Page 35 of Virtue & Vengeance

I hid my smile as I walked toward him, taking the remote from his hands and sitting on the couch.

“You can eat your dinner, watch a movie, and then you’re going home.”

He sat next to me on the couch, his arm going behind me to rest on the back of it. His thigh rubbed against mine, the smooth material of his pants caressed my bare thigh “Whatever you say, angel.”

I scooted away from him. “You stay on your side of the couch, and I’ll stay on mine.”

He chuckled but didn’t move to get closer to me.

I attempted to watch the movie I put on, but all I could think about was the large man sitting next to me. I thought about how much I wanted to climb onto his lap and how he wouldn’t stop me if I did.

I felt nervous, my stomach twisted, and my leg bounced up and down as I sat stiffly in my spot. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the grin Zander tried to hide as his fingers moved back and forth over his top lip. I wanted to reach out and punch him, but then the doorbell rang, and I almost screamed.

Zander leaned forward. “It’s just the food, angel. Calm down.”

He got up and moved toward the door, pulling it open and greeting Jared. I hated that he had food delivered here by someone I knew and worked with.

Jared would most likely be going back to Empire to tell everyone that Zander Hale had answered the door barefooted while being alone with the new girl.

Once he returned to the couch, he handed over a container of food.

I took it and sat it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“You should’ve let me get the door,” I snapped. “Or better yet, you shouldn’t have ordered food from your Casino and had it delivered to my aunt’s condo.”

“Who cares?”

“I care, Zander. You forget I work there and people talk. I don’t need people whispering about me sleeping with my boss.”

“I’ll make sure no one says a damn thing. Now eat.”

“No, Zander. See, that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t need you threatening or saying anything to anyone.”

“I don’t know what you want from me, Eden.”

I wanted him to stop being so damn sexy. But there was no way I could tell him that. His ego was massive enough already.

“I just want you to eat your food and leave.”

I stood from the couch and prepared to take my food to the kitchen counter, but he stopped me by getting in my space. He was so close to me that I had to look up to keep eye contact.

“Is that really what you want, angel? You want me to leave?”

I bit my lip and cursed myself for not saying yes, but the truth was I didn’t want him to leave.

I felt safer with him there.

“You sleep on the couch,” I said, trying to sound still as angry as possible.

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned.

Then his fingers were under my chin. Before I could say anything, he leaned down and kissed me softly. When he pulled away, he turned, and I wanted to cling to his arm and beg him to take me right there at that moment, but I didn’t.

If Zander wanted me again, I was going to make him work for it. Even if that meant torturing myself in the process.

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