Page 8 of Hard & Haunted

A few of the men whistle as I complete my story, while the other shake their heads. Onyx wraps his hand around my thigh in a possessive grip while ghosting his lips against the shell of my ear. “So strong, Raindrop. So damn brave.”

I give him a brief smile, the anxiety about his reaction draining away. “That’s not all, though. Unbeknownst to me at the time, my father hid the incriminating thumb drive in that very suitcase.”

My hand shakes as I reach into my pocket, pulling out the small plastic drive and holding it out. I place it directly into Onyx’s waiting palm.

He stares down at the little piece of plastic, then looks back up at me, his eyes dark with wonder. "Do you know what’s on it?"

I shake my head slowly. "No. But I thought you guys could use it. Whether it incriminates my father or the syndicate, I don't care. It’s clearly vital to them. I don't know all the ways you're connected to this war, I just know my father kept mentioning the Rebel Kings by name over the last month."

Onyx doesn't hesitate. He hands the thumb drive across the table to Viper, who immediately plugs it into his laptop. Stryker leans in close over Viper's shoulder, their eyes scanning the rapidly loading directories on the screen, both men going still in shock.

"It’s the missing ledger," Stryker breathes out, looking up. "It maps out every single freight run they hijacked, matching the exact timestamps to frame us."

"Shit, Eden," Viper says, looking up from the screen with genuine appreciation. "This is... this is massive. This is our smoking gun."

I’m so unaccustomed to receiving praise, let alone respect, that my face floods with heat. I immediately duck my head, staring down shyly at my lap.

Onyx instantly notices, shifting closer to squeeze my shoulder and pressing a lingering kiss right to my temple. "You did such a good job, Raindrop," he murmurs softly. “I’m so proud of you.”

I blush furiously, lifting my gaze to meet his warm, molten brown eyes. "Really?" I whisper.

He nods once, his expression melting into something achingly tender. He stands up from his chair, pulling me up right along with him, and announces to the room that he’s taking me back to his place to get some actual rest, adding that he'll call in if they need anything else.

As we leave, several of the officers offer quiet words of thanks. I freeze up, having no earthly idea how to respond, so I just tuck myself tightly into Onyx’s side, letting him shield me from the attention.

He half-walks, half-carries me back to the secure apartment at the back of the compound where I stayed my first night. He sits down on the edge of the mattress. I move to sit beside him, but before I can settle, his hands wrap firmly around my hips, lifting me effortlessly and guiding me to straddle his lap.

I sink into him with a quiet sigh, marveling at how even though I’ve always been a bigger, softer girl, I seem to fit with flawless perfection inside his massive, rock-solid arms.

For a long moment, the world outside ceases to exist. “You’ve been through so much,” he murmurs. “I’m so fucking sorry for everyone who hurt you. Never again, Raindrop.” He continues to shower me with quiet praise, telling me over and over again how brave I am, confirming how deeply proud he is of me.

His large, calloused fingers thread gently through my hair, tracing the line of my scalp before drifting lower, sliding down the back of my neck, tracing a slow line down my spine, and then reversing the path with agonizing slowness.

A throbbing ache blooms deep in my core under the lazy heat of his touch. My head tilts back instinctively, a soft sigh parting my lips.

He catches the sound, his dark gaze dropping instantly to my mouth. The air between us shifts, turning thick and electric. When he closes the distance and captures my lips with his, it isn't gentle anymore; it's a deep, starving reclamation. His hands slide up from my hips, bunching in the fabric of my shirt and pushing it up, his palms branding the sensitive skin of my torso before sliding higher.

The kiss deepens, turning desperate and breathless as his mouth trails a blazing, possessive path down my jaw, over my throat, and down to the sensitive hollow of my collarbone. I let out a low, breathless whimper, my fingers tangling wildly in his hair as he stands briefly to lay me out on the bed.

Onyx leans over my body, his eyes roaming up and down every curve and imperfection. Only, he doesn’t see any of that. When his gaze meets mine once more, it’s filled with awe.

I suck on my bottom lip and squirm beneath him, needing… something. Needing more.

“So beautiful,” he murmurs before kissing my jaw, neck, and collarbone. “May I?” His fingers play with the hem of my shirt, and I eagerly nod. He grins and helps me out of my shirt, leaving me in a bra and lounge pants.

Onyx groans as he descents on my breasts, sucking on one nipple through the fabric of my bra while kneading the other one with his hand. I spread my thighs for him, welcoming more of his body against mine, but he has different ideas.

Instead of crawling on top of me, he kisses down my torso, nuzzling into my belly before nipping at the waistband of my pants. Dark eyes peer up at me from between my spread legs, silently asking permission. I nod, knowing whatever he does is going to be amazing.

He has my pants off in less than a second, his eyes widening as he takes in all of me. “No underwear?” he growls, his gaze never leaving my dripping, pulsing center.

“I haven’t had a chance to wash the wet clothes from my suitcase,” I whisper shakily, acutely aware of how exposed I am.

Onyx hums darkly, then glides his hands up my legs, his thumbs rubbing circles on the insides of my thighs. “So you were just in a room with four other men, wearing no panties?”

“I… Well, I…” My breaths become choppy the closer he gets to my wet, aching core.

“Trying to make me jealous, Raindrop? Driving me crazy with the need to claim your pussy?” He strokes one finger up my slit, the light touch making me twitch and clamp my thighs together. Onyx pries them apart and swirls the pad of his thumb over my clit, tearing a desperate whimper from my lips.