Page 75 of Devilish

Lucien’s words swirled in my head as I sat there watching rivulets of water trickle down the tall panes of glass.

Why would I have? It wasn’t like I would’ve been able to pursue anything I was interested in before. Hell, I didn’t even knowwhatI was interested in.

But sitting here feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I was moving forward. I had a future to look forward to, thanks to Lucien. He’d stepped in when he’d seen my struggle and…saved me.

My eyes shifted to the book I’d picked out to read the first time I set foot in here. The one that held “The Knight’s Tale.”I thought back to the conversation we’d had about it not being real, that people didn’t do things for nothing, and how Lucien had told me he might be able to help change my mind.

I’d wanted to believe him. Wanted to give my trust to the handsome stranger who’d appeared from out of nowhere and offered me an out—and now, weeks later, I found myself trusting him more than I ever had anyone in my life.

That was what had put me on the path to a better life.

One person listening.

One person caring.

That one person I could trust.

And while my relationship with Lucien was a whole lot more now than someone offering a helping hand, what ifIcould be that for someone?What if I could be the person they could open up to and know was there to help?

With that thought in mind, I opened the laptop and typed into the search bar,Careers in community outreach.Then, deciding to be more specific,Careers in LGBTQ+ and homeless outreach jobs.

A list of positions appeared on the page, ranging from social workers to program directors. I clicked on the ones whose job description sounded most appealing, but whenever I got to the “Job Requirements” section I ran into a roadblock I had no way of skirting—must have high school diploma or equivalent.

That wasn’t something I’d had a chance of getting, having been kicked out before I was able to finish school. But surely my life experiences could be seen as a form of education. Who better to help people than someone who had been through, and survived, a similar situation?

I wouldn’t be deterred. There had to besomethingI could do. Some way I could help.

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there combing through job site after job site. But dozens of links, pages, and posts later, I realized my search was futile. The more I read, the more disillusioned I became. I wasn’t qualified foranything. I was about as useless as the couch I was sitting on.

Even more so—at leastithad a purpose.

Ugh.Frustrated, I shut the laptop.

“No need to hide any illicit searches from me.”

I whipped my head in the direction of the door to see Lucien leaning against the frame, his legs crossed in that casual way he had about himself.

I sighed. “At least that kind of search would’ve proven practical.”

Lucien’s smile fell as he straightened and came in to take the seat opposite me. He was dressed today in his usual black fitted pants and button-up shirt, but had paired those with a silk vest that had a gorgeous, textured finish that shimmered in the light.

He looked sexy, sophisticated, accomplished. Aneducatedman of the world.

Which annoyed me all over again.

“Hey, now,” he said, leaning forward to look me in the eye. “What’s that look about?”

I turned my attention toward the windows, trying to rein in my irritation. It wasn’t Lucien’s fault I was completely incompetent.

“Kai?”

I swallowed, trying to fight back the desire to tell him nothing. Lucien was too smart for that—he’d see through the lie immediately. Plus, I didn’t want to lie to him. I just didn’t want to admit to being such a failure.

“Did something happen while I was gone? Did Rupert?—”

“No. No, it’s nothing like that.” And now I felt like an asshole for worrying him that way. I was on a roll today.

Lucien relaxed at my response, but when I didn’t elaborate further, he gave my leg a gentle squeeze.

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