Page 73 of Severed By Vengeance

“We’re adults, Derek. We can do whatever we want. You want it. I want it. What’s the problem?”

As she folded her arms across her chest, disappointment etched onto her face.

“I’m no good for you.” Tugging her to me gently, I ran a thumb against her swollen bottom lip, wiping away all the traces of our passion.

“What are you talking about?” Her voice was a whisper.

Our gazes focused on one another, her wary eyes searching mine for answers. Everything inside me screamed that I should run and never return. But like the masochistic fuck I was, I knew I wouldn’t.

And for the first time since I was a vulnerable child, I felt powerless at the mercy of this woman.

I pulled her closer.

“Do you have a guest room?”

“A guest room?”

“Or I can leave.”

“Do you usually turn down women who all but throw themselves at you? God, I’m so stupid. I thought—”

I grabbed her hand and pressed it against the still-hard length of my dick. “You thought what? That I don’t want to fuck you? Oh, I’m going to fuck you, angel. Fuck that defiance right out of you.”

Her breathing accelerated. “What’s stopping you, then?”

“Where’s your guest room, Evangelina?” I asked, my tone rough by her ear.

Eva put a hand on my chest and pushed away from me. Before I registered what she was doing, she wrenched her shirt over her head and tossed it on the couch. My hungry eyes instantly dropped to her gorgeous breasts. They were perfection. Just big enough for me to hold and worship, peaked with light brown nipples, begging to be sucked. Journeying down the subtle curve of her waist lined with defined muscle my mouth watered.

A small white device adhered to the skin just above the waistband of her shorts.

She’d felt sick today. As much as I wanted her, I wouldn’t have her like this.

“You can take the guest room down the hall, past the kitchen. The attached bathroom has extra toiletries. Goodnight, Derek.”

Her tone was cold. I caught her wrist as she walked past me, but Evangelina refused to turn around, remaining rooted in place and silent. Maybe her stubbornness was a point in my favor, because I was sure if she saw the amused grin stretching across my face, she’d cut off my dick.

“What?” Again, with the curt response.

With the back of my hand, I caressed the smooth skin of her back. Goosebumps broke over every inch of her. I wanted to turn her toward me, indulge my eyes with her tight little nipples. I clenched my jaw. I wasn’t a fan of this newfound moral compass.

“Goodnight, angel.”

She scoffed and sauntered to a side table next to the recliner, pulling out a fucking hot pink dildo before sprinting up the stairs.

Oh, she was wicked.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

EVANGELINA

“You’re unusually quiet.” Lex eyed me suspiciously from the passenger seat.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. Don’t play dumb with me, Eva. I know when something’s bothering you. Now, tell me, what’s wrong?”

Hiding anything from Alexa was pointless. We had always been in tune with one another since childhood. Any stretch of uncomfortable silence between us was a red flag. The only reason she never found out about my fight with Derek was that I’d kept myself buried at work and on the Belov case while still searching for leads on Rayne’s whereabouts.