Page 81 of Fighting Conviction

“Believe me, I did, too.” He brought his finger up to the small button on his clear earpiece and spoke before he pressed it. “Going offline, guys. Call me if you need me ASAP.”

“Devil, don’t you dare turn your headset off,” Jaybird yelled.

“You getting emotional is exactly why I’m turning this thing off. I’ll handle it.”

“I’m still heading up there, with or without you, Devil,” Hawk said. “Deal with Ellie and make it fast.”

“I think we have some time. Looks like Strickland’s making friends in the hallway before he goes up there. Besides, it might be good to catch him with his pants down.”

“Dude…” Jaybird groaned.

“Sorry.” Snake’s voice came out apologetic.

Devil pressed the button on his earpiece, silencing Jaybird’s voice before an employee approached them in the hallway.

“Um, excuse me, sir. Y’all can’t be down here. No guests allowed.”

Devil grunted, not wanting to give any energy to the waiter. Checking that the coast was clear, Devil tugged Ellie by the arm to the nearest alcove and tucked them in.

Ellie tried to pull her arm from his grasp, but he held it tight, afraid she’d get away.

“Dev, what’re you doing? Let me go.”

“Ellie, what the fuck are you doing here?” Devil hissed and peered out of the alcove before speaking to her in a hushed—but firm—tone. “You could ruin this whole mission.”

“Dev, I need to be here.” Determination set in the scrunched and crinkled lines in Ellie’s forehead and frown. “You might not think I can handle it, but I deserve to help and I know how to defend myself.”

Devil’s heart raced painfully at the thought of her being involved in any of this shit and his chest rumbled with his frustrated groan. “This is exactly why I didn’t want you to know about this party, Ellie. Goddamnit.” He lifted his hands and scrubbed his beard and face. “You have to leave, now.”

“No, if there are survivors here, they need me. I can help!”

“The fuck you can, Ellie.Ican’t have you here. You have to go.”

“No!” The little minx punctuated her yell with one gold heel slamming into the carpet.

“Did you literally stomp your foot? God, Ellie, come on—”

Someone passed by the alcove and Devil turned with his arm up the wall, cornering Ellie in the alcove, and pushing her close up so they looked like lovers in a tryst rather than a spat.

Unbidden, the realization her breasts were flush up against his chest came through his mind. When Ellie shivered against him, he noticed his thumb was drawing circles on the bare skin of her shoulder. Her trembling against him reminded him of a very different tremor he’d felt less than twenty-four hours ago. Her legs wrapped around his face. Her sweet taste on his tongue.

He closed his eyes to gather focus.

When he opened them again to reprimand Ellie, heat was in hers. She was obviously feeling what he was and it had to stop immediately, but goddamn did she feel good against his body. Unable to control himself, he brought his head down low, brushing his lips against hers and moved his hand to stroke the bare skin of her collarbone. She looked fucking amazing in her green form-fitting dress.

“Fuck, Ellie, if we were anywhere else, I’d—”

“What? What would you do?”

Helpless to the adrenaline coursing through him and the sudden spike of fear for Ellie’s safety, Devil couldn’t resist sucking her lip between his, reveling in her body melting against him. Her legs had gone lax, and it seemed that but for his grip on her lower neck, she’d be a puddle at his feet. He ground his cock into the V between her legs and tightened his grip against the sides of her neck, completely at his mercy and trusting him.

An elevator dinged and Devil cocked his head to listen to two men in the main hallway.

“Going upstairs already, Mitchell?”

Devil bristled at the laughter that followed as he realized one of the men was his target.

“Yes! I’ve gotten word—excuse you, sir! Hey! Stop! I’ll be contacting your boss! Good Lord, Andrew, the manners on people. Anyway, I’ll be back down to the soiree shortly. I’ve been told we have somefruitwaiting upstairs and I’d like to get that first little taste.”