Page 28 of Ignite

Silently, Cain picks up our plates and washes them in the sink. He disappears into his bedroom for a few minutes, returning with a handful of bathroom supplies. “Spare stuff you can have.”

I stare down at the toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant he laid out on the counter. It shouldn’t make me emotional. They are such basic essentials.

Suddenly, I feel guilty about the ring I jacked from his dresser. But he’s obviously not using it, and something about having a piece of Cain settles right inside my fucked up brain.

Clinging to my anger, I cross my arms over my chest. “Cool.”

Cain’s deep brown eyes bore into me. “Second bedroom’s yours. I’m sure you snooped in there already.”

He strides to his room, hesitating at the door. “Any more funny business, Ezra, and I’ll be forced to keep you in much worse conditions.”

The threat is weak, though, leaving me feeling messy on the inside.

CHAPTER TEN

CAIN

As soon as I close myself in my bedroom, I have to brace my weight against the door.

God, please tell me why you sent this guy into my life. I haven’t been perfect; I get that. Murder is a sin. But I thought maybe I was doing the work that needed to be done.

Why did he have to kiss me? Ezra was just a cocky little thief, not someone I could ever care about. Now I’m feeling uneasy about the thought of releasing him back into the world when all is said and done with Gabriel.

How did I go from wanting to throw him out a window to wanting to provide for him in the span of a day?

Ezra puts on a strong face. He pretends like he’s not scared, but that destructive energy vibrating under his surface concerns me.

I keep circling back to the lack of information about him, trying to come to a different conclusion. If he is some sort of deep operative spywho’s flying under our radar, I suppose we’ll find out soon. All I can do at this point is keep him under watch.

And with the way he tore through the office and my apartment? I need to keep him busy before he burns the entire building to ashes.

Withdrawing my phone, I shoot a text to Rev, knowing my chances of getting a response are slim when I sent him and his team out to infiltrate another one of Gabriel’s operations at some shipyard.

You working or slacking?

Rev’s surprisingly fast to respond with a selfie in tactical gear, posted up on a roof. I make out silhouettes of his team behind him.

How did the chat with Ezra go today?

A little depressing, to be honest.

I clutch my phone tighter, dropping onto my bed in the dark. Rev rarely shows compassion for others. He’s skilled at hiding the fact that he doesn’t give a shit about much of anything.

I take the bait anyway.Why is that?

My blood pressure ticks higher. I’m not usually this stressed or wound up. Irritable almost always, but that’s just how I’m wired.

Barely educated. No experience with weapons. He’s definitely been through enough shit to see things from our unique perspective.

I grit my teeth and let my phone fall onto my chest. This suffering that seems to cloud over humanity fucking digs at me. Why is it necessary? Why do people treat others so horribly? It makes me wonder if evil is an infection that can be spread.

My phone buzzes again.

Surprised you’re not complaining about him. You’d kick my ass if I touched your clothes or destroyed your kitchen.

I stare at the message for a while. My brain replays the vision of Ezra in my t-shirt and sweats, covered in soap and looking too damn cute. I closemy eyes, imagining his hand gripping me by the shirt again, his mouth pressed against mine in a kiss that had alarm bells blaring in my head as all systems went into failure.

My cock strains against my sweats. Groaning, I set my phone on the nightstand and shove the waistband of my pants below my heavy balls. I fist my cock and give it a few tight pumps from root to tip.