Page 151 of The Wicked

“Damn, you’re good.” She slapped my arm excitedly. “You’re making me thinkI’mcrazy. How the fuck do you do that? Teach me.”

The urge to smile tugged at me, but I bit it back. “You’re a case, Zahra.”

I missed this.

She laughed. “Okay, back to the issue on ground,” she said, angling her body to face mine. “We’re both distracted. It’s obvious there’s something here”—she motioned between us—“something we don’t want—”

“How do you know I don’t want it?”

“You said you didn’t like me—”

“I don’t want to but—”

“Great, I don’t like you too, but there’s obvious physical attraction, and for us to get it out of our systems, I suggest we fuck it out and resume this animosity without compromise.”

I jumbled her words in my head, imagining her beneath me, atop me, beside me, sweaty and undone. It was very shameless and odd for my mind to conjure such vivid images but—

“How can you suggest this when you’re involved with my brother?”

“That’s history. It ended recently…” She frowned before continuing. “Scratch that; it ended a long time ago. I just didn’t know it—still, even if it does happen, between us—no one can find out. Devil canneverfind out; I made him a promise.”

I raised a brow at her, moving closer until I could feel her breath on my face. I lowered the tone of my voice like it was a sin for a third party to listen in. “A promise you want to break with a man who has only ever broken promises when it comes to him; some friend you are.”

She glared at me. “I don’t want it, okay? But—I feel like if we cross this off, it’ll disappear.”

“I don’t feel the same.”

“So you don’t want to fuck me?” she asked with a taunting smile.

My eyes roamed her face, down to the swell of her breasts caged inside that dress; an image of me taking it off filtered past my brain before I locked eyes with her again. “I do, but I also want to talk to you.”

“You want to be friends…” she drawled. “Friends who fuck.”

“No. Friends don’t do that, but whatever definition you think suits our…one-time compromise.”

Lust stained her eyes. “You’re still on my shit list, and I’m still going to kill you.”

I nodded, unable to comprehend how I could manage an erection after literally breaking in front of this woman. “If you annoy me, I still won’t hesitate to slit your throat.”

Her gaze centered on my lips. “Good.”

“Good,” I responded.

She leaned in, aiming to kiss me, but I drew back. “No.”

She frowned. “No?”

“Ground rules.”

She rolled her eyes. “Jesus Christ, Elio, it’s just sex, and no, I’m not saying we should do it now—” Her gaze dropped to my crotch, where I was sure she spotted my need for her. “Unless you want to.” She looked back at me. “You’re—”

“Not now, but I still want to set ground rules.”

She sighed. “Right, fine, let’s hear it.”

“One: No kissing.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”