Page 42 of (Un)Rivaled

“There’s a front step,” I mumbled under my breath. “But we’re not getting out of here anytime soon.”

“Shit,” Devyn whispered as she dropped her head.

“Got somewhere to be, Ace?” I said, climbing up the stairs to the front door. Devyn tried to avert her eyes, but there was nowhere else for her to go. Maybe trying to give her space was a stupid plan. Time and distance had never been our friends, so why the hell did I think it would work now? Plus, I knew Devyn, knew she could talk herself out of any situation. She’d probably come up with another fifteen reasons why we’d never work in the past two days.

Fuck space. If Devyn wanted to panic, I’d be right there, reminding her why we were still in each other’s lives after all this time apart.

While I took off my winter gear in the hallway, Devyn darted into the house with Elsa on her heels. My dog had barely looked at me since we arrived. She and Devyn formed an immediate connection, and she slept with my wife the past two nights. I was pretty sure that when it was time to leave, Elsa was going to put up a fight, wanting to stay with her new best friend.

I meandered into the living room and found Devyn on the couch, holding a sketch pad in her lap and a stack of unopened romance novels in front of her. Apparently, Calla had sent her off with a bunch of her favorite romance novels in case she got bored. She’d been reading them nonstop, but now, she’d switched over to drawing. I smiled as I watched her. It had been too long since I saw Devyn with that serene smile, the one she always got when she was creatingsomething. But as soon as she saw me watching, she closed the notebook and tucked it away.

When I approached, Devyn met my stare, chewing on the corner of her mouth. I arched my brow at the move, knowing she only did it when she was hiding something major. It was excruciating to hold back and not ask questions about it. But pushing her to face her feelings for me was one thing. Everything else? I could wait until she was ready. Her trust was something I took for granted once, and I never would again.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said. “Is there something you need, Ace?”

“I’m going stir crazy,” she admitted as I settled on the couch opposite her. “I’m not used to having so little to do. I’ve always thrived on being busy.” She shook her head. “I’m going out of my mind.”

“You could talk to me.”

Her eyes narrowed in my direction. “I think you’ve said enough for both of us.”

The fire in her words made my head spin, twisting to catch her back as she stood and walked away from me.Again.Well, fuck that. I followed her into the kitchen, waiting until she paused to speak. “If you’ve got something to say to me, Devyn, I’m right here.”

She placed her hands on the kitchen island. “You promised me space.”

“And I’ve given it to you. But if you think I’m tiptoeing around my own house because you want to pretend there’s nothing between us?—”

“There isnothingbetween us,” Devyn snapped. “You made sure of that.”

My chest heaved, her words cutting like a knife through my chest. But I’d already backed away too many times,believing Devyn’s words when I knew she didn’t mean them. I’d denied my feelings for her for almost a decade because I convinced myself I couldn’t lose our friendship, and I still lost it in the end.

I moved closer to her, enough that she could feel the tension radiating off me, but I gave her enough space so I wasn’t crowding her. “Yeah, I fucked up, Devyn. Convinced myself I was doing the right thing by walking away from you. But we both know that was a mistake, one I’ll regret for the rest of my life.” I lightly touched her hand, waiting to see if she’d pull away. When she didn’t, I took it and placed her palm on my chest. “You feel this. I know you do. And if you’re not ready to accept that, I understand, but don’t you dare say that there’s nothing here.” I released her hand back to her side. “When you’re tired of fighting this, you know where to find me.”

She blinked her eyes as tears gathered in the corners. “And if you can’t wait that long?”

I shook my head. “I’ve already waited all my life for you, Devyn. I’ll keep waiting as long as you need. I’d wait a thousand years if it meant I got to spend a few days with you.”

Before she could respond, I turned and headed into my bedroom, the one place I knew she wouldn’t follow. I might have promised her space, but right now, I was the one who needed it. Being this close to Devyn, wanting her so badly but being unable to touch her, was the worst kind of torture.

“Fuck,” I hissed, heading into the ensuite bathroom. Maybe a shower would help clear my head. When I first started renovating the cabin, I started with the bathroom, needing a place all to myself. I’d spent way too much money on the glass-enclosed shower, making sure there were enough shower heads to reach every single sore muscle. Itwas my retreat, and after everything with Devyn, I needed it more than ever.

But even after I stripped and let the water fall over me, all I could see was her.

The way her lips parted when I surprised her, the little flush to her cheeks when I encroached on her space. Devyn might have acted like she couldn’t stand me, but there was always heat in her eyes when I leaned in close, like she didn’t know if she wanted to destroy me or burn together.

I wondered what would happen if I held her against me, if I placed my hand on her pulse point. Would her heart be beating as heavily as mine? If my fingers drifted lower, would I find her wet? Would I finally get to feel how much she wanted me? Would she lean into my touch, letting me control her the way I wanted? Devyn was headstrong and bold, but there was also a softer side to her—one I wanted to explore more than anything. I wanted to feel her loosen in my arms, to see her completely unravel at my touch.

My dick stood at full attention, loving the idea of having Devyn compliant underneath me. My hand gripped my base, tugging myself roughly at the thought of her moaning, begging for me to fuck her. And God, I wouldfuckher. I would imprint myself inside her so no other man could ever give her what I could.

“Shit, Devyn,” I groaned, imagining it was her soft lips surrounding me instead of my rough and calloused palm. Would she be able to take me deep? Yeah, I bet my girl would take me all the way to the back of her throat, loving it even as tears filled her eyes. “Fuck, Devyn, baby. Just like that.”

A familiar tingle crept down my spine, and already, I knew I was about to come harder than I had in years. But before I could finish the job, the door pushed open,and Devyn stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as she took me in.

Maybe the smart thing would have been to stop, to pretend I wasn’t just choking my dick at the thought of her. But I was so close, and with the real woman standing there in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

I wouldn’t have blamed Devyn if she ran out of the room, if she screamed at me for putting on such a lewd show. But she just stood there, one hand on the doorknob, like she couldn’t decide what she wanted to do.

Deciding to tempt fate, I twisted, facing her with my dick still in my hands. It throbbed, needing release, and shit, did I want it to come from Devyn. She still hadn’t moved a muscle, her eyes staring at my cock like it was the first one she’d ever seen.

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