Page 3 of Devil's Claim

Everything suddenly slipped into slow motion as he wrapped his hand around my fingers holding the decorating paddle, somehow maneuvering it from my hand.

A shot of electricity was as shocking to him as it was to me. I think we both sucked in our breaths.

“Wow. You are… strong.” And virile. And lickable.

Christine. He’s a killer.

That remained to be seen.

His complete silence was thoroughly unnerving, but it allowed me to realize my heart had an irregular beat.

He motioned with his head toward the kitchen and who was I to ignore his command?

With deliberate movements, he lowered the paddle to the table, staring down at the cake I’d been in the process of icing. When his thick index finger slipped through a glob of icing, I had a sudden, very strange and disturbing thought of dragging my tongue through the goo across his skin.

The intruder did it for me, pulling his long finger into his mouth. With his eyes half closed, I was able to admit he was even more handsome than I’d originally thought.

My mind wandered to sinful places, including what icing-covered cock would taste like.

I managed to steal another glance at my sliding glass door. I’d forgotten to latch the screen door, not that it had worked properly since I’d moved into the dive. The landlord was shit and I’d give him a piece of my mind when this was over.

Maybe that wouldn’t occur if I was dead, but a girl could hope.

It was entirely possible I was hearing things, but was that gunfire? By the sexy intruder’s sudden sharp interest in the noise and the fact he took thumping, long strides toward the back door, I had a feeling I was spot on.

Ding. Ding. I’d just won the kewpie doll.

I watched him standing off to the side, darting glances into the street below. He’d scaled three stories to break into my home. Who was he, Spiderman? “Um, at the risk of sounding ungrateful for you not killing me right away, who are you and who are you looking for? It’s not me because no hottie such as yourself ever looks for a girl like me. And since it’s been established I don’t have any money, I think it’s fair to say you’re not here to rob me blind. But somehow, I doubt you’re a thief. Right? I’m good with sizing up people and I’d say you’re more like an assassin.”

The evocative mystery man threw me a look that would burn most people into the ground. Given all the shit I’d been through over the past few months, his shush-little-girl-or-I’ll-fuck-you-blind look set fire to my core instead.

He closed the sliding door, locking it then pulling the blinds.

My knees were knocking.

When he was finished, he turned his head ever so slowly toward me. He appeared confused but also amused at hell. Was he making fun of me? If I survived this, my drinking habit was going to get so much worse.

Every step he took toward me stole another few minutes of my life.

At this rate, gray hairs would start sprouting.

“Look, seriously. I have a deadline. I need to finish this cake tonight or I’ll never hear the end of it. You don’t know my friends. The girl throwing the party even mentioned she might be stopping by to check my progress. She’s a bitch, by the way. Someone I need to impress. Do you get it? They are incredible, powerful women with no tolerance for mistakes or second class anything, which is why I often wonder why they’re my friends in the first place. I, on the other hand, don’t swim in their league. They’re like piranhas and I’m a guppy. I know what you’re thinking. Why in the hell am I friends with them in the first place? Right? Trust me. I ask myself that every time we get together.” I raked my hand through my hair, ready to rip out my ponytail. Why, oh, why was his aftershave so exotic?

And why were my thoughts so undeniably and ridiculously filthy?

“Anyway, unless you’re going to kill me, I’ll kindly ask you to leave. If not, I might have to scream and I’m certain that won’t be the best thing to do, but I feel as if I have no other choice and…” My nerves were getting the better of me. I sucked in my breath, the last few words little more than squeaks, like nails being raked down a chalkboard.

He crowded my space, his actions pushing me against the edge of my cheap Formica table. As he peered down at me, I was certain dying this way couldn’t be too bad.

Instead of pressing the barrel of his nasty-looking weapon between my eyes, the dark, dangerous, and delicious intruder surprised me.

Something that rarely happened in my world any longer.

He kissed me.

CHAPTER 2

Kruz

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