Bloody hell…” I mutter to myself as I pour the last of my beer down my throat. Bland and tasteless but at least a little buzz settles in.

  My cock throbs, hard and hopeful. It really won’t forgive me if I screw this up, but I’m not here to fuck, unfortunately. No matter how good her toes felt on me. No matter how much I’d like to bend her over…


  Lilah Hart. The gorgeous monster.

  I won’t let you go again.

  Chapter 7

  Lilah

  Getting Archer alone was as easy as I thought it’d be.

  I step onto the empty elevator and press 9. As the doors start to close, I lean back against the opposite wall and take a deep breath, bringing all my focus together to stay calm and collected. My exposed skin touches the cold surface, sending a chill down my spine as I mentally prepare myself for what I’m about to do.

  Killing is my job. But even great actors get a little stage fright on occasion.

  A hand stops the doors just in time and they open on Archer’s tilted expression. “I’m sorry…” he says, “but I have to ask…”

  I straighten off the wall. “Ask what?”

  He steps on. The doors close behind him and he stares at me with a wide smirk. “Do you have protection?”

  My stomach flutters as the car starts ascending. “A girl like me always comes prepared.”

  Archer licks his lips and gently rests his hands on either side me, pinning me between him and the wall. A nervous shudder trails my back as I look up into his bright blue eyes. I detect the various scents of him, from his worn leather jacket to the fresh beer on his breath and the stiff cologne behind his ears. My pulse triples, anxiously waiting for the moment when he finally goes for it…

  He puts his hands on my waist and spins me around to face the wall. I pause, following his roaming hands as they slide down my hips and legs.

  “Are…” I grimace. “Are you frisking me?”

  Archer feels down to my ankles and back up my legs, quickly sliding in and out from between my thighs. “A girl like you always has something to hide.”

  I turn to face him, and he pins me to the wall again. “You missed a spot.”

  “Trust me. I’ll get to it.”

  He presses his smiling lips against mine, firing sparks through my fingers and toes. I kiss him back, barely parting my mouth. He wants more, I can feel it, but I’d rather tease a man for as long as possible than give him what he wants.

  I open my eyes and we stare at each other, breathing heavily for a long moment. He leans down and lays a hand on my thigh, slowly crawling his fingers beneath my dress. My skin flutters with his touch and I sigh as he reaches around to cup my ass. He kisses me with an open mouth, enveloping my lips with his and I can’t hold back any longer.

  The elevator stops and the doors crawl open. His hands fall away as titters erupt behind us.

  Archer turns around and flashes a wink at the trio of young girls as they board, each one dressed to the nines and on their way out for a night of clubbing.

  “Good evening, ladies,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him into the hallway. “You all look lovely.”

  The accent hits their ears and they all give me looks of approval before the doors close on their pink faces.

  “You weren’t kidding about the accent,” I say, taking my hand back and reaching into my purse for my room key.

  “Are you going to pretend all night that you’re immune to it?”

  I scoff. “Who’s pretending?”

  We pause in front of room 914 and I unlock the door. Archer lingers over my shoulder, standing barely an inch away from me. A nervous rumble plagues my stomach for a second as I glance up into his powerful blue eyes.

  Nope. Not pretending at all…

  I break contact and push the door open to put a little distance between us. He closes it behind us. I watch the mirrors around me as he scans the golden room. Archer Allen isn’t an ordinary man. An ordinary man would be looking around for ordinary things, like condoms or drinks or what kind of luggage I have. Archer’s a bounty hunter. Trained and savvy. I must keep that in mind.

  I check the time. It’s just after eight o’clock. I can’t imagine bingo night lasting anywhere past nine, so I’ll have to be quick if I want to get this job done before Elijah comes back.

  I bend down to slide my heels off.

  “Wait.” Archer steps closer. “Leave them on.”

  I tilt my head and kick them free. “Request denied.”

  He chuckles. “You know, your foot beneath that table was the most action I’ve had in months.”

  “How unfortunate.”

  “What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “You’re a busy gal, but…” he narrows his eyes, “when is the last time you had some good time off?”

  I laugh but his expression never changes. “You really want to know that?”

  “Sure.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  I shake my head once. “It’s not relevant.”

  He winces. “That long, eh?” My jaw drops and he laughs. “You spend a lot of time traveling the world, am I right?”

  I don’t answer, feeling a growing annoyance as he takes a step around me.

  “Mission-to-mission, place-to-place,” he continues. “Never quite settling down. And you work with your brothers, so I imagine you don’t travel too far away from each other and that could start to feel a bit cramped.”

  “What’s your point?”

  Archer stops behind me. “My point is… that a woman like you needs a release every once and a while.” He brushes his lips along my shoulder, inching slowly toward my neck. “You need a man to give you what you need or else… you might snap.”

  I twist around to face him, feeling a spike of defensiveness. “I take care of myself.”

  He furrows his brow with amusement. “Oh, that’s not the same.”

  “It’s good enough.”

  “You say that now.”

  “What?” I laugh. “You’re telling me that once I go Brit, I’ll never come stateside again?”

  He grins. “It’s true.”

  “It’s cocky.”

  “That, too.” He falls backward onto the bed and balances on the edge. “Come on, Lilah. What happens in St. Louis stays in St. Louis.”

  My toes tingle against the thick carpet beneath my feet. “It’s been… a while.”

  “Why?”

  I bounce my shoulders. “Men find me intimidating.”

  “You don’t say?” He smiles at me. “A month? Three? Four?”

  “A year.”

  He exhales hard. “Ouch.”

  “Not entirely my fault,” I say, stepping toward him. “It’s been a really stressful year at work, to say the least.”

  Archer lays his hands on my waist and guides me closer. “I’ve got my work cut out for me, then…”

  I grip the edges of his leather jacket as I straddle his lap. His hands constantly move, slowly inching along my thighs and beneath my dress. A shiver trails my back as he rests them on my hips, keeping me steady on him as he gazes into my eyes.

  Fuck, he’s attractive.

  I wouldn’t say blond hair and blue eyes have ever been anywhere near what I’d classify as my type, but Archer Allen is something else. When I first met him, it was dark, and the adrenaline was pumping through me. I could barely make out his features. But here, up close and personal…

  Oh, boy.

  I think twice before I kiss him. For the first time in my life, I can’t see ten seconds into the future. If I start, I might not be able to stop. I imagine sliding off him and bolting for the door. That would be the smart thing to do but I can’t bring myself to leave his lap.

  Our lips touch and the world dissolves in a seething fire. My entire body quivers in his hands. He squeezes me a little tighter, pulling me in closer and I feel his hardness press against my begging core.

  Fuck.

  My mind goes blank, resting on a cloud of selfish need. I want him. I want all of him. His lips fall to my neck as his hands climb my shoulders. He slides my dress straps down, following them with his lips, gently tasting me. Ripples of pleasure spread across my skin, coupled with the subtle pain of his frequent bite. He exposes my breasts and presses his face between them, softly grun
ting as I grind our bodies together.

  His eyes fall to the cobra tattoo above my navel and he pauses. It’s a brief moment that lasts no longer than a second, but it brings reality crashing down on me.

  I have a job to do.

  Archer continues, fishing a hand beneath my skirt and shoving my panties aside. He looks into my eyes as he teases me. I bite my lip, feeling his thick finger inching inside of me and my body betrays me.

  Sex has always been a tool for me. Just a way to make sure a man keeps his guard down before I deliver a killing blow. But Archer...

  Feeling him now with his ocean-blue eyes and his thick fingers filling me over and over again…

  I don’t want to stop.

  I lay my palms on his chest and guide him onto his back. He keeps his fingers in me, increasing the pressure inside and I have to practically beg myself not to come all over his hand. It’s like we’ve done this a thousand times before and he knows exactly what buttons to push to turn me into his slave.

  I reach for his belt, eager to finally sneak a peek at the giant erection I coerced beneath that table. He watches me as I unzip him, his eyes falling to the black ink on my abs again. I fight an internal battle, torn in half by duty and the masterful stroke of his fingers inside of me.

  I free his cock and my eyes grow wider.

  Archer lets out a deep chuckle from the back of his throat as he slides his fingers out of me. “Speechless already?” he asks.

  I quiver with need, but I still hesitate.

  He sits up and wraps his arms around me to hold me closer. I kiss him, drawn to his lips like a magnet. We guide our bodies together. I nearly melt as he angles his cock toward my slit.

  I can’t do this.

  I have to stop before it goes too far. Before I can’t turn back. There’s still time. There are still a few precious seconds left for me to do what I came here to do.

  He buries his face in my neck, obscuring his closed eyes. I reach up with my right hand to slide one of my hair sticks free, feeling the razor-sharp edge scratch along my scalp.

  A metal bracelet clicks in place around my left wrist.

  I tug away but Archer’s grip tightens. He entwines our handcuffed hands and looks up in time to see the pick lingering above his head.

  A bolt of adrenaline fires through me. I flex, quickly aiming my weapon at his throat. He blocks me with his free hand and overpowers the stab with his brute strength.