Page 79 of Devotion: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 1)

I locked my eyes with Lachlan and asked, “Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “It makes complete sense, love. I’m going to have to read those books so I can be in the loop.”

I laughed. “I can guarantee you it will not be your cup of tea.”

“You are probably right,” he replied, “...but if you created it, I want to read it and know about it.”

And just like that, I lost another piece of my heart. The more I knew about this man, the more I liked him. I wanted to know everything about him too.

“Were you close to your parents?” I asked hesitantly, remembering his comment about the way his parents died.

“Yes,” his voice was sad and I wrapped my arms around his waist. “They met as children and knew right away they wanted to be together forever. They were crazy about each other and wanted a big family but my mother couldn’t have any more children after me. Then when she died in an accident, it basically killed my father too. He couldn’t go on without her.”

McLaren’s give their heart only once.Lachlan’s words, his grandfather’s words, came back to me.

I wasn’t sure what to say or do. Despair and hurt sometimes lead to bad decisions. I knew it firsthand. In retrospect, I was surprised Elise and Brandon didn’t cut all their ties with me. I caused them so much worry, heartache, and stress. She cried many nights for me, when I had no more tears to shed, and I just lingered by a thread.

Elise pulled a lot of strings to keep my suicide attempt out of the public. Not to mention all the days and nights she kept an eye on me. I owed her everything.

“Eve,” Lachlan’s voice stopped the voices of the past. He lifted my hand and laid a kiss on my palm. His lips slowly moved to my wrist, small kisses tracking along the way and stopped on my scar.

“Promise me you’ll never leave me,” his warm lips moved over my scar.

I knew what he meant. It was the same promise my sister wanted.

Life worked in weird ways. I won’t say it worked in funny ways because there was nothing funny about the way he lost his parents or my suicide attempt. I felt a strong connection to Lachlan, one I had never felt before to another man. Maybe he felt the same about me. Although knowing how his father died, I wondered why he’d want to have anything to do with me. And here we are.

“I promise.” The words left my lips in a whisper. And I intended to keep that promise.

A few hours later, after we had dinner, his staff dispersed. Lachlan and I were sharing a large bathtub, facing each other. The sheen of water clung to his strong chest and I wanted to lick it.

I wasn’t even sure why we decided to take a bath. It was something I rarely did, opting for a shower over a bath most of the time. He suggested it, and I jumped on that bandwagon looking forward to seeing him naked even sooner.

Beneath the water, his hand traced my ankle, sparking my desire into flames. His leisurely caress continued, sliding over my calf, as if unaware what his touch was doing to me.

“So which one of your books should I read first?” he asked intently as his fingers trailed to my kneecap, running slow circles over it. His gaze burned into mine. I licked my lips in anticipation. I wanted to feel him inside me, in fact I was desperate to feel him inside me.

I blinked trying to remember his question.

Ah, yes. Book.

“Maybe the Austro-Hungarian romance?” I suggested, my voice husky from the desire. It had nothing to do with the books and everything with him.

He swept back down my calf.

“I’ll be your number one fan.” His sensual lips quirked in the ghost of a smile. The way he looked at me made me feel flushed, hot, and bothered. I floated toward him, straddling his powerful thighs and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“You better be,” I teased him, our lips within an inch of touching, the breath left me in a rush. My body longed for him.

He leaned forward, aligning our mouths for a hard kiss. I reached for his cock beneath the hot water to find him hard and ready for me. I swallowed hard and stroked him, the silken sensation of the water between us making everything better. “You’re mine,” my voice was husky as I laid claim.

“I’m all yours,” he gritted. “If you continue this, we’ll be done before we even get started.”

He kissed me again, catching my lower lip in his teeth and immediately soothing the sting with a lick. A sigh left my lips. God, I wanted him.

There was just something so hot about seeing him raging with desire for me. Because I was also burning for him. I watched water dripping down his magnificent chest and couldn’t resist lowering my lips to catch a droplet by flicking my tongue over his skin. I worked my way up his chest, to his neck, licking the slight protrusion of his Adam’s apple.

“You taste so good,” I whispered against his wet skin.

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