Cards of Love: The Devil (Devil's Playground #1)(8)

AngelBaby123: Where were you the night the fire happened that killed your family?

AngelBaby123: Are you there?

AngelBaby123: Hello?





His username turns gray…informing me he signed out of the app.





Chapter 4





Cain





The last thing I need right now is a scandal.

Correction—the last thing I need is to go up to her bedroom.

Yet, here I am…walking up the stairs. Heading straight for the Devil’s playground.

One mistake three weeks ago turned Eden from my sick little fantasy …to my greatest liability.

It was hard enough not to think about her before that night…but it’s been impossible not to think about her since.

I’m so fucked.

She’s lying on her bed when I walk in—phone in hand, a cute little pout on her pretty face; like she’s waiting for someone to respond.

She’s been preoccupied with her phone a lot over the last two weeks, which wouldn’t be weird for any other girl her age, but Eden has never been what you would call normal. She has a lot of issues that prevent her from making and keeping friends.

She has a lot of issues that make people take advantage of her.

Which is why crossing the line was wrong on all accounts. She might be eighteen in a few hours, but I’m supposed to be the adult in this situation.

Then again, Eden’s more mature than most adults in this town. Unlike them, she’s not the type to spread false stories or go out of her way to hurt anyone.

Which is probably why her mother resented her so much. Karen was incredibly smart, sure; but she wasn’t a lot of other things. Things like kind, loyal, and charismatic. Things that make a person likable.

In other words, all the things Eden is.

I clear my throat to get her attention, fighting a bout of annoyance because I’m used to having it the moment I walk into a room.

She narrows her eyes. “Did you need something?”

Eden is sweeter than sugar when she wants to be, but she’s also sassy as hell when she’s upset. It’s all I can do not to laugh because Eden being mad is the equivalent of a baby cub roaring.

She’s all bark and no bite.

“I got rid of the reporter.” I stick my hands in my pockets so I’m not tempted to touch her. “I also made a few phone calls. Let’s just say she won’t be conducting any more interviews.”

Thanks in part to my family and my deceased wife’s contacts, I have a few connections. Although few is putting it mildly. I know enough of the right people I’m able to run for mayor before I turn thirty…despite all the rumors and black marks of my past.

Which is why I relate to Eden so much. I know first-hand how poisonous Black Hallows can be. I know how it feels to have an entire town talk about you and your family behind your back but never to your face.

But unlike Eden, who hasn’t built an outer shell because her mother kept her hidden away to protect her own precious reputation—I was able to rise above it and come out on top.

However, we’ll both fall down if anyone ever finds out what transpired between us.

It’s bad enough everyone in Black Hallows already speculates about our relationship, given how close in age we are—and Eden’s past, thanks to that inappropriate teacher of hers.

It’s a shame he wasn’t put behind bars, because it was obvious to anyone with a pulse he was grooming her and only a matter of time before he did something heinous.

It really goes to show it’s not what you know in this town, it’s who you know. That pervert happened to be the nephew of a powerful judge, which had my wife—the DA who only earned her position because of her own manipulative ways—backing down and turning on her own kid.

The day Karen died, I promised myself two things. One—when I became mayor, I’d piss on her grave for being such a cunt to Eden. And two—I’d help Eden overcome her demons any way I could.

But it’s hard to do that when everyone around you thinks you must be sticking your dick in your stepdaughter.

It’s even harder when they’re not exactly wrong...because you’ve had the urge to make those rumors a reality for the last year.

With a sigh, I walk around her bedroom. Being so close to her when she’s lying on a bed isn’t good for my self-control. “I shouldn’t have pushed you to do those interviews. I’m sorry.”

Given people in town haven’t seen Eden in years because her disorders prevent her from stepping outside, I thought arranging a few interviews with the local media here at the house would be a good thing.

For her…and me.

But it backfired once they started publishing pictures of her.

Younger Eden was already a Lolita in their minds. But older Eden is everything wives’ nightmares and men’s wet dreams are made of.

Like temptation and sin wrapped up in a beautiful bow.

Long blonde hair, big blue eyes, pouty lips, curvy ass, legs for days, and a rack that makes a man curse and thank God every Sunday at his local church.

And don’t get me started on the tight holy grail between her creamy thighs.

Fuck.

Blowing out a breath, I force myself to stop thinking with the wrong head. Screwing my stepdaughter is out of the question. No matter how much I want to.