Page 15 of Devotion: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 1)

“I don’t like the way you look,” I spoke softly, just to him, completely forgetting Colin in the room. Something flashed across Lachlan's face, but it was gone so fast I wasn’t sure if I really saw it.

“You look like my dead husband,” I added and heard Colin’s sharp inhale the same moment.

It was the first time I uttered those words, admitting to the world my husband was dead.

I glanced away from him and out the window with the view that stretched for miles across the medieval Old town and elegant Georgian New Town. You could even see Edinburgh Castle from here, looming over the city.

“I’m so sorry, Eve,” Colin spoke up softly. “Brandon told me you lost your husband. I’m sorry for the reminder.”

God, how I hated hearing those words! It felt so wrong for people to treat me like I was mourning my husband. We barely spoke those last few months before his death. We couldn’t agree on anything and we hadn’t been intimate for months before his death. It was the loss of my son, a bad decision, and wrong choice on my part that was eating at me. Guilt was killing me. I wanted to scream till my throat turned raw and bloody. I wanted to cry till I lost sight. Yet, I was too numb to do either.

My shaky hand went to my necklace around my neck, my trembling fingers brushing against the rings hanging off of it. I closed my eyes, craving to block the world around me.

“Better not tell Elise and Brandon,” I mumbled, the thought crossing my mind out of nowhere. I opened my eyes to see two men watching me intently. “Things were going so well. Don’t want to worry them.”

“No, we won’t,” Lachlan answered nonchalantly. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off and first thing tomorrow, we’ll start on this project?”

I took a deep breath. He observed me with those grey eyes, causing me to shift uncomfortably, warmth spreading through my body.

I froze, my eyes locked with his grey gaze. He woke up my body for the first time in over a year. I stared at him dumbfounded wondering if it was because of his resemblance to Hunter.

Through the fog in my brain, I wondered if that was good or bad. I abruptly stood up, both men watching me carefully like I was a crazy, unstable individual. Maybe I was; I didn’t know anymore.

“Ok,” I told both of them in a quiet voice. “Tomorrow.”

“Eve,” Colin came up to me, worry expressed in his eyes. “Will you be ok, lass?”

I just nodded and hurried out of there like the devil himself was chasing me.

When I got to my apartment, I wanted to go straight to bed and curl up. I was on my way to discard my clothes and crawl into my bed when I stopped myself. I stood by the edge of my bed in my underwear and bra staring at the clock. It was just half past noon.

A thought lingered on my mind as I caught sight of my appearance in the vanity mirror. My eyes stared back at me, too dark for my pale face. My body seemed fuller and healthier from a month ago. There weren’t dark shadows under my eyes.

I thought back to Lachlan. Why were his eyes on me? After that scene, he should have insisted I leave his office. Instead, his gaze was focused on me.

I walked over to my closet in a daze, pulled out a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a pair of running shoes. I have been slowly increasing the pace of my walks and decided it was time I go back to jogging. It was part of my regular routine before my life fell apart, a great stress relief.

In ninety minutes, I was back in my apartment. I alternated between jogging and walking, completely out of shape but I still managed to get all sweaty and out of breath. I took a quick shower and forced myself to eat some food before brushing my teeth and crawling into bed.

Physical and emotional exhaustion crept in fast and as I drifted off the sleep, the last thing I remembered were intense grey eyes.

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