Hard Bounty (The Snake Eyes Series Book 5)

by Tabatha Kiss

He overwhelms me and takes hold of my other wrist. “Don’t worry, love,” he says, pulling my arms taut behind me. “I thought I couldn’t hurt you even if I tried.”

  I shudder as the second cuff clicks into place. “I told you not to call me that.”

  Archer leans down to talk into my ear. “I’ll call you whatever I want while you’re tied to my bed.”

  He thrusts behind me, entering me to the hilt and I cry out in pleasant surprise. His fingers latch around my hair, keeping one hand on my head as he pounds me hard and fast. Pain. Pleasure. It tingles my nerves one after the other, crashing into me with every deep thrust. I twist in blind ecstasy, taking the torment with quick, steady moans.

  Archer attacks my ass with a swift, open-palmed spank and I jerk upright a few inches before he forces me to the pillow again.

  “Your ass is exquisite.”

  He slaps me again and my toes curl. I try to speak but my tongue gives nothing but moans, turned to mush by the pleasure radiating in my core.

  His cock pulls out of me and I embrace the moment to catch my breath. Archer releases his iron grip on my hair and leans down to kiss my lower back. He moves off the bed onto his knees and I inhale a sharp breath as his tongue slides down my crack.

  My core clenches but everything relaxes as soon as his tongue finds its way into my dripping pussy. He fucks me slowly, gently lapping inside and I bury my face in the pillow to keep from screaming. He replaces it with two thick fingers and I quiver with soft sighs as he laps my aching clit and penetrates me.

  Another spank jolts my nerves, followed quickly by the sharp bite of his teeth on my rear. I cry out through a clenched jaw, teetering on the edge of ecstasy until he slides his fingers out and presses them hard against my anus.

  I ball my fists and wait for pain but Archer doesn’t enter me. He teases me with firm circles, stroking the sensitive nerves while he slips his tongue in again. I shiver from the inside out. My hips round on his face, refusing to stop as climax takes me over. He shoves his tongue deeper as I come, flicking and tasting me until I hear a deep chuckle behind me.

  Archer stands up and hooks his fingers around the cuff’s chain, pulling my arms straight behind me. Metal rings dig into my skin but the discomfort only magnifies the surging warmth in me.

  He uncuffs one of my hands and my burning arms fall to the bed. “On your back,” he says.

  I move slowly and rub my tender wrists as I move to lie down. He’s on me immediately, crushing his lips on me and massaging my breasts with both hands. His fingers slide up my torso and push my arms above my head.

  He takes hold of my wrists again and slips the handcuffs around the bars of his headboard. Again, I jolt with fear as he forces me into the same position I so desperately wanted to free myself from earlier today but there’s a dark piece of me that wants this.

  Needs this.

  Archer sits on his knees and pulls me closer, aligning his cock with my slit. I hover over the mattress and my head spins, feeling completely weightless as he does what he wants. Any other moment, with any other man, I’d struggle. I’d find a way out; no matter the cost. But the fight or flight response in me has stalled out completely, leaving me with a feeling I can’t say I’ve experienced very often in my life.

  Safe.

  Archer lowers down and kisses me. Rough hands. Soft lips. As he leans forward, his cock slips inside again, filling me with aching pleasure and I forget all about the pain in my wrists and the fresh gash on my side. I forget about yesterday and what may come of this tomorrow morning.

  I kiss him back, rounding my hips to grind on him and he groans with pleasure. His grip tightens on my skin. I draw his bottom lip between my teeth and bite down until he winces with a sly smile and takes me with harder thrusts.

  He straightens up and keeps his eyes on me as I writhe and twist in my restraints. The heat builds in me as he pushes himself a little deeper inside. My toes curl. My thighs twitch. Everything in me submits to him as I come again.

  “Archer,” I moan his name, digging my nails into my palms.

  As I start to relax against the bed, I hear his deep, satisfied chuckle again. He continues fucking me, refusing to give me a break. I doubt he would at all, even if I begged him to.

  Archer lets out a final guttural moan and pulls out of me as he comes. He gives himself a few tight strokes and shoots onto my taut belly. I smile, feeling turned on again by the very sight of it.

  He leans over me, reaching above my head with the tiny key to uncuff me as his chest rises and falls. I hug my wrists, rubbing the life back into them and Archer kisses me once more. He wraps his arms around me and picks me up off the mattress as he settles into a seated position. I wrap my legs around him, feeling his warm seed drip from my belly to his thighs but neither of us seems to care.

  Our lips lock and our hands roam. We open our eyes and stare at each other as chills fire down my back. I focus on catching my breath, waiting for the moment for my brain to kick back on and urge me to get out of this but it never quite does.

  Archer pauses and snatches my wrists, quickly moving my hands in front of his face. He lets out a quiet sigh of relief before releasing them.

  “What?” I ask, raising my brow.

  He smiles. “Just checking.”

  I lick my lips. “You afraid I’ll try and stab you again?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Well…” I shift forward and guide him down onto his back, “there’s still time.”

  His face twists. “Is that your version of dirty talk? Because I must say, it lacks… charisma.”

  I lay my palms on his thick chest and watch the pleasure in his eyes as I move my pussy along his growing rod.

  “Oh, I’m just getting started.”

  ***

  “You know, I’ve heard that having an erection last longer than four hours is bad for you, but…” Archer stares at the ceiling, his chest working hard to fill his lungs. “I feel amazing.”

  I roll over onto my side. The morning sun hits the covered windows on either side of us and I can finally make out the small details of his face. Thick cheekbones. Chiseled jaw line. His tattered, blond hair has several dark strands buried inside. He really is quite handsome, but I’m not about to feed his ego any more than I already have.

  So far, this feels strange. Not the sex, obviously. That was amazing, but… there are far too many factors here to get comfortable. We’ve officially managed to spend the night without one of us trying to kill each other but this wasn’t meant to last… right?

  “What are we doing, Archer?” I ask.

  He rests his eyelids. “I believe the kids nowadays call it ‘fucking.’”

  “Kids have always called it that.”

  “Good to know bending you over will never go out of style, then.”

  I fight my smile. “Archer, come on.”

  He opens his eyes and peeks at me. “You want to have this conversation now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Like… now now? I’m barely flaccid.”

  I stare at him even harder.

  “Okay, how about this?” he asks, shifting onto his side. “Let’s get dressed. I’ll drive us to the nearest backwoods diner for some coffee and pancakes and we’ll work it out.”

  “Work it out?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re a bounty hunter sent to catch me,” I note. “I’m an assassin sent to kill you.”

  He nods. “Right.”

  “And you think we can work it out?”

  “No, I think we should stay here and keep fucking until I come sawdust.”

  “You’ve run out of steam,” I laugh. “I can tell.”

  His mouth sags and he quickly rolls on top of me. “Then, I’ll just have to recharge with my face between your thighs. How does that sound?”

  I inhale. “I’m finding it hard to think of a counter-argument.”

  He grins. “You’re right. Our bodies need sustenance — preferably in the for
m of coffee and pancakes, now that I’ve mentioned it. That sounds delicious.”

  My stomach twinges with agreement. “But you don’t drink coffee…”

  “I might make an exception for you.”

  Archer lands a kiss on my cheek before sliding off the bed, bearing his entire toned physique as he walks through to the kitchenette. I sit up and hug my knees, embracing the warm sheet around me as cool air touches the sweat on my skin.

  “I am aware of the severity of our situation, Lilah,” he says, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “Every possible outcome has crossed my mind at least once in the last several hours. A few of which are obviously more pleasant than the others but I’m still here and so are you, so I’m willing to bet that we’re both holding out for one of those pleasant outcomes. Are you with me so far?”

  I nod.

  He twists the bottle open and takes a quick swig of water. “I don’t want to cash you in,” he says, holding my eyes. “Now, tell me the truth. You don’t really want to kill me, do you?”

  My gaze falls down his body again and I let it linger on his impressive manhood. “No…” I answer.

  His lips twitch and he bends over to pick my dress up off the floor. “Then, throw this on and let’s go get some pancakes.”

  Archer tosses it at me and I catch it as our smiles stretch across our lips.

  Chapter 11

  Archer

  Lilah Hart. The most adorable monster I ever did see.

  There’s something about a stack of pancakes that brings out the child in almost anyone. Melted butter, dripping syrup. Bits of fresh blueberries stabbed with a fork. Sticky lips on a smiling face.

  We spend several minutes in silence, filling our bellies and staring at each other across the table. The rest of the diner is populated by truckers and random travelers that happened to wander several miles away from civilization like we did. Probably not for the same reasons, however. I’d imagine she and I are unique in that regard.

  Lilah could be thinking anything right now. I watch her eyes closely, making sure she doesn’t get any sudden ideas with the butter knife resting by her plate. I should be more concerned than I am but I can’t stop picturing what she looked like every time she came on my—

  “Would you like a refill, sir?”

  I twitch out of it and glance at the waiter standing over us with a coffee pot. “No, thank you…”

  “I’ll take one,” Lilah says, sliding her half-full mug closer to the table’s edge.

  The waiter tops it off, all the while eying the thick, black sweater Lilah wears so no one notices her stained dress. He catches me staring at him and I squint with feigned possessiveness, playing the jealous boyfriend and he twitches away to tend to the next table down.

  Lilah picks up her mug with both hands and she inhales the fresh, warm scent. “Coffee…” she whispers before taking a sip.

  “So, have you spoken to anyone about your substance abuse problem?” I ask.

  She sticks her tongue out at me and sets the mug down. “You sound like Elijah.”

  “A medical professional. Perhaps you should listen to him.”

  “Perhaps you should mind your own damn business.”

  I laugh. “Fair enough.”

  Her tongue swipes her inner cheek. “So, who’s your favorite bounty?”

  “My what?”

  “A guy with your record must have a few good stories,” she says. “Who’s your favorite?”

  “What was that about minding your own damn business again?” I tease.

  “We can continue staring awkwardly at each other if you’d rather do that.”

  “No, no. I’ll tell you.” I shift forward with my elbows on the table, thinking hard into my hands. “Well, this one isn’t bad.”

  “Never banged a bounty on your kitchen table before?”

  “I can’t say that I have, no. And you? Have you ever slept with a job?”

  She raises a sharp brow. “It’s my specialty.”

  I chuckle. “I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

  “It’s not exactly news that female agents have certain attributes that make some jobs a little easier…”

  “So…” I lean forward. “That’s a yes.”

  “Not like this.” Her eyes find mine. “Never because I wanted to.”

  “No need to sugar-coat it, love,” I tell her. “You won’t hurt my feelings.”

  “It’s true.” She takes a quiet sip of coffee. “This started out as a simple death-by-seduction job but…” she smirks, “how did you put it? I was dripping more than a wet sponge.”

  “Oh, don’t stop,” I grin. “My ego is loving this.”

  Her eyes roll back into her skull. “Never mind. Just forget I said anything—”

  “Wait, go back to the part where you said you want me more than any other man in the history of always.”

  She scoffs. “I never said that.”

  “Well, that’s what I heard.”

  “You heard what you wanted to hear.”

  “Or I heard what you so desperately wanted to say but couldn’t.”

  She sits back and downs the rest of her coffee. “That’s pathetic.”

  I smile and watch as the pink fades from her cheeks. I’m only teasing her and if this were any other girl, that’d mean nothing, but this is Lilah Hart. The fact that I’m able to tease her this way without fearing a dinner fork through my eyeball speaks volumes.

  “So, Lilah…” Her eyes rise from the table. “What’s your backup plan?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your employer is going belly-up,” I say. “Once you outrun the wanted posters, you can do anything you want. You could settle down. Leave it all behind.”

  She draws circles on the table with her fingertip. “If only it were so simple…”

  “What makes it difficult?” I ask. “Find an open-minded bloke. Have some kiddos. Keep them up all night with horror stories of what Mommy did once upon a time. Easy peasy.”

  Her head shakes but her lips curl. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

  I haven’t either, to be honest. Not sure why I expected her to.

  I reach into my jacket and grip her cell phone hidden inside. As I pull it out, Lilah’s eyes widen and they follow my hand as I lay the phone on the table between us.

  “I’m dropping the bounty,” I say.

  She picks it up, immediately holding the power button down with her thumb. “Yeah?”

  I nod. “On you and your family.”

  “So, I can just stand up from this table and walk out of here without worrying about you tracking me down again?”

  “Well…” I lick my lips, tasting traces of sweet sugar. “It’d be nice if you and I could keep in touch. Wouldn’t it?”

  Her eyes fall with hesitation. “Archer… I can’t.”

  “You can’t or you won’t?”

  “Both.” She shakes her head. “We’ve already pictured the more pleasant outcomes here but what we both need is the smart outcome and that’s where the two of us split for good and never speak of this again.”

  “That doesn’t sound very smart.”

  “I was sent to kill you, Archer. Not capture. Kill.” She squints her begging eyes. “I’ve done that a hundred times before but I’ve never once been compromised… not until now.”

  “Emotionally or physically?”

  “It doesn’t matter which.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “I disagree. Either way, I failed my mission. We both know what happens to those who get on certain people’s bad sides. We’re better off staying as far away from each other as possible.”

  “We can protect each other,” I argue. “It’s not as—”

  “Archer...” She hangs her head. “No.”

  I sit back and as she desperately tries to avoid my eyes. She brings her coffee mug to her lips, quickly realizes that it’s empty, but keeps it there to hide behind it for as long as poss
ible. When she finally sets it down again, her eyes glide to the window instead.

  I didn’t expect this to hurt. I didn’t expect much at all, really. I’ve been thinking one hour ahead for days now, never knowing where I’ll be until I get there. After last night, it feels wrong to part ways so quickly.

  Her hands fall beneath the table and she runs her palms over her knees. “I should go,” she says, sliding out of the booth. “I need to call Elijah and let him know I’m okay.”

  I reach out and take her hand as she passes by. “Lilah… this is the middle of nowhere.”

  She pauses mid-stride, closing her eyes for a moment before looking at me again. “So?”

  “So, you don’t have to leave right this second,” I say. “Let me drive you home. I’ll give you a ride back to Wisconsin and we can talk on the way about—”

  Her hand jolts out of my grasp. “What did you just say?”

  Oh, fuck.

  “Uhh…”

  Lilah takes a step back. “How do you know that?”

  I reach for her hand again but she jerks her elbow back. “Lilah—”

  “Archer, how do you know that?”

  “I’m a bounty hunter.”

  She lunges for the knife next to my plate. I slam my hands down on hers, pinning her wrists to the table and drawing plenty of eyes in our direction.

  “Archer, let go.”

  “Drop the knife and I will.”

  “Tell me how you know that and I’ll consider maybe dropping the knife.”

  We stand still, both of us flexing in an awkward stalemate until the waiter appears beside us.

  “Is there a problem here?” he asks, his young voice shaking.

  “We’re fine,” we both spit out at once, refusing to break eye contact with one another.

  He shifts backward but doesn’t leave.

  “Look…” I lower my voice and slide her hand a few inches to pull her closer. “I know about the lake house—”

  “How?”

  “I’m getting to that. Bloody hell, woman. Be patient.”

  She bears her teeth. “Archer…”

  “Boxcar told me about it.”

  The anger in her eyes fades, instantly replaced with fear. “Boxcar?”

  “Yes.”