Ghosted (Team Zero #3) by Rina Kent

This is a killer. A remorseless killer, as Scar said.

A shudder shoots through my body.

Julian doesn’t stop, and Shadow is about to fall. Half his face and collarbone are smeared with blood. Even his knuckles are busted, and blood covers his non-bandaged fist.

I’m suddenly scared for his life. What if Julian does kill him?

He wouldn’t forgive himself.

Before I can intervene, Shadow digs his blood-coated fingers in Julian’s bicep wound. Hard.

I run towards him. “Hey! Why are you playing dirty?”

They break apart and spin towards me in one go. I flinch backwards at those robotic, inhuman eyes. Julian’s gaze instantly warms at my sight. The golden rings return, and relief washes over me.

Shadow’s hollow look remains.

He wipes his mouth with the back of his arm, which mars his tiger tattoos with blood. They were snarling before. Now, they appear downright gruesome. Like they could eat me alive.

Shadow narrows his eyes on my face then saunters away.

“What’s his problem with me?” I ask once he disappears around the corner.

I’m the one who has a problem with him. He’s a huge suspect in Zoe’s disappearance. It’s just that since I saw him stare at the lake house – a place Zoe would never mention to an enemy – I’m not so sure about him anymore.

I’m more wary, really.

Shadow is the type of man to treat with caution. His charming side never fooled me. It’s like he’s using it to hide a darker, devilish side.

“He’s pissed off you took from our boxing time,” Julian says from behind me.

“I saved his arse. You were beating the hell –” I turn around, and words die in my throat.

Julian is drinking from a bottle of water. That’s literally all he’s doing. Only he’s half-naked. The shorts hang low on his hips. Sweat coats his defined abs causing his tattoos to shine. The eerie warrior might as well jump me. A few drops travel down, down, to that perfect V line and disappear beneath the shorts.

My lips part, and I’m about to drool like a bloody dog.

He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on. A pulse throbs between my thighs. The more he touches me, the more my body becomes enchanted to his.

“I’m over here, Firefly.” Julian’s tone drips with amusement.

Shit.

I snap my eyes to his and they’re gleaming as he continues drinking water. His lean, strong fingers clasp around the bottle.

Can I be that bottle?

Shit, again. What the hell is wrong with me?

Julian tosses the bottle to the ground. His eyes rake over me with heated hunger. “You used to box dressed like that?”

“No. These are Scar’s clothes.”

He squints at the ‘Don’t Fucking Touch Me, Peasant’, then stalks towards me. My pulse skyrockets at his feral gaze.

He wraps a possessive arm around my waist and glues me to his hard chest. His leg parts mine. The throb from earlier morphs into need.

Julian lowers his head and whispers in hot words against my ear, “Tell Scar I’ll touch what’s mine whenever I damn please.”

The possessive words flip my stomach, and I’m pretty sure I’m only standing because he’s holding me tight.

His hand fists in the tank top, about to rip it. I push him and jump back.

“Don’t!” I take a few breaths to calm my raging desire and stand in position. I place both bandaged wrists in front of my face. “Didn’t you say you owe me a match?”

His lips twitch in a smile as he mirrors my position. “Show me what you got, Firefly.”

I do.

Energy kicks into my limbs, and we go at it for what seems like hours. There’s nothing of the robotic look he had when boxing with Shadow. At that time, he seemed to be purging pent-up energy. Now, he appears to be genuinely enjoying himself.

My heart swells at being the cause of that.

Julian doesn’t take it easy on me. He considers me a worthy opponent and gives me his best punches and blocks. It’s like his injury doesn’t exist. What type of sorcery is that?

After some time, he starts to play dirty. Like super dirty. He smacks my arse twice and wrestles me to the ground so he can press his body all over mine. I barely escape his caveman clutches.

“Julian! That’s not fair!” I jump back and cross my arms, pretending to be angry. “We’re supposed to be boxing.”

His strong arms wrap around my waist from behind, and I can’t help melting in his hold. He makes me feel so small but also so protected. It doesn’t even make sense.

“What to do?” His lips graze my earlobe. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“But you do just fine with Shadow.”

“It’s a million times different.”

“How?”

“I want to bend you over and fuck you senseless every time you’re in sight. That’s how.”

Just like that, my body becomes a freaking wanton mess. As much as I want to succumb into temptation, a thought that’s been running in my head since last night is more urgent.

After a deep breath, I gulp and turn around. “Then... teach me how to shoot.”

He narrows his eyes and puts a hand on his chest as if offended. “I’m talking about fucking and your mind is at shooting?”