Page 88 of The Devil Can Be Kind

“Not until you sayplease.” I smiled sweetly. Tauntingly.

I knew that he wouldn’t. I’d only ever heard the word come out of his mouth twice in the whole time I’d known him…and judging by the sharp snap of his clenched teeth I was pretty confident I was unlikely to hear it again.

“Get out the water now oryourpleas will be next.”

A thrill went down my spine at his insinuation, settling into a warm pool in my stomach.

Damn.I don’t have a good response to that.

Part of me wanted to stay in the water to see what he would do to make good on his promise, but my nervousness won out and I relented after another second.

Irritated, I swung the jet ski closer, and Jesse grabbed the handles, securing the vessel to the docking post. With the help of his hand for balance, I planted my feet firmly back onto the solid wooden slats.

I tried to ignore the embodiment of sex and sin itself as it stood glaring at me less than a few feet away.

Doing my best to appear unaffected by his presence, I undid the life jacket buckles around my waist and unzipped the nylon fabric with deliberate slowness. My strappy black bikini fell into view, and I felt his gaze flick to my chest, which was barely restrained by the fabric.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I crossed the space between us and slapped the sopping wet life jacket against his chest. “Ass,” I muttered, turning away from him with a glare and walking back down the dock in the direction of the house.

By the time sunset came,I had changed into a khaki bandeau maxi dress ready for dinner. I had finished my hair and was just putting the finishing touches to my outfit when voices and footsteps from outside distracted me. I drifted toward the balcony and peered out over the stone ledge, curious as to what was going on.

A cobblestone pathway that spanned the entire side of the villa ran beneath my feet, leading off to several smaller buildings on the property. Some I presumed were staff residences, while another I was pretty certain was a gym.

Standing along the path just below me was Marco, Jesse, and Benny, as well as the normal security personnel and family members. They were engaged in some kind of jovial conversation, but about what I couldn’t be certain.

I really need to learn Italian,I thought bitterly. Another silent curse sent squarely in the direction of my father, wherever he was right now.

After a few minutes of chatter between the men, I heard Marco mutter “Scusa” and the men drift in the direction of the front entrance, their footsteps falling away to the silent evening air.

“I was wondering when you would call.” Marco spoke after a few moments.

I was surprised to hear he was still there, and I couldn’t see or hear anyone else with him.

“I’ve been…busy,” he said in a bored tone to whatever the person on the other end of the phone was saying.

Five seconds passed again before he then murmured, “Oh, is that so?”

I bristled.

He no longer sounded bored and irritated, but his voice took on a lustful edge that told me what I was hearing was anything but a business call—it was a booty call.

“And what are you wearing now?”Are you for fucking real!

This only cemented how right I’d been to stop the other night when I did. Before we had crossed that line.

God knows where I would be right now if I hadn’t.

When I told Marco that I had been with only two men, I hadn’t been lying. I just omitted a few details... Like how I’d only had sex twice in my whole life and how onlyoneof those times had been consensual. The sad thing was that the man who’d asked my consent was the one that had found himself with abullet in the head. The other? He was allowed to live because ofwhohe was.

That was why I had stopped it, because it could never bejust sexto someone like me.

It was the reason anger and hurt coiled under my skin now, hearing him talk to someone else like nothing happened between us.

I shook my head refusing to think about it any further.

“Fine. Give me an hour.” Marco said and cut the call.

I couldn’t see him from my position hidden behind the stone, but I could hear a heavy sigh and curses leave his lips. Then the distinct sound of his footsteps trailing away toward the house.

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