Page 74 of Entwined

CHRISTOS

HER BACK IS TO ME. She’s ringing up an order, oblivious to me staring like I’ve never seen a woman before.

Her hair still falls down her back. She brushes a few strands from her face, smiling at the man sitting at the bar.

I saunter over catching stares in my Tom Ford trousers and Armani loafers. The pub is quaint; hardly a place I’d frequent. She looks up quickly sensing the air has changed in the room.

It has sweetheart.

Your devil just walked in.

Instead of the familiar flush that heats her cheeks when she sees me her skin remains the same light golden tan. Her pupils don’t dilate with surprise or desire.

Fuck.

I waited too long.

The spark is gone.

But our fire will never go out. It just needs rekindling.

I take an empty seat at the bar and flip open a menu. She continues to ignore me as she serves food from the kitchen and pours more drinks.

My fingers tap impatiently. The menu is snapped from my hands. “Leave. There’s nothing suitable here for you.”

She finally faces me. Her beauty takes my breath away. She’s come into her own. She’s stronger than she was before, backed by the new-found confidence that comes when you find your place in the world.

I’m different too.

I saved more lives than I ever destroyed. But the beast in me was finally sated. I spent the last four months killing gangsters, human traffickers… even a few terrorists. El Diablo is both a devil and a savior. I’m just fighting on the right side and right now I need my angel more than ever.

“Really?” I grip the edge of the menu pulling it back. “Surely, there must be something. Saving the world is hard work. I’m ravenous.” I smile, letting my dark eyes roam over her.

“I said leave. My life isn’t a game, Christos.”

“I never thought it was,” I reply with sincerity.

“Leave. I don’t want to play anymore. I’m happy. Can you just let me be happy?”

I lean in closer becoming dizzy by the smell of her skin, by how close we finally are after all this time.

“I came back. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Not anymore.”

I shake my head. “Do you think this is it? That our story ends here?”

“It’s been over for a while.”

“What if I have more chapters to write?”

She shrugs, “Not my problem,” then walks away to serve another customer.

Her sass and utter lack of emotion is turning me the fuck on. No one says no to me. Ever. My whole life everything has been an endless yes, yes…YES!

I get off my stool, following her from my side of the bar. “Take a break. We need to talk.”

“No.”

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