Page 28 of The Devil's Wrath

I ignored the text and shoved the phone back into my pocket. Kai could have his fun, but my mind was consumed by a raven-haired beauty currently sleeping off too much tequila. Her face haunted me—those tumultuous gray eyes that saw too much, pouty pink lips that begged to be claimed, and creamy skin I ached to mark as my own.

I ended up at the docks, another place I often went to think. A place that held memories of my fucked-up past. The inky black water and the distant city lights usually calmed my restless spirit.

But not tonight.

Tonight, the waves crashing against the shore only reminded me of the turmoil raging inside me.

She had no idea what a dangerous game she was playing. She had no clue about the darkness inside me, the brutal, unforgiving world that had forged me into the man I was. I had spent years building walls around the blackened, twisted thing that passed for my heart. Brick by brick, I’d fortified my defenses, never letting anyone close enough to glimpse the ugliness inside. Feelings were a weakness Icouldn’t afford in my world. They made you reckless. Sloppy. They gave your enemies a weapon to wield against you.

But somehow, without even trying, she had slipped past those carefully constructed barriers like a thief in the night. Watching her carelessness tonight had pushed me to the brink of madness.

She was playing with fire, dancing precariously close to the flames without realizing she was one wrong step from being incinerated by the inferno raging inside me. I wanted to simultaneously shield her from the brutality of my world and drag her into the shadows with me, corrupting that pure light until she understood the futility of trying to escape the gravity between us. She would either be the key to my salvation or the bullet that ended me. But I was already too far gone to care.

NINE

WRENLY

The following day, I woke up with a pounding headache and a mouth that tasted like a sewer. The events of last night came crashing back in foggy, disjointed flashes. The party, the drinking, Jake pawing at me . . . and Theo. He had burst in like an avenging angel, beating Jake to a pulp. I could still feel Theo’s hard body pressed against my back as we’d sped through the night. He’d been in my bedroom, his green eyes burning into me as he’d ordered me to bed.

I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in my pillow. What the hell had I been thinking? Shame and anger warred within me. I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. My reflection in the mirror was a disaster—smeared mascara, wild hair, ghostly pale skin, and a rumpled dress. I looked as wrecked as I felt. Snippets of my heated exchanges with Theo echoed in my throbbing head. Stripping off my dress, I stepped into the shower, hoping the scalding water would wash away my shame.

I scrubbed my skin raw with soap, but even as the grime and glitter circled the drain, I couldn’t shake the feeling of Theo’s hands on my skin, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered commands. It might be wrong, but my thoughts were consumed by Theo. I wished it had been him, not Jake, who had been kissing me, touching me, making me wet.

I pictured Theo stepping into the shower behind me, his chiseled body glistening with water droplets.His strong hands gripped my hips as he pulled me flush against him, his hard length pressing against my backside.

“You’ve been a bad girl, haven’t you?” he growled, nipping at my earlobe. “Teasing me. Making me crazy with want.”

I whimpered and ground back against him, craving more friction. One hand slid up to cup my breast, rolling the peaked nippled between his fingers. The other hand trailed down my stomach, his touch maddeningly light. I held my breath in anticipation as his fingers dipped between my thighs, finding my slick, aching center.

I pulled the retractable showerhead down and ran the hot stream along my body, pausing when I reached my most sensitive area. The pulsing water sent jolts of pleasure through my core, and I couldn’t help but imagine it was his skilled fingers caressing me. A soft moan escaped my lips as I lost myself in the fantasy, the pulsing water and rising steam caressing my clit. My legs trembled as the tension built, and I steadied myself against the cool tile wall. The contrast of sensations only heightened my arousal.

“Is this what you need, baby? My fingers buried deep inside you, fucking you until you scream my name?”

“Yes, Theo,” I cried as I circled the water stream on my swollen nub, gasping as the intense sensations merged with the fantasy playing out in my mind. The coil of tension in my belly wound tighter and tighter until it finally snapped. I cried out, my inner walls clenching as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over me. My legs nearly gave out as the last tremors of pleasure wracked my body. I slid down the slick shower wall, my heart racing as the last throes of my climax ebbed away. I stayed there for a moment under the cascading water, eyes closed, catching my breath. The fantasy of Theo faded, replaced by the deep ache of longing in my chest.

What the fuck was I doing?

Masturbating to thoughts of a man who I barely knew, like some foolish schoolgirl with a crush. Shame heated my cheeks.

With shaking hands, I turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower, wrapping myself in a fluffy towel. The mirror had fogged over, blurring my reflection.

Good.

I didn’t want to face myself right now.

I padded back to my bedroom, water droplets trailing behind me on the hardwood floor. Digging through my dresser, I pulled on a comfy pair of cotton panties and an oversized T-shirt, not bothering with a bra. All I wanted to do was crawl back into bed and hide under the covers until the humiliation passed. Until I could erase the feeling of Theo’s phantom hands on my body and his deep voice echoing in my head. But instead, all I could focus on was the simmering attraction between us and the undeniable pull I felt toward him. It was more than just physical desire, though that was certainly part of it.

No, it was something deeper. An instinctive sense that he could give me what I craved. Not just pleasure, but surrender.

Dominance.

A chime from my phone snapped me out of my carnal thoughts. I swiped the screen. It was a text from my brother, Gage.

Hey, little sis. Wanna meet up for lunch today?

My fingers hovered over the screen, hesitating. Gage would instantly see right through me. The last thing I needed was my big brother prying into my mess of a love life. Or lack thereof.

But maybe getting out of the house and focusing on something other than my traitorous libido was precisely what I needed right now. Before I could second-guess myself any more, I tapped out a reply.

---