Page 46 of Torched

“No, not tonight. I’m tired.”

“Really? Rough day?” See! Told you. It’s not just the question, it’s also the level of sympathy it’s laced with. It makes me wanna barf.

“It was fine, but I’m just tired, and think I’m going to get to bed early.”

“You want me to come to join you? Need me to come make it better? Maybe a bottle of wine and a foot rub?”

Please fucking don’t. “Not tonight, okay? But maybe we can grab some dinner tomorrow?” I silently pray he will agree because my foul mood can’t keep up with his puppy behavior much longer.

“Ah, come on, sweetheart. We can—” His voice trails off when I hear a beep in my ear, and I lower the device in my hand to check the screen.

Saved by the fucking bell.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I cut him off. “Someone from work is calling; I really need to take this. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay? Bye!” I hear him mutter something through the phone, but I ignore it, anxious to end this annoying and pointless conversation.

“You don’t even know how happy I am to hear your voice,” I say after I answer the phone.

“¿Por que?”Junior cackles.

“Because I was on the phone with our blonde friend, and he bores me to death.” At first, playing Liam Carrillo was easy. I went on a few dates, let him stick his dick inside of me a few times, and voila, I was his girlfriend. Now, all I have to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to get him out of this city and isolated from his brother. But so far, he doesn’t leave the city without Kane and the longer we’re ‘together,’ the more serious he becomes. He’s suffocating me without an end in sight, and it’s starting to piss me off.

“Ah,primita, you don’t like your new boyfriend?” I’m sure he’s showing the whites of his teeth wherever he is, because the amusement is clear in his voice.

“Next time, you’re the one who’s going to do all the work.”

“¿Que? I am doing the work! I’m poaching wherever I can. All we need is to get them out of the way, and the transition should go smoothly.”

“That is, if we ever get him away from his obnoxious brother.”

“It will happen, Crissy. You have to hang in there a little while longer.”

“That’s easy for you to say!” I snarl. “You don’t have to kiss the guy—” My words die when I lock eyes with the man in front of me.

De-ja-fucking-vu.

He’s standing broad, acting like a thick wall that isn’t simply going to let me pass. His green eyes are freezing me to the spot, my throat turning dry while the blood seems to pump faster through my veins.

“Cris? Are you still there?”

“I have to go. I’ll call you later.” I hang up the phone, not sure what to do next.

A smirk comes my way, and I hate how handsome he is.

Who the fuck is this guy?

“You again,” I say, putting on a mask of indifference as I take a tentative step forward. I have no clue what this man’s game is. Is he after me? Following me? Do we have a common enemy in the Carrillos? Or does he secretly work for them and is he one big test? He seems like a threat, but not big enough for me to get into fighting mode.

“Me again.” He mimics my move as he closes the distance until there isn’t much more than two feet between us. This time he’s wearing a black and gray flannel, flexing his muscles from under his rolled-up sleeves with every step. His woody cologne enters my nose and imprints itself into my brain, the scent forever linked to the bulk of a man in front of me. He looks dangerous, and even though I don’t think he will hurt me, he makes me feel both unhinged and confused, which can be even more dangerous in the wrong situations. “How are you doing, Cris?”

“It’s Cristina.”

“Oh, I know. But I don’t care.”

“What do you want?” I blink, trying to keep my focus and my distance. My body’s reacting like a magnet, dying to press his body against mine. Dying to find out what his lips will taste like and how his bearded jaw would feel against my neck.

“How is your boyfriend?”

“Jealous?”

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