Page 24 of Wrecked By a Devil

“Gee, thanks,” I roll my eyes before continuing. “I just grew up in a family that was incredibly poor. Living like that, with the feeling of being unsafe 24/7 taught me to fight back. And eventually wanting to build a life that I could be proud of.”

“So that’s why you’re trying so hard…”

“I guess so.”

“And that’s why your manners are so bad and you haven’t even offered me a glass of water.” His joke breaks the serious mood of the conversation and I laugh unwillingly.

“Next time don’t come in uninvited and you won’t have to worry about any of this.”

“I know how you can pay me back for that favor you owe me.” His eyes light up as he leans in closer, his elbows resting on his knees. I notice his movements are a little stiff because of his wound, but he does a great job pretending he’s not in pain.

“How?” I copy his posture, realizing how big of a mistake it is only when our faces are barely inches apart and I can smell the mint on his breath.

“Do you really think you can handle what I’ll ask of you?” His voice is deep, barely a whisper.

“I can handle anything,” I’m not sure where this bold persona is coming from but there’s an inexplainable pull coming from him,making me both terrified and curious. I bite my lip as his eyes fall lower, tracing the line of my cleavage.

“You might regret saying that.” He looks up again and when our eyes meet, it becomes hard to breathe. “So be careful.”

“I think I could say the same thing,” I lean in even closer and now I can feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. I swallow, realizing he’s probably right about me regretting this later.

“Bring it on, Riley,” he says. “Give it your best shot.”

“I’m ready when you are,” I grin.

“I want you to go topless and play with your breasts.” He licks his lips, not breaking the eye contact.

“You’re crazier than I thought!” I snap back, regretting the promise I made a few minutes ago immediately.

“Am I?” He raises an eyebrow. “It’s harmless, you do all the touching and I just sit here and watch you do it. Also, you just said that you can handle anything.”

“Anything normal!” For whatever reason, my heart starts beating faster at the thought of getting undressed and having Ezekiel watch me play with my own breasts. “Why did you think of this of all things?”

“Why not? It’s a fun way to charge for a favor.”

I remember the warmth of his skin as I was patching his wound. It was incredibly soft for such a big and rough guy, and I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have it pressed on my bare skin.

What the hell, Riley?

“This is crazy,” I sigh, but a part of me wonders what it would feel like. I know I should have thought it through before playing into his game but it’s too late to back down now. “If I agree to do this, will you leave me alone afterwards?”

All I know is that I need to end this as quickly as possible and get away from Ezekiel. I don’t like the way my body reacts to his proximity, I don’t like the how distracting the bulge in his pants is, and I most certainly don’t like the thought of what could happen if I don’t distance myself on time.

“I will leave you alone,” he agrees, making my heart drop.

Get yourself together!

“And no touching?” Even though the thought of his hands on my body earlier almost made me dizzy, it’s not something I want. It’s not something I should want either.

“No touching, I promise,” he raises both arms dramatically.

“In that case,” I only realize how weak in my knees I’m feeling when I get up from the chair. “Let’s go to my room and get this over with.”

CHAPTER TEN

Ezekiel

Riley’s room is suffocatingly small. She barely has enough space to move between the furniture and the whole setting forces us into a proximity that I didn’t expect. But the place is incredibly clean and organized, considering how busy Riley is.