Page 29 of Ride with the Devil

“Anyway,” he adds, “it’s not that weird. My friend comes out to the cabin with his wife when they want to get away from the city. He’s not taking prisoners, either.”

I peek at the handcuffs again. “Those are theirs? The chains, too?” At Luca’s nod, I admit, “Okay. That makes a lot more sense why they’d be down here. If there’s one thing I can say about me, it’s that I don’t yuck another couple’s yum.”

“Couple?” he echoes. His Adam’s apple bobs. “You, uh… you involved with some?” His striking green eyes flicker to my hand. “Is that the ‘H’?”

Wouldn’t he like to know?

I offer him a sly smile. “What’s the matter, Luca? Didn’t you do your research before you took me? Or after?”

“How? I don’t even know your name.”

He did something nice for me. Sure, it’s the least he can do after he tossed me in a trunk and chained me up in here, but I’m in a much better mood now that I know how easy it’s going to be to manipulate this guy.

I decide to play the game with him just a little.

Shaking my pointer finger I at him, I tell him, “Uh uh. I see what you’re doing. You ask me if I’m seeing someone. Not because you give a shit, but because you’re trying to figure out if someone’s gonna come looking for me.”

“What? No, I?—”

See? Easy.

“Okay. You don’t have to torture me or anything for the info, ace. I’ll tell you.”

“Torture? Who said anything about torture?”

I give him a look that sayshedid. “My parents live in Florida. I have a sister. She’s married. Second time around, and we’re all hoping this one will work out. Me? I’ve never been married. Haven’t had a serious relationship since college.” All true. The thing about being whoever the clients expect you to be? As amusing as that is, sometimes I just want to be myself. Why not now? “I went to Rutgers. That’s in New Jersey. Got a BA in history, but not my MRS. I’m only twenty-six, though, so, like, what’s the rush? My job takes me everywhere so I don’t have a boss looking for me, either. I’m the best chick you could’ve picked to steal. So how’s that? Satisfied?”

His forehead wrinkles. “You’ll tell me all that, but not your name?”

That’s right, buddy. Keep up.

“I did say you need to earn it.” I jerk my chin at him. “So why don’t you tell me something about yourself so I don’t just keep thinking of you as my creepy captor.”

The ‘creepy’ was a nice touch. I know from the way he winces that he’ll tell me just as much as I did—and, like me, it’ll be all true.

“Okay. We’re going to be spending the time together, so it’s only fair. My name’s Luca. Luca St. James. I’m twenty-seven. I don’t have any family. Not anymore,” he says, and that sparks my interest. Are they dead? No contact? Interesting, especially when he adds, “Not unless you count the Sinners.”

Luca has been standing this whole time, standing next to the cot once he laid out all of the clothes near my feet. For the first town, he lowers himself so that we’re on the same level. “If I can’t get you to prove to Devil that you’ll keep quiet, he’ll kill you, and I’ll feel bad about that. Oh, and I’m single, too.”

Completely disregarding the part about how his boss wants me dead, I grin over at him. “Hitting on me, ace?”

He hurries to his feet. “What? No.”

“Pity.” And I mean it. “Well, now that we’ve gotten our introductions out of the way, I’d like to get dressed. Close your eyes if you want. I don’t care. But I am dropping the towel.”

I give him a moment to turn around or close his eyes. When he doesn’t—whether because he thinks I’m bluffing, or he hopes I’m not—I swallow my smile. Oh, yeah. He’s definitely attracted to me.

Good.

I drop the towel, reaching for a pair of panties. Lifting my ass up off the cot, Luca swallows roughly as my bare tits bounce with the motion as I shimmy the panties into place.

“Well?” His voice is strangled, and it really is a pity that his gaze seems pinned to a point over my head now. “Do they fit?”

“Perfectly,” I purr. Then, taking pity on the guy, I snag a shit and pull it on over y head so that I’m just as covered as I was before. “So… how does this work? I just stay down here?”

His eyes meet mine. “Until I believe you when you say you won’t escape.”

“I won’t.”

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