Page 60 of The Devil's Weakness

“It’s not so bad,” Blade informs me.

He’s got his pants on, but they aren’t zippered yet, so they’re hanging open with hisVon full display.

Fuuuck my life.

He grasps my chin and places another kiss on my lips. This time, his tongue burrows its way into my mouth and dances with mine.

His morning breath isn’t all that bad, either.

Stop that!

“Extra toothbrushes are under the sink,” Blade tells me. “It’s best to keep it in here, so no one uses it by mistake.”

Before I leave the room, there is a question that I’m dying to ask but haven’t had the guts to yet.

“Blade, when will I be allowed to go home?”

I hate phrasing it like that, as if I need permission.

“We can head over there after breakfast if you want. I’d like you to pack a bag of things to keep here for the nights you stay over.”

WhenI stay over? I was under the impression that being his meant that he expected me to live here.

“Don’t look so upset about it, little girl. If you’d prefer to be naked while you’re here, that’s fine too. I figured you’d like to keep some extra clothing here, though, so it wouldn’t come to that.”

“No, that’s not… I’m not upset. Just confused. I thought you were going to try to make me move in with you or something.”

“You want to move in with me?”

“No. I just—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it came out,” I explain.

I feel bad. I didn’t intend to sound so mean. But, I really don’t want to live here.

“Yes, you did,” he responds, making me feel even worse.

I dip my head and curl my hair behind my ear as Blade approaches me again.

“Don’t worry, ol’ ladies don’t live here permanently.”

“Ol’ ladies?” I question, and Blade laughs at my shock.

“Yeah. There’s a lot we’ll need to go over today. Since you’re going to be sticking around and all.” He cocks his eyebrow knowingly, waiting for me to deny it again.

But I say nothing. I let him win this one. Instead, I head into the bathroom and freshen up before Imeet the family.

* * *

When we get downstairs,I freeze. I tried talking myself into this, but now that we’re a few steps away, I’m losing my nerve.

“Hey,” Blade looks at me. “One of the main reasons I haven’t been able to get you off my mind is because of how you stood up to me that night.I’m not a little girl… remember that? There are grown-ass men around here that don’t have the kind of balls you do.”

I nod.

“Where’sthatgirl? That’s who needs to show up for breakfast this morning.”

I nod again and take another deep breath for about the thousandth time this morning. Blade takes me by the hand and leads me into the dining room. The chatter dies out as we approach the table, and I feel my resolve begin to slip. There are two empty chairs, but they aren’t next to one another.

“Can everyone shift over a seat so Sasha can sit here?” Blade requests.

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