Page 48 of Devlin

He exhaled slowly. “Even though I'm more grateful than you can imagine, for the past twenty-four hours, I've wondered the same thing. How you can move past the hurt.”

“Because when I lay in bed last night, I did think about things, Devlin.” She blinked back tears as she slowly shook her head. “And what I kept remembering was seeing you standing between me and danger.”

A lump formed in his throat.

She inhaled deeply before finishing, her voice barely above a whisper. “And even though you didn’t know it was me when you came here, you're still standing between me and danger.”

Devlin's breath hitched.

He had no words for that, no way to express how much her trust meant to him, how fiercely he wanted to keep it. But as she stood there, looking at him with that unwavering honesty, he knew one thing for certain.

No matter what happened next, he would not fail her again.

Devlin no longer cared who was watching or what whispers might follow. Wrapping his free arm around Mia’s shoulders, he pulled her close, and without hesitation, she melted into his embrace. Her hands loosened their grip on his, allowing them to hold each other tightly, as if letting go would shatter the fragile shift between them.

Her cheek rested against his chest, right over his heartbeat, her head tucked beneath his chin. She fit there. She had always fit there. And here, in the middle of a world filled with poverty, want, and need, something between them changed. It wasn’t a rekindling of the past. It was something new. A beginning.

He could have stood like that forever, content to simply hold her and pretend for a little while that nothing else existed beyond this moment. But he had something important for her and didn’t want to give it to her in public.

He loosened his hold reluctantly but didn’t let her go completely. Keeping one arm securely around her waist, he guided her back toward the staff quarters.

When they reached her door, she turned, searching his face. “You want to come in?”

His answer came without hesitation. “I don't want to be anywhere else but where you are.”

Her lips curved slightly as her gaze held his. That tiny smile was a light in a place inside him that had been dark for ten years. He had spent a decade convincing himself he didn’t need it, but she made him realize just how wrong he’d been with one simple expression.

Inside her room, he reached into his pocket, fingers closing around the small object he’d kept there for the last few hours. When he pulled it out, the silver charm caught the dim light, the sturdy chain pooling in his palm. The tiny lighthouse gleamed.

“I want you to wear this at all times,” he said, his tone unyielding. “Day and night. Don't take it off.”

A teasing glint appeared in her eyes. “It’s a little early in our burgeoning friendship for jewelry, don’t you think?”

“This isn't just any necklace,” he countered. He let the weight of his words settle before continuing. “There's a tracer inside. That means I can find you anywhere you might go.”

As he held her gaze, he saw the moment she understood. The amusement faded from her features, replaced by something more serious.

“You think I'm in danger, even if you’re here.”

“We're narrowing down who might be heading up the smuggling ring,” he admitted. “I'm not going to take a chance. So as long as you have this, I'll know where you are and can get to you.”

Mia gave a slow nod, then lifted her hair as he fastened the clasp at the nape of her neck. The chain settled against her skin,and she immediately curled her fingers around the tiny charm before slipping it beneath her shirt.

Then without a word, she stepped forward, resting her forehead against his chest. A heavy sigh shuddered from her, and he slid his hands down her back, holding her there.

He was caught between two warring emotions—thrilled that fate had led them back to each other and tortured by the knowledge that she was now in danger. He would always stand between Mia and whatever threatened her, but the problem was, right now, he didn’t know who the threat was.

When she looked up at him, he slid his hands to cup her cheeks, thumbs tracing the soft skin beneath her eyes. He bent slowly, giving her every chance to stop him, to pull away.

She didn’t. Instead, she rose onto her toes and met him halfway.

The moment their lips touched, it was as though time collapsed, the years apart dissolving in an instant. It wasn’t tentative or uncertain—it was rediscovery, a surge of everything they had been and everything they could be.

He started slow, savoring her, but the instant her fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, restraint shattered. A low groan rumbled in his chest as he wrapped his arms fully around her, molding her against him. He deepened the kiss, angling his head to claim more of her, to taste what he had been missing for far too long.

They shifted at the same time, bodies tangling until they tumbled onto the small bed. A lesser frame would have given under the sudden weight, but the military-grade metal held firm.

Fully clothed, they pressed together, lips moving in a desperate, aching rhythm. Mia’s breath was warm against his skin, her body soft where his was hard. He was aware of everything—the way her hands gripped his shoulders, the wayher leg slid against his, the way his arousal pressed insistently against her belly.

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