Page 25 of The Devil's Deceit
Then again, the world is pitched in men’s favor, so my sympathy doesn’t last long.
I butter my toast and add on a thick layer of raspberry jam. With my mug of tea in one hand and food in the other, I mosey into the living room and sit in Dad’s favorite chair. Some days, my grief is easier to handle, but for some reason, it’s particularly bad today. Probably due to guilt over how much I enjoyed Christian kissing me. For a few seconds, I’d forgotten who he was and what he’d done, and only thought about myself and howgoodhe made me feel.
Breakfast done, I rinse the mug and plate under the tap and set them on the drainer. After grabbing my phone and keys, I lock up and set off for Juliet’s, eventually parking my caroutside her building and heading inside. She must’ve been watching out for me, because she opens the door before I have a chance to knock.
“I’ve got lemon drizzle, walnut, and red velvet cupcakes. Take your pick.”
I grin. “You know the way to a girl’s heart.” We hug, and I step inside. The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air. “You made real coffee, too?” I toss my bag on the coffee table and flop onto the couch.
“Yep. Dug out the cafetière from the back of the cupboard, dusted it off, and voila.”
She disappears into the kitchen, returning a couple of minutes later with a tray loaded with cake and two steaming mugs of coffee. Setting it on the table next to my bag, she sits beside me. I reach forward and pick up my coffee and one of the cupcakes.
“So,” she says as I take a huge bite. “What’s with the nine-nine-nine emergency?”
I chew, using the time to organize my thoughts into something coherent. After epically failing, I swallow and blurt, “Christian kissed me.”
Her jaw mimics a cartoon, dropping fast. At any moment, I expect her tongue to roll across the carpet and her eyes to bug out of her head like they’re on stalks.
“Okay, walk me through it ’cause last time we talked, you told me you’d blown it.”
“I thought I had. Bringing up the building collapse on our first date was stupid.” I shake my head. “So stupid. And when he dropped me off at my car and said a chilly goodbye, I told Arron we’d have to find another way. But he wasn’t willing to give up on it, so yesterday, he found out whereChristian would be today and dispatched me off to hover like some amateur stalker.”
“How did he find out where he’d be?”
I shrug. “I’ve stopped asking. He blinds me with tech talk that makes me want to dig out my ear drums and stamp on them.”
She grins. “Go on. What happened then?”
“I hung around outside the building and waited for him to emerge. When he did, I made it look like a total coincidence, which I think he bought, although we joked about stalking. I apologized, he said it was a touchy subject, and he agreed to go for a coffee with me.”
“I’ll fucking bet it’s a touchy subject. Slimy, lying little bastard.”
“Nothing slimy about the way he kisses.” Heat rushes to my face. I hide it by taking a large swig of coffee. “Anyway, we chatted over coffee and walked outside. That’s when he kissed me. Twice. Oh, and he called me Duchess.”
“A nickname? This is good news, Gracie.” Juliet bobs her head. “And on that kiss, yeah, I’m gonna need all the details. Tongue?”
In spite of myself and how confused I feel, I laugh. “Not on the first one, but yes, on the second he used lots of tongue.” Shame coats me as I prepare to share the unabridged truth with my friend. “He made me forget who he was. By the time he released me, I couldn’t feel my legs. My mind went blank, and all the hatred I have for this man just… vanished.” I bite my lip. “I’m scared I’ll forget who he is, what he’s done, and somehow fall under his spell. He’s so fucking… charming. In another life, he’d be my perfect guy.”
“Don’t you worry about that. Arron, your uncle, and Iwill remind you of the end goal,andof the lying scumbag you’re having to get up close and personal with.”
I swallow. “I’m going to need you to play that part. I don’t want Arron or Uncle Daniel to know about this. They’ll only worry, and I don’t want that. Christian’s invited me to a ball next Saturday at Oakleigh, and I swung an invite for you, too. Not a clue what to wear, though. Can’t exactly wear the same dress as last time.”
“We’ll finish our coffees, scarf down another slice of cake, and head up to the high street to scour the charity shops. We’ll find something appropriate.”
I rest my head on her shoulder. “What would I do without you?”
“Same, girl. Luckily for both of us, we’ll never have to find out. Ride or die until death.”
The warmth of a friendship built through childhood engulfs me. I’m not the kind of girl to have tons of friends. I’m an introvert through and through. But Juliet… well, she’s more like a sister than a friend.
After eating a slice of the walnut cake, because it was too damn good not to, and finishing my coffee, I carry the tray into the kitchen. I’m stacking the dishwasher when there’s a knock at the door.
“I’ll just get rid of whoever that is and we can go,” Juliet shouts through from the living room, loud enough that whoever it is must have heard her. That’s Juliet, though. She doesn’t give a crap what people think about her. I’ve envied that about my best friend my entire life. I worry all too much.
Voices drift through to the kitchen as I return the cakes to their boxes—how she thought we’d get through this lot is beyond me—and put them in the fridge. I’m about to head back into the living room when Juliet appears in thedoorway with what looks like a garment bag hanging over her arm.
“What’s that?”
