Page 61 of Cruel Possession

“Want to tell me what the fuck there’s a dead body on my doorstep for?”

Jade walks into the room, her nose wrinkling. “Guess I’m going out the back door and hopping the fence again.”

“Or you open the gate like a normal person,” I snap, glaring at her.

She shrugs, a smug little smile on her face. “Jeremiah is working today. I think he might like chasing me. He’s been staring a lot.”

“Out!” I point to the back door.

Jade laughs and hurries to grab her purse from the counter, slinging it over her shoulder and rushing out the door. She pretends to get into position to run outside, swinging her arms on either side of her body before cackling and walking off.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, once again wishing that I could take off and never be seen again.

Zoe leans forward, her arm on the counter. “Back to this body on the doorstep. What the hell are you talking about?”

“There is a bloated body on the doorstep. Smells like shit too. So, why don’t you tell me who the fuck you’re calling to get a body delivered to my door?”

She slides off the kitchen stool and stands in front of me. “I don’t know anything about a body.”

I lean over her, bracing myself with one hand on the counter and one hand on the back of the stool. “I’m not fucking playing. You have a history of leaving dead bodies at my door. I give you a small bit of freedom, and this is how you thank me?”

Her chin juts out. “Excuse me? You think that this is freedom?”

“I gave you room to move. A phone.”

“That I’m sure you monitor.”

The corner of my mouth twitches. “I didn’t, considering you’re stuck here and there are people watching you. And maybe that was an oversight on my part. Maybe I was too drunk with pussy to really think about what I should be doing, but I’m seeing everything clearly now.”

Zoe stiffens before poking a finger in my chest. “You’re going to take a fucking step back right now.”

“No. I don’t think I will.”

I trail a hand up the side of her neck, digging my fingers into her pulse.

Her eyes widen, and her breath hitches, but instead of backing away, she leans in closer. Her gaze locks with mine, and all I can hear is the blood rushing in my ears.

“I had nothing to do with this.”

And for once, I think she’s telling me the truth.

My fingers press harder against her pulse, holding her there for a moment. “I’ve been too lenient with you. I’ve let the sex get to my head, and I shouldn’t have. It’s putting everything at risk in my life.”

“You could let something else get to your head.” Her hand drifts over the front of my pants.

Against my will, my cock gets harder and presses into her touch.

She smirks, tracing her fingers along the bulge.

I lean back from her, hand dropping from her throat. “I’m not doing this with you right now. I have a body on my doorstep that I have to deal with, and then apparently, I have to talk to Jeremiah and convince him to stay the fuck away from my sister.”

Zoe laughs. “I don’t think it would be a bad thing for her to have a little fun.”

I scowl. “A little fun is what got us into this fucking mess. The lines got blurry, but I’m done with that shit now.”

The corner of her mouth quirks like she knows it’s a lie. Hell,Iknow it’s a lie.

She’s like a drug to me. She’s addictive in all the worst ways. I’m pretty sure I would do just about anything to get a fix at this point.