The Devil Inside by Mia Amano Read Free Book Online

again.
    I'm glued to the spot, like a rabbit trapped in the gaze of a wolf. As I savor his nearness, Kaito raises his hand and traces the area around my black eye with a featherlight touch. It doesn’t hurt, even though the skin there is delicate and tender. The gesture sends a shiver down my spine.
    “The person who did this to you; was it your boyfriend?”
    I shake my head. “I don’t have a boyfriend.” For some reason, I want him to know that.
    “Ex-boyfriend?”
    “No.” I almost laugh. Both my exes wouldn’t even know how to hit straight. “I’m not going to talk about it, so you can stop wasting your time.”
    “This is not a waste of time.”  
    “Well then, it’s none of your business.” I start to feel irritated. “What’s with the interrogation, anyway? Don’t you have better places to be on the weekend?” On impulse, I grab Kaito’s left hand and turn it over, tracing my finger across his palm. His hand is large and warm, with long, callused fingers. But part of his fifth finger is missing.
    A chill slides down my spine.
    “And you’re obviously not just an accountant,” I murmur. Kaito has gone still. His face is an unreadable mask. “Feel like telling me what you really do?”
    Kaito softly disengages his hand. “I’m no-one important, Adele, just the guy who comes in to do the books.” His expression turns self-mocking. “And you’re not just a waitress at a sushi bar, are you?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “What’s a girl like you doing working here, is what I mean. I’ve been watching you, Adele. There’s more to you than tips and service.”
    “No double life,” I assure him. “I don’t have any secrets. I’m just a struggling artist, trying to pay my rent.”
    “An artist?” Kaito looks me up and down, a smile tugging the edges of his mouth. He looks intrigued. “You must be good. I can tell.”
    “Yeah, right. There’s no way you can tell that. But enough about me.” I poke a finger at his chest, changing the subject. “What about you?”
    It’s as if I’ve just pushed the wrong button. Kaito’s barriers go up, his smile disappearing, his face becoming a blank mask. “Nothing, Adele. There’s nothing else you need to know.” He gently lifts my hand away from his chest. “I think you have customers waiting.”
    Annoyed, I shrug. If Kaito doesn’t want to talk about his past, then that’s his business. Such a frustrating, infuriating man. “You’re right. I have work to do. Was there anything else?”
    “No,” he murmurs. But his eyes tell me otherwise. They’re hungry, roaming my face, my body. It’s not an unwelcome stare. He knows it. Arrogant bastard.
    As I turn and enter the building, a warm, pleasant sensation fills my chest. Secretly, I don’t mind the attention.  
    When I look back, Kaito’s mouth is curved into a cryptic half-smile.  
    I don’t see him again that afternoon, and my shift is is filled with an endless barrage of hungry customers. But I find myself distracted by thoughts of a dark-haired, dark-eyed man who fights dirty, says little and yet stares at me with a piercing, wanting gaze.  

Kaito

    She’s gone. I catch a glimpse of the sweet curve of her ass as she disappears down the corridor. Her glossy, dark hair sways back and forth in its ponytail, as if in defiance.
    My cock has gone hard. Adele’s always doing this to me.
    She’s tempting me. I told myself I wouldn’t go there, but when I walked into the restaurant today, the look she gave me was a one-two sucker punch.
    She stared at me like she wanted me and she didn’t care if I knew it.
    Then I saw the shadow around her left eye. She tried to cover it up, but I’ve seen too many battered women in my lifetime. The dark anger that rose in me was surprising in its viciousness.
    I'm ready to murder the asshole who hurt her.
    I haven’t felt that way in a long time.
    She won’t tell me what happened, or who did it. Not because she’s afraid, but because she