Page 24 of Her Devil

I nod, my smile smaller as I think about the way I climbed over him last night.Oops. “Of course.” I shrug, pushing it down. “You’re my hero.”

The smile that graces his face is priceless, his dark eyes seeming to lighten as they twinkle with mischief the way they did in the dim lighting of the pool.

“I’m no hero,” he says, dropping into the seat and swivelling my way. “But I’ll take it.” He grins, his straight white teeth on full display. “So, advanced biology is an interesting choice.”

He leaves the sentence open-ended, waiting with interest for me to fill in the blanks.

“Psychology.” I shrug. “Got to know how the physical attributes work alongside the mental ones.”

“Makes sense. How do you know him?” he asks, any further explanation not required.

“Spencer?” He nods. “Oh, we go way back.” I sigh. “He plays golf with my father.” And the rest. “And, we, uh… Well, we used to… date?” It’s not something I particularly want to admit to, especially with someone I’m maybe, kinda, a little bit interested in, and it comes out as more of a question than I anticipated. “Hang on, did he call youLeopold?”

“It’s just Leo, usually.”

“So, how doyouknow him?” I ask, hoping it’s less embarrassing than mine and attempting to divert the attention away from my admission.

“That’s a long story for another day. You, however, need to fill me in on this ‘sort-of dating’ you did with him.”

“Well, you know how it is.” I sigh, realising he’s not going to let this go. “Our parents shoved us together for years. They nudged, suggested, and recommended until I finally gave in and agreed to go out with him.”

“And…”

“And… he was as much of a self-important tool as I always expected he would be.” I nod.

“Shocker.” He smiles. “Leave it with me. He won’t bother you again.”

My eyebrows raise, surprise covering my face, but anything I might have said or asked about it is cut off as the tutor comes back in, a steaming mug of coffee in hand. “Now then everyone, let’s start at page twenty-four. I hope you came prepared.”

Luckily, I have, and anything I was unsure of, Leo was able to help me with. Hopefully, he doesn’t end up saving me all year long. That could get a little tiresome. I’ve not quite been the damsel in distress, but he was certainly there to help me out, more than once.

The class comes to an end, the quickest hour and a half of the week, and my brain is full, so full.

“I think I’m going to need some extra resources for this,” Leo says, sliding a receipt back into the text on the table. “It could be a trip to the library for me. Do you fancy it?”

“I’ve got another class in twenty minutes,” I explain, quickly checking the time on my watch before hustling to get my things together. “But I’m totally up for a study session another time.”

The words come out much flirtier than I intended, the breathy tone a surprise to even me, but he smiles easily, accepting thenot-for-nowrather than an outrightno.

“Sounds good.” He nods, rotating his neck left and right before shaking out his shoulders. “I take it you guys were okay when you got back last night?”

“Yes. Charlotte was more than a little worse for wear when I left this morning.” Well, she looked like death warmed up on the sofa—she’d clearly spent way too long throwing up, or maybe that’s just how she looks without makeup on. “But I’m all good. You?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” he replies with a weary smile, standing and gesturing for me to go first.

A blush raises over my cheeks at the simple gesture, something so lost on other guys, not that I’m thinking of anyone specifically. I risk a furtive glance at Spencer, who’s watching us with narrowed eyes and keen interest. The two of us head through the building together, the tension that’s been building over the last hours sizzling away.

I was going to kiss him, he was going to kiss me. All of a sudden, my mind’s back in his lap, sweat beading at the back of my neck as he growls in my ear, his breath fanning down my neck. Heat blossoms deep in my belly, pooling between my legs.

“I, uh, I’m just going to head to the ladies’ room before finding class,” I say, darting in that direction. “See you around.”

“Sure thing,” he replies, confusion and amusement laced through his tone.

I don’t turn around and look, but I can feel the heat of his stare as he watches me run away, probably thinking that I’m some kind of crazy person.I guess I am.

He made no indication that’s where he wanted to pick up today, and everything has been purely platonic until my head got involved.

The bathroom door closes behind me, the stalls empty as I run my hands under the cold tap, dabbing them against the back of my neck. Closing my eyes, I attempt to tamp down the insane part of my brain that wanted to be back in his lap, the part that was waiting for him to kiss me before heading off to the library and me to my class. Until the door opens and closes.

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