Page 99 of The Devil We Know

“One of the many services I offer.”

I turn back and look across the room, noting more people have arrived, and then I look back at Carolina. “Are you ready for it?”

A sudden coldness goes over her features, and my eyes widen at the glint in her eye. She steps back from me and it’s like she’s grown a foot taller as she lifts her chin and replies, “I’m ready.”

41

A Devil’s Distraction

Matt

I come awake instages.

The pre-dawn light casts an eerie glow through the room, my name a familiar hushed whisper cutting through the silence.

I glance toward the sound, fully expecting Darius to be standing there, telling me to get my lazy fucking ass moving, only to be met by the sharp sting of nothing.

I inhale sharply through my nose, once again looking up at the ceiling as I shove the pain aside, burying it beneath false hope and wishful thinking.

I roll to my right, directly into a warm body.

She's here.

I reach out for her, forcing my arm beneath her, the other reaching around and gripping the back of her thigh, pulling her over on top of me.

At first, she's dead weight, but within moments, she comes awake, the tension in her body almost thwarting my mission to move her.

"Matt," she mutters sleepily. "What are you doing?"

I ignore her question, instead continuing to manhandle her until she's lying on top of me, exactly where I want her.

I wrap my arms tightly around her back, one hand pressing against the back of her head as I lift my face into her neck and breathe her in.

Peace.

She mutters to herself but doesn't attempt to break free, so I relax my hold, reveling in her comforting weight on top of me.

I press my hips up, rubbing my dick between her legs, earning a soft moan from her. She presses her hands into the mattress on either side of my head, some of her weight shifting back as she looks down at me with a knowing smile on her face.

“Touch my neck,” I whisper, feeling desperate to be lost in her.

She shakes her head, replying quietly, “Not this time,” then laughs as I glare up at her.

“Why not?”

She shrugs, sitting up fully and then turning and falling back on the mattress where she was before.

I sit up, leaning toward her, as I ask, “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you.”

I frown again, confused about what's going on. “Waiting for what?”

“For you to take what you need.”

Anxiety bubbles up in my chest, and words immediately stick in my throat. She reaches up and grips the edge of her sleep dress, wiggling and yanking it up over her head, and then tosses it on the floor.

She turns toward me slightly, getting her elbow up underneath her so she's resting her head on her hand, and then she says, “Do it.”

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