Devil Woman

Chapter 26

Nyra

"I should have given Omar the green light to kill you," I muttered.

"I wish you did."

I scoffed, infuriated. "Does Ivan the great detective want to die?"

"If I can't be with you, then yes, I want to die. If I can't have you by my side, then this life isn't worth living."

"That is fucking pathetic, Ivan."

"If I'm pathetic, then I'm pathetic for you. If I'm crazy, then I'm crazy for you. If you're not with me, Nyra, then I don't want to live in this world anymore. It's not worth it."

"You want to die?" I pulled out a knife from my pocket and placed it at his neck. "How should I kill you?" I sneered. "Should I carve the word liar across your chest?"

He didn't flinch or even show me a sign of hesitance as he reached up and placed my hand with the knife over his heart.

"Carve your name on my heart."

"Normally, men are the ones that want to carve their names."

He gave me a half smile, and his busted lip began bleeding again. "I think we've established we're not normal."

"You'd want my name carved across your chest? Why?" I whispered.

"Because I love you, Nyra. I love you, and I'm yours. Go ahead. Carve your name right here. Let the world know I belong to you, baby, that I'll always and only belong to you."

"You'd let me do this to you?"

"I'm not letting you, Nyra. I need you to. Go ahead, my pretty little devil. Show me who I belong to. Show me that I belong to you."

I couldn't hold back. I slapped him hard across his face.

"You asshole." I cried. "You fucking asshole."

"I know."

He kept his eyes on me as he took off his shirt and let it fall to the floor. He grabbed my hand again and placed the tip of the knife at his chest. My eyes shamelessly skirted over his chest, and I inhaled sharply at how handsome he was.

Ivan's beauty always left me speechless, and despite my anger, I was still affected in the same way. They fell down to the scar on his side from when I stabbed him, and I stared at it for a moment too long.

"Go on." He encouraged.

"What does carving my name on your chest supposed to signify?" I murmured.

I peered up at him through my wet lashes, and his hand came up to wipe at my cheeks.

"It signifies whatever you want it to signify."

"It still doesn't make it okay."

"I know." He sighed, and I could feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath my touch. "I'm not a rich man, Nyra. I can't grovel by offering you diamonds and villas.

I'm a humble man, a cop, and I live in an apartment that's probably smaller than your kitchen. I come from a middle-class family, and I love them with all my heart."

He swallowed as if hating that he couldn't offer me what he wanted to offer me. What he thought he had to offer me.

"I don't want to buy your forgiveness, and I know I'm not worthy of it, of you, but I have the patience and all the time in the world to win you back. I came into this game thinking it would be an easy seduction, but I proved myself wrong when I fell for you.