My pulse thunders in my ears and my vision is nothing but a tunnel, narrowed in on the monster in front of me. He stops struggling and I twist the rope tighter, holding on until I’m absolutely sure that he’ll never take another breath before I let go. He slumps forward in a lifeless heap and my chest heaves with adrenaline. I drag in a few deep breaths. I need to calm down before I go back to Alessio, or he’ll know something is wrong. No, notwrong. Something isright. The world is short one more predator thanks to me.
I rake my hands through my hair and look up. My heart goes from racing to still in an instant, and a chill rushes through me, cooling the heat of the adrenaline pulsing through my veins.
“Alessio,” I choke out his name.
I was so focused on Mad Dog that I didn’t hear the door open. I didn’t hear him come outside. I didn’t even notice I wasn’t alone anymore.
“Ghost?” he asks, looking down at the lifeless body by my feet, the rope still around Mad Dog’s neck.
I hesitate for a beat, but I know there’s no denying it.
“Yes,” I rasp, then I brace for whatever might happen next. Will he pull a gun? No, he doesn’t have one on him either. I’msure the murder itself doesn’t faze him, but he’s been looking for The Ghost, and I still don’t know why.
He moves towards me, stepping over the body without really looking at it, closing the space between us. I’m not sure if I should prepare to defend myself, but I don’t. I let him come. Alessio stops just before our bodies collide, holding himself back so there’s an inch of space left between us, his mouth close to mine, our eyes locked, and our chests nearly touching when we both inhale.
“Kiss me,” he whispers.
“What?” I’m not sure I heard him right.
A smile curves his lips and his eyes darken with lust, and he says it again.
“Kiss me.” He licks his lips and they glisten with dampness in the moonlight. “Please?”
ALESSIO
My cock is rock hard and my heart is pounding. The righteous rage that lit up his eyes is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Spettro is The Ghost, and I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner. Maybe subconsciously I did. Maybe that’s why I’ve felt so protective of The Ghost and defensive about all of Xaviaro’s implied threats. It doesn’t matter. We can talk about it later and I’ll pass along the warning he needs to hear. But right now…
“Please,” I gasp, my body trembling with the restraint required to keep from throwing myself at him. “I need you, Spettro.”
Spettro makes a low sound in his throat, hooks his hand behind my neck, and slams his mouth into mine. The kiss is just as rough as I was hoping, biting and aggressive, full of all the same beautiful rage I saw in his eyes. I melt into him and let go.
My hard cock drags against the warm, soft leather of my pants, throbbing to feel the rough tug of his fingers. He cants his hips, grinding his erection against mine. I clench around the plug and gasp into his mouth.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this horny in my life,” I murmur between the hot slides of his tongue against mine. Every inch of my skin is overheated and sensitive. My hard nipples drag against the leather of his jacket and the harness chafes just right, making me feel controlled and owned in the best way.
He lets out a dark chuckle, dragging his mouth away from mine to lick and nip at my jaw and throat. “From watching me kill a man?”
“Yes,” I groan. “You looked like a fucking avenging angel.”
“You’re a psychopath, aren’t you?” He bites down on my pulse point, and the little spike of pain goes straight to my cock, squeezing tightly around my balls.
“Maybe.” I let out a breathless laugh. “So are you.”
He soothes his tongue over the spot he just bit and his breath flutters against the damp patch of skin with his next quiet laugh.
“Maybe,” he echoes.
Spettro reaches one hand into his jacket pocket and pulls out the remote. I moan and clench my fists against the urge to put my hands on him. I would give fucking anything to slide them under his shirt and feel the warmth of his skin under my palms. But I won’t.
“Unzip me and take my cock out,” he commands gruffly.
I hesitate for only a second. “That’s okay?” I check.
Spettro tightens his grip on the back of my neck.
“It’s not a test, slut. You can touch me when and where I tell you to.”
“Yes, Sir.”