Page 26 of The Villain

“Nice for you.”

He didn’t respond, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that either. Maybe he really didn’t know why. I changed the subject. “How’d last night go?”

He turned to face me with a hip propped against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. It pushed his massive pecs together, creating a valley I would happily suffocate in. “Which part?”

“The part where you went downstairs to deal with myattack.” I accented the last word with air quotes.

Cian made a pinched face, like he wanted to sock me in the eye. “Rank—the guy whose ear you mauled—got mouthy. I put him in his place.”

Well, that sounded exciting. I pushed away from the refrigerator and straightened. “How?”

“Smashed his head into the bar, stepped on his face, then told him I didn’t want to see him for five days.”

It wasn’t the violence that made my cock thicken—it was Cian exerting his power. And okay, maybe the violence had something to do with it too. I bit back a moan and shifted my feet, but Cian caught my reaction anyway.

He blew out a harsh breath. “You’re not who I expected.” Then his eyes skittered away, like he was surprised by his own admission.

“Is that so?”

He didn’t answer, only shook his head. “Maybe I should’ve known. The devil is all about temptation, after all.”

I let out a delighted gasp. “You think I’m a temptation?”

“Why do you take everything I say as a compliment?”

“It’s a gift.” I shrugged.

He curled his lip. “Nothing you say or do will stop me from killing you.”

“Oh, I know. You’re going to kill me, and I’m going to let you do whatever you want to me first.”

Cian flared his nostrils, but I couldn’t tell if it was in anger or arousal. “You should be scared,” he growled.

I shrugged. “Always knew I was gonna die young. I just figured it would be at the hands of some loser. So excusemefor being a little giddy that it’s you instead.”

He stared at me like I had three heads. “What is wrong with you?”

“A lot.”

He shook his head again and turned away from me. I didn’t like that. I didn’t like that at all. I wanted my lion king’s attention, wanted to tear down every boundary he tried to set up between us.

“Use me,” I blurted out. “That’s all I’m good for, right? Being your fuck toy?”

Cian slowly turned back around, then stepped right into my space. “And what do you get out of it?”

Nothing. I got nothing, and that’s exactly what I wanted. Sweet, blissful nothing. When Cian put me on my knees, my mind went blank. The demons that constantly taunted me went quiet, and my regrets faded. I wanted more. I wanted to know what it felt like to have his big, pierced dick claiming my ass. I bet I’d break apart and float away. I wouldn’t have to feel a thing.

I wasn’t about to tell Cian that. He could have my body, but the wreckage in my mind was too ugly to expose. I answered his question with another question. “What does it matter? You still get what you want. You get to kill the man who killed your father.”

My evasiveness was blood in the water, and Cian locked onto it instantly. His gaze burned with something that hadn’t been there twenty-four hours ago, and I felt it like claws in my skin. My breath caught in my throat as his expression shifted into a dangerous combination of anger, loathing, and possession.

All three turned me the fuck on.

A cruel glint shone in his eyes as he threaded his fingers through my hair and tugged my head back. I gasped, caught off guard, and my eyes fluttered as he glared down at me.

“Is this what you offered other men to get what you want?”

Bristling, I jerked in his hold. “I’ve never kneeled for anyone else.”