Page 25 of Ruthless Savage

My pulse gallops in my throat, and my heart practically weeps. But I tuck those emotions in, that inexplicable longing, and I hide behind it.

His harsh expression softens just a fragment before it returns to its previous state.

I hate it. I hate everything about this.

I want to scream. Cry. I want to hate the world. Not even because he will never choose me, but because my father will eventually choose my husband, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Devlin was my only shot at happiness, and he’s never going to change his mind about us.

His eyes narrow while I try to stop looking at how handsome he is. A dark navy suit jacket is fitted over his white dress shirt with a button popped open. So insanely attractive, it hurts to look at him.

He assesses me with deep concentration, a furrow between his brows, not a hint of the seductive man who made me show him my body yesterday. He’s back to his broody self.

He glances down at my foot. “How is it?”

“Fine.” I exhale dramatically and speed past him. “Let’s go. I have things to do.”

“Like what?” He appears before me in an instant, his palms rounding my hips as he takes me into his arms like I weigh nothing.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“Carrying you. If you’re still in pain and can’t go to class, it must still be bad. Wouldn’t want you to make it worse.”

I roll my eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” His mouth tremors.

“What are you gonna do about it? Dress me again?”

He grunts. “Don’t bring that up.”

I arch a brow. “Why? Regretting it?”

“I regret nothing.” The thick vein in his neck throbs. “But we’re done with that. I’m here to keep you safe. That’s all this will ever be.”

“Yeah, I got the message.” My teeth grind as he carries me out the entrance and down a flight of stairs before we make it to the parking lot.

He opens the passenger side door and settles me in like I weigh nothing. As he clips my seat belt, his eyes hold mine for a moment, and I almost forget where we are.

He blinks away the flaming connection between us, rounding the SUV before entering and putting the car into drive.

My body deflates like a balloon.

Is it always going to be this way?

We’re on the road in no time, and I hate being this close to him, smelling the woodsy cologne in the air, remembering the way he looked between my thighs when he put my leggings on. Placing one leg over the other, I attempt to quench the desire coursing through me. I take in each silent breath to relax myself, but it’s no use, not when he’s this near.

My cell rings in my bag, and I’m relieved at the disruption. I find Karen’s name on the screen.

“Hey! How did it go last night?” I glance at Devlin from my periphery.

“Well…after you ditched Adam, he needed a shoulder to cry on, and I had one he liked.” She giggles.

“Oh my God,” I whisper. “No, you didn’t.”

“Sure did, and man, was he good. You really missed out on a great fuck.”

My cheeks bloom with heat as she continues.

“He would’ve popped your cherry, and you would’ve loved it.”

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