Page 170 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
As he pulled his zipper down, she reached across the desk, grabbing a metal letter opener—the handle molded to look like a leaping wolf—and thrust it backwards.
It wasn’t a great strike. Luck more than skill guided her arm, but it was enough for the point to hit his waist.
Kieran stepped back, cursing, and Harper threw herself away from the desk. She dashed to Kieran’s discarded belt, pulled his gun from its holster, and pointed it right at him.
“Get. Thehell. Away from me!”
She backed up until the wall stopped her retreat. She was on the far side of the room, Kieran standing between her and the door.
He grimaced as he inspected his side. A red mark showed on his waist, the letter opener having worked more like a poker than a blade.
He glared at her and stepped forward. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
She shook the gun at him. “Don’t move! Don’t come any closer.”
The weapon was heavy. It felt awkward in her hands, being both unwieldy and too big to comfortably hold.
Kieran let out a dry laugh.
“Come on… Put it down. We both know you won’t do anything with that.”
Harper switched off the safety.
“Fucking watch me.”
That made him stop. In surprise, by how wide his eyes went.
A rich goddamn reaction. He was the one who’d shown her how to handle a gun. He’d lined up a bunch of empty cans in his backyard and positioned himself right behind her, gently altering her grip on the weapon, showing her how to aim and fire.
She’dlikedhim back then. Had liked him so much that she ignored all the warning signs. All the times he made her feel likeshit because she refused to make herself smaller just so he could feel better about himself.
The air nipped at her skin. Her shirt was torn down the front, baring part of her chest, and pain pulsed through her cheek where his hand had connected. And despite the fucked-up visage she made, thathehad caused, he still looked more confused than guilty.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, stepping closer. “I didn’t mean to go that far. I just missed you. That’s all. I lost control.”
He would keep coming. He would keep pushing until he forced her no into a yes, and he didn’t care how much damage he caused getting her there.
He might act remorseful now, but that was a front. Any tenderness he showed wasn’t real. It was a half-hearted attempt at kindness, and when she once again refused to submit, he would try to make her cower instead. Eventually, he might even succeed.
He took another step. And Harper squeezed the trigger.
Kieran stiffened and looked down at himself. A patch of red formed on his stomach, blooming on his shirt like a scarlet flower.
His eyes returned to hers. Soft and shining. Still so confused.
“Harper…”
She fired again, three times in rapid succession. The first shot went wide. The second grazed his arm. The last punched into his chest.
Kieran staggered back. His eyes stayed on hers, glassy and bewildered. Even as he touched his now bloody torso, he kept staring at her. Shocked that she would hurt him like this.
His gaze unfocused. He dropped to his knees. A twitch shivered through his body, and then he fell to the floor.
Unmoving.
Harper froze. Stared. Trembled.
Everything was soclearsuddenly. His chest no longer rising. The slowly expanding pool of blood under his body. His eyes looking blankly at the ceiling.
