Page 40 of Devil's Retribution

I think I’m in trouble here.

I had never been so stuck on a woman that only the thought of fucking her would let my body find relief. That wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be the smitten one, while I kept in complete control. But she wasn’t the one needing relief in the shower to go about her night.

Get ahold of yourself, I told myself, but deep down I knew there was no forcing it. All I could do was try to manage my emotions—and my desire—as best I could until my planned seduction was done. After that, the only control I would need to exercise would be entirely in bed.

Chapter 16

Emma

After Viktor left me to myself in the dark again, I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable enough to drop back to sleep. I hadn’t been about to tell him, but the dream that had sent him in to wake me up had only been half nightmare. The rest had been enough to make me dwell on it for a long time after Viktor had left.

I was scared, but more than the fear the nightmare had awakened, it was the want. The need as the nightmare had morphed into a dream so vivid I woke up wet and horny. I wanted Viktor to fuck me as he had in my dream. But damn him, so far, he seems to be all talk in the sex department. I had seen the fire in his dark blue eyes when he looked at me. The way they swept over every inch of my exposed skin, and traced my curves in a way that made me almost feel it physically. He wanted me too.

And that only makes it worse for me.

Finally, I was able to relax again—but not before I heard a telltale sound through my bedroom walls. A hoarse noise, like a groan, and the shower water running.

My ears strained to hear more, curiosity getting the better of me. A softer sound, almost melodic, followed up, a moan, soft but with something so graphic in it that my toes curled.

I smiled into my pillow, it was clear I wasn’t the only one wrestling with my feelings. But I couldn’t work up the nerve to go join him. Not yet. I had far too much to worry about besides that. But someday, sometime soon, I was going to spend a night in his arms.

I just hoped that doing that wouldn’t end up being the biggest mistake of my life.

I closed my eyes.

***

When I woke again, the room was filling with the cold, gray light of dawn. A glance through the curtains showed me the rainstorm hadn’t let up yet. It was like LA switched weathers with Seattle.

Not that I was complaining. I had never had an easier time breathing Los Angeles air. All that rain was washing the pollution out of the air and into the storm drains. It would make the sunsets duller for a while, but that was a small price to pay for avoiding smog for a few days. This time of year, the smog was normally so thick that it almost felt like you needed to chew the air before inhaling.

I lay there, wondering if I should try sleeping a bit longer while I could. The penthouse was quiet. Not so much as a single footstep broke the soft monotony of rain on windows.

I don’t want to be the first one up, I thought. It wasn’t laziness; I was exhausted. Nightmares always made my energy levels go to hell the next morning. It was almost like I had sleepwalked all night, though I had never discovered myself anywhere but safe under my blankets.

Then, unexpectedly, my door opened.

I looked up and saw Nick creep in, closing the door behind him. His face was sleepy, and his hair was all up in cowlicks, and he had that odd little frown on his face that he got when he was really thinking hard about something. He looked at me, and hesitated.

I smiled at him sleepily. “Hey.”

“Can I cuddle a while?”

“Okay.” I let him get under the blankets and he curled against my side, propping his head on my arm.

He was quiet for a while, and then said softly, “Why did Uncle Charles leave us?”

Oh God.

I had expected him to come to me looking for explanations for all this insanity, but I hadn’t figured out how to answer all his potential questions yet. My mind drew a blank for a few moments, but finally I started stroking his hair.

“I don’t know sweetheart. Maybe he had something important to do.” Nick would learn the truth one day, but he wasn’t ready for the complexities of the situation. All he needed to know was that he was safe with me. Even if I wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

“I don’t get it.”

I peered down at his little face and then lay back against the pillows with a sigh. “I don’t really get it either.”

I wanted to slap his jowly face for stealing from me, for running when we needed him. I wanted to put a boot up his ass. He hadn’t murdered any of my loved ones, but he was a thief, a liar, and a coward.