Page 34 of The Devil's Deal

And for you, baby girl, they’re about to be.

If she only knew how much her life is about to change and how much her father had to do with it, she’d run. Or maybe she wouldn’t. I haven’t quite figured her out yet. But running wouldn’t help. I’ll always find her.

I wonder if she ever thinks about the boy I once was. Whether she regrets what she said.

Did our friendship mean anything? Did I ever matter?

I steel my jaw, waving to the bartender to order another drink, needing to burn away the scars of our past.

As I watch her watching me, I can’t help but smile. I look forward to the moment when she realizes who I really am. When everything she thinks she knows is ripped apart.

“You really don’t have a boyfriend?” I ask, even though I already know she doesn’t.

She shakes her head. Her expression is kind of broken, and my stupid heart feels it too.

“Would I be here flirting with you if I had one?” Her face is easygoing again, traces of unhappiness now gone.

“Thatwas flirting?” I tease with a smirk.

Her lips twitch as she shoves her boot into my calf, and my hand snaps for her ankle, clutching it hard as our eyes connect.

Her narrowed gaze squeezes every ounce of my desire to feel her writhing under me while I give her the kind of punishment I’ve been aching to give her for years.

“You must be lonely,” I say, letting go of her foot, needing to calm the savagery lurking in the dark.

She circles her finger around the edge of her glass, looking absently into her drink as though it holds the answer to whatever is on her mind.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Brian Smith.” She grins as she looks up at me with a hint of straight, white teeth. “Is that a real name, by the way? It sounds fake as hell.”

I chuckle low. She doesn’t realize how right she is.

Don’t worry, Chiara Bianchi. You’ll know my name soon enough, and you’ll wish you hadn’t.

“Do you always insult people you just met, or am I just lucky?”

“Don’t be so sensitive.” Her mouth pulls into a teasing smile. “It doesn’t suit you.”

I grab the side of her chair and pull her harshly close to me until her knees hit mine. Her eyes tangle with my gaze as I lean into her neck, inhaling the scent of her floral perfume. My nose traces up the column of her neck until I get to her ear.

“How would you know what suits me, Chiara? Hmm?” I question with a low growl as my other hand lands on her thigh, my fingers wrapping tightly as she pants, her breathing intensifying.

She may be in charge at the club, but not with me.

I own her, and she doesn’t even know it.

This is all part of my plan, I convince myself.Make her want me until she realizes what I’m about to do to her.

I pull back, scanning her parted lips and heavy-lidded eyes. She’s so damn sexy, and even more so now that she’s turned on.

Fuck, I want this woman. I want the sound of her voice, broken and bruised, just as much as my heart was all those years ago when she threw away our friendship like it meant nothing.

“You…ah…” she stammers, rising to her feet. “I…I need to get back to work now.” Her eyes turn to slits as she assesses me. “It was nice meeting you, Mr.Smith.”

I get up too, lifting her hand to my mouth. “The pleasure has been all mine.”

She begins strutting away, her hand drifting away from mine while she peers back at me over her shoulder.

“Chiara, one more thing,” I call.

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