Reapers Sweet Obsession

chapter three

Mia stirred the thick batter with more force than necessary, the wooden spoon scraping loudly against the metal bowl. The club kitchen felt both too big and too small at the same time. Raven sat on a stool nearby, flipping through her phone while keeping one eye on the doorway.

“You’re really good at that,” Raven said, trying to make conversation. “The guys are going to swarm this place once the smell hits.”

Mia didn’t smile. She kept her eyes on the bowl.

“I just want to stay busy,” Mia muttered. “It helps me think.”

Raven nodded but didn’t push. She seemed to understand that Mia needed time.

The oven timer beeped. Mia pulled out a tray of golden chocolate chip cookies. The warm, sweet smell filled the kitchen and drifted down the hallway. Within minutes, footsteps approached. Two club members appeared in the open doorway.

“Damn, something smells good,” one of them said, a younger guy with a short beard.

The other grinned. “New girl can bake? Prez really hit the jackpot.”

Mia stepped back quickly, pressing herself against the counter. Her heart hammered. These were the same kind of men her mother had warned her about.She remembered Reaper’s rule about staying away from the men and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Raven stood up. “Back off, boys. Give her space. These aren’t ready yet anyway.”

The men chuckled but didn’t push further. They lingered for another moment, stealing glances at Mia, before Raven shooed them away. When they were gone, Mia let out a shaky breath.

“I hate this,” she whispered. “I feel like an animal in a zoo.”

Raven’s expression softened. “It’ll take time. They’re curious. Reaper claiming you publicly like that… it’s big news around here.”

Mia’s stomach twisted. “He didn’t claim me. He kidnapped me.”

Before Raven could reply, heavier footsteps echoed down the hall. Mia knew that stride already. Reaper appeared in the doorway, filling the frame. His dark eyes locked on her immediately. He looked tense, with a fresh streak of grease on his forearm like he had been working on bikes.

The air in the kitchen changed. Mia gripped the edge of the counter, her knuckles turning white. Even though he stood several feet away, his presence pressed down on her. She remembered his hand around her throat that first night. The way he had lifted her like she weighed nothing. The gun in his hand.

“Smells good in here,” Reaper said. His gaze moved slowly over the trays of cookies, then back to Mia’s face. He didn’t step closer, but the intensity in his stare made her feel trapped all the same.

Mia swallowed hard. “Raven helped.”

Raven cleared her throat. “I’ll give you two a minute.” She slipped out, leaving them alone.

Reaper leaned one broad shoulder against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. The President patch on his vest seemed to stand out more than ever. “You’ve been busy.”

“I needed something to do.” Mia’s voice came out quieter than she wanted. She hated how small she felt around him. “Am I… allowed to do this?”

“You’re allowed. I told you the kitchen is yours.” He nodded toward the cookies. “The boys will fight over those.”

Mia stayed silent. She turned back to the counter and started transferring the cookies to a cooling rack, trying to ignore the way her skin prickled with awareness. She could feel him watching her every move.

After a long pause, Reaper spoke again. “You still scared of me.”

Mia froze. It wasn’t a question. She didn’t deny it. Her hands trembled slightly as she picked up another cookie.

“Good,” he continued

“You should be. I’m not a nice man, Mia. I’ve done things that would give you nightmares. But I meant what I said. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She finally looked at him. “Then why won’t you let me go home?”

Reaper’s dark eyes held hers without blinking. “Because the Vipers saw your car at the warehouse. Word travels fast on these streets. If they connect you to what happened, they’ll come looking. And they won’t be as… understanding as I am.”

Mia felt a chill run down her spine. She thought about her little bakery in, the morning regulars who always ordered the same things, the quiet life she had built far away from this violence. Now it all felt so far away.

“I have a life,” she said, her voice was cracking. “Employees. Bills. People who will notice I’m gone.”

“I already have prospects watching your shop from a distance. Your assistant opened this morning like normal. No one knows anything yet.”

The fact that he had people near her bakery both relieved and terrified her. He had reached into every part of her world without permission.

“Why me?” she whispered. “You could have let me run. Or… worse.”

Reaper’s gaze darkened. He studied her curves, the flour on her cheek, the way she tried to make herself smaller. “Because the second I saw you standing there in that warehouse, holding those pink boxes something snapped. You don’t belong in this filth. But now you’re in it. And I protect what’s mine.”

“I’m not yours,” Mia said quickly, with fear sharpening her words.

A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips. “Not yet. But you will get used to being here, sugar. You’ll get used to me.” His voice lowered to a teasing growl. “And one day, you might even stop looking at me like I’m about to eat you alive.”

Mia’s cheeks burned. She looked away, focusing on the cookies again. Her heart raced too fast. She hated the strange flutter his words caused in her stomach

Reaper stayed in the doorway for another minute, just watching her. Finally, he straightened. “Tank will bring lunch soon. Eat something real. Not just cookies”

He turned to leave but paused. “And Mia?”

She looked up.

“No more trying to figure out how to run. The gates are locked. The walls are high. And if you somehow made it out…” His eyes gleamed. “I’d enjoy hunting you down.”

With that teasing warning hanging in the air, he walked away.

Mia let out a shaky breath and leaned heavily against the counter. Her legs felt weak. She touched her throat where his hand had been that first night.

Raven returned a few minutes later, eyebrows raised. “He say anything scary?”

“Everything about him is scary,” Mia answered honestly.

The rest of the afternoon dragged on. Mia baked more than anyone could possibly eat. The sweet smells drew club members past the kitchen in a steady stream. They were respectful enough, thanks to Reaper’s reputation, she guessed, but their curious stares made her skin crawl. This was not her world. These were not her people.

When evening came, Reaper returned to the room with her. He didn’t speak much. He showered, changed into a clean shirt, and settled on the couch with his laptop, working on something.Mia curled up on the far side of the bed, fully dressed, with her back to him.

She could feel his eyes on her occasionally.

The teasing tension in the air was almost worse than outright fear. It left her wondering what he was thinking and What he was planning.

Outside, rain started falling and Mia lay awake long after Reaper’s breathing became even out on the couch.

She was still scared.

But now, underneath the fear, something else was starting to stir, a dangerous curiosity about the ruthless man who had stolen her life and seemed determined to keep it.