Page 54 of Sinful Games

When the final cards were revealed, it felt like I was watching a slasher flick’s goriest scene.

Lucifer had won,of course.He leaned back in his chair, looking like a sadistic chess master. Damn it, Romaniev! My stomach churned as I watched him bask in his victory. I was stuck here, caught in the crossfire of his sinful game, with my whole plan going up in flames.

I shot up from my chair, my heart pounding as if I'd been caught in a trap.

I weaved through the crowd, snatching a last glass of champagne and chugging it like it was either my ticket out of this mess or a delicious poison that’d finally set me free. The sharp, fizzy sting of the alcohol did nothing to calm the storm brewing inside me.

As I descended the stairs, my high heels clacked loudly, each step amplifying my growing panic. I tilted my head back, trying to pull my thoughts together, when suddenly, a rough hand gripped my arm and yanked me off balance. My skin crawled as I was dragged down a dark hallway, each shadow feeling like it was out to get me.

I barely had a second to register the barely lit room I was shoved into before the door slammed shut behind me.

He flicked on the light, but I kept my back turned because, let’s be real, even the brightest lights couldn’t burn Lucifer out of existence.

The muffled sounds of the party faded into nothingness, swallowed by the heavy, oppressive silence of the room, punctuated only by his deep, steady breathing. I could practicallyfeel the heat radiating from him, making the space feel unbearably tight.

The room, however, was anything but tight. It was enormous, dominated by a huge round table surrounded by at least twenty chairs. This had to be where the Silas plotted their brilliant schemes—scamming the clueless and crushing the hopeful.

“Are you really this dumb, or do you just get off on making me lose my shit?”

I stayed silent, arms crossed, my heels clicking against the floor. He closed the distance, step by step, until his breath was warm against my neck.

“One night you’re begging me to kiss you, and the next, I find you in my own damn casino with some random bastard’s hands all over you.” His lips brushed against my ear, the sensation sending a surge of heat deep between my legs. The warmth of his breath was a stark contrast to the icy venom in his words.

His fingers slid possessively around my hips, pulling me closer until I could feel the searing heat of his body through the thin fabric of my dress. My eyes fluttered shut. His lips brushed along my neck, and all I wanted was to turn around and feel the devil’s lips on mine again.

“I knew you were a tease, baby,” he murmured, pressing his lips against the sensitive skin behind my ear. “But I didn’t know you were also a whore.”

I shot my eyes open and shoved myself away from him, slamming a good distance between us before turning around to face him. My chest was heaving, breaths coming in short, angry gasps.

“You freaking bastard,” I spat, my hands clenched into fists. “Are you seriously this twisted?”

He took a stepcloser.

I took a step back.

His eyes darkened. “Am I wrong, Caia?”

Anger surged up my throat, almost choking me. “Ihateyou.”

His mouth twitched.

He took another step closer, and I instinctively moved back again.

“What the hell are you doing in my casino, in the middle of the night, with some Italian bastard all over you?” He took a step closer, and I backed up until I hit the wall. “Is he the husband you’re trying to bag, or just another loser you’re whoring yourself out to?”

I let out a dark, almost malicious laugh. “Thought you had me all figured out? Guess you don’t get Francesco’s appeal, but if I were actually going towhoremyself out, I’d pick someone like him over you any day. I wouldn’t touch you again even with a stick, considering how repulsive you are.”

His hands slammed against the wall on either side of my head, his eyes so dark they seemed like voids swallowing up any hint of blue. This was the monster in his true form—the killer he really was.

I reached up, letting my finger trace along his tight, chiseled jawline. It felt like running my finger against a razor.

I rose on my tiptoes, my lips brushing his ear.

“You wanna know why I ran from your place last night?” I whispered, my hands sliding down to his chest, nails digging into his suit like claws, desperate for support or maybe just to hurt him back. “It’s because you’re so fucking disgusting, I couldn’t stand being near you for another second. I had to get out and never look back.”

I wasn’t the type to curse before—not like this. But Lucifer had stirred something in me, something dark and twisted that I hadn’t realized was buried deep inside. It was terrifying,sure. But in a way, it was freeing too, like releasing a demon I didn’t know I had. And once it was out, there was no turning back.

A rough, guttural sound tore from his chest as he pushed himself off the wall, his cheeks burning red, that thick vein in his neck pulsing like it was about to burst. His whole body was trembling with barely contained rage, his eyes narrowing on me like he was ready to snap any second.

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