Page 15 of Deal with the Devil

“My life!” I cry. “It’s not safe. Not for anyone. Not even a big guy like you.”

He crowds closer, pitch dropping, danger dripping from every word. “You think he can hurt me?”

“I know he can.”

His lips curl at that, but it’s the sound of his laughter, the confidence in it that chills me. “I’ve told you once and I’ll tell you again,I’mthe bigger monster.”

As I search his eyes, I think I see a flicker of the beast behind the blue. It roams in a cage of ice, just waiting for the moment to break free. To strike. To maim and destroy and devour.

“Kane.”

“I can and will protect you.”

I close my eyes, deflating. Because every time hope flares, something crushes her under a thorny thumb. “Antonio has money. A lot of money. A trust fund. He has powerful people at his back. Powerful, dangerous people.”

Thumb and finger connect with my chin, forcing my gaze to his. At the contact, my nerves lurch as though I’m driving top speed on a winding road—trajectory set for—well, complete destruction.

“I have more money. I have more power. I am the bigger monster, and if he comes for you again, I’ll tear him to shreds in a way that no one will ever find him because there will be nothing left to find.”

I shake my head, because I don’t think this man knows just how powerful Antonio is. But I say, “You’re not giving up on this, are you?”

“No.”

I give him a small smile that hurts. “What now, then?”

“Now you come home with me. You stay hidden until you heal. Until you are strong.”

“He’ll find me.”

“He doesn’t know who I am.” He points out the truth.I don’t even know who he is.“My home is private. You’ll have space to heal.”

I can’t believe I agree when I hear my voice saying, “Okay.”

seven

Nevaeh

Kane’s house is just outside of the city, tucked into a lush woodsy landscape that is, without a doubt, tended by a professional landscaper.

When Kane pulls into the private drive, and I see flowers spilling from pots, I know for sure I've pegged the man wrong. I’d thought he’d live in the city, in a condo that aimed to touch the sky, surrounded by nightlife.

He doesn't. Clearly, this is no condo. It also doesn't touch the sky. It blends into it. Straight off the cliff that looks down onto a stretch of blue sea.

I can't see the sea from here. But I know it's there over that cliff. I know because I was born and raised inL.A. and I know that this part, this land—it’s killer expensive. It’s expensive because of its seclusion.

So, maybe the man didn't lie when he said he had money. But I'm not sure he has enough to defeat the political power that is my ex-fiancé.

Kane kills the engine and opens the door to his blacked-out, black-on-black Escalade, rounding the front to my side with quick, long strides.

Antonio always opened the door for me. I’d always thought it was more because he believed society expected such acts from him. But when Kane does it out here in the boonies, far from the watchful eyes of society and their expectations, I know he does it because he’s the kind of man who wants to.

Apparently, chivalry isn’t dead. It can’t be if a man as dark and hard, all rough edges and jagged lines, and frosted eyes full of dark promises is in possession of it.

But that’s where the similarity between the two men end. Because Antonio never would have done what Kane does next. He never would have leaned into the truck, unbuckling my belt with those big hands before they fell against my hips to pull me gently from the seat. Antonio wouldn’t have done that—wouldn’t have even thought to do such a thing—not even if he possessed the capability, which he doesn’t.

At the feel of his hands on my body, my heart leaps.

I don't want to be this affected by this man.

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