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Not that there’s anything of interest here. She says no one knows about it, but from her own familiarity with the half-caved-in farmhouse and the amenities out here—if they can actually be called amenities—I bet she’s spent some time out here herself.
Outside the barn, tilted on cracked bricks, is an old drinking trough for the cows or horses or whatever animals used to be kept out here. It’s filled with rainwater so after snagging the Empire Grand Hotel-branded soap and towel from their spot next to the door, I strip off my grimy clothes and step out into the open air, shivering a little as the chill morning air prickles over my bare skin.
It’s nice to be out here. Calming. Especially buck-naked like this, knowing there’s not another human for miles around, and even if there was, they couldn’t hurt me.
Very few people can hurt me these days. No one but Lyssa, I think, though I’d like to test myself against someone else she’s trained. Hadria, maybe.
I know Ariadne will have a big fucking surprise coming her way next time we meet.
I stretch again, right up and then bending over to touch my cold toes in a kind of salutation to the just-risen sun. Then I grab the nearby bucket and head to the trough that I use as my tub these days.
I may be a murderer hiding out in some backwoods hole, but there’s no excuse for skipping basic hygiene.
The water is fucking freezing, but that’s how I like it. Maybe it’s a form of penance or something, but I like the way it shocks me to my core when I dump a bucket over me, head down, gasping at the sensation. I scrub myself down and then sluice myself once more, my feet going a little numb.
But it feels good all the same. The cold, and my reaction to it. Reminds me I’m still alive…for now.
That’s when I hear the telltale roar of an engine in the distance, steadily growing louder. My pulse kicks up a notch in anticipation. She’s here—early, really damn early. Lyssa doesn’t usually come until nightfall or close to it, checking me off her Mercenary’s To Do list early so she can get on with the important stuff after. Or that’s how it feels, anyway.
I stay right where I am as she gets closer, drenching myself once more for the sake of it, my nipples screwing up so hard they ache. The roar of the bike swells until it’s nearly deafening, engine revving furiously as she tears around the bend in the access road. I catch a glimpse of wild blonde hair trailing out from under the helmet as she hits the brakes hard and comes to a skidding halt at the sight of me, kicking up a cloud of dust.
God, she always has to make an entrance, doesn’t she?
I sweep my wet hair over one shoulder as I drizzle more water over my body, bending this way and that to get every inch. And then I turn slowly, giving her a lazy once-over as she kills the engine and pulls off her helmet. There’s heat in the searing once-over she gives me.
“Morning, Wolf,” I call out sweetly, propping one hand on my hip in a way that makes my breasts shake a little at the movement. “Sleep well?”
“Put some clothes on, you silly bitch. Are you trying to catch pneumonia?”
“Relax.” I flash her a grin, batting my lashes as innocently as I can manage, and sweep my hair back to wring it out, offering up my full naked body to her eyes. “You’re the one who’s early. And I have to wash some time. Right?”
Her scowl deepens, eyes flicking over my curves appreciatively despite her scathing tone. “Then wash. But do it inside where you’re less likely to be seen by half the goddamned city.”
“Oh, yeah, it’s an exhibitionist’s dream out here,” I say, staring around exaggeratedly at the empty fields. I turn to pick up the bucket, making sure my legs are wide apart as I bend.
I’m not stupid. I don’t want to die. And I know my best chance at getting out of this whole situation with my life is playing nice with the Big Bad Wolf for now. But if Lyssa wants me to behave…well, she’s barking up the wrong tree.
Finally, I straighten with a heavy sigh, wringing out my hair again ostentatiously. “Just give me a minute to get decent.”
The look she shoots me is pure, unadulterated exasperation, but the way her heated glance skates over my ass as I turn away says she’s enjoying the view plenty. And hell, I don’t mind her looking, either. Sometimes a girl has to take her pleasures where she can find them.
By the time I rejoin Lyssa in the barn a few minutes later, my hair is up in a damp ponytail and I’m dressed in the sports bra and panties I took out with me. I stroll right up to where Lyssa is unpacking what looks like more canned food (ugh), resting my hip against the workbench as I give her a lingering once-over.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today? I promise to pay very...very...close attention.”
The flat, utterly unamused look she slants my way makes me grin. God, there’s something about getting a rise out of her so effortlessly that just delights me. It’s like I’m hardwired to poke at the big, growly beast until it snarls and snaps trying to scare me off.
Besides, seeing that little muscle flexing in her jaw, the way her nostrils flare like she’s fighting to keep her cool...it feeds a hunger in me that has nothing to do with the not-very-appetizing protein bars she’s just strewn across the bench.
Before I can taunt her further, Lyssa is lunging at me with whip-crack speed and brutal force. I barely have time to gasp before she slams me back against the nearby wooden wall, pinning me with the solid weight of her body from knees to shoulders. My pulse kicks up high as that dark, fiery gaze burns into me, daring me to fight back even as arousal flares through me.
Well, then. Looks like it’s going to be one of those days.
I shove her off, and then I don’t think about anything more except throwing myself into the fray with her, focused solely on tapping into the raging well of need howling inside me. We grapple and twist in an effort to gain the upper hand, and when Lyssa finally has me pinned on my back, chest heaving with exertion, I almost wish she’d just…
Just take me right there in the sweaty aftermath.
The thought alone has me arching up, looking for any kind of friction against the liquid heat building between my thighs.
