Page 46 of Ride with the Devil

Nothing will keep me from going after her.

Good thing that my brain went fully back online in the seconds before I reached the top of the stairs. I might’ve kicked through damn air since the door leading down to the basement isopen.

I haul myself up the final three steps, landing on the living room floor in a half-crouch as I call her name again.

“Kylie!”

“In here, ace.”

Thank fucking God.

My head whips around. Kylie is standing in the kitchen, holding a spatula, wearing one of the oversized t-shirts I bought her. They come in a 5-pack, and when she told me she preferred to sleep in them when she wasn’t sleeping naked, I got the t-shirts because,shit, this woman really is temptation personified.

And she’s here.

She didn’t leave me.

I jog right to her side, sweeping her up in a hug so tight, she starts slapping me in the back with the spatula.

I can’t let her go. Not yet. So I give her one last squeeze, then set her back down on her bare feet.

She cocks her hip, smirking up at me as she does. “Let me guess. You woke up. Saw I was gone. Lost all your shit, and now you’re glad I didn’t escape so you won’t have to hunt me down for Devil?”

Something like that.

Except, perhaps, for the Devil part…

I run my fingers nervously through my hair. “That obvious?”

With her free hand, Kylie holds her pointer finger and her thumb about an inch apart. “A smidge.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You looked like you were enjoying your rest. I figured… since it’s the holiday and all… I should let you sleep in. Let you enjoy it. Look. I made breakfast.”

She did. There are scrambled eggs in the pan on the stove, plus a couple of slices of bacon resting on a piece of paper towel.

I breathe in deep. “It smells delicious.”

“Hold that thought. My eggs usually come out rubbery as hell, but I tried.”

As she plates them, I goose her in the side, then take a seat. “Is this my Christmas present?”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “We just met, ace. You think we’re doing presents?”

Oh. “Well…”

Kylie laughs. The sound soothes the last of the pain lingering from when I slammed into the floor. “Holy shit. I should’ve known better. You got me a present, didn’t you?”

“It’s not wrapped or anything,” I tell her. “And it’s not something pricey like jewelry. But… it’s Christmas. I wanted to get yousomething.”

She shakes her head. “Why am I not surprised? “You’re always giving me presents, ace. Told you. You need to stop in case I get attached.”

That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.

I start to rise up. “I can go get it-”

“No,” she says, cutting me off as she slips a plate in front of me. “Eat first. I can wait.”

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