“Well, for one, those shorts make it look like you have an ass, so I’m enjoying the view.”
“Ugh!” I roll over to deprive him of staring at my butt. “Dick.”
“Mm.” Devlin licks his lips. With a fluid strength, he pushes off the doorframe and stalks closer to the bed. He leans over, planting his hands on either side of my hips. “Two…I bought you that.”
I look over at the closet. A maid costume hangs from the door.
“Wh—Are you fucking kidding?” I screech, scrambling up the bed. “No way in hell.”
Devlin follows me like a beast on the prowl, the muscles in his arms flexing as he crawls up the bed to cage me in again. He’s enjoying this. My trickster devil has me at his mercy with no escape.
Narrowing my eyes, I push up on my hands to get in his face. Devlin’s eyes flash and he grins. A bolt of heat zips down my spine. I fight the screaming need to let my legs drop open, where he could fit his hips between my thighs.
I take a breath and snark at him. “I’ll make you regret it. I’ll find your room in this insane pampered maze and smother you in your sleep.”
A flirtatious smirk pulls Devlin’s mouth into an attractive curve. He dips his head down to drag his nose over my cheek, breathing on my neck. My body seizes up, my core throbbing steadily, hot and insistent.
“If you come into my room after dark, you better be prepared.” Devlin’s voice is deep and full of forbidden promise.
I bite my lip. “For what?”
“Anything I want, little thief,” he whispers roughly.
He nibbles on my neck, making me squirm at the delicious sensation of his teeth on my skin. My nipples tighten to hard buds and my body demands more. I want to wrap my legs around him, grind with him until I scratch the needy itch for release.
Devlin growls, the sound tugging at the heat building in my stomach. His tongue swipes over my pulse point, ripping a gasp from me.
Cool air prickles in a wave across my body as Devlin pulls back. His lids are heavy. I blink, coming to my senses.
“You—Get out.”
“You don’t tell me what to do, Blair.” Devlin’s gaze goes from heated to cool in seconds. He traces my collarbone and holds my neck without pressure. “You’re mine and I decide when I’m done.”
My pulse rushes in my ears. His hand around my neck is my shackle, a collar to control me. And I don’t hate the feel of it.
The thing growing between us since the fake kiss is becoming a slippery slope. If I’m not careful, I’ll lose my footing and find myself enjoying this.
“Get out,” I repeat, voice steadier than my liquid insides feel.
Devlin stares me down for a long stretch. I hold his gaze, pushing all of my resolve into it. My heart pounds. He can probably feel my rapid pulse beneath his fingertips. I don’t look away, refusing to back down.
After another minute, Devlin sits back. “There’s plenty of food in the kitchen. The housekeeper makes sure it’s stocked.” Dragging a hand through his tousled hair, he nods to the maid costume. “That was a joke. I wanted to see your face. But I won’t say no to you wearing these or your duck shorts around the house.”
A heated flushed engulfs my face at the sultry lilt of his voice. “Perv. Don’t think about whatever it is that’s putting that look on your face.”
He leers at me, dragging his teeth over his lower lip.
It’s only the first day, not even twenty-four hours in his house, and I’m already grappling with maintaining the balance between us.
The line in the sand is blurry at best.
I push against Devlin’s chest, and he cups my hands, trapping them. “If this is my room, whatever I say goes in here.”
He squints. “Fine.”
“Good. So get out.”
Devlin leaves me to my own devices. For the first time all afternoon, I face the fact that I’m living with my monster. I fall back on the bed. It’s so comfortable, I can’t contain another grateful groan.