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He perused me from head to toe. “You look good.”

I scoffed in the back of my throat. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”

“Cali, I just had my dick buried in you for over an hour. I don’t need flattery to get anything from you.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face and a heavy sigh released from my lungs. “Is that all you want from me? Because we did make a deal, and you have yet

to hold up your side of it.”

He sat the boots and thermos down on a chair and came to stand in front of me. His palm cupped the back of my head, and he brought his mouth to mine.

The kiss was rough and possessive, telling me I belonged to him regardless of whether I consented or not.

He pulled away but kept his hand on the back of my head. “I could give you words of bullshit reassurance, but words fade away and are often empty. You’re just going have to sit down and enjoy the ride. Eventually, you’ll see what I want you to.

“And I always uphold my end of a deal. David will be handled. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“You’ll have to explain how exactly, because did you or did you not leave me behind on a bridge to potentially die? And isn’t David still alive after you were right in front of him?” I braced my palms on his chest and glared up at him.

“If I fucking wanted you dead, I wouldn’t set up a big elaborate show for it, I wouldn’t be doing everything I can to make sure your future is secure, and I damn sure wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

His words were coated in truth. I believed him when he said he didn’t want me dead.

“But you hugged him. I saw you. You walked away without looking back once…For steak dinner—your words, not mine.”

“That was fucking sarcasm. Yes, I left you. I fucking walked away from you, but I would go to the ends of this earth to ensure you stayed by my side. You’re not asking the right questions. I don’t do shit on a whim, and I don’t do shit for no reason.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me closer, letting go to link his arms above my ass. “I’m the only motherfucker on this planet that would never abandon you.”

Something twisted inside me. I softly swallowed and looked up at him, unable to decipher what he was feeling. I heard his words, but I didn’t trust them.

In the end, he did find me, and he did take me with him, but the damage had already been done.

His onyx hues roamed over my face, and then he stepped away, walking over to the chair. “We’re on a timetable and I need you to be relaxed for the conversation we need to have. So shut the fuck up, stop thinking, and put these on.”

He thrust the boots at me.

“Has anyone ever told you you're an asshole?” I snapped, taking the shoes and walking to the bed to put them on.

“It’s known to be one of my finer qualities.”

“And cocky.”

“I have a big dick, I look good, and I have power. I’m not cocky, baby. I’m the devil, and you love it.”

I tried to suppress the laughter in my chest, failing miserably. “I can’t deal with you. You’re fucking impossible.”

As soon as I had both knee-length boots on, the thermos was practically shoved in my face.

“Drink this. It will fill you up for a minute, and it has protein and shit in it.”

I took it without question, biting down on my inner cheek to hold back a smile.

His mouth had no filter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

All I felt like doing was burying myself between her thighs. I wanted her to scream my name until she lost her voice and could no longer feel her legs.

But I had the rest of her life for that. Right now, just being beside her was enough for me. It was soothing, almost.