Page 76 of Devil's Bargain

“I don’t know.” I stare at my chipped nail polish. “I don’t think so.” Not anymore. I blow out a breath. “It’s not about the pain, Rick. But the humiliation.”God, why am I telling him this?

He’s quiet, watching me.

“I’m fucked up!”

“I didn’t say that.”

I laugh weakly and swipe at my wet cheeks.When did I start crying?“I know I am.”

“Do you want to watch a movie?”

I raise my head. “Sure.”

He lifts his chin toward the bookcase next to me. “Pick something.”

I rise from the desk chair and skim my fingers over the DVDs as I browse his selection. He’s got a variety of genres. I pull out True Romance and turn it over in my hand. It’s my favorite movie of all time.

Rick sits up and gestures for the DVD. When I give it to him, he gets to his feet and puts it on.

I sink down on his bed and scoot back until my back is up against the headboard. I wonder how many girls have sat here before. His ex, Emily, has but what about Madeleine? Has she been here?

“I haven’t watched this movie in a long time,” he says as he takes a seat next to me. He’s so close. His heat seeps through the fabric of my thin tank top, and his masculine scent tantalizes my senses, drawing me closer. There’s a live wire trapped between us. Every time he shifts, no matter how minuscule, my skin breaks out in goosebumps.

The movie starts up. I try to focus. I really do, but my eyes soon stray to his big hands on his jean-clad thighs. They’re tanned and sexy like the rest of him. I sneak a peek at his profile. The TV flickers, casting shadows across his face. “How do you feel when you win a game?”

He rolls his head, and his hazel eyes search mine. “As if I’m on top of the world and can achieve anything.”

“What about when you lose?”

His gaze flits down to my lips and then back up. “Like I want to beat something up until it’s unrecognizable.”

I smile, surprised by his response. “I know that feeling.”

He gulps, his eyes bouncing between mine before focusing back on the TV.

I can’t stop staring at him. “Why am I really here?”

He keeps his eyes on the screen. “I want you here.”

“You want me here?”

“What do you like about this movie?” he asks, changing the topic.

I look at the screen. “I love the scene where he tells her about his comic magazine while she stares at him like she’s memorizing every single detail about him.” I meet Rick’s intense gaze. “I want to feel like that one day.”

“What else?”

“The scene at the end. On the beach when she thinks, ‘You’re so cool!’ It’s always stuck in my head.”

He breaks eye contact and looks back at the TV. “I like her boobs.”

It takes a second or two for his words to click, but then I burst out laughing, punching his arm. “God! You’re such a guy!”

“I own it, though. Her tits look fantastic in that bra!”

I roll my eyes, but I’m laughing too. “You’re such a dork!”

“I’m a dork now?” he chuckles.

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