Page 141 of Ruthless Savage

Unlocking my phone, I send Karen a quick text.

Eriu

I’m so sorry about your grandma! I feel like such a bad friend that I didn’t know. Call me when you can. I love you!

It’s not like her to be so quiet. Even when she’s upset, she always calls me or at least texts.

There’s a small banging noise coming from somewhere in the apartment, and with a sigh, I head toward it, wondering what Devlin could be doing so early.

When I head out of the room and turn toward the foyer, I find him shirtless, gray sweats hanging low as he stands on a small ladder, changing a lightbulb.

He doesn’t notice me at first while I wonder if this man can get any hotter. Even something as simple as him changing a lightbulb is attractive. But I’ve never seen Devlin look so domesticated before. I’m gonna enjoy this marriage.

The muscles in his abdomen stretch and flex, the V lowering into the place I’ve become quite friendly with.

He clears his throat as his gaze flicks to mine. “Been wonderin’ how long you’re gonna stand there and check me out.” A wicked smirk lines his mouth. “Not that I mind my wife looking at me like that.”

His wife…

That sounds so good.

“It smells amazing in here. You cooked?”

He climbs down, swooping an arm around me. His lips brush against mine and my eyes fall to a close, the sensations warming me from the inside.

“Aye. I like cooking for my woman.”

A dreamy sigh escapes me. “I don’t think this will ever get old.”

“It better not.”

He grabs the back of my neck and kisses me, his soft lips molding with mine, my tongue sweeping along his as I feel this kiss in my marrow. My fingers sink into his solid back as he lifts me up and carries me to the kitchen. Breathless, he pulls back and searches my eyes deeply with unreserved passion.

“Being with you, having all this. I never thought…” He drops his forehead to mine, his breaths as warm and vulnerable as his words, aching through his soul.

“You’ll never have to wonder how much I love you,” I whisper. “Because my love for you is unconditional.”

His exhale is sharp. “You don’t know that. You don’t know if I’ll do something that’ll make you stop loving me.”

I place a palm across his nape. “Nothing you do will ever make me stop loving you, Devlin.”

He shuts his eyes, his face tense.

“Look at me.” I stroke his jaw with my thumb. “Devlin, please…”

With his brows furrowed, he stares up at me, and it breaks my heart to see his pain so clearly.

“I’m not them. I’m not your parents. I won’t ever give up on you.”

His eyes pinch closed, and he buries his face into my chest.

“Thank you,” he whispers. “If anything ever happens to you, I won’t survive it.”

“Nothing will happen to me.” My arms squeeze around him.

But promises are strange like that. We don’t actually know if we can keep them.

After breakfast, we returned back to bed and he made love to me, slow this time. It was powerful the way we connected, the way our bodies and our souls moved together.

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