Page 14 of Wicked Devotions: Part 2

The blows keep coming. “I can’t imagine a harder field. Why?”

“I lost my youngest brother to childhood brain cancer. All I’ve ever wanted to do is save others from the same fate.”

“I’m so sorry.” I cover his hand with mine.

He immediately flips it and links our fingers. “Thank you.”

We sit on the bed together in a sort of somber silence. Each of us lost in thought as the minutes tick by. I yawn while his thumb brushes over my knuckles.

“Do you want to take a nap? It’s been a wild couple of days.”

“You know, that actually sounds really good.” I start to get up, but he pulls me back down.

“Stay here?” His eyes implore mine.

“Okay.”

He reaches down and pulls up a soft gray blanket while I lay down. The pillow beneath my head smells like Cyrus, and I can’t help but turn my head into it. Emerson gives me a soft smile while he tucks the blanket around me.

“It smells like him, doesn’t it?” He tucks my hair behind my ear.

“Yeah.” There’s a wistfulness to my tone that I see reflected in his eyes.

He leans down slowly, giving me plenty of opportunities to object as his lips near mine. My eyes fall shut as he presses his mouth lightly against mine. My lips part to allow him entry, which he takes. His kiss is feather light, his tongue lightly stroking against mine. Before it can deepen any further, he backs away.

I let my eyes close as I hear the spine of his textbook crack when he opens it. My thoughts calm as I listen to the sound of pages turning. The smell of his highlighter mixed with the lingering scent of Cyrus’s shampoo lulls me into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter

Five

EMERSON

The sound of Harper’s breathing deepening feels like a balm to my frayed nerves. She didn’t need to apologize to me for anything other than running off without a word, but I understand why she did it. Especially knowing it’s just a trauma response. You’d have to be a heartless monster not to understand that.

My bedroom door opens, and Declan pokes his head in. He looks at me, questioning wordlessly if I’ve seen Harper. I glance down at her sleeping form pointedly.

I see him visibly relax when he sees her. He gestures out in the hall with his head. I close my book quietly and lift myself off the bed, doing my best not to jostle her around and wake her. A little frown mars her face as I stand up, but she doesn’t open her eyes or appear to wake.

“How is she?” he asks as soon as I step outside my door.

“Fine for now. I do think we should find someone for her to talk to.”

“Probably.” He looks at my door. “I’m worried I went too far today.”

“Taking her door off the hinges?”

“Fuck no, she’s never getting it back.” He scowls. “I pushed her kind of far after that.” Worry creases his brow.

“I think she’s fine. She didn’t seem at all upset with you. She just seems, I don’t know, resigned. Tired.”

“Dad said he explained everything to her on the drive home. About covering up the video and making a public statement about it being AI.” His gaze hardens. “But we know it wasn’t and now we have to find out who did it.”

“Probably the same person who locked her in the outhouse last night.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“I’m going to go out and meet a few of the guys who were there for a beer. Will you be okay with her while you wait for Cy to get home?”

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