Page 45 of Harmless
“You are the last person who should be saying anything,” Devin snapped. “She’s got you exactly where she wants you—eating out of her hand. Same with Torr. Same with everyone here who looks at her like the sun shines out of her ass.”
“Dev, I don’t wanna hurt you, but if you don’t shut your fucking mouth—”
“Okay, stop! Come on.” I pulled on the back of Santos’ shirt, but he stood his ground like an oak tree, so I moved to get in front of him again. Which put meveryclose to Devin.
Funny. I had forgotten how breathtakingly beautiful he was until that moment. The lines and angles of his face were just as sharp as those knives he liked so much. Not even the faint freckles on his nose or the dark beard on his jaw did anything to soften his face.
On top of that, he was angry. At me. Devin’s brows slashed down and his lips had all but disappeared with how tightly they pressed together. But there was more than anger that I sensed in his expression. I saw a whole lot of fear, with a generous helping of pain.
I leaned on Santos until he backed up enough to give Devin and I some breathing room. He was sweet to jump to my defense, and it was pretty hot seeing his switch flip from eager-to-please submissive to ready to throw down on his friend for my honor. But Devin was right about one thing. Santos was not the right person to come between us.
“I don’t know where you got that impression,” I said to Devin. “But I don’t need everyone to love me. Or even like me. As long as we can be respectful of each other, okay? That’s all I’m asking for.”
“Right,” he snorted. “So where’s my respect? Why do I have to defer to you before I can get my kill in?”
“We talked about this, Devin,” I said gently. “I need information only Nella has. Otherwise the machine keeps going, and there’ll be another Mystic Canyon within a decade. Nobody wants that.”
“Who the fuck put you in charge, anyway?” His glare was downright murderous. “Why do you decide where we stay? Or when someone gets questioned?”
“Look, someone had to step up, alright?” I could feel my emotions running high, coming close to the surface no matter how much I tried to shove them down. “After Santos got thrown in the isolation cell, and then Torr got captured, I had to do something. I felt responsible, okay?”
“Responsible,” Devin sneered. “As if we’re all children needing a mother hen to keep us in order.”
“You want to go back to being a gladiator?” I snapped, flinging my hand toward the front door. “Go. Follow the road out of here. Since you’re so self-sufficient, I’m sure you can find your way back to the canyon.”
“Way to miss my whole fucking point.” Devin’s temper was unraveling too, his voice raising as he stepped intomypersonal space this time. “If you think I’m going to roll over and say, ‘yes ma’am’ just because another woman decided she was in charge, you are sadly mistaken. No one controls me anymore!”
“Hey.” Torr picked the perfect moment to come down the stairs, eyes zeroing in on me as he hurried over. “What’s with all the yelling? I could hear you from the bathroom.”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “We’re just getting to know each other. Aren’t we, Devin?”
The fighter’s eyebrows lifted slightly, like he was surprised I wouldn’t rat him out to my boy toy.Yeah, amazing when people don’t fit the preconceived notions in your head, right?
I was determined not to prove Devin right about me. Sure, I could be petty and bossy, but I wasn’t some evil seductress looking for a harem of men to enslave. It seemed like he had a hard time believing that, though. And it wasn’t like I could blame him. He didn’t appear to have a good track record with women.
We didn’t have to be friends, or even acquaintances. But if we could get to a level of mutual respect and trust, I’d consider that a win. He hated me because I was a woman who acted like I ran the show, fine. No better way to lead than by example. All I could do was treat Devin with some basic decency and hope to get the same in return one day.
Torr knew right away there was more to what I said, and he walked over with a puffed-up chest that was soon halted by my outstretched palm.
“It’s okay, Torr. Really.” I forced a smile at him. “Nothing I can’t handle.” Devin’s issue would remain solely with me. There was no reason for my guys to get involved.
“You sure?” His eyes slid over to Santos, who shrugged.
Devin chose then to leave the kitchen, grumbling as he took with him half of the sliced sourdough loaf with nothing on it. I hoped he’d enjoy choking it down by his lonesome.
“What was that all about?” Torr’s question cut through the tension in the kitchen as he headed for the remaining bread loaf. Tension that was now dissipating since the source of it had left.
“Nothing.” I eyed the width of Torr’s back pulling at his white T-shirt, noted the water droplets in his dark hair as if he’d just gotten out of the shower. No doubt he’d gotten up before the crack of dawn and already got a workout in.
“That Devin guy being a problem?”
“No, Torr. I got it handled.”
“I can talk to him,” Santos offered.
“No.” I spun around to face him. “Really, it’s fine. If you guys talk to him, it’s just going to reinforce his idea that I send men out to do my bidding. Honestly, I’m not some wilted flower. I can handle him.”
“If you insist.” Santos let out a soft sigh before gliding his fingers over my neck. I leaned into the touch, grinning and eager to continue what we’d started, before I realized he’d stopped and was staring at Torr behind me. “What you making there, cinnamon toast?”
