Page 49 of Devotion: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 1)

The boy and I shared a glance and I couldn’t help but smile. “I like him too.”

“Ok, Bram,” Ainslee spoke up, looking a bit shaken up. “Let Eve go because Uncle Lachlan will get jealous.”

“You know, Ainslee,” I threw a murderous look her way but still a small smile on my face. “I might put you in one of my books and have you tortured.”

Bram reluctantly went back to his chair and Lachlan didn’t even bother objecting to any of his cousin’s inappropriate comments. His arm was around my chair while playing with my hair, gently caressing my skin. The man was turning me on.

“It is you!” Margaret exclaimed. “I thought it might be a coincidence but there aren’t two Eve Bailey writers! I thought you looked like the picture on the back of the book covers, but I wasn’t positive. Eve Bailey, writer of all time romances. I’m a huge fan.”

“Oh, Jesus,” Ainslee complained. “You have a stalker for the rest of the day. And here I was trying to help you sneak out with Lachlan.”

That woman truly did not believe in watching what she said!

“I won’t bother you,” Margaret spoke defensively. “I just want to know when the next book is coming. If you want to sneak out with Lachlan, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it. Just tell me when you’ll have a new book so I can tell my ladies.”

Both her and Colin were seated by now and she was directly opposite of me.

“Not sure,” I told her. “I haven’t written anything in a while.”

“What?” She sounded like she just found out Santa Claus was fake.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Why?” she asked. “You are so good. We have a book club named after your regency series.”

“Mom,” Ainslee warned her. “Leave her alone.”

“It’s ok,” I defended her mom. “Maybe one day. For now, I’m just working for Colin. I would love to see your book club one day though. Not now, but maybe one day.”

She beamed like I just gave her the best present. “Oh, dear! All the old ladies would lose their panties.”

That was so not the vision I needed!

“Ok,” I mumbled with a little smile, unsure what else to say to that.

Ainslee and I shared a look and we both chuckled.

Everybody started chatting among themselves, and I curiously glanced at Ainslee and Callen. She seemed enthralled with him and I wondered what one night changed for them. But then I realized how much one night changed for me.

“Are you ok?” Lachlan whispered into my ear so only I could hear him. His grey eyes were focused on me. A small part of me fluttered at the intensity of his gaze.

“Yes, I’m good,” I spoke softly. “Better than in a long time.”

His face lit up and I couldn’t help but think how handsome he was. My fingers itched to touch his skin so I reached and gently brushed my finger across his jaw.

This is too fast,my mind whispered a warning.

But my body and sanity didn’t care. I soaked him up like he was my own personal ray of sunshine.

There was something magical about this place and about him. I glanced over the gardens, the river running wild through the hills and meadow of the property. Everything was so green, even though it was the middle of the summer. I vaguely remembered one of my classes during my undergrad that covered greek and roman mythology, and had a section on Scottish tales and legends.

I tried to think back to material we covered during the class. The only story I remembered was about a mermaid that changed from seal to a human and a man compelled her to become his wife by hiding her mermaid skin.

Gosh, that would be a great story for a book.

For the second time today, I thought about writing. It was more than I thought about it over the last ten months.

“Hey,” I asked everyone and nobody in particular. “Is there a bookstore in a nearby town?”

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