Page 30 of Bought and Broken

He nods, putting it on the small table between the two chairs that are by the stairs.

Tatum grabs the towel off the railing and opens it up, gesturing for me to get out of the pool with a slight jerk of his chin toward the steps. As I hold his gaze, I realize this may be easier than I thought. If he’s going to be nice to me, maybe being nice to him will come automatically. It’s not in my nature to be mean to people; Tate brings that out in me.

I just have to keep in mind there’s likely an ulterior motive. I’m not convinced he’s doing this because he’s in love with me and wants me back. Tatum was at the auction with no idea I would be there. He was there to purchase a woman for the weekend—a woman who wasn’t me. So long as I keep my heart out of it, I should be fine.

Chapter Fifteen

Tatum

Keeping my eyes off Devon is more difficult than I expected. I’ve seen her in a bathing suit plenty of times in our lives, but not recently. Not since her body got so goddamn curvy… What was I thinking buying her a bikini? Especially when I had to guess her size—which I think I guessed too small. Her tits are spilling out.

And to make matters worse, because why would she make things easy for me?, she’s moaning around each bite of pizza, which has me rock hard in my pants. I so badly want to excuse myself to get a drink so the damn thing will deflate, but if I get up, she’s going to notice the tent in my pants when I walk by her.

“God, I missed this.”

For a second, I think she means us. Then I realize there’s no way she’d think that because she hates me.

“It’s a benefit of having a place here,” I say when I catch on that she’s talking about the pizza and not our relationship—or lack thereof.

“I’ll say.”

She reaches for her third slice, and I smile at how carefree she is.

Devon has never worried about what people think of her. She’s always loved food and isn’t afraid to say it—and she certainly isn’t afraid to eat as much as she wants. Her confidence is both irritating and admirable.

I pull my attention from her and focus on the pizza in my hand. I need to stay on guard. Stop thinking things between us will really change. We haven’t even been together a full day yet and already she’s pulling me under her spell—just like she did last time.

I refuse to fall for her tricks again. It’s easy to let my guard down around her. She sounds genuine all the time. She’s always so nice. Devon is a goddamn temptress of the worst kind. She’s a venomous snake that’ll bite you when you least expect it. Sometimes you don’t even feel the bite until it’s too late. Until the venom is seeping through your veins, slowly killing you.

Devon can’t be trusted, no matter how sweet and innocent she looks or acts. I should tattoo this on my forehead so I don’t forget. It’s likely I will because she’s just that good. Being away from her helps; we never spend so much time together. This weekend is going to be a true test of my will. Maybe even more torture for me than it is for her.

I expect her to dig at me about why I bought her since we aren’t fighting, but she doesn’t. She makes a comment here and there about the food or Chicago and I respond in kind. When she’s done eating, she lounges back, closing her eyes with a smile on her face and her hand on her stomach.

Good sign. What I’m doing is working. She’s content. Comfortable. Happy.

“Does this mean you’ll stop fighting me now?” I ask.

She squints an eye open to look at me. “Not entirely, but you’re safe for a little while.”

“I’ll take it,” I say as I close the pizza box.

Her eye falls shut. I take the opportunity to get to my feet and grab the pizza box.

“I’m going to put this inside. Do you need anything?”

“Wine would be nice,” she says, eyes still closed and smiling at the sky.

Wine is probably a bad idea. But fuck it.

I put the pizza in the fridge, grab two glasses and a bottle of wine from the wine fridge. My phone rings in my pocket, so I put down the wine and glasses to check who it is. When I see Dane’s name, I consider ignoring it, but feel bad since I’m already lying to him.

What if he needs something?

“What’s up?” I answer.

“Just checking in,” he says. “Your dick fall off yet?”

I chuckle. “Nah, not yet.”

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