Page 82 of Wicked Devotions: Part 2

Declan checks his phone for the sixty-seventh time in the past two hours. As soon as he sets it back on the cushion beside him, he jumps back into the video game. Cy quietly chuckles beside me as Declan’s PC nearly gets killed because he’s too distracted to play smart. He throws up his middle finger in our direction while keeping his eyes on the screen.

“She’s fine, you know,” I say quietly. “She’s just at Saylor’s house. It’s off campus and secure.”

“I know.” He tosses his controller onto the coffee table as his PC gets taken out by the enemy. “We’ve just always been with her. It’s weird to not have one of us have eyes on her. I feel out of control and jittery.”

“Same, but I think she needed this.” Cy keeps playing. “She was so quiet today. I don’t know if she’s having trouble withmemories from being taken or if there’s something else going on.”

“We could ask her.”

“No. We have to let her settle in,” Declan says emphatically.

We agreed when we came back home after fall break not to pressure Harper about anything. No initiating sex and no pushing heavy conversations. We just want her to come to us when she feels comfortable doing so.

All three of us perk up when we hear a car in the driveway. Cy turns off the game, not bothering to save our progress because our girl is home. Declan is the first out the door to get to her. She’s just hanging up her coat and scarf when he reaches her.

She squeals as he spins and picks her up, carrying her into the living room and sitting with her on his lap. “What are you doing?”

“I missed you.”

“Wemissed you,” I correct.

She looks over at me, surprised. “You did?”

“Yes.” My brow furrows as I sit down beside them, pulling her feet into my lap. “Of course we did. Declan and I were gone all day, and then you took off so soon after we got home.”

“And I’m just a needy bastard who can never get enough of you,” Cy adds.

She takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly, like she’s working up to say something. Her turmoil plays out in her expression, and she takes another breath. Even Declan, the asshole that he is, can tell she’s nervous about something.

It increases my own anxiety. None of us want to push her, but there’s clearly something going on here. A variety of thoughts ping pong around in my head, none of them good. What if she wants to move out? The answer would obviously be a resounding no.

“What’s going on, my little star?” Cy asks, taking her hand in his and running his thumb over her knuckles.

“I just wanted to ask how you guys are? You know, handling everything that happened with me?”

The three of us share a confused look.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Things have been weird, you know?” She keeps her eyes downcast. “Like none of you seem interested in touching me or?—”

“Wait.” Cy holds up a hand. “I spent all day touching you.”

“Yeah, but how friends touch each other.”

“I kissed you.”

Her cheeks flame, and she tries to get up. Declan clamps his arms around her waist holding her in place. “Don’t run away. We can talk about hard things.”

“Are you wanting to be more physical again?” I ask.

“Yes? Don’t you? I’d understand if you aren’t interested anymore.”

“Fuck, yeah, we do,” Cy says. “And why wouldn’t we be interested anymore?”

“Because of how you found me and knowing that he touched me.”

“Stop,” Declan says. “Don’t ever, and I mean fucking ever, think any of us would hold that against you. Or that it would make us not want you anymore.”

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