Page 13 of Burn for Me

I shake my head. “You’re not sweet, though. You’re powerful—like the devil.”

“Is that so?”

"It is." I move my hand to the small of her back, pulling our hips together, and her sway begins to match my rhythm.

“You have a way of tempting me into believing that all the wrong things are right. You turn everything I thought I knew on its head, making me feel like it’s okay to crave what IknowI shouldn’t have.” Her head tilts closer, and my lips brush against her ear as I drop my voice to a whisper.

"Youmake sinning look so fucking good."

“Thank God. I was losing hope about you two.” The sudden voice startles me enough that I tighten my grip around Jasmine, and she sucks in a sharp breath in response, shoving against my chest.

“You're such a brute!” Jasmine snaps, so I relent and step back, brushing my hand through my hair with a huff as I rush past Sharkie out of the room.

What the hell got into me?I shouldn't have said any of that, and I definitely shouldn't have been that close to her. I should blame the logical side of my brain for taking the training exercise too seriously, but deep down, I know better.

Five

8-23-2024

I want answers.

-Jasmine

The sun is just rising, creating a view that I'm sure is beautiful. Too bad I can't take a moment to enjoy the birds flying above the rolling waves, searching for their breakfast, or the smooth, damp sand experiencing its first marks of the day from the prints my boots leave behind. A particular Reaper has plagued my thoughts and taken them for his own, making it impossible to focus on anything other than the places his hands touchedand the small shocks that went through my nervous system whenever his words washed against my skin.

He has completely torn down every carefully constructed wall I've tried to build around my facade…as well as disrupted my sleep schedule.As a result, I decided to go for a jog early in the morning to burn off some of this unwelcome feeling long before the morning call.

“And then Moe walked in mid-fuck, throwing Caspian into a heart attack.” Sharkie sighs and lifts her wrist to check her watch. Sam isn't the only one interrupting my attempts at logical thinking; my unexpected companion is doing the same since clearly she can't get laid without interruption.

“As much as I love the little shit, he’s starting to drive me insane.”

At least she’s getting laid at all.

The tension from yesterday still knots my muscles, making it hard for my lungs to fill with air, so I take a moment to pause. My heart pounds in my chest from overexertion as I drop my hands to my knees and hunch my back while Sharkie jogs around me, talking about everything I’m not interested in hearing.

I don’t need to know how it feels to turn the impossible into the possible or understand how to defeat the odds–I don’t deserve the hope.But I’m turning over a new leaf, so I need to try. My vague humming seems to encourage her to keep talking.

“I mean, I just got the man. Aren't I supposed to be in some hot honeymoon faze or something?”

Alright, I tried, and now I'm done. Just the wordhoneymoonis enough to kill any attempt I had left.

“You're not even married,” I grumble through my labored breathing. She laughs, and the tips of her boots come into view, dipping into the sand in a steady rhythm that kicks the irritating grains onto my own. I lift my head to narrow my gaze.

“You're right, I'm not, and I'm still getting dick but youare…” She trails off with a raised brow, insinuating she wins this conversation.

“Fake.Marriage.” I say slowly, pronouncing the words so she’ll get them through her thick skull.

“I don't know. I could've sworn I was stepping into a sauna when I walked in yesterday.”

I scoff and roll my eyes at how she stops moving to fan her hand dramatically. I won't admit how that makes me feel, so I stand and stretch my arms.

“I guess we're good at our job then.”

Her lips pull into a tight line as if she's refraining from speaking. I've learned she likes silence when she tries to process things, but I don't.

I want answers.

She looks out to the water, stretching her body in the same motion as I do. The light shimmers off the thin layer of sweat on her brow, and her blue eyes shine against the sunbeams. If you look close enough, you'd swear they were picked straight from the ocean, but unlike their typical light blue appearance, they are dark like the deepest depths–concealing any thoughts she’s having.

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