Page 12 of The Villain

I’d saved myself for him. Made sure I was good, so he’d want to keep me. In my naive, teenage mind, that had been the right thing to do. And when I’d finally confessed my feelings, he’d been visibly horrified by the thought of touching me.

That feeling of rejection had been all-consuming, and my sexual appetite plummeted as rage replaced the need for affection. During my reign as the Detroit Devil, I’d only allowed myself a few blow jobs—usually from one of the sex workers in my employ—and they didn’t want to be there any more than I did.

In my more lucid moments over the years, I’d entertained a few fantasies. And in them, my former crush had shifted into a faceless man. The man who’d finally force me to my knees. The man I’d been convinced I’d never meet, because he didn’t exist.

But that man wasn’t faceless anymore. He had blue eyes, cruel lips, big hands, and a broad chest.

And he roared like a lion.

FIVE

Cian

I stood below the fire escape outside my apartment and inhaled nicotine like it wasn’t actively shortening my lifespan.

I hadn’t walked into that shed planning to put my dick anywhere near that devil. I couldn’t fully explain how it had gotten there. One minute, my fingers were in his mouth. The next, I’d replaced them with my cock and gone into full fuck-or-die mode. It had just… happened. Shit like that never just happened to me. I wasn’t a fuckboy like Mads, who was always elbow-deep in pussy and probably had at least ten illegitimate kids running around somewhere. I didn’t have a lineup of people wanting to fuck my ugly mug. And I wasn’t charming. Most strangers thought I was cold and unapproachable. Men saw me as a rough, one-night stand. Women wanted a story about sleeping with a bad boy. I was not what anyone would callkeeper material. But when I did hook up, I used condoms and was on PrEP. Never in a million years did I think I’d lose my mind enough to skull-fuck the man who killed my father.

Devlin pushed all my buttons. I hated him, and yet I was drawn to him anyway. This was a brand-new situation for me. A puzzle with pieces that didn’t fit. I’d always been in control of who aroused me. Not that I was that picky, but I did have to find the person at least remotely likable.

But Devlin was different. I loathed him. I wanted to fuck him. It made no sense. I was in unfamiliar territory here.

I replayed our interaction over and over in my head. I’d never in my life forced anyone into anything sexual, but what just happened was consensually murky at best. I tried to rationalize that I’d given him an out. He could have refused. He could have clamped his mouth shut and shook his head, and my cock would never have left my pants. But that little shit had tempted me. I had all the power here. He was my prisoner, and I held the key to his chains. Yet in that moment, he could have ended it. And he didn’t.

I liked my sex rough, but I’d never beenthatrough before. I’d always held back with my hookups. And that was really all I let myself have. This life wasn’t built for relationships. But with Devlin, I’d let my baser instincts take the lead, which had me coming so hard down his throat that I’d nearly blacked out… AndfuckI was hard again just thinking about it. His tears, his spit, the way he’d been rock hard throughout the entire thing.

I’d pushed him, and he’d taken it all.

I’d left him in the shed with no food, no water, and his hands cuffed behind his back. I needed to correct that. But sending in Mads or Hack meant they’d witness the aftermath. The shed probably reeked like jizz, and the devil would still bear my marks on his face and throat.

A few hours had passed, and I’d spent most of that time chain smoking and barking orders at random members of the crew. I’d avoided Rhys, because he could always see right throughme. Luckily, he was across the street at O'Shea’s signing for deliveries. Otherwise, I’d be in deep shit.

A door opened, then shut. I glanced up to find Jace walking toward me. I discreetly nudged the paper bag at my feet out of sight as he joined me and leaned against the wall. It had been a few days since he’d tried to stab Devlin, and he’d been trying to make up for it by being agreeable ever since.

“I finished stocking early.” He pushed his sunglasses into his hair and squinted at me. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, because that was what I always said.

Jace lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. “I heard about Tyson’s delivery.”

I clamped my lips around my cigarette and took another drag. Tyson was one of my crew’s high-ranking officers, who’d recently been ambushed during a gun delivery. By the fucking Bonnams. He’d managed to get away from them unharmed, but they stole our entire shipment. They were getting bolder. And I was distracted by a devil in a shed.

“We need to hit them back,” Jace was saying. “Did you get anything from the devil yet?”

Yeah. Good head.I blew out a stream of smoke. I scratched my chin. “No.”

“Look. I know I already blew your trust when it comes to Walsh,” he said, as he stepped closer. “But you don’t have to handle this on your own.”

I dropped my cigarette on the ground and stomped on it. “I have it handled.”

I didn’t have it handled. Not one bit.

He studied me for a moment, standing just a little too close, and I glared back in warning. He was undeterred, of course. Jace knew I’d die before I ever hurt him. He chewed on his lower lip. “You can open up to me, you know.”

I rolled my eyes. “Here we go again?—”

“I’m just saying!” He threw up his hands. “You have me. You have Rhys. You have an entire crew you can ask for help. Instead, you’ve been out here chain-smoking for the last hour.”

“It’s been forty-five minutes.” I made a show of lighting another cigarette and took a long drag. Then I blew the smoke right in his face.