Page 63 of The Devil Within

“Not long,” she replies noncommittally.

“And you let it go on without saying anything?” I almost growl the words in displeasure.

She simply shrugs her shoulder and takes a sip of her drink. Her bratty attitude is grating against my nerves. Maybe she needs to be taught a lesson.

“The night you were barely conscious and I snuck into your house?”

She turns her head and gives me a sly smirk but doesn’t answer my question.This fucking woman. I hate to admit it but she played me. I absolutely underestimated her. I won’t let it happen again.

“Why are you drinking?” I ask as she throws back a healthy swig of the drink. Her body shivers as soon as the alcohol hits her system. “Are you trying to drown out the memories of tonight?”

She turns slowly, leaning her hips back against the counter behind her. Her eyes assess me as she chews on my words. I try to remain calm outwardly but inside I’m freaking the fuck out, terrified that she’s getting ready to tell me she wants to leave. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to force her hand, but there’sabsolutely no way I’m letting her go. She’s dug herself into my fucking chest; the roots of my obsession for her constricting like a vice around my heart so tightly that we’ll never be free from one another. She’s mine and I’m hers.

“No,” she finally states before taking another sip of her drink. “It was a lot and I’m still trying to process everything that’s happened. But I definitely don’t want to forget tonight. I just wanted a little something to take the edge off.”

I grunt in agreement, urging her to continue. I’ve learned that if I give her silence, she’ll fill it.

“I don’t regret anything. I’m just not really a relationship type, and now I’m here with seemingly two partners.” She heaves a heavy sigh. “It’s just a lot. You thought you were playing me, I thought I was playing you, and somewhere along the way we ended up here.” Her face pinches tightly as she takes another large gulp of her drink. “It’s just a lot,” she repeats as she shrugs her shoulder slightly before dropping her eyes to the swirling liquor in the glass she’s holding.

It only takes me four large steps to close the distance between us. My hands land against the edge of the white marble countertop, bracketing her in. She sucks in a small gasp as I crowd her, getting right into her face. Our breaths mingle in the small space between us. I can taste the burning liquor on her breath. Her pupils expand as her nervous system kicks into high gear.

“You can be a bit overwhelmed by your feelings. You can be scared of how intense this is. You can take a moment to catch your breath. But…” I lean down so that our lips are almost touching. Her fearful, tiny pants tickle the skin of my lips as I whisper against her mouth, “Don’t you ever doubt my devotion to you. You’ve been mine since the moment I met you.”

“You barely know me,” her voice is just a whisper. “And you called me your girl, and Celeste’s girlfriend.”

“So?” I growl as I lean my forehead against hers, unable to stop myself from touching her in this moment.

“I don’t do relationships.”

Her insistence on fighting me is starting to piss me off. After everything we’ve been through, everything I’ve done for her, she must know how intensely obsessed I am with her. Our broken pieces fit together like we’re fuckingmadefor one another.

“Why?” I grit out as I grab the back of her neck in one of my palms, pulling her even closer against my body.

“You know my baggage. Who wants a girlfriend that has to leave to go fuck the woman that’s blackmailing her while others watch or film it? I’m too damaged to be anyone’s anything.”

A tear slips from the corner of her eye. It traces a small path down the expanse of her cheek. I have the urge to lick the salty release from her skin and taste her sadness. I want all of her—her pleasure as well as her pain.

“Call this whatever the fuck you want. You can call yourself my girlfriend, my partner, my soulmate, whatever the fuck you want. The label doesn’t mean shit to me. You aremine. That bitch isn’t getting anywhere near you ever again or it will be the last thing she ever does. Whether you’re willing to admit it to yourself or not, I am yours and you are mine. And when our flesh has long since rotted from our bones, you will still be mine. I will stalk your soul through every eternity if I have to, making sure youbothare always mine.”

I crash my lips against hers. Her taste is soft and smooth but covered in the salt of her tears. I pull her plump bottom lip between my teeth, biting down until the metallic taste of her blood fills my mouth. She shrieks into me, and I take the opportunity to slip my tongue between her lips. She’s so warm and sweet. I can’t get enough as my tongue grinds against hers.

Pulling back, I look down with a satisfied smirk on my lips. Her beautiful pout is swollen and bloodied. Her pupils arecompletely blown with a potent combination of fear and lust. But her body is pressed flush against mine. Her mind may still be catching up to the situation, but her body knows exactly who she belongs to. I pull the glass from her hand and down the remainder of her drink, relishing the burn of the smooth liquor. Placing the glass on the counter, I slip both hands around her full ass and lift her. She squeals before her legs wrap around my waist and her hands wrap around my neck. I kiss, lick, and nip at her skin as I carry her across the kitchen and into the dining room. When we reach the giant table, I lay her down on the wooden surface. She whimpers in delight as I grind my growing erection against her heated core.

“What about Celeste?” she moans as my hands and lips roam over every inch of her body that I can reach.

Pulling back, I stare at her with complete seriousness. “I couldn’t choose between the two of you if I had a fucking gun to my head. I need you both. I’m equally obsessed with you both. I am completely consumed with desire for you both. And as much as I want you, I want you to want her. She needs you just as badly as I do and I think deep down, you know you need her too. She’s the light to our darkness, love. I want you to be with each other, as well as with me. Is that something you could want?”

She takes a minute to think, her emerald eyes flitting back and forth between mine. Her long nails run up and down the skin of my back in slow, hypnotic circles.

“What about Will and Erika?” she finally asks. The look in her eyes is almost desperate as she searches for a light in the darkness. I might be a demon to most, but for her, I will be whatever she needs.

“How much does your father owe?”

She looks away, too embarrassed to answer my question.That won’t do.I use my fingers to tilt her chin back toward me, demanding her answer.

“Flower, we just established that you are mine. Everything, including the demons you want to keep hidden in the back of your closet, are mine now. How much fucking money does your father owe?”

Her voice is broken, barely audible as she chokes out, “Fifteen grand.”

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