Page 18 of Twisted Devotion

He laughs. “Or not.”

When I finally force my mouth shut, I lick the dryness from my lips and take the empty glass from him. “I think I’m going to need another glass.”

His lips curl. “That is both something I’m happy to accommodate and jump right on board with.” Grabbing his own glass and the bottle out of the bar fridge, he pops the top off again.

“Might as well keep it on hand,” I tell him.

He arches a brow at me. “Oh yeah?”

“You keep making comments like before, and yeah, I’m gonna need something to take the edge off.”

“I was only teasing you.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Were you?”

His gaze lifts from the wine bottle to meet mine. “Yeah, no. I was serious. I find it amusing that you’re so freaked out by the suggestion.”

I scoff. “Because feeding is—”

“Personal,” he mimics in a condescending tone. “Whatever. It’s a necessity. Can it get kinky sometimes? Hell yeah, but what can’t?”

My brows scrunch closer. “Uh, a lot of things.”

He grins. “Then you’re not having enough fun with your life.”

I down the second half of my wine. “That’s not your concern. It’s your life that’s my concern.”

“Hmm,” he hums, slowly moving closer. “And what if I wanted some fun in my life that included you?”

He drops his gaze to my mouth, and it—with the help of the wine—spreads warmth through my veins.Son of a bitch, he smells amazing.Like eucalyptus and mint.

“Jackson,” I warn.

“Kelsey,” he says back in a low voice.

I grip the counter, pushing myself away from him. “Back off. This isn’t happening.” I need to keep my resolve strong. I’m here to complete a job, not to have sex with the subject of my assignment.

His eyes flick back to mine, and for a moment, I see disappointment there, as if I’ve insulted him. Maybe I have. Perhaps that’s what it’ll take to get him to stop talking like he’s going to have his way with me, which he isn’t. Even if there is a tiny part of me that’s curious about what it might be like.

“Duly noted.”

“Good.” I glance at the clock on the wall behind Jackson.Damn.I can’t even fake being tired and retreat to the privacy of my room when it’s only just after six. That’ll look embarrassingly obvious.Do I really care though?“I’m going to head to bed,” I blurt.

He arches a brow at me, but I don’t give him a chance to respond before I set the empty wine glass on the counter.

“Good night.” It feels weird to say when there’s still a streak of daylight in the sky, but I do it anyway and walk out of the kitchen.

Once I’m in my room, I close and lock the door, leaning against it. My head falls back and I groan out loud, hoping to hell that Jackson isn’t listening.What in the actual fuck was that?So much for keeping my cool. It’s only day one and he’s already gotten inside my head.

I spend the next couple of hours in bed, flipping through sitcoms on the television. I feel like royalty, which is absolutely ridiculous, but also kind of fun. It allows me to get my mind off Jackson for a while.

My phone chimes with a text. I swipe it open and laugh. It’s Tristan, checking in. Or, his way of a check-in these days, which means a picture of Adam grinning at the camera. I’m not mad about it, though. The kid is cute.

Is he behaving?he asks in a separate message.

For the most part,I type back.

Keep him in line, Kels. Don’t let him get away with anything. You’re there to ensure his safety, but I know how he can be. Push back whenever necessary.

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