Page 59 of Risks of Temptation

"I'm so tired of my life not being valuable."

I cup her cheek and force her to focus on me. "Your life is valuable. Don't ever say that again."

"It's not. I've not done anything of significance. All the women in the pit had important careers. My sister was trying to stop corruption. You...you rescue people and are risking your life to stop a horrible reality from coming to fruition. What do I do? Nothing."

"You aren't being fair to yourself."

She jabs my chest with her index finger. "You say that, but you don't live my life."

"I live in a pit of sin. Trust me. You don't want it."

She glares, and every bone in my body freezes. "How do you know?"

My gut twists. She doesn't know what she's saying. "A girl...a woman like you does not need to be exposed to anything I'm a part of."

"Because you think I'll crack? Or I can't serve a purpose?"

She needs to stop these thoughts now.

I reposition her so she's straddled over my hips and can't escape me. "Listen to me closely. You don't know what you're talking about. I've said several times how strong I think you are. It's not about you cracking, and the last thing on earth I want is you to serve a purpose for anything I'm involved in. I want you safe, somewhere I know you're at, with people I trust protecting you. This isn't a career. It's not something you add to your accomplishment list. If you want to experience more in life or impact the world differently than you currently are, then there are other ways to do it. You're not evil. You aren't a criminal. You don't belong anywhere near the pit of hell. Am I clear?"

She blurts out, "I've seen the devil. I understand evil. What if I could help you?"

Chills dig into my bones. Her determined expression scares me more than anything. I've looked into the eyes of men and women when they decided to dedicate their life to do whatever it takes to erode the world of all that is bad. Emilia's are fiercer than anyone's I've ever seen.

"Ma belle, there is no choice here. You are going to safety. I will do what I need to. You will stay with the men I choose to protect you. End of story." I don't worry about my delivery. It's harsh, but she needs to understand how serious I am.

She doesn't reply, but the challenging look on her face tells me that I've not convinced her.

"I'm not—"

"So once you got to Belize and saw my folder, you thought Louis was bad?" she asks.

"I think we need to stop talking about this."

"No. You gave me your word you'd answer my questions. I'm not finished."

Where is the meek woman I first saw peek her head out of the pit?

Her ability to be innocent at times, yet direct and stand up for what she wants, intensifies the buzzing in my blood. I shouldn't like it. But it turns me on further.

I make one more attempt. Part of me does it because it's what's best. Part of me does it because I want to see more of her defiance. "We are finished."

She crosses her arms. "No. We aren't."

My cock twitches against the heat of her sex, which is positioned right over it.

She deliberately glances slowly down my torso and pauses for a few seconds then looks back up and smirks.

Oh, you little vixen.

I don't know how many men Emilia has been with, but she told me everyone has made her skin crawl, except me. My gut tells me she is inexperienced. Her sudden sexual confidence was nowhere to be seen twenty-four hours ago.

Did I miss it?

Have I misinterpreted her experience with men?

My desire to unclothe her and make her mine is an earthquake rumbling through every cell in my body.