Page 45 of Cuffed By Love

When I turn to face him, all amusement has drained from his face, and he frowns, looking almost worried, "Why is that then?"

I sigh and shrug, "Because, if you expect nothing, you won't be disappointed." I tell him earnestly and lower my gaze to stare at my feet. Devin reaches over and lifts my gaze to his again.

"Whoever this fool was that left you so disheartened and broke your trust was never deserving of a girl like you, Tinks." He asserts, his thumb tenderly brushing along my jaw while his eyes search mine.

You were one of them.

I wanted so desperately to say that to him, and I almost did, but my pride stopped me from doing so. I swiftly swallow the emotions that started to creep up once again.

I keep my eyes on Devin and nod. "It was tough to see that back then, and it was a lesson hard learnt, but I know that now. I'm happy as I am, headache and drama free." Least, that was the case until you showed up. I utter inwardly and take a step back. Devin observes me; his hand that was on my cheek falls to his side. I look at my phone when it vibrates and see a reminder pop up from my assistant Molly regarding my conference call. "Excellent, I'm officially late for my conference call." I sigh and send her a quick message to reschedule it to later this afternoon, and she responds with a thumbs-up emoji.

"Shall we then?" Devin says, turning to walk toward the elevator.

"Devin, wait." I pull my arm back, and he stops walking and looks back at me questioningly. "I…I can't go in that."

He frowns, looks over at the elevator when the doors swing open, then back at me. "Why not?'

I hesitate for a second before admitting, "I'm afraid of elevators."

Devin's brows rise to his hairline, clearly surprised, "You're afraid of elevators? There is nothing to be afraid of. I'll be in there with you. I'll protect you."

I raise a brow and stare at him as if he's grown a second head. "Protect me from what, a bloody heart attack?" I snipe back. "We can take the stairs," I add, pulling him toward the stairs, but he doesn't budge.

"It's twenty flights of stairs?!" He sputters. "No, absolutely not."

"Come on, Devin."

"No Tinks!"

"Devin, please, come onnnn!" I whimper, trying to forcefully pull him toward the staircase, but he stubbornly shakes his head.

"No, woman, have you lost your mind? You cannot make me walk up to twenty flights of stairs!" He argues back. I stop trying to pull him with a huff and decide to try a different tactic. I pout and soften my gaze to a pleading one. Devin sighs, shaking his head. "No, Tinks, come on, not the look." He whines defeatedly. I run around him, place my hands on his back and push him.

"Stop being a lazy twat. I do this every day. If I can do it, so can you. Come on." I groan, shoving him up the first couple of steps. I mentally marvel at the feeling of his hard and tight muscles moving under my palms.

Devin whirls around and looks down at me, standing behind him. "Yeah, that's really clever, Tinks. Insult me, that will for sure make me go up the stairs faster."

"I said please, didn't I? What more do you want from me?"

"Some form of gratitude would be greatly appreciated for starters." Devin witters snidely when I continue to usher him up the steps, but he doesn't budge.

Damn, he's strong, or I'm just weak as a kitten.

I exhale through my nose in an attempt to suppress the frustration slowly effervescing inside me. "I'll buy you a coffee?" I suggest, hopefully.

Devin snorts, "Must be joking. I wouldn't climb one flight of stairs, let alone twenty for a measly cup of coffee. Try again."

"Lunch?"

Devin smirks with a shake of his head. "A foot rub."

My face contorts with disgust, and I stare at him horrified, "Get lost." Devin's robust laugh echoes in the empty stairwell. My annoyance drains away instantly. Fuck if he hasn't got the sexiest laugh.

"In my opinion, I think that's a fair trade. You are forcing me to climb up twenty flights of stairs. A foot massage is the least you can do, don't you think?"

"No, I bloody don't. How about I kick your hoity-toity arse down these stairs instead?"

He laughs again and grasps my chin affectionately, "You can, but if I go down, I'll be taking your sweet arse down with me, Tinks." He burrs adorably while holding up his arm that's bound to mine to illustrate his point.

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