Page 32 of The Last Key
My gaze snaps to his, to his deep green eyes. Eyes that now exude the same look I described a few minutes ago.
“I do?”
“Mhm.” He steps closer and wraps an arm around my waist. “It’s like you belong here.”
“Devon,” my voice cracks.
“Hm?”
“I—I…”I what? What the hell am I even saying?His proximity has me so hot I can barely think. “You’re—why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you want to fuck me on the counter.”Oh god. Why did I say that? Of all the things I could have said, whythat?
He smirks, leaning in closer. “Is that what you want?” My eyes widen and my heart flies to my throat. I can’t answer. I don’t even make a noise. All I hear is the sound of my own breathing. His grip on my waist tightens, then he kisses my head and steps back, but not before whispering in my ear, “Because I do.”
Holy shit.
And as he walks down the hall away from me, he says, “I’m going to take a shower. Just in case you hear mesinging.”
I can’t breathe.
I stand, frozen in place, staring at the wall of the kitchen until a door closes upstairs and I hear the water turn on. Then I dash up the stairs, sneak into the bedroom, grab my iPad, and run across the hall to the office, locking the door behind me.
I fire off a text to Frannie and Hallie.
Me: About to video call you both. This is a 911 call, so you better answer!
A moment later, my iPad is set up, and Frannie and Hallie appear on my screen as they answer my desperate plea for help.
“What’s the emergency? I’m assuming it’s not a real one since we’re an entire country away,” Frannie says.
Hallie leans in toward the camera. “No. This is definitely Devon related. See the mix of panic and lust in her eyes?”
“Ah,” Frannie nods in agreement. “Well, don’t keep us waiting! Tell us.”
“I think Devon wants me.”
False. I know he wants me.
“Wow,” Frannie says, at the same time Hallie says, “Oh my god.” Except, both their voicesare flat.
“What was that?”
Frannie stares at the camera. “Me or you, Hal?”
“Oh me, please,” Hallie says. “This is fun.”
“What’s fun?” My hands are shaking. There’s nothingfunabout this.
“You being surprised that Devon has a thing for you.”
“I said hecould.”
“Well, he absolutelydoes,”Frannie says.
Hallie nods in agreement. “But based on the look on your face right now, I think we need some background.”
