Page 54 of Severed By Vengeance

“Cody died of a severed spinal cord. At least that’s what the preliminary report indicates.”

I pushed a black litter box into a corner of the mud room and tucked my cell into my back pocket. Derek was leaning against a shelf, arms crossed over his chest, looking effortlessly edible, despite the day’s chaos. Meanwhile, I was a wreck, dirt still caked to the front of my jeans and shirt, and a layer of it sitting uncomfortably beneath my nail beds.

“Did he?” he asked, almost bored.

“Please, don’t get too torn up about it or anything.”

“I’ll try to hold it together,” he said, sending a wink my way.

Fucking Derek.

Fucking.

Derek.

God, I’d totally fuck Derek.

It was crazy. Nonsensical. I’d only known the man for three days, but he was on my mind more than not.

“Are you sure you’re safe here?”

“Yeah, changed all the locks, reinforced the doors, and updated my security system. If no one has come looking for me yet, then I don’t believe they’ll be back.” I was probably trying to convince myself more than him.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said. I was surprised he hadn’t put up more of an argument.

Dusting my hands on the front of my ruined pants, I walked past him, knowing he’d follow, and stopped at the bottom of my staircase.

“Keep an eye on Diego.”

“You named the strayDiego?”

I climbed up one step and leaned a hand on the railing. “What? You’ve never seen Ice Age?”

“No,” he deadpanned.

And I immediately wanted to slap myself. Derek had grown up an orphan until well into his teen years. I felt like such an asshole.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked that. It was insensitive of me.”

“Eva. Go upstairs and shower.” The power behind his voice shook my core. Heat spread through me slowly, and I splayed my hands against my thighs to keep myself from reaching for him. “And do it before I follow you.Diegowill be fine.”

Fuck.

I rolled my lips inward, my throat suddenly dry. Not trusting my voice, I simply nodded.

I’d only made it three more steps before another shudder skated down my body. “Oh, and Eva? Lock your door.”

Turning around was not an option; doing so would only lead to bad decisions and possibly a morning-after pill.

I closed the door to my bedroom and hurriedly crossed the distance to the ensuite. Leaning against the vanity, I sucked in air through my nose and exhaled out of my mouth.

“Get it together, Eva.”

Grabbing at the hem of my shirt, I tugged it over my head and tossed it in the hamper. As I turned to face the mirror, I was horrified at the reflection staring back at me. How long had I looked like this? Smeared mascara. Smudged dirt over my brow. I scrunched my nose and smoothed back my hair, convincing myself it had all happened on my way up to the shower.

Lock your door.

The words echoed in my mind, forcing my eyes closed and a soft moan to slither from my clamped lips. Derek was a bold and confident man with a dirty mouth. A shiver moved down my spine at the prospect of his prowess in the bedroom.