Page 44 of The Devil's Vice

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… hurt you.” She says the word like she’s not quite sure if I’m capable of the emotion. I wish she’d take the dagger at my waist and ram it through my useless heart instead.

“It’s not your fault, flower. I’m… it’s been a while since someone touched me.” I can’t say anything else, afraid I might ask her to do it again. She stands at my side while I fit the mask onto my face, and my skin warms where her gaze rests on my profile.

“Does it hurt? The mask, I mean.” She sounds hesitant. I made her reluctant.

I have to fix this. “It does. But it adds to my mystique, so I think it’s worth it.”

A smile tips her pretty pink lips. “Are you trying to make a joke?”

I don’t know. Would you laugh if I was? “Maybe.”

She throws her head back, and the most joyous sound I’ve ever heard echoes in the clearing. Like sunlight shining down on a field of blooming magnolia trees.

“You’re a strange cookie. Anyone ever told you that?”

First, it’s ducks, then the lettuce thing, now cookies? “You have a lot of sayings.”

“I’m going to assume that’s a no.”

I cock my head, considering her earlier question. “People don’t say much to me.”

“I wonder why that is.” Her lips tilt with that gorgeous little smile. “So is this what you do for fun? Household chores?”

My brows furrow. “Fun?”

She smacks her forehead. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Fine, do you do anything that’s not work?”

I take a moment to think. She’s trying to make conversation, and that should make me feel better. I just wish her questions were catered to anything other than me. “Sometimes I go to a lake nearby. It’s nice. Peaceful.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Her teeth flash in a genuine smile, and my heart stutters. You’re so beautiful, Lillith. I don’t know why the gods blessed the earth with you, but they should be thanked.

“Do you want to see it?” The question falls from my lips before I have time to think better of it. I don’t regret it, though, not when it makes her eyes light like that.

“Only if you want to show me.” She’s hesitant, and I’m sure it has to do with my earlier reaction. “How far is it?”

I palm the leash dangling loosely from her neck, running my thumb over the thick leather strap. “We’ll take my bike. It’ll be faster that way. Come on.” I give the leash a gentle tug, only this time, she doesn’t protest when I lead her toward my bike.

“Holy shit. This is beautiful.” Her words are hushed as she gazes out at the expanse of the lake, taking in the towering cypress and cattails lining the perimeter of the oasis. Her reaction is wholly different from the first time I saw this place, and—not for the first time—I wish I could see the world through her eyes. How beautiful, how colorful it must be.

It is a marvel, I suppose, that such a magnificent display of nature resides here, not fifty miles from the city. I just was never able to see it as anything other than a hole filled with water.

“Can you swim in it?”

Her quiet voice makes me jerk, and I force my eyes away from her profile, not having realized I was openly staring at her. Shit, what did she just ask me?

“I suppose you could,” I muse, looking out at the crystal-clear water. “I never have, though.” I never had a reason to. Not until you.

“Can we?” she asks, her eyes bright.

I could never deny you anything that makes you smile like that.

“Yes,” I say, gripping the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head in one swift movement. My skin is hot where her eyes roam, and I don’t need to look at her to know she’s taking in all the scars and the swirls of ink that fail to conceal them.

“You’re staring again.” I raise a brow at her, and her cheeks turn pink. You’re so fucking cute, it hurts. “You coming?”

Without waiting, I turn and stalk toward the edge of the lake, listening as her steps hurry after me. I don’t have to worry about her running off—we’re deep in the forest, and there’s no way she’d be able to find her way back to the road, not if she tried for a month.

I rip my shorts off, tossing them on the bank before wading into the water. When I’m waist deep, I turn to face her and am surprised to see her still clothed.

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