by W. J. May
“—the more every decision is subject to committee.”
He glanced up as the spinning came to an abrupt halt. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”
Rae nodded understandably. He might not know it at the time, but it wasn’t the first time they’d had this discussion. Quite the contrary. The two of them had spent many sleepless nights constantly debating the influx of Gabriel and Angel. And even Kraigan. Analyzing the shift in every group decision. Worried about the possible ramifications of straying too far from their original goals.
Considering how messed up things were in this new reality…Rae couldn’t even imagine.
She cleared her throat softly, then gestured up to his face. “Is that Gabriel’s handiwork?”
It got quiet for a moment. A moment so long that Rae almost regretted asking. Then Devon’s hand lifted automatically to his cheek as a dark look of rage simmered deep in his eyes.
“He got it worse than me.” The rage boiled over to a cold satisfaction. “And trust me, the guy had it coming.”
Rae looked down at her mug, deeply troubled. Aside from the occasional quarrel, the Devon and Gabriel she knew generally left each other alone. The Cold War between them had heated up several times over the last few months, but after their showdown back at the mansion things had started to thaw. In fact, since Alicia had come into the picture, things had started to melt.
Rae just couldn’t imagine a situation in which the two of them would literally come to blows.
“But enough about me,” Devon said briskly, flashing a smile to deliberately lighten the mood, “I want to hear more about you. What made you choose this place?”
Besides the fact that I was hoping to see you…?
“Well, I’ve always loved this diner,” she answered evasively. “It’s a great stopping point when you’re going in and out of the city. Back in the day, I used to come here all the time…”
Devon’s eyes twinkled. As always, seeing things that Rae didn’t want him to.
“How weird. Me, too.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Oh yeah?”
He nodded innocently, and without thinking about it picked up another sugar to stir into her cup. Rae froze, staring. She liked four sugars. This was the fourth. He didn’t seem to notice what his own hands were doing from memory…
“Rae?”
Her head snapped back up, and she realized he’d asked her a question. “Sorry, what?”
He grinned.
“So…sales, huh?”
She blushed deeply and lowered her gaze to the table, running her fingertips guiltily along the sticky edge. “Yeah, um, it was all I could think of. Sales looks good on a résumé, right?”
“I imagine it would if you’d actually done it.” His teeth clamped down on his lower lip to restrain a grin. “And you listed me as a reference?”
She hesitated, wondering if he was a little frustrated beneath that adorable smile. Deciding to operate under the assumption that he wasn’t, she went out on a limb. “Not just any reference,” she said importantly. “The reference. The only one.”
His lips parted in surprise then closed again, leaving him staring at her with that same kind of incredulous wonder. There was definitely a hint of frustration behind it, that much was sure. But Rae didn’t think any of it was aimed at her. It was self-directed.
Like he knew there was something he was missing. A name floating just at the tip of his tongue…but he couldn’t remember.
“Well, I guess I should be used to it by now,” he said quietly.
She blushed again, and they both fell silent. Both thinking about her random acts of impulsivity over the last few days. Both thinking about the kiss.
It had just gotten a little bit awkward, when the door to the back office opened and Randall walked out into the dining room. He spotted the two of them sitting there as he pulled on his jacket, and paused with his arms mid-sleeve.
“Is everything alright in here?”
Devon leaned back quickly as Rae flashed her new boss a quick smile. “Yeah. Everything is great. Devon was just…checking to see how my first day went.”
Randall strode forward curiously, zipping up the front of his coat. “Devon? As in…Devon Wardell? Your supervisor in sales?”
Apparently her fiancé wasn’t the only one who thought that sounded fake.
Fortunately, he saved her from having to respond by pushing to his feet and extending his hand with a charming smile. “One and the same. It was good talking with you today, Mr. Hall.”
Randall shook cordially, then did a visible double-take. A burst sudden recognition lightened his eyes as he looked Devon up and down. “Wait a minute, I think I’ve seen you in here—”
“—a couple thousand times, yeah.” Devon flashed a warm smile. “This place is the best. Me and my mates always stop in here whenever we go through London.”
“That’s right,” Randall answered with a faint grin, “you’re always with the same group, have been for years. There’s the dark-haired boy, who always wears sunglasses inside. The two blondes who always frighten the rest of my customers. And then there’s the little redhead who never seems to stop talking.”
Devon nodded knowingly. “That would be them.”
Even though Rae knew she wouldn’t be included in that list, it was still disheartening to hear again and again. She wondered what her one-line summary might have been.
“But I haven’t seen you lot in a while,” Randall continued, flipping up his collar as he prepared to go out into the storm. “What’s been keeping you?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.” Devon flashed another disarming smile. “Out saving the world.”
Randall chuckled and nodded, on his way out.
“I’ll bet. Well, it was good seeing you again. Be sure to stop by soon.”
Devon nodded respectfully. “Will do.”
“And you,” Randall glanced back at Rae, “you did good today, kid.” She beamed back at him, but like usual the man couldn’t leave things on a pleasant note. “But in the future, this isn’t the place for you and your boyfriend to hang out. It’s a place of business, you understand?”
Rae glanced around sarcastically at the obvious lack of business but, as usual, Devon jumped in for the save. The same way he’d been doing for years, whenever she challenged the powers that be.
“Yes, sir. Understood. You have a good night.”
Randall waved over his head and vanished out into the storm. A car started up, and a second later he was gone. Devon watched the headlights disappear before turning back to Rae with a grin.
“It’s your first day of work, and you want to antagonize the boss? Really?”
She pushed to her feet with a self-righteous sniff. “You know, some people happen to find that self-assertiveness endearing.”
“Self-assertiveness?” he countered. “Is that what you call it?”
“Why, what do you call it?”
“Getting fired?”
Rae giggled as she gathered up their dishes. By now she was almost immune to the smell of grease and fish wafting from her clothes, but even so she wanted to get changed as soon as possible.
“Here, let me help you with that.”
Before she could protest, the mugs were in his hand. Their fingers lingered for a moment, brushing up against each other, before he bowed his head with a self-conscious flush.
“Thanks,” she murmured, gazing up into his eyes.
The diner grew uncomfortably quiet as they put the cups into the dishwasher. Rae checked to make sure all the ovens and fryers were off. Then checked and double-checked to make sure the cash register was locked. Devon silently trailed along by her side. Then he helped her slide into her coat.
“Well, that’s it for me,” she said as they walked outside, bracing themselves against the sudden onslaught of rain. “Thanks again for stopping by. And for the reference call. I know that was probably a little weird.”
He just grinned. “A lit
tle weird seems to be your style. I’m glad I could help.”
The two of them stood there for a second before she darted in for a one-armed hug. It was even more awkward than before. His entire body stiffened, and by the time he’d even registered the contact she was already pulling away.
Or she started to…until her hair got caught on his jacket.
“Ow—crap!” She tugged desperately at the wet strand, but it only made the knot worse. “Sorry, I can’t—”
“Here, I got it.”
She gave it another mighty tug, prepared to just cut it off altogether and save her the mortification to follow. “No, it’s fine. If I can just rip—”
A warm hand closed over hers.
“…I got it.”
Their eyes met for a split second before he began to work. Expertly looping and unwinding the tangled mess until the bulk of it sprang free.
“Sorry,” he muttered, squinting down at the rest. “Can you just step a little—”
“Yeah, of course.”
She caught on to what he was saying, and took a step forward, giving him a little slack to work with. They were toe to toe, only an inch or so apart. At this range, she didn’t need his tatù to see the way the breath caught in his chest. To see the almost imperceptible tightening of the muscles in his arms as she leaned towards him. To see the way his eyes flickered down to her lips.
“There,” he said softly, “all done.”
Rae ran the wet curl between her fingers, but made no move to pull away. If anything, she leaned in closer. Even drenched in the rain, that delicious scent washed off him. Vanilla and sandalwood. The same aroma she’d literally bathed in the night before. The moon reflected silver in his dark hair, and she could see every fleck of hazel in his sparkling eyes…
“I’ve gotta go.” She was off before she could stop herself. Before she could talk herself out of anything. Her heel turned sharply in the parking lot, and she headed up the street with only a backwards wave.
Don’t look back…don’t look back…
She’d turn around if she looked back and saw him, and at this point she absolutely could not afford to. She knew Devon. Probably even better than he knew himself. She had pushed, and pressed, and coaxed to the limit. She would advance no farther. Any farther, and he’d scare off.
It was his turn now. The ball was in his court.
And on that note…
Anytime now, babe. Anytime time at all—
“Rae!”
She paused mid-step as a brief smile lit up her face. She got it under control by the time she turned around.
He was jogging towards her, taking care to move at human pace. “I’m sorry,” he murmured when he reached her, “did I do something—”
“No, I’ve just got to get back uptown.” She cocked her head towards the subway station a few blocks up. “Don’t want to miss the last train.”
“Oh…” He followed her gaze as a slightly troubled look came over his face. “You’re taking the train all the way back at this time of night? By yourself?”
Even with super powers, it was something he wouldn’t condone.
She shrugged casually, and tried to look unconcerned. “Yeah, it’s no big deal.”
One look at his face told her otherwise. He thought it was a very big deal. And one which he had no intention to allow. Sure enough…
“Let me give you a ride home.”
She pulled her coat tighter around her and pretended to look surprised. “Why?”
“It’s just…” He trailed off, looking more and more bashful by the moment. The old Devon would have launched into a grandiose speech about women’s safety. A preposterously preachy lecture during which the rest of them would roll their eyes, while Julian nodded solemnly in the background. But the new Devon didn’t feel as though he had that right. More importantly, he was worried that he might do something to scare her off. “…I’m heading that way anyway,” he said lamely. “There are some clothes and things I wanted to bring back to Kent.”
“Oh.” Rae fought back a smile. “Well, in that case… sure. Thanks.”
He looked down at her with a half-smile and offered his arm. She took it with a shy grin, and the two of them started walking back across the parking lot.
* * *
Usually, with Devon’s reckless driving, they would have made it back to the house within ten minutes. But for whatever reason, he was going suspiciously slow. He let other cars pull in front of them. He came to a complete stop whenever directed. By the time they rounded the corner and saw the park, it had gotten so ridiculous that Rae was on the verge of saying something, but she wouldn’t have traded the added time with him for anything in the world. He seemed to feel the same way.
“So, how are you liking it?” he asked when they finally pulled into the driveway and gazed up at the house. “Is there anything that you need?”
“A pool,” Rae said immediately as they stepped out and made their way up the front walk. It was the one thing she had consistently hounded him for since the moment he moved in…much to his great annoyance and amusement. “Anytime by the end of the week would be fine.”
He chuckled under his breath, holding up a hand to protect her from the rain. “Is that right? I’ll just dig one myself, shall I?”
“The hot tub you should dig,” she corrected teasingly. “The pool you might want to leave for the professionals.”
“Looks like you’ve got all the answers.”
“Not all of them,” she admitted. “For example, there’s this roundabout when you get off the A13 that makes absolutely no sense to—”
Then she was up against the wall. And he was kissing her.
There was no restraint or warning. Not a single thing to cue her in that it was coming. One second she was just standing there, talking. The next—she was in his arms.
It wasn’t exactly gentle either. Not the tender doorstep kisses that she’d come to expect after a long day. There was a frantic energy to it that caught her off-guard. An almost manic desperation, like he was afraid that at any second she might disappear.
“Tell me…” he extracted himself long enough to pull in a quick breath, “tell me if this is okay.” His fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled their faces back together. “I’ll stop…if you want me to…I’ll stop…”
She bit down on his lip, and he stopped talking. Stopped thinking. Stopped everything single thing running through his mind…except one.
As all the rain streamed down around them, they half-fell against the front door. He hitched up her legs around him and lifted her into the air. Groping, kissing, grasping. Anything to get close.
“You have no idea…” Rae murmured, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she dared. Her wrists locked behind his neck. “No idea how much I missed this…”
He froze for a split second, then pulled back.
As their eyes met in the moonlit darkness Rae realized her obvious mistake. Her face paled in horror, but it was already too late. His fingers released their grip on her thighs and she slid to the ground, landing with a miserable splash in front of him.
“Devon, I…”
He took a step away, panting with silent breaths. His cheeks were flushed and his hair was a chaotic mess, but the look on his face was worse than anything Rae could have imagined. He didn’t look confused, or sad, or guilty, or even angry.
He looked like he’d just made a huge mistake.
“I have to go.”
Without another word he turned and moved back out into the rain, blurring with unnatural speed as he yanked his keys from his pocket. The air itself seemed to chill as he vanished into the dark.
Taking any chance they had with him.
Rae stared in shock for a moment before bolting after him. “Devon, wait—”
Her foot caught on a loose stone on the porch. The same loose stone that she’d been pestering him to fix from the moment he bought the place. She went careening forward with a broken gasp and came dow
n hard upon the slick walkway, slicing open both her knees.
She made no move to get up. To be honest, a part of her didn’t see the point.
She’d lost her friends. She’d lost her family. She’d lost her home. She’d lost her job.
And now, thanks to the worst timing in the world, she’d just made the only man she’d ever loved walk out of her life forever.
I was wrong. THIS is rock-bottom.
Her eyes swam with tears as the puddle beneath her swam with blood.
Then, just as she buried her face in her hands, a sudden shadow fell over the stones.
“…Are you alright?”
She lifted her chin to see Devon standing over her. It was too shadowed to make out the expression on his face, but no matter how he was feeling she had never been worse. A little sob whimpered through her soaked body, and she shook her head once.
He softened. Glanced down at the blood. Then softened some more.
Finally, he slipped the keys back into his pocket with a little sigh. “Come on,” he scooped her up like she weighed no more than a doll, “let’s get you inside.”
Chapter 8
The first time Rae had come to the house in London, she’d left without ever setting foot inside. Devon had made a beautiful speech about why he’d bought it. A heartfelt oratory about setting down roots so they could build a future. One that brought tears to Rae’s eyes. But they were essentially under house arrest at the time. Hiding out in her London penthouse from anyone and everyone who might be looking, so they left without ever opening the door.
The second time she’d come, it had been night. And it had been wet like this night. Devon had picked her up, kissed her softly on the lips—and, in a moment that promised so many more to come, he’d carried her over the threshold.
It was amazing how different it felt when he did it again now.
“Please don’t,” Rae whispered, burying her face in both hands. The irony was so bittersweet it was ripping her heart in two. “I’m serious, you don’t need to do this. I’m fine. You can just go.”
Devon acted like he hadn’t heard her. The second they were inside he shut the door behind them with his foot, flipped on a lamp, and carried her over to the couch.
