He leans back to give me a brooding look. “You make me want impossible things. Ever since you kissed me, I want—”
His attention drops to my lips. He leans in, hovering his mouth over mine.
“The kiss was one of your orders for the deal,” I whisper, wide-eyed. “It wasn’t real.”
Devlin stills. He buries his face back in my neck, remaining quiet for another beat. He murmurs something I can’t understand, words muffled against my neck.
This is a different devil than the one I know.
Concern wins out over everything else—my annoyance at him for avoiding me and the stress. “What’s wrong?”
Devlin turns to marble beneath my hands, rigid and impenetrable. He leans back to face me, his hands locking together at the small of my back.
“Move in with me. Live at my house.”
Disbelief crashes over me. For a long moment, I can’t speak, only gape at him. When I find my voice, it’s shrill.
“Excuse me?” A nervous giggle bubbles out of me. “You opened your mouth and fucking crazy came out.”
Devlin’s expression is a blank mask.
No.
No, no, fuck no.
I shove at his chest, but he keeps me in place, tightening his embrace.
Glaring up at him, I list all the ways that’s never fucking happening. “You’re out of your mind! What makes you think I would agree to that? What would you even get out of that? No. No way! People at school would talk and get the wrong idea and, more importantly, my mom would never let me!”
“Ten thousand.” It’s Devlin’s only response, passive and bored.
What the fu
ck?
I smack his chest. He doesn’t budge.
“Why?”
“I don’t have to explain it to you.”
“You do if you expect me to agree!”
“Are you backing out of our deal?” Devlin crushes me in his arms. “Whatever I say goes. If you can’t comply, I’ll shred our contract and drop you off at the police station.”
“No!”
It’s difficult to control the train wreck of emotions.
On one hand, ten grand is a lot of money. All I have to do to get it is live with Devlin. That’s way less of a public humiliation, unless he brings people home while I’m there or lets me ride to school with him.
On the other, I’d have to live with Devlin. Enemy territory, unfamiliar and uncharted. It would put me in a vulnerable position, dependent on him in every way.
Jesus, what would he do with access to me night and day? He’s a twisted and ruthless demon. I’m afraid to imagine what he might come up with in his fucked up head.
The water from the sink turns on inside the trailer. I can hear the muted sounds of Mom shuffling around. Shit, I can’t let her find out about my deal with Devlin.
“You’re psychotic and entitled! I won’t do it. You can’t just throw money at me to make it happen. The world doesn’t work like that, Devlin.”