Hard Bounty (The Snake Eyes Series Book 5)

by Tabatha Kiss

  He slides a single finger inside and my jaw drops. I lay my head back and moan softly. Shivers dance along my spine, crippling me with each firm thrust of his hand. He crushes his lips against mine, absorbing every sound as the pressure builds. His thumb presses my clit, rocking it side-to-side, expertly playing me like a damn musician. I roll my hips, intensifying every sensation and he plays along, matching my movements until my body tightens and I can’t move anymore.

  “Archer!”

  He chuckles as I come, resting his hand to feel my inner muscles twist around his fingers.

  Before I can even form another thought, he pushes up to balance on his hands above me. His eyes glide down my body before he lowers himself to kiss me again.

  I close my eyes as he descends me, leaving a trail of tender bites over my breasts and navel before grabbing my jeans and panties and pulling them down to my ankles. He throws my knees over his shoulders and licks his lips, saying nothing at all as he latches his mouth on my clit.

  Pleasure overwhelms to me, surging through my body with each lap and suck he gives me. I moan for him, slowly losing control of my senses as he devours me. I grip his hair, pulling him deeper and he eats with even greater intensity.

  I climax again, feeling my wetness overflow and he doesn’t stop until I force him to. My breath rushes over my lips but it does little to curb the aching desire I feel for him. I cup his face and draw him in to kiss him.

  “What do you need?” he asks, words flowing between hard kisses. “I’ll do it.”

  My bottom lip trembles as tears threaten my eyes again. “Hold me,” I say, barely even able to hear my own voice.

  Archer doesn’t blink. He extends his arms around me and pulls me in. The sob strikes instantly, locking my throat and spilling tears down my cheeks. His arms flex, squeezing tighter as his lips purse against my head.

  “I adore you, Lilah Hart,” he whispers. “From the little toes on your feet to the fiery eyes in your head… and I will be with you until the bloody end.”

  I cry harder, naked and vulnerable. There’s nothing else I can think to do but lie here, wither, and die — and I know that I would do just that if Archer weren’t here with me now. I shiver from a cold, aching dread. Even my tears feel like ice against my face. My fingers stiffen. My spine shakes. My heart feels like it’s about to stop at any moment. I might not even mind if it did.

  Archer reaches down to grab the comforter and he lays it over us up to his shoulders. His body heat bleeds into my skin, cradling me in a cocoon of comfort. It leaves me breathless. The chills cease and I kindle with quiet blooms of pleasure as his hands stroke my skin.

  “Close your eyes,” he tells me. “I’ll be here when you open them again.”

  I take a deep breath, tilting my face up to look at him. He slides a finger along my forehead to brush the tear-soaked strands out of view and offers me a sweet smile.

  I study his face, searching for anything out of the ordinary but there’s nothing. There’s no malice hidden behind his eyes; no sly mischief peeking out, ready to tear the mask off and expose who he really is.

  I rest my head against his chest with closed eyes. His hands stay on me, gently lulling me into a warm slumber.

  Archer Allen, the bounty hunter.

  He caught me.

  Chapter 19

  Archer

  I was right.

  Waking up next to Lilah Hart ain’t bad at all.

  Especially when it happens multiple times in a single night.

  I sense large amounts of coffee and pancakes in our future, but not yet.

  I roll over to look at her on the bed. She lies with her face smashed against her pillow. Smeared makeup paints soft rings around her eyes. Deep red hair is sprawled out around her head like the devil’s halo. Naked but warm. Vulnerable and stunningly gorgeous.

  A man could get used to this.

  I kiss her bare shoulder and run a finger along her cheek, pushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. They flutter open and she gazes up at me with tired excitement.

  Lilah pushes up to balance on her side and kisses me. Her strong hands guide me on top of her as she lays back with her legs spread wide.

  “Still got more than sawdust in there?” she asks.

  I smile against her lips as her fingers wrap around my shaft. “I bloody hope so...”

  I grow hard in her palm and I reach between her thighs to please her as well. Her warm and wet lips part easily as we moan together, our pulses quickening faster with every bated breath.

  I balance on both arms above her and she slips my throbbing cock inside. She’s still as tight as she was hours ago. I feel her clench around me and her body rumbles as I thrust slowly.

  My eyes fall down her body, over her muscles and scars and that damned tattoo. A brand, more like. She’s marked for death. A simple pawn in someone else’s war. There’s no loyalty in that life.

  I’ll fight like hell to show her that a life with me won’t be like that.

  She digs her nails into my back, tempting me to punish her and I pound her harder. Her lips spread as wide as her legs and she pulls me in for a deeper kiss.

  Lilah Hart. My little monster.

  She tightens her perfect thighs around my hips and rolls us around to put me on my back. I don’t leave her for longer than a second before she impales herself on me again. I hold her up and she rolls her hips, rocking my cock in and out of her tight slit.

  I feel up her body to cup her breasts and scratch downward to tease her clit. She bites her lips with pleasure, watching me admire her while she fucks me with a hard and steady bounce.

  “Keep this up, love...” I say, “and I’ll break your rule.”

  She shows a calm smile while her hips keep rolling.

  “Do it,” she says.

  My loins tighten, racing towards the edge. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” She lowers down to kiss me, pressing her breasts against my chest. “I want you to.”

  Passions burn inside but I hold them in. “You first,” I tease.

  Lilah smiles and rises up, leaning back to place her palms on my knees. She controls the grind, taking her time to guide the thrust where she wants it and how fast. Her chest bounces as she rides me. Her hair tumbles over her face and shoulders. Her mouth sags as she comes and she lets out one long, blissfully satisfying sigh.

  She’s perfection personified. Beauty incarnate. A modern Aphrodite, if she had a talent for shooting people.

  I release every hold I have. I come for her and she moans more with every throbbing spurt. Goosebumps spread along her arms and breasts. She grinds her hips and I feel her tighten on me again. She falls forward for her second orgasm and I wrap my arms around her as she shakes.

  Lilah slides off and lies down with her head on my chest. Her breath rushes past her lips and spreads across my skin like a red-hot fever.

  A light knock taps against the door.

  “Hey, Lilah!” Lucy calls from the other side. “Breakfast in five!”

  Lilah twists her head around. “... okay!”

  I laugh quietly. “Well, that’s bloody awkward.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You have no idea.”

  I turn her onto her back and pin her hands above her head, leaning down to cover her neck in soft, warm kisses.

  Lilah hums. “She said five minutes, Archer...”

  “I need ten.”

  She throws her head back and laughs.

  ***

  I guess even a family of killers sit around the breakfast table in the morning. It’s nice to see that some things remain consistent no matter where life takes you.

  Lilah stands up to go refill her coffee mug for the third time. I fire a look of judgment at her and she smirks back while she raises the mug to her lips and takes a big gulp to spite me.

  I laugh to myself, letting my eyes drift down to her toes until I remember we’re not alone.

  Dante stares at me across the table with a butter knife c
lenched in a tight fist. I swallow hard and force my eyes downward.

  Lilah returns to the table and sits beside me, but not before running her fingers along my shoulders and shooting sparks down my spine.

  “Okay…” Dante drops the knife a little too hard against his plate. “We need to lay down some ground rules here.”

  Lilah looks at him. “For what?”

  He hesitates. “For you two having sex in this house.”

  Her brow rises. “Seriously?”

  Lucy sighs from her spot beside him. “Dante…”

  “We could hear you last night and…” he says, folding his hands together on the table, “it makes me uncomfortable.”

  I sink into my chair but Lilah leans forward.

  “Are you actually being serious right now?” she asks him.

  “Yes,” he nods. “I think, from now on, you shouldn’t… in the house, anymore…”

  “Oh, hell no.” Lilah’s jaw drops. “Do you have any awareness to how loud you and Lucy are?”

  His eyes bounce between her and Lucy’s pink face. “We are not!”

  “Yes, you are! It’s like the walls of your room are made out of friggin’ balsa wood!”

  He points a thick finger across the table. “That is bullshit. And anyway, we’re not talking about me and Lucy. We’re talking about you and Archer. As the oldest, I have some authority here.”

  Lilah throws up her hands. “We’re adults! You can’t play that card. This isn’t high school.”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “So, you’re allowed to bone here whenever you want but I’m not?”

  Dante takes a defeated breath. “I just think you could be a little more considerate.”

  “A little more cons—” Lilah pushes her chair back and stands up.

  “Where are you going?”

  “You and I are going upstairs,” she says. “I’ll stand in your room, you stand in mine, and I’m going to prove that the gold medal in Inconsiderate Sex-capades goes to you.”

  He cringes. “Lilah, can we not?”

  She bolts for the stairs and Dante sighs, quickly standing to follow her stomping feet across the house.

  I look at Lucy. “Are they always like this?”

  Her head nods. “It’s oddly comforting after a while.”

  “Ah…”

  She raises her mug to me. “Welcome to the family.”

  I do the same and we connect our glasses as the shouting continues upstairs.

  ***

  After breakfast, the Harts tend to Elijah’s remains. I retreat to my trailer to give them some privacy to say their final goodbyes but I watch for a few moments as they scoop his ashes into an old vase.

  Never in a million years can I imagine her pain right now and I honestly never want to try. To share a womb with someone, be born with them, grow up with them, live by their side, only to have their life snuffed out in front of you in the blink of an eye. There are many fates worse than death. I thought I knew at least one.

  I was wrong.

  Lilah and Dante push the empty boat back into the water and anchor it to the dock with some fresh rope before heading back inside with the vase.

  A few minutes later, Lucy steps outside with a packed suitcase in each hand and Elijah’s medkit draped over one shoulder. She carries them to Dante’s car and fits them into the trunk. Her eyes glance at me in my doorway and she silently nods as she lowers herself into the passenger’s side.

  Lilah walks out onto the porch with her own duffel bag, now stuffed full with new clothes, gear, and weapons galore, I’d imagine. She drops it by the stairs and heads around the house to the dock with her head down.

  “Archer…” Dante points at me as he closes the front door behind him. “I need to talk to you.”

  I raise my hands in defense. “Yeah, sorry about last night. We got a little carried away—”

  Dante stops me. “I don’t care about that,” he says, shaking it off.

  I step off the trailer stairs. “All right. What’s on your mind?”

  His eyes linger down the dock to land on Lilah. “Look after her.”

  “Is that trust I hear in your voice, mate?”

  “It’s desperation.” He turns to me with a hard face. “Lilah is all I have left in this world. I know what’s going through her head right now and it ain’t good.”

  I frown in thought. “She’s a smart girl.”

  “She’s also scared,” he argues. “And she’s cornered — but she won’t admit that. She’s not thinking clearly and she’s going to make some bad decisions. I can only do so much, Archer. I need you to be there when I blink.”

  I take a step back. As much as I think I know Lilah, I’ve only known her for short time. Dante’s her big brother. He knows everything I do and more — not because he heard it from her but because he was there when it happened. He’s been there since the day she was born. I may never know her or understand her or love her as much as he does, but he’s putting his trust in me that I might someday.

  I nod. “All right.”

  Dante studies me. “Do you really care about her?”

  “I do.”

  “Then, prove it.” He turns away. “Keep my baby sister alive and I will never question you again.”

  “That’s one tall order.”

  He smiles to one side. “Well, if you weren’t up for it, why are you even out here?”

  I take a moment to let that sink in as he walks to his car. Lucy stares back from the front seat and offers me a kind wave.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” I say.

  Dante nods at me before lowering himself into the driver’s seat.

  He’s right. I made a choice the moment I set foot out here, one not easily taken back. Loving Lilah Hart won’t be simple. Embracing her means accepting all of it; from Snake Eyes to her brothers to the complex lives they live. They’re willing to make a place for me here and that’s more than I can say about anyone else that’s come and gone in my life so far.

  Lucy Vaughn said it best.

  Welcome to the family.

  I walk down the dock towards Lilah, taking soft steps to try and sneak up on her but she calls me out before I even get close.

  “Did he give you a scary, big brother speech?”

  “Rather tame, actually.” I smile. “I dare say, he might like me.”

  She glances over her shoulder with amusement. “You’d be the first.”

  I stand behind her and wrap one around her waist. Contrary to her brother’s belief, this woman needs no protector. If she did, it certainly wouldn’t be me, but I feel more than a little protective of her anyway. I lay my other arm over her shoulder to rest my palm on her heart, feeling the subtle tap of her pulse beneath my fingers.

  Lilah lays her hand over mine and grips the sleeves of my jacket to hold it a little tighter around her.

  “I won’t ask you again, love, but I need to just this once,” I say. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah,” she answers, her voice strong and warm. “I just wanted to take a last look.”

  We stare out across the lake together. A gentle breeze whistles through the bright, green trees. The water sits undisturbed, save for the occasional fish poking his head out and sending small ripples across the surface.

  My heart skips. It really is quite beautiful here.

  “We’re coming back,” I tell her. “I promise.”

  Lilah turns her head and I kiss the edge of her mouth.

  I’m not sure if she believes me or not but I couldn’t be more serious. That promise wasn’t just to her. It was to Dante and Lucy. To myself. And to Elijah, especially.

  Lilah Hart deserves a future beyond this bloody mess and I won’t stop until I give it to her.

  I turn her around and take her hand, entwining our fingers together as I kiss her forehead. “Ready?”

  Lilah looks at me with those fiery eyes. “As I’ll ever be.”

  The SNAKE EYES Series

 
Stand-alone Romances.

  Interconnecting Stories.

  One Unforgettable Adventure.

  READING ORDER

  #1: Bodyguard: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance

  #2: The Hitman’s Dancer: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance

  #3: Love and Wargames: A Bad Boy Hacker Romance

  #4: Bloodlines: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance

  #5: Hard Bounty: A Bad Boy Bounty Hunter Romance

  #6: COMING SOON!

  NOVELS BY TABATHA KISS

  Read every novel for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

  THE SNAKE EYES SERIES

  Stand-alone romance. Interconnecting stories.

  One unforgettable adventure!

  Bodyguard: A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance

  The Hitman’s Dancer: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance

  Love and Wargames: A Bad Boy Hacker Romance

  Bloodlines: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Romance

  Hard Bounty: A Bad Boy Bounty Hunter Romance

  THE BAD BALLER BOOKS

  Irresistible Stand-alone Sports Romances!

  Whiplash: A Sports Romance

  Johnny Deeper: A Sports Romance

  Home Run Baby: A Sports Romance

  THE MIDWEST ALPHAS

  MMA Suspense at its very best!

  Untouched: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

  Unbroken: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

  Undying: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

  The Complete Trilogy PLUS a bonus epilogue

  BAD BOY ROMANCES

  Guaranteed to hit the spot!

  Ruin Me: A Stepbrother Romance

  Muffin Top

  DARK BILLIONAIRES

  Blind Girl: A Dark Billionaire Romance

  Tabatha Kiss lives in Chicago, Illinois. You can probably catch her huddled up in a hoodie, reading a good romance beneath a tree in Jackson Park with her trusty husky by her side. She enjoys roller derby, sushi, and is always searching for her forever bad boy. In the meantime, she writes.