Page 59 of Torched

“You,” I huff against his lips that are awfully close to mine. The hairs on the back of my neck lift, and I curse my pussy for tensing between my legs, but it’s undeniable. This man evokes something inside of me that fears him as much as I have the will to please him.

I don’t please men. They please me.

“Hey, beautiful. How are you?” His breath covers my face, the warmth parting my lips as if my body wants to suck in his energy.

“You again! What do you want?”

“That’s your first question?” A dark eyebrow moves up, accompanied by a wicked smile. “I thought since this isn’t our first encounter, you would’ve wanted to know my name.”

His body flush against mine is clouding my mind, making it that much harder to not melt into his touch, but I keep my muscles rigid.

“I don’t care who you are,” I grit out. “I just want to know what the fuck you want.”

“Would you believe me if I sayyou?” Judging by the bulge that’s gracing my clit right now, I believe his words are true. He can feel the tension between us, the sizzling desire to remove our clothes to see if we can explode together. But I’m pretty sure that isn’t the reason he’s here.

“No,” I lie.

“But it’s true,” he whispers, and it’s sultry, his nose brushing mine. “I do want you. I want to know what your pussy tastes like on my tongue. I want to know how my dick feels deep inside of your tight cunt.” My thighs clench, my neck suddenly warming. He grinds his hips, his dick rubbing over my clit through the fabric of my dark jeans, just enough to have my legs buckle underneath me. “I want to let my fingers roam all the holes in your body.”

My lungs shut down.

Joder, where did this man come from?

“But...” He smirks. “It’s a shame that Liam Carrillo already got the honors.”

He abruptly lets go of me, and my legs disappear from underneath me, before he violently swings me to the floor.

A shriek sounds through the room, fueled by a hint of panic. I’m nervous. I’m never nervous, but this man makes me as nervous as a crack junkie in need of their next fix. Paranoid, not knowing why this man keeps showing up in my life. Normally, I know the motive of every person I deal with, but he’s one big mystery causing me to not know how to act or respond.

“Who are you?!” I try to crawl toward my gun, completely flustered while I look up at him. That grin never falls as he takes a few strides to my gun and kicks it to the other side of the living room.

“Whoever you want me to be. I can be your worst nightmare. I can be a dream come true.”

“Why are you here?” I don’t understand what’s going on. If he’s here to kill me, he could’ve done that the second he had me pinned to the door. If he’s looking for something, he wouldn’t waste any time by taunting me.

His smile finally falters, his head shaking with a look of pity. “I know what you’re up to.”

“You have to be more specific.”

“I know you want to take over the Carrillo pipeline.” He cocks his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Fear showers my body while I do my best to keep my expression as flat as possible. I don’t know who this man is. But the fact that he knows about our plan means he’s powerful. More powerful than his attire might suggest. He looks like a bad boy with his dark jeans and leather jacket, but he holds himself like a man in charge. If he found out about our plan, it can only mean he has really good resources.

He nudges me to get up, and I concede, feeling more confident when I’m back on my feet. I walk to the kitchen island, desperate to have some kind of shield between this man and I, worried he has the ability to unhinge me even more. He strolls behind me, to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water before he comes to stand across from me. The granite countertop creates a safe amount of space between us.

“I have to admit,” he says, “I’m impressed.” I keep quiet. “Making Liam Carrillo fall in love with you so you can easily isolate him from his brother? Smart.” I blink. “At first, I thought it was Junior’s plan. That his sweet little cousin still had some morals, but I guess I was wrong. You don’t have any. Do you?”

I don’t know why his comment cuts through my flesh, but it does.

“I guess your daddy punched them all out of you, huh?” He brings the bottle to his lips, taking big gulps while I watch his neck bob with every swallow. It looks sensual, parting my lips while I keep fighting the pull I have toward this asshole.

“You don’t know shit about me.” I glare.

“Oh, I know everything about you, Cristina Reyes.”

“That still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.”

“I’m curious,” he starts again, ignoring me. “Are you really that evil? Are you evil enough to let someone fall in love with you, before you send a bullet through his head?” The pause he leaves is pregnant, and something tells me that whatever comes next will be to wound me. “Or are you just a hurt little girl, wanting to show daddy you can run with the big boys?”

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