Page 20 of Devil's Tulip

People like me will use it against him.

I’m almost done plating the food when I sense her behind me. “Oh, good, you’re right on time. Come on in,” I say without turning around, sealing up the leftovers to put them back in the fridge.

Footsteps approach, and I glance up—then freeze. My mouth goes dry.

She’s drowning in my clothes, the shirt falling almost to her knees, sleeves rolled up multiple times. She looks…claimed.

A cautious step brings her to the table, eyes flicking to the plate I’ve set out. “What’s this?”

The suspicion in her voice makes me smirk. “I think you’re old enough to know what this is. Sit down.” I nod at the chair, and she hesitantly takes her seat.

“I didn’t know you could make ziti. It looks really good,” she comments mildly as she picks up a fork.

I take the seat across from her, watching her closely as she spoons up some of the baked ziti and places it in her mouth. Her eyes pop open wide in surprise before drifting shut, and the small moan of pleasure that escapes her goes straight to my cock.Christ, what other sounds could I draw from that pretty mouth?

“You like it?” I tease. Iknowshe fucking likes it.

She opens her eyes, locking those whiskey-colored irises onto mine. “This is from Bellevue Bistro in Manhattan. How do you have it here?” Her second question is silent but I can read it clear as day on her face:How did you know it was my favorite?

I lean back, playing innocent. “What makes you think it’s from there? I could be a great chef for all you know. Are you being discriminating right now?”

My teasing draws a small smile from her. “You know what? I don’t care how you got it here. Thank you for the meal.” Her voice softens. “It means a lot… having food that tastes like home on what could’ve been a horrible day.”

Something in my chest expands painfully at the way she looks at me, gratitude shining in her eyes. I would do anything—anything—to get her to look at me like that again and again.

She continues eating, and I’m unable to take my eyes off her as she digs into her food with gusto.

I love it. Love watching her eat the foodIprovided for her with such obvious pleasure. My gaze drops to her lush, pink lips, glistening as she chews.Would she approach other activities with the same enthusiasm? Suck cock?

I shift uncomfortably in my seat as my cock hardens.

Damn it, what is this? The third time I'm getting hard in her presence today? The fourth?Get a fucking grip.

When she finishes, I push a glass of water towards her. She drains it in one go, sighing as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Then those eyes find mine again, and I watch, enraptured, as color blooms across her skin—starting at her ears, spreading across her cheeks, down her throat, disappearing underneath my shirt.Fascinating.

Blood rushes south, draining from my brain to my hard-as-a-rock cock as my mind fills with obscene thoughts of licking and sucking those red splotches, discovering just how far down they go, how pretty she would look with my cum splashed all over?—

“Sorry about that,” she mumbles. “I don’t usually inhale food like that.”

“It’s fine.” My voice comes out rough, so I clear my throat and stand abruptly, gathering plates, trying to distract myself frommauling her. What the hell is it about her that’s got me feeling like a randy teenager who’s after his first tail?

She immediately gets up as well and tries to take the plate from me. Our fingers brush, sending a surge of heat through me, a spurt of precum shooting from my cock as my spine tingles.Fuck.

She jolts like she felt it too, letting go of the plate just as I do. We both watch in suspended animation as it crashes to the floor, shattering the tension along with the ceramic.

“Oh, shit! I’m so sorry. I didn’t?—”

I turn away from her before she can finish, walking off like a man escaping a goddamn war zone. I tug on the collar of my shirt uncomfortably, trying to ignore the throbbing length of cock between my legs. Then I shove open the front door, stepping into the crisp morning air, and slam it shut behind me.

Fuck, if I’d stayed in that room one second longer, I would’ve done something crazy. Like bending her over the damn table and fucking her senseless.

I exhale sharply, raking a hand through my hair. I need to get my head straight. She’s not ready for me like that. No matter how much she drives me insane with lust, no matter how perfectly she fits into my world, I’m not going to push her.

Lucky for me, I have the perfect distraction—a dead body in my trunk to dispose of.

I slide behind the wheel, adjusting myself with a grimace, then turn the key and drive off for some much-needed respite.

7

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