Page 68 of Fighting Conviction
“I gotta go, too,” Ellie replied as she left her apartment and took ten strides to the studio next door.
“Peace out, Girl Scout.”
The call ended and Ellie shoved her phone into the side pocket of her leggings as she delivered two hard knocks on Dev’s steel door. On the third, she nearly slammed her fist into Dev’s chin in the newly open doorway, but she retracted her hand with an agility she hadn’t dreamed of before her training sessions.
His brows raised as if he was impressed before he glanced at his watch. “Getting better every day, El. You’re earlyandyou stopped yourself from clobbering me. You might save a life with those reflexes.” Dev winked at her as he stepped aside for her to enter past him.
“Goddamn.” He sounded like he was choking and she turned around to see him staring at her butt. “Ellie, those leggings are…”
Ellie laughed and twirled like she was wearing a dress. “Thanks, they have pockets. And I’m notthatearly.” She blushed at being caught, but didn’t disagree with the reflexes compliment.
She’d become strong over the past couple of months, and the last month she’d strengthened herself mentally and emotionally, too. After finally truly embracing her therapy sessions, and after her therapist insisted they meet in person again, Ellie could admit she felt the difference inside and out.
“Well, whatever they have, they’re, um… working. Anyway, you’re early enough that I haven’t gotten the supplies out, yet. I was finishing cleaning my gun.” He pointed to his dining table where his gun was laid out in pieces on a towel. “Have a seat and I’ll be ready in a minute.”
Ellie nodded and walked by him until she felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle.
“And see—” Dev’s sudden closeness right behind her made every nerve tingle. “I can come behind you like this and you don’t even jump anymore.”
Ellie exhaled a breath and whipped around to see his small smile, the one that sent flutters low in her belly. Trying to play off the fact he’d set her off guard, she feinted a punch at his arm and giggled when he jumped back, rubbing his arm, pretending like she’d hit him.
“Yes, perfect. Instead of getting overwhelmed, now you can punch their lights out. Progress.”
Ellie snorted. “Some would argue whether that should be considered ‘progress’.”
Dev waved away her point. “Nah, they’d just be mad you got the drop on them.” He went to rummage through the closet in the corner of the room while Ellie sank into one of his dining chairs and pulled her phone out of her leggings to lay it on the table. His voice was slightly muffled as he called out from inside the walk-in. “Still liking the apartment?”
Ellie nodded. Nora was partly right that other people were calling the shots, but Ellie had agreed to every suggestion on how to get healthier, and made some of her own. Dev and Jason were just better at keeping her accountable.
Part of their agreement was staying at BlackStone. Her dorm was doing her more harm than good, and Jason was convinced she needed constant monitoring. His original plan was for her to stay with him and Jules, which Ellie said a gentle but firm ‘heck no, thanks anyway’. Staying with her overbearing brother would’ve made her crazy on its own, but being there while he obsessed over his pregnant fiancée? That would’ve been a complete disaster for her mental health.
The compromise had been to shack up temporarily in the studio apartment that would’ve been Jason’s if he’d signed onto BlackStone when the security firm began. It was downright spacious compared to her dorm room.
The only person she’d been afraid of disappointing was Virginia, but her roommate had assured her she didn’t even notice Ellie was gone. Which surprisingly hurt for Ellie to hear until Virginia explained it was only because Ellie had never been there in the first place. In fact, they were talking more than ever thanks to a constant stream of texts and FaceTimes back and forth. Virginia was thrilled.
“What about your neighbor? He still driving you crazy?” Dev peeked his head out and smirked while Ellie rolled her eyes.
Having Dev as her neighbor was… interesting. It was nice to know she was safe, but it also meant he was just a wall away. Still, their schedule hadn’t changed much. She either saw him at Sasha Saves or when they trained three times a week. The only difference was every time they did see each other, Dev had been distant, treating her with nothing but respect and professionalism.
Obviously, she freaking hated it.
Some days she was sure her eyeballs were going to dry out from staring at the wall between them while trying to imagine what he was doing on the other side, and what she wished he was doing with her. Now that she had a full belly and a month’s worth of good nights’ sleep in her system, every time they trained, she couldn’t keep the idea of a heavy horizontal workout out of her dirty mind.
“I don’t know, I hardly ever see him. Seems like he’s gone all the time.” She cupped her chin and leaned on her propped elbow while trying to listen for any hint at what their lesson would be.
“Aw, you noticed? That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” His quiet chuckle at her expense got on her nerves and she narrowed her eyes at his closet door until he finally emerged. “Believe it or not, I have other responsibilities herebesidestraining you.”
“I get that but, um…” Talking about Dev’s hot and cold routine was the last thing she wanted to do, but he seemed more receptive than he had been in over a month, so she ventured in. “We had some” —she cleared her throat— “veryhands-on training a while ago. And since then, you’ve been very… hands-off.”
Dev stepped outside the closet and leaned his shoulder against the side of the open door and tossed something in one hand to the other. “Sorry, El. I’ve wanted to give you space, is all. I don’t want to interfere with your health and I figured…” He shrugged a shoulder. “I figured when you were ready you would come to me.”
Ellie gulped and nodded but couldn’t draw her stare away from the items in his hand. He walked to the dining table with his brow furrowed before depositing them onto the surface. Her mind raced with possibilities of using either the rope, the tape, or the handcuffs in front of him to bind her in the next ‘exercise.’ Her core pulsed with need and she crossed her legs to keep from dampening her panties.
“Right… makes sense…” She cleared her throat. “So um, not judging or anything, but why the heck do you keep shady, serial killer crap in your closet?”
“Oh, you know. In case I’m in the mood for a little something… hands-on.” Dev’s voice was pitched low, and Ellie finally looked up to see his eyes burning with intensity, and the heat there sent a warm blush creeping up her chest and into her cheeks.
Ellie’s eyes darted to the bed, where she could easily imagine herself tied while Dev tasted her arousal again. She’d been craving him since he’d made her watch herself come. “L-like what… exactly?”
