Page 127 of Devil Mine

It’s on the tip of my tongue to correct her when he answers.

“I know for a fact he wouldn’t like that at all.” The humor slowly disappears, his gaze turning languid and possessive as it settles on me. My belly flips as unexpected warmth unfurls in my stomach at his heavy perusal. His words rumble thickly in his chest. “He’s a very lucky man to get to call her his.”

“Yes, he is,” my mum answers, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly. “I just hope he knows it.”

“He does.”

Thiago’s answer slips effortlessly past his lips. Heat flares across my skin at the possessive way he stares at me. A girl could believe she was the center of his universe if he kept looking at her like that for too much longer.

His gaze trails back down to my mum. “Are you being taken care of?”

“Oh yes, I have lovely doctors.”

“They told me what happened to you. Their theory of whatreallyhappened.”

I gulp, emotion clogging my throat. She’s never been confronted about this by someone other than Tristan or myself. I know she’s not likely to give any more away to him than she did to us, but his deep voice is so intimidating that it impacts her anyway.

She winces and looks down. There’s shame wafting off of her and it makes me so, so angry.My fathershould be ashamed of what he did, not her.

Thiago takes note of her reaction, understanding in a split second what he’s dealing with.

“It’s not my place to make you talk about things you’re not ready to discuss. That’s not why I’m here. I wanted you to know there’s nothing for you to be afraid of. A guard will be positioned at your door 24/7. He’ll make sure nobody comes in unless you expressly allow them to. He’ll stay until you’re discharged and will remain with you in your home until we can guarantee you won’t fall ever again. Alright?”

Thiago’s unexpected act of kindness and thoughtfulness does absolute numbers to the poor organ in my chest that I've been trying to protect from his assault, in vain. I can’t believe the extent he’s willing to go for her.

For the first time ever, there’s someone other than Tristan standing by my side and helping me through the lowest moments in my life and I want to throw myself in his arms to express my gratitude.

Her eyes blink slowly, sleep coming to pull her under. “Why are you helping me?” she asks, resting back against the pillows. Her eyes close. “I don’t even know you,” she adds foggily.

I assume she’s drifted off into drug-induced sleep but then her eyes flutter open. For a moment, she looks more lucid than she has in the last ten minutes as she waits expectantly for a response from him.

Thiago places a hand on her shoulder and speaks to her with a kind of evocative sincerity that echoes in every word.

“For your daughter,” he explains. “Because it fucking kills me when she’s sad.”

???

Chapter Forty-Nine

Thiago

Iwalk into the library to find Tess curled up on one of the velvet couches, snuggled up under a cover and reading a book about the evolution of math and its role throughout history. A ball of warmth moves from my stomach up to my chest watching her be completely at ease in our home, especially knowing it wasn’t always that way. We’ve settled well into our life together the last few weeks and I have a hard time remembering what my life was like without her in it. Smaller, that’s for sure. Much, much smaller.

Her mother’s hospital visit has been weighing on her. Even though Tristan came home and convinced her to move out, the remnants of that whole ordeal still hang like a stormy cloud over Tess. And I wasn’t kidding – I fucking hate it when she’s sad.

She’s in need of a good distraction.

Over the pages of her book, she spots me hanging in the doorway. A slow but heartfelt smile stretches across her lips and punches me right in the gut.

“Hey, handsome.”

I quirk a brow, coming in and sitting next to her, setting my palm on the other side of her bent legs. “Handsome?”

She blushes adorably. I love that I can make her react that way. “You have a few names for me. I thought I’d try out a couple for you.”

“Mhmm,” I answer, nuzzling her hip. “I look forward to all the little pet names you’re going to give me.”

Even through the blanket covering her, I can still smell her addictive scent. I’m even more dependent on it than when I first smelled it all those months ago, time having done nothing to dull my obsession as I once hoped.

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