Page 61 of Twisted Devotion

My heartbeat kicks up. “It’s been over half an hour. Why isn’t he out yet?”

Jackson sidles up beside me and takes the phone out of my hand. He says goodbye to Bethany before ending the call and sticking my phone in his back pocket before I can reach for it.

I narrow my eyes at him, taking a step back. “What the hell?”

“You need to relax, Red. Talking Bethany’s ear off isn’t going to make the procedure go any faster.”

“Why is it taking so long? He should be done by now.”

He sighs. “It works a little differently on each fae, Kelsey. It’s nothing to get worked up over.”

“We should go back.”

“So you can stand outside the room in full panic mode?” he questions.

“I . . .” Damn. He’s right. And I hate that he’s right. Going back now won’t help anything. It’ll likely just make my anxiety worse.

Jackson moves closer, and even though we’re the only ones around, the giant room feels small. He rests his hands on my shoulders and searches my eyes. “Tell me what you need.”

I hold my chin up, meeting his gaze as I whisper, “I need my best friend to survive this.”

He nods. “I know, Red, I know.” Jackson hauls me against him and kisses my hair before smoothing his hand down it.

I grab fistfuls of his shirt and bury my face in his chest, inhaling the soft scent of eucalyptus and mint that I’ve gotten used to associating with him. “I need you to take me away from this place for a while.”

Jackson leans back, gazing down at me with a slightly confused expression. “What?”

I lick my lips. “I need you . . . to take care of me.” I brush my thumb along his bottom lip. “Like—like you did last time.”

His eyes widen slightly. “Are you sure?”

Nodding, I lean up on my tiptoes and seal my mouth over his, kissing him desperately.

He tugs me closer and groans against my lips when I press against his groin. “Slow down, Red,” he says against my lips.

“Make me,” I taunt.

He gently wraps his fingers around my throat and pulls back, his eyes flashing with heat. “Oh, I plan to.” When he leans in again, his lips line up with mine, but instead of kissing me, he trails his mouth along my jaw, sucking and biting softly, making me moan.

I inhale when he nips my earlobe then pulls it into his mouth. “Oh god.” The heat between my legs throbs with need, and I grab his other hand and press it there. “Please—”

My phone starts ringing before I can finish the sentence, and I break away from Jackson, reaching around him to pull my phone out of his pocket. Heart lurching at the facility’s number, I swipe the screen to accept the call.

“Seth’s out of the procedure,” Bethany says. “He’s okay. Did great, actually.”

I press my palm against my chest as if that will help calm my racing heart. “Oh, thank god.” Tears well in my eyes. “We’ll be right back.” I end the call and pocket my phone before looking at Jackson. “Did you hear?”

He nods, smiling. “What did I tell you?”

I smack his arm, sniffling, and wipe my cheeks from the tears that snuck out while I was on the phone. “Thank you, for—”

“Taking care of you?” he interjects.

I press my lips together. “Yeah.”

He slides his arm around my shoulders and hugs me to his side. “Come on, Red. I’ll take you to see him.”

Seth is sitting up in the recovery room bed when I rush into the room. Before I can make it to his side, Jackson wraps his fingers around my wrist and pulls me back a stride. Before I can snap at him, he speaks.

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