Ruthless Kings of Obsession (Leighton Royals University #3)

9. Dangerous Liaisons Of The Past

Dangerous Liaisons Of The Past

***~ R EN~***

One moment I'm silently stalking through the warehouse darkness, the next I'm slammed onto my back with practiced precision, the cold bite of steel against my throat and the most lethal woman I've ever known straddling my chest. The tactical vest doesn't diminish the deadly grace of her body – a predator's form perfected through years of training and survival.

The emergency lights cast everything in shadowy blues, illuminating the fresh bruises blooming across her delicate features, the split in her lower lip that's still bleeding slightly, the wild silver of her hair falling around her face like captured moonlight. She's even more beautiful than I remember, especially like this – savage and untamed, tears still glistening on her cheeks while her hands remain perfectly steady on her blade.

The position awakens something primal in me, triggering a flood of memories so vivid they threaten to overwhelm my senses:

*Three years ago. The Bass Drop nightclub in downtown Chicago. The first time I saw her, moving through the writhing crowd like smoke – ethereal and untouchable. My carefully maintained teal and green hair with its precise black highlights drew the usual appreciative glances, the sleeve of intricate tattoos visible beneath my rolled-up dress shirt catching eyes as always, but she didn't spare me a second glance.*

*The contrast always worked in my favor – the sophisticated cut of my clothes against the punk aesthetic, the way my multiple piercings caught the light while I discussed economics with CEOs' daughters. But she saw right through it all, those haunting blue eyes dismissing me as just another trust fund rebel playing at danger.*

*"Can I buy you a drink?" I'd asked, approaching the bar where she stood alone. The strobes caught the industrial piercing in my ear, the small hoop in my eyebrow, making them shimmer like warnings.*

*She'd given me a slow once-over, taking in my tall frame, broad shoulders, the deliberate clash between my perfectly tailored shirt and the tattoos crawling up my neck. Most women found the contradiction irresistible – the hint of danger wrapped in sophistication. But she just looked... amused.*

*"No." One word, delivered with a smile that should have been my first warning.*

*"Your loss," I'd shrugged, adopting my usual casual confidence. "Can I at least get your number?"*

*That smile turned predatory. "Only if you can catch me."*

*Before I could process the challenge, she was moving – slipping through the crowd with supernatural grace. I followed, intrigued despite myself. My training with the Agency should have made me more cautious, but something about her pulled at me, demanding pursuit.*

*She led me out of the club, through dark streets, into the forest preserve that bordered the city. The rational part of my brain screamed warnings – this could be a trap, an ambush, any number of dangerous scenarios I'd been trained to avoid. But the way she moved through the darkness, like she'd been born to it, awakened something in me I couldn't ignore.*

*The chase became primal, instinctive. My boots crunching through fallen leaves, her silent passage ahead of me, moonlight filtering through branches to cast everything in silver and shadow. My heart pounded with more than exertion – there was something intoxicating about this hunt, this dance of predator and prey where I wasn't entirely sure which role I played.*

*She'd let me get close enough to almost touch her, then dart away with a laugh that sent electricity down my spine. The sophisticated facade I usually maintained cracked with every step, revealing the wildness beneath. My carefully styled hair fell into my eyes, sweat made my expensive shirt cling to my skin, but I couldn't have stopped if I wanted to.*

*The forest grew denser, darker. Any normal woman would have been terrified, alone in the woods with a stranger. But she moved with absolute confidence, leading me deeper into her territory. When she finally let me catch her in a moonlit clearing, I realized too late that I'd never been the hunter at all.*

*The takedown was lightning-fast – one moment I was reaching for her, the next I was on my back with her knife at my throat. Both of us were breathing hard, but her hands were perfectly steady as she straddled my chest.*

*"Caught you," I'd managed to say, earning a laugh that made my blood burn.*

*The tension between us was electric, dangerous. Moonlight painted her skin silver, her hair a wild storm around her face, and I'd never wanted anyone more in my life. The knife pressed harder against my throat as she leaned down, close enough that I could feel her breath against my lips.*

*"Other way around," she'd whispered, and then we were kissing.*

*Everything exploded into heat and motion. The knife disappeared as her hands found my hair, tugging hard enough to make me growl. My fingers dug into her hips, pulling her closer as we devoured each other. There was nothing gentle about it – all teeth and tongues and desperate need.*

*We tore at each other's clothes, the expensive fabric ripping under urgent hands. The chill night air against bare skin only heightened every sensation. She bit my lower lip hard enough to draw blood, and I retaliated by leaving marks down her throat that would take days to fade.*

*When I finally slid into her, she clawed scratches down my back that I'd wear proudly for weeks. We moved together like we were trying to destroy each other, the danger only feeding the passion. She came with my hand around her throat, and I followed moments later, her nails drawing blood from my shoulders.*

*Afterward, lying in the torn leaves and grass, she'd laughed again – that wild, intoxicating sound that would haunt my dreams. "I'm Eva," she'd said, like we were meeting for the first time over coffee instead of naked in the forest.*

*"Ren," I'd replied, tracing the marks I'd left on her skin. "Want to tell me why you really led me out here?"*

*"Maybe I just wanted to see if you were dangerous enough to keep up."*

*That started months of on-and-off encounters, each more intense than the last. We never defined it, never tried to tame it into something normal. She'd appear at my apartment at midnight, or I'd find her waiting in my car after work. Every time was like that first night – wild, dangerous, addictive.*

*Then one day she vanished, right as I was entering the police academy. Of course, that was just my cover for joining the Agency, but I always wondered if she'd somehow known – if she'd seen through that facade too.*

The memory fades as Eva – my Moonflower – increases the pressure of her blade against my throat, drawing me back to the present. Her eyes are harder now, older, but that dangerous electricity still crackles between us.

"Start talking," she demands, and God help me, but even her threats are beautiful.

An explosion rocks the warehouse, but neither of us flinches. I can see the questions in her eyes, the suspicion warring with our history.

"Someone hired my team," I admit, keeping my voice low and steady despite the knife at my throat. "But only five of the officers are actually mine. The rest..." I attempt a casual shrug, though her weight across my chest makes the movement difficult. "Different unit. Not my people."

Her eyes narrow, that brilliant tactical mind I've always admired working through the implications. In the dim light, I can see how she's changed – harder edges where there used to be softness, calculated coldness replacing wild abandon. The woman who ran through the forest with me has been forged into something deadlier, more precise.

"Won't taking them out risk exposing your unit?" she asks, practical even in her fury.

"Already told my guys this is a failed op." I can't help the smirk that crosses my face, watching how it makes her eyes narrow further. "Told them if they want to live, they should take advantage of that convenient blackout you arranged." My voice drops lower, more intimate. "Nice touch, by the way. Always were brilliant with the details."

Having Eva this close after so long is intoxicating. The urge to kiss her overwhelms my usual self-control – she's right there, deadly and beautiful, bringing back every memory of those wild nights we shared. But before I can act on the impulse, her hand clamps firmly over my mouth, those blue eyes hardening with determination.

"I'm taken," she says firmly, and there's something in her voice I've never heard before – a softness that speaks of real love, not just passion.

I arch an eyebrow, speaking against her palm with deliberate provocation. "By who? Domino?"

The flash of disgust that crosses her face is genuine, though there's something else there too – something more complex. She rolls her eyes and finally releases me, climbing off my chest with that lethal grace I remember so well. The loss of contact is almost painful, but I push that aside as I sit up, watching her with the careful observation that's made me one of the Agency's best.

"Still having beef with your not-so-secret admirer?" I can't help but prod, noting how her shoulders tense. "The way he looks at you... like you're his salvation and destruction all wrapped in one."

"He's my stepbrother," she says flatly, but there's a wealth of history in those three words.

I shrug, maintaining my casual demeanor while cataloging every micro-expression that crosses her face. "And?"

"'And?'" She repeats, incredulity coloring her tone. "It's obvious we can't be together. We hate each other!"

The laugh escapes before I can stop it – rich and genuine because she still doesn't see it. "Oh yeah, you hate each other so much you orchestrated his complete social destruction." I rise smoothly to my feet, noting how she tracks my movement. "Tell me, was that viral video of his crimes your idea, or did someone help you plan it?"

Her speechless expression is priceless. I let my trademark playboy smirk spread across my face as I move closer, invading her space until our lips are barely inches apart. The familiar electricity crackles between us, but it's different now – charged with new dangers, new complications.

"Haven't stopped wishing I'd tried harder to find you," I murmur, watching how her breath catches despite her apparent indifference. "But then my little Moonflower had to go and infiltrate Leighton University, catching the eye of every criminal kingpin on our watch list. Made tracking you down something of an obsession."

The intensity in her gaze matches mine, that old fire still burning between us. But there's something else there now – a deeper purpose, a darker drive. She's not just the wild creature who ran through the forest with me anymore. She's become something more dangerous, more focused.

It's then that the emergency lights flicker on, harsh fluorescents replacing the shadowy atmosphere. At the end of the hall stand five agents – their stance and equipment marking them as definitely not part of my unit. Their weapons are raised, faces set with deadly intent.

"Friends of yours?" Eva asks quietly, her body already shifting into a combat stance.

"Definitely not." I recognize their type – mercenaries playing dress-up as law enforcement. The kind who leave no witnesses and ask no questions. "These are the other unit's men."

She nods once, decisive. There's no fear in her expression, only tactical assessment. "How good are you in a fight?"

The laugh bubbles up as I draw my weapon and disable the safety in one smooth motion. The first shot finds its mark before I even finish speaking, dropping one of the false agents with surgical precision. "Baby, you have no idea."

The hallway erupts into chaos, but I can't help grinning. Some things never change – my Moonflower still has a way of making life infinitely more interesting. And as bullets start flying and Eva moves like death incarnate beside me, I realize I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is going to be one hell of a reunion.