Liar (Madison Kate, #2)

by Tate James

"I'm not telling you shit, Madison Kate," he continued, in that low, menacing voice, "because I don't fucking trust you. You're not one of us; you're just a liability." His words hurt. More than they should have.

Ouch. Every word cut like a razor. Still, I gave a throaty, mocking laugh. "You think it'd be that easy, Archer? You think one fuck and he'd be over me?" I snapped my fingers. "Just like that, huh?" Archer's handsome face turned colder than I'd even thought possible, and his next words hung in the air long after he was gone. "It sure worked for Steele."

he ducked down to kiss me again. "Or is it just about to get all kinds of interesting? It's just a matter of perspective, baby." I'd be lying if I tried to tell anyone my internal voice didn't scream "reverse harem" at the top of its lungs. Except there were two problems there. One, my mental voice sounded a whole lot like Bree. And two, reverse harems required three or more love interests. Archer was not an option.

"Fuck, okay!" Steele shouted. "Calm your tits, Kody. I'm sure she's just downstairs getting coffee." He shot me a curious look as he rolled off me, and I propped my head up with my hand. "Unless she's in my room?" he whispered, "Naked and freshly fucked and looking more gorgeous than I've ever seen her?"

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, I'd only drawn one logical conclusion. Those fuckers had planted a tracker on me somehow.

He scoffed a laugh. "Uh, babe, you were sound asleep with your face in my crotch. I wasn't going fucking anywhere in a hurry." He shot me a wolfish grin. "Might I also point out the extreme restraint I displayed in not getting a boner under your cheek?" I grinned. "Oh yeah? Was that... hard for you?"

"I'm not high-fiving that, Kody. God damn, how do you ever get laid?" Kody's grin was pure arrogance. "Dude, have you seen me? I'm like walking sex." Steele laughed, and I groaned. He wasn't wrong, though.

"Oh, and for the record? That girl with Steele was having a lot of fun." I leaned into Steele more, placing a kiss on his neck tattoo before meeting Archer’s eyes again. "Double orgasm fun, some might say."

"Archer," I said, finding enough strength in my voice to make it a command. "He's got my knife." He scowled at me. "So? I'll get you a new one." I glared back at him. "I don't want a fucking new one. You gave me that one, and I want it back." Bracing

"You're vicious. No wonder Steele calls you Hellcat. Never heard a more appropriate pet name in my life." I scoffed, grinning. "Nonsense, you hear me call Archer 'asshole' all the freaking time."

Humans have infinite, untapped possibilities, and I fully believe we're capable of equally strong emotions for more than one person."

"Come on, Princess," he purred, deliberately poking my feral anger with his use of Archer’s nickname for me, "fuck me like you actually hate me, because we both know you don't."

I tucked the bulk of the knife into the lace band at the top of my stocking, then gasped as the car swerved sharply. "Whoa, what the fuck?" Kody asked from the backseat. "First time driving, bro?"

"Shhh, Kate, I've got you," he whispered in my ear, his huge hands stroking down my spine over and over, his arms holding me tight and totally erasing the crawling feeling of insects. "You're safe, I've got you," he whispered. "I'm never letting you go. Not ever."

"Sorry, brother. You brought this mess on yourself. Maybe you'll think twice next time an in-debt businessman offers to sell his daughter."