Page 13 of The Villain

He waved away the nicotine cloud and narrowed his eyes. “Fuck you.”

“What do you want me to say?”

He shook his head and looked away, jaw clenched, clearly done with me. “Whatever, Cian.”

I searched my limited mental database for how to deal with someone frustrated with me. I settled on my typical rote response, “I appreciate the offer. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

His answer was a side-eye.

I tried to smile, and he just snorted. “Fine.” He tipped his head toward the door. “You coming inside? Randy’s got dinner almost done.” Randy was our cook over at O’Shea’s, and he made meals for the crew inside Frank as well.

“In a minute. Gotta check on the devil again.”

He frowned at that. “Weren’t you in there earlier?”

“I was.” I didn’t elaborate. “You gonna be around tonight?”

He grinned at my question. “Why, you wanna come to Maxie’s with me?” The nearest town, Brighton, had a university—and Jace had a reputation for turning up at the parties and bars there. The college girls loved him. Jace and I might share the same father, but he took after his mother. I’d never met her, but she must have been beautiful.

“Not even a little,” I said.

He laughed. “Good, because you’re a terrible wingman. You just scare the girls. You’re only useful on graduation weekend, when the divorced moms are in town.”

He wasn’t wrong. Especially the older women who were fresh on the market. A few divorced dads, too. Though most of them needed a few drinks before my ugly face started looking a little better. I was exactly the kind of townie you fuck and forget. “So? You around?”

Jace shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, taking the night off.”

“Let’s play poker later,” I said. “Tell Rhys.”

That made him grin even wider. We hadn’t spent much quality time together lately. “Will do.”

Once Jace had disappeared inside Frank, I let out a deep breath and squinted up at the sky. The sun was setting—it would be dark in an hour or so. I had to deal with the devil now.

With a frustrated huff, I snatched up the paper bag I’d filled with supplies and made my way to the shed. The cool evening breeze raised goosebumps on my arms as I walked, and each step echoed in my skull. But the worst part was the way my cock twitched in my pants at the thought of meeting Devlin’s eyes again.

“Fuck this all to hell,” I grumbled to myself as I reached the shed. I placed my hand on the latch, took a deep breath, and swung the door open.

Devlin sat on the edge of the cot, head tipped back against the wall, eyes half-shut. The moment he noticed me, he sat up straight, feet hitting the floor.

I was right about the shed—it absolutely reeked of sex, sweat, and bad decisions. I’d wondered if I would be greeted by a Devlin full of regret and shame. A devil cowed. Instead, his bright green eyes met mine in a challenge that made my balls tighten.

I repositioned his cuffs to the front, careful not to touch him any more than necessary, and watched as he gulped down the water I gave him. As he took a few bites of a protein bar, my gaze wandered down to his lap. His jeans weren’t stained,which meant he hadn’t come. The odd stirring in my gut felt suspiciously like pride at how well he’d obeyed.

The chain connecting him to the cot rattled as he tossed the empty wrapper to the side. Then he leaned back, studying me. “What’s your name?”

I hadn’t even thought to tell him before—it hadn’t been relevant. But now I wanted him to know exactly who owned him. “Cian.”

A slow, almost dream-like smile spread across his face, and it made my hair stand on end. “Cian.” He drew the two syllables out, ‘key-en,’ long and slow. The word was like a tongue on my dick.

Focus, Cian.

“What route did the Bonnams use when they ran guns for you?”

He rolled his eyes. “Fuck. This again? You’re like a broken record.”

“I told you, devil. You’ll lose if you play this game.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, but what really matters is weboth have fun.” He said the last three words with a bright affect, like a high school cheerleading coach.