Page 9 of Pray for the Damned

I’ve only ever been addicted to one thing in my life, and that now she’s standing in front of me, I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to life in the shadows of her life.

The blush that spanned her cheeks and throat was almost too much for me to handle, but somehow I managed to get control of my emotions for long enough for her to get back behind the bar. I’ve only ever had her eyes on me once before, but now that I’ve had them again, I can’t imagine going back to never having the stunning green staring back at me ever again.

I swallow heavily and run a hand through my hair.

I’m fucking lucky she didn’t recognize me.

But I’m also kind of pissed that she didn’t.

That that night isn’t burned into her memory like it is in mine.

I’m distracted from my thoughts as she crosses the floor toward the table with a tray in her hand and a single glass balancing in the center. She doesn’t need to focus on what she’s doing like she is, given she’s used to balancing much more than one drink at her diner job, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say she’s trying to avoid looking at me.

She stops a few inches from the edge of the table and carefully places my fresh glass on the tabletop. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Take a seat.” I nod toward the other side of the booth. It’s more of an order than it is a question, but it finally makes her flick her eyes up to meet mine.

“Oh, I should really get back to work.” Her gaze darts back to Abigail behind the bar before settling back on me.

“Sit.” This time I feed more authority into my tone, and she slips into the booth without hesitation.

Ah, good to know. My sweet temptress follows orders as beautifully as I had hoped she would.

Her eyes fall to the table as she folds her hands in her lap with her shoulders hunched.

For long moments I just watch her. The way her chest rises and falls with each breath she takes. The way her hair brushes over her soft skin. How there’s the slightest tremble that runs through her body every now and then.

There’s a part of me, and not a small part, that’s thrilled I affect her so much, just like she always has me, even when she’d long forgotten that I existed.

I take a long drink from the glass she’s just brought to the table, keeping my eyes locked on her as I consider how I’m going to play this.

For years I thought I’d be able to stay away from her. I thought that watching from the shadows would be enough for me and that I could let her live her life. Let her make her own decisions. But I realize now that was a pipe dream. Now that I’ve had her pretty green eyes staring back at me, I can’t think of anything else but having her on her knees staring up at me while my cock is lodged in her throat and she gags around me.

My cock jerks behind my zipper, and I bite the inside of my cheek to smother the groan that tries to escape from my throat. Just having her this close is a test on my barely-there control.

“You’re nervous,” I say.

A half laugh bubbles from her throat, and her eyes pop up to meet mine. “You could say that.”

“Why?”

Her head tilts to the side like the answer to the question is obvious. “This is my trial shift for a job that I really need, but I didn’t even know places like this existed before today. And throw on top of that one of my customers ordering me to sit and me falling into this booth like it was the most natural thing in the world.” She shakes her head as if she can’t believe she’s said any of it out loud. “You know what, I need to get back to work.”

Waverly shoves herself to her feet, but when she reaches to pick up the tray she brought my drink over on, I wrap my hand around her wrist, and her eyes widen as they clash with mine.

Fear flashes through the green that I’ve become so addicted to over the last decade, but it’s not the same as the nights she spent on the street or when a man follows her down a dark alley. No, this fear is something else entirely.

“Give me your phone,” I command.

“No.”

“Please.”

“Still a no.” She tugs her hand free. “Have a nice night.”

She turns on her heel and storms back behind the bar, but clearly she doesn’t realize how much I love the chase.

CHAPTER SIX

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