Page 10 of Dangerous Devotion

“You’re infuriating, you know that?” she says. “You talk in circles but never get to a point.”

“You want me to get to a point? Okay, here’s a point. I can’t sleep either, because I’m thinking about you, how you wound up in my path, what it means and how to make you mine.”

Her pupils dilate and her cheeks flush.

“Is that all?” she asks, almost meekly now.

“No.”

“What else?”

“How I’ve got a bet with myself that if you’d let me, I could make you come in three minutes or less, anytime, anyplace.”

I see her bristle at my word choice and wait for her to call it out. But I can see that the thought excites and confuses her. She doesn’t recoil, doesn’t storm out or reach over to slap me. I watch the flush creep up her neck. I see her body heats in response to my words, to the way I look at her.

I decide to put her out of her misery. “I’ve never accepted that kind of payment and I don’t plan to. You’d enjoy it though, if I took you up on the offer. A night with you would be worth sixteen thousand and more. Don’t sell yourself short. In fact, don’t sell yourself at all.”

“Would Phil take the deal?” she says, almost choking on the words.

“Not if he wants to keep breathing,” I answer darkly.

“What do you mean?” Serena is puzzled by my swift response.

“I mean if he lays a hand on you, I’ll notify his next of kin to pick up his remains myself,” I say clearly. “Because I will tear him apart with my bare hands.”

“Why?”

“Nobody takes advantage of you, Serena. Not on my watch. And nobody is going to make you compromise yourself. I’ll fucking kill them if they try.”

“You’re acting like you have to protect me. I fight my own battles.” She crosses her arms, her cheeks still flushed.

“You have until now. I’ll clear the debt. You tell Foz to give you whatever we owe you for working this week. Walk away. Go home, tell your dad this is the end of the line, no more bailing him out. Finish school or whatever. I don’t want to see you back here. I’ll make sure he’s turned away if he tries to come back. No go,” I shove my hand through my hair in frustration.

I need her the hell out of my sight. The sooner the better.

“I don’t need charity,” she protests.

“I can afford it.”

“I can pay my own way—”

“Get out of here.” I practically growl it at her.

“I didn’t come in here looking for a handout,” she says defiantly.

“It’s your only option, Serena. Take the offer and run. Don’t look back. You don’t belong here, and I was an idiot to give you a job. Stay far away from this joint and cut your dad loose. You deserve to have a life, start over free and clear.”

“I’m not a kid,” she says, still protesting.

“If you don’t get out of this office right now, you’re going to get a lot more than a handout,” I practically roar at her, shooting to my feet and rounding the desk.

I grab her arm, warm, soft skin sears my palm like I’ve grabbed molten steel. I make a noise, a throttled gasp that catches in my throat. She steps in toward me, her eyes blazing, instead of trying to pull out of my grip like any sensible person would.

“You want me to leave because you’re afraid what you’ll do if I stay,” she says.

“Serena,” my voice is rough, a low warning. “You need to leave.”

One hand grips her upper arm, the other fists at my side as I try to white knuckle my way through waves of something intoxicating. It’s not just lust. Lust is my old friend, and this is nothing like it. I want to gather her in my arms and protect her. I want to jerk her jeans down and bend her over Ronnie’s desk, rail her right there on top of the papers, watch her scrabble for purchase frantically with her fingertips as I stuff her full of me.

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