Deal • REWRITE • BOOK 1

24; Whatever It Takes *

"I will happily pull out one tooth for every half minute you don't fücking speak up."

A R I A

"Blunt head trauma is what killed Fabio."

I looked at Aaron through the threshold of the bathroom as he sat at the side of my bed whilst I did my makeup, his fingers pushing past the papers of the dossier that contained the medical files belonging to Fabio.

"Oh my god, fück," Aaron suddenly hissed, his abrupt reaction leaving me to look at him instantly as he cupped himself between the legs and looked at me. "It says here that he suffered a laceration on the tip of his dick two years ago."

I cringed at the sudden picture in my head whilst Aaron shivered and cursed again, my uneasy hum pressing my lips together as I shook my head at my reflection before I turned back to Aaron when he looked to the side and widened his eyes as steps were heard.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Aaron's head followed in suit just as Lucien appeared in my sight, his entire outfit speckled with fresh blood that I knew wasn't his when I registered the smug look on his face.

"What?" he asked casually, walking towards me as he unbuttoned his jacket before leaning forwards to my face and then pulling back abruptly when I did the same.

"I just did my makeup and you have blood on your-"

In lieu of listening to my explanation Lucien cupped the underside of my jaw and tilted my head towards him so that he could kiss me, the feeling of his mouth on mine suddenly leaving me surrendering to his heat instantly before it left as quick as it came when he was pulling back and tapping my áss whilst walking towards the shower.

His actions made me narrow my eyes into a glare as I looked at him in the reflection of the mirror whilst blinking a few times to rid myself of my momentary daze, my lips pressing together at the sight of him until I felt a rush of heat when I looked at myself and stared at the bloodied marks on my face that he'd pressed into my skin.

Hm.

"Who'd you kill?"

"Nobody important," he mused out loud casually, my body turning to lean against the bathroom counter as I braced my hands back against the marble and looked at him once again, my sharp hum sounding out loud.

His white dress shirt was dyed in pools of blood along with the random flicks against his face, the metallic smell of it suddenly invading my senses when I neared him and registered the smirk that curved at his lips again.

"Missed me?" he asked, my head tilting as I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek and stopped to be right in front of him. "Tesoro..."

"Mhm," I hummed, appeasing him for a moment until I reached up and tried to grab his tie only to gasp sharply, my movements seeming to be predictable when Lucien gripped my wrist and pulled me flush against him so that I could feel the heat of his skin and the moisture of fresh blood.

"I'm always one step ahead, you know – fück."

I smiled deviously as I cupped Lucien between his legs bluntly with my other hand, his lips pressing together at the painless but harsh pressure that made him groan low in his throat as he glared at me.

"I'm so going to get you back," he bit out through gritted teeth, his face scrunched until I let go and watched him breathe out an unimpressed sound, his chest rising and falling with his breath as I then went ahead and tapped his chest mockingly.

"Stop underestimating me and we'll get on fine...tesoro," I spoke teasingly, flashing him a fake smile that made him narrow his eyes as I walked back to the mirror to inspect the speckles of blood he'd transferred onto me.