The message was loud and clear. Keep Cass safe and alive, or I'd have Nadia to deal with.
I jerked a nod. "Thank you for the pie."
She huffed. "Thank you for the entertainment."
Zed and I exited the café as several of the big Reapers moved to haul Chase up roughly. Our car was right there outside, so we didn't speak until we were back on the road again, my fresh pie sitting warm in my lap. Yum.
"What did we just dose him with, and why was it in your pocket, Dare?" Zed asked as he drove, shooting me an amused look.
I smirked. "Chloral hydrate. Demi gave me that little vial months ago when I was having trouble sleeping. She puts just one drop of it in her chamomile tea when she can't switch her brain off from work."
Zed gave an amused huff. "Lucky break."
I shrugged. "I'll take it. And now we know that Chase hasn't changed all that much. Better the devil we know, right?"
"Too true," he murmured, then cranked the music up loud as we drove in the direction of our paid pathology lab. No time like the present to get Chase's sample analyzed.
14
Zed wanted to sit at the lab and watch our tech run the DNA samples through so there could be no possibility of contamination or corruption in the results. But I was bored as hell and itching to see Lucas, so I left Zed there and took his car home.
After I parked and headed into the house, I followed the sound of thumping music through to the gym, where I found Lucas, shirtless and sweaty, pounding the crap out of one of the punching bags.
His music was up loud enough that he didn't hear me enter, so I stood there for a while, watching him like a giant creep. Okay, in fairness I was a little bit checking his form and taking mental notes of things he could tweak to tighten his guard or add force to his hooks. Mostly I was drooling over the way his muscles bunched and shifted, his sweat gleaming on every slope and angle as he ran through one of Zed's training combinations.
When the song on the stereo ended, he stepped back from the bag with his freshly tattooed chest heaving and his gloved hands hanging loose at his sides.
"Not bad," I commented, startling him. "You're a quick learner."
His smile spread wide, then he used his teeth to loosen the Velcro on one of his gloves. He pulled them off, tossing them aside as he crossed the room towards me.
"How long were you watching me, Hayden?" His eyes were heated and his expression predatory as he stalked closer.
I grinned, unable to help myself, and tipped my head back to hold his gaze when he got close enough to touch. "Not long," I admitted. "You've got good form. Keep training with Zed and you'll be asking to fight at Anarchy soon."
Lucas scoffed a laugh. "And risk messing up this face? Hell no." He braced his hand on the wall behind me, then leaned down and caught my mouth in a gentle, unhurried kiss.
I leaned into his touch, parting my lips and weaving my arms around his sweaty neck as he deepened the kiss. Fucking hell, Lucas was like something straight out of my dirtiest dreams. I never wanted to let him go.
"I should shower," he muttered eventually, releasing my lips but keeping his arms tight around me like he was echoing my thoughts.
I grinned, kissing his jaw. "Can I join you?"
A low groan dragged from him as I ran my tongue down his neck, tasting the saltiness of his sweat, and scraped my teeth over his skin. "Fuck yes," he breathed. "I don't think I'll ever say no to sharing my shower with you, Hayden."
In a dramatic move, he swept me up into his arms and kissed me again as he strode out of the gym. He raced up the stairs with me still carried in his arms like I weighed nothing at all and all but kicked open the door to his room while I tried not to laugh.
"You probably shouldn't be carrying me," I scolded gently as he crossed the room to the attached bathroom.
He just shot me a cocky smile. "I probably shouldn't be underage drinking or working in a strip club either. But I have no intention of doing what I should do." He set me down gently, his hands already finding the hem of my blouse to lift it up over my head.
I was loving his attention enough that I let him strip me down, then waited while he got the shower running warm. But just as he indicated for me to step in, his words sank through the thick haze of arousal.
"Uh, you don't work in a strip club anymore, hot stuff. Or did you forget the whole gas leak–explosion situation?" I tied my hair up in a high bun to keep it dry, then took his extended hand. He pulled me into the shower and into his warm, naked embrace. Delicious.
He guided me carefully into the water, letting me get warm and running his hands over my skin like he was committing my curves to memory. "How could I forget?" he murmured in response. "But Zed said he's got me on the schedule at Club 22 instead."
I jerked backward, placing a hand on Lucas's chest just beside his fresh ink. "Zed said what?"
Lucas quirked a brow at me. "Uh, he said that all the 7th Circle staff were being spread out between the other Copper Wolf venues so no one loses their job. I asked if I could go to Club 22 because it's my favorite one. It's so classy with everyone dressed in theme."
I gaped at him a moment, then a simmering anger built within me. "I'm gonna have to kill him," I muttered.
"Um, can I ask why?" Lucas reached for the bodywash and squeezed a healthy handful out into his palm.
I scowled. "Because he fucking well knew he wasn't supposed to put you on the dance schedule. He's constantly pushing my fucking buttons these days."
Lucas hummed a sound, gliding soapy hands over me and making my breath catch. It was really damn hard to stay mad at Zed while Lucas was playing with my nipples like that...
"Why not?" Lucas asked, pressing me into the cool shower wall with his body, his hot, hard length teasing at my belly. "I asked him to." His hands moved from my breasts and slipped down my sides, curving around to cup my ass.
I gasped as his hips pinned me, and he caught my lips in a quick, open-mouthed kiss.
"Yeah, but you're not... I mean, you and I are..." I was having a difficult time chasing my train of thought as his hands tightened under my thighs, lifting me and coaxing my legs around his waist. His thick shaft crushed against my aching pussy, and I almost forgot everything I was trying to say.
"You mean you're still hung up on not dating employees?" he murmured against my neck before kissing my pulse point and making me sigh in ecstasy. "Don't you think it'd be kinda hot to sneak around and fuck in your office? Don't you wanna watch me dance, knowing all I can think about is what I wanna do to you?"
Oh fuck. That did sound hot. But... ugh, there was something not sitting right with me.
"Lucas," I moaned, arching my hips as he ground against me. "I just... Wouldn't it feel a whole lot like I was taking advantage? Besides, I'm never letting you pay me back for your mom's medical, so—"
"Hayden," he cut me off, his voice sharp and firm as he met my eyes. "Maybe I wasn't clear on this. I'm not dancing at Club 22 because I'm desperate for money. I'm doing it because I enjoy stripping. I enjoy dancing and showing off my athletic skill on the pole. I'll do it for free, if that makes you feel more comfortable, but it's something I want to do."