Page 54 of Ruin My Life

I flick my eyes toward my bare thighs, trying to sound casual. “Can you also bring me some pants?”

Damon’s gaze drops to my legs.

Then his smirk returns, slow and wicked.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes,” I snap. “I’d rather not sit around in my underwear with all the testosterone in this place.”

He chuckles, turning the knob. “Maybe it’ll motivate you to work faster.”

“Asshole,” I mutter as the door clicks shut behind him.

I lean back in the chair and exhale, letting the quiet settle around me. For the first time tonight, I feel something worse than fear.

Regret.

Not for bargaining. That was smart.

But because giving Damon even a sliver of leverage over me feels like the first step in a game I’m not sure I know how to win.

And I can already tell…

He plays dirty.

Chapter Eleven

Damon

CHAVEZ IS STILL LAUGHING ASISHUTthe door behind me, leaving Brianna alone in the holding cell. “Shut it,” I mutter, shooting him a warning glare.

“Sorry,” he says, grinning like he’s still replaying the entire scenario in his head. “Man, is it bad that Ilikeher? She’s such a firecracker.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the way the corner of my mouth twitches upward.

He’s not wrong.

“Connor should be back soon. Keep an eye out for him while I call Monroe and Lee.”

Chavez gives me a lazy two-finger salute, still wearing that stupid grin as I head back to the security office.

Brianna has a way of getting under my skin. It’s not her words, or the way her skin felt—just that damn look in her eyes, like she’s already figured out how to dismantle me without raising a finger.

I sit down and call Lee. The line barely rings once before he picks up.

“You’re on speaker,” he says. “What’s up?”

“How’s it going there?”

“We just finished setting up two cameras,” Lee replies. “Living room and main entrance. I’m working on unlocking the office now.”

“Chica’sgot a lot of security,” Monroe calls out from somewhere farther away. “Most of it’s on her office.”

“Not surprising.” I lean back into my chair. “She almost broke out of the restraints when I mentioned we’d be digging into her laptop.”

Silence follows on the line, so quiet I can practically hear Lee’s brain processing.

He’s picturing a completely different scene in that little cell—one with more than just my hands by her hips and my voice in her ear…