Page 25 of Her Devil

Because of course it does. You can’t even have a moment of peace in a bathroom here, let alone the house you share with five other women.

“You need to watch yourself with him.”

Irritation rolls over my body at nothing more than the tone of the man I know is stood behind me.

“Excuse me?” My eyes fly open, connecting with his in the mirror. “This is theladies’ room.What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Aside from attempting to tell me who the hell to be friends with, because that didn’t work out well last time either.

Spencer stands there, blocking the doorway with his arms folded across his chest, his usual pissed-off look nowhere to be seen. It should give me pause, the vulnerability he’s finally showing, but all I can think of is the last time he told me he didn’t like my friends.Fuck him.

“Seriously, Ivy Rose, you need to listen to me,” he attempts to placate. “You have no idea who he is and what he does. He’s dangerous.”

“I’m quite capable of looking after myself, thank you,” I reply with a sigh and a roll of my eyes.

Drying my hands off, I turn, breaking his eye contact and throwing the discarded paper towel in the bin, pulling my bag further up my shoulder as he attempts to get closer, reaching his hands out for me.

“Not with this you can’t,” he says. “Just trust me, okay?”

“Not a fucking chance,” I clip out, slipping past him and his outstretched hands and heading for the door. “I’ve got a class to be at. Thanks for the chat, but next time keep your opinion to yourself.”

“Ivy Rose…” I hear the plea in his voice even as the door closes, and I quicken my steps, more than ready to leave the warmth of the building and head out into the cold to find my next class.

I don’t know who he thinks he is, telling me who I can and can’t talk to. That didn’t work for him when we were together, and it sure as hell isn’t going to work now.

I’m not some silly little girl falling over herself at the first boy to ever show her attention, not that Leo is the first guy… and he’s aware of that too. No, I’m not like the blonde that was fawning all over him the last time I saw him.

And Leo’s not like that. There’s something magnetic about him, something different and interesting, and it’s nothing to do with Spencer. Absolutely nothing at all.

NINE

NICK

“Do you think George is coming back?” Emmerson asks, pushing open the main building door. “Or do you reckon he’s out for the count?”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” I reply with a shrug. I honestly couldn’t care less one way or another. He’s just someone else in my way.

“Yeah, but what doyouthink?”

“Dunno,” I brush off, more than ready to be away from him and in my class. Jacob wasn’t lying when he said I’m anti-social. “I’ll meet you back here, yeah?”

“Sure.” He nods, heading to his class whilst I head to mine. “Catch you in a bit,” he calls.

He seems nice enough, most of them do, and yet somehow it still feels like they’re all waiting to trip me up. Firstly, someone knocked me out of the line-up, and then there was that shit show over the building being completely missed when I was the one that said I’d take inside the buildings. It’s like I’m being singled out, and targeted, and I can’t work out why or by who.It’s frustrating.

My brain is anywhere but where it’s supposed to be as I make my way through the building, searching out my class just as Ivy gets to the doorway, a harried look on her face, and I can’t help the protective streak that rears its head.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, rushing to catch up with her.

“Huh?” She turns, her mind a million miles away as she finally notices me standing there. “Oh, Jacob, hey.” She smiles.

“Ah, actually, about that…” I start, more than ready to clear up this miscommunication. I can’t blame her for not knowing the differences between us, no matter how irritating it is that she doesn’t realise we’re two different people.

“Wow,” she says, cutting me off as we stand in the doorway looking over the busy class. “Ooh, look, there’s a couple of seats over there, if you’re happy to join me?”

She doesn’t wait for an answer, making quick moves to get the last pair of seats before anyone else does, seemingly quite happy to spend the afternoon with my brother, despite my brush-off last night.

I was pissed off. I can admit it.

It’s not just that she doesn’t seem to know the difference between the two of us, lots of people don’t, but that this undercurrent I can feel sizzling between us doesn’t seem to register with her.

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