Page 142 of Hateful Games

“Rose.”

“Fine. Sometimes. I get carried away with wri… I mean, stuff.”

“Are the dogs hungry too?” I ask, glancing at the trio.

“Of course not.” She narrows her gaze like I offended her. “They eat two times a day. And if you’re done with the interrogation, I have a lot to finish.”

“Are you planning to organize all your books?” I question in disbelief, staring pointedly at the two large unopened boxes. The sun will be up and she still won’t be done. “Just how many do you have?”

“Not enough,” she complains.

I have an addict on my hands.

“You can set up the rest tomorrow.”

Her spine goes ramrod and she shakes her head. “I can’t until tomorrow. I’ll become distracted with reading and waste another day.”

“Fine. I’ll help.”

She crosses her arms. “Hell no.”

“I’m not going to burn them all, Rose,” I retort, pinching her waist. She rubs the spot with a sour face. My gaze draws to her cherry red lips.

“What do you mean not all?”

I flick my eyes to hers. “I value my life. I’m not harming your books ever again. Happy?”

“I’ll just make you buy all of them.”

“I’ll buy you more books anyways,” I promise instead. “Now, will you let me help you?”

“Okay.”

“But first, I’m getting you fed. We’ll order in. What do you want to have?”

Holding her sideways in my arms, I pull out my phone from my pants pocket and scroll to the food ordering app. Rose’s soft breath teases the side of my face as she comes closer and bends to look at my phone.

“I’m craving pasta. There’s a perfect Italian restaurant in your locality that is my fave.”

Stealing my phone, she types the name and sighs happily when it shows they do deliveries. I watch with amusement when she goes back and forth several times before selecting white sauce pasta without mushrooms, garlic bread, and an iced tea.

Once satisfied, she passes it back to me. “You can add yours.”

I quickly add mine and complete the order. Rising to my full height, I keep her caged in my embrace and lower my head. “Shower with me.”

“What? No.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re not lovers.”

“Yet I’ve already seen you naked.”

“That was coercion.”

“That’s why I asked,” I say and tilt her head back with my hand around her throat. Brushing my lips over hers, I rasp, “But if you’d rather be coerced, I’m all game, Rose.”

“Not what I meant, you perv.”

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