Page 62 of Devlin

He leaned over and gave her a kiss—a slow, hot, inviting kiss that sent butterflies through herstomach and made her body yearn for a lot more.

When he pulled away, she licked her lips, thinking about going in for another kiss, but that would take them down a road she was trying not to go.

She forced herself to open the car door and get out. Then she walked into her house and let out a frustrated breath. A moment later, she heard his engine fire up, and then there was nothingbut silence. He was gone.

She should be happy, but she wasn't.

The long, lonely night loomed in front of her.

Devlin slammed into his apartment, annoyedwith himself for kissing Hannah and then letting her go. That kiss had whetted his appetite, and now he had the whole damn night to think about it. But he had let her walk away. She wanted more than he had to give. He knew that deep down in his gut.

And maybe…just maybe he wanted more, too. Was that the real reason he'd let her go?

He hadn't felt such a strong connection to anyonein a very long time. He liked talking to Hannah, laughing with her, eating pizza together, walking on the beach, looking through her dream house. It didn't matter what they were doing; it was just good because she was there.

She was sharp and funny but also soft and vulnerable. She had a big, fierce, loyal heart, but it was also a heart that could be broken. And she'd already had a lotof pain in her life. He didn't want to bring her more.

Was it really her he was worried about or was it himself?

Since Amy's death, he had turned away from intense emotion. He had chosen to live a life that was easy and light and never too dark or too serious. Love could be all of those things, and he didn't do love anymore.

Why was he even thinking about love?

He steppedonto the deck and took several deep breaths. He should do something productive, go downstairs and do some work, take his mind off Hannah. But he couldn't seem to generate any energy for that idea.

He could go to the estate, see if Jason was around, or his grandmother, but he didn't know if he was in the mood to deal with either of them. His grandmother would see too much, ask too many questions,and Jason would probably be on his phone half the night.

Turning away from the rail, he walked back into the house, thinking he might just go to bed so the night would be over sooner.

And then the doorbell rang.

His body tightened. It was probably Jason. Or maybe his father had come home early.

He pressed the intercom. "Yes?"

"It's me," Hannah said. "I need totalk to you."

His heart jumped into his chest. She was the last person he'd expected to ring his bell. "Come on up." He buzzed her in and then opened the front door.

She came down the hall a few minutes later, a gleam of steel fire in her eyes. He didn't know why she was angry, but something had obviously happened.

"What's wrong, Hannah?"

"Saying good night to you feltwrong."

Her words stunned him, stealing the breath from his chest.

Hannah lifted her chin, put her hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "I keep putting myself on hold. I keep waiting for another day, a better time, a good reason, and I don't want to do it anymore. We have insane chemistry together, Devlin. I've been fighting it hard, but I don't want to fightit anymore. I want you."

"Are you sure?" He didn't know why he was giving her a chance to change her mind. But he couldn't quite believe what she was saying.

Her gaze didn't waver. "Positive. You don't have to worry. I'm not looking for anything more than tonight. Just one night—you and me. I want to make it simple."

"But you don't do simple," he reminded her. "You told meyou like to complicate things."

"I want to change. I want to live in the moment. You're not going to say no, are you?" she asked, a worried gleam coming into her gaze.

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

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