Page 75 of Her Devil

“That’s not what was going on,” Tamsin says breathlessly as she pulls back from him again.

“Sure, sure.”

“Huh?” Taylor’s confused gaze goes from her to me and back again.

“The film, on Sunday, at our place,” I prompt. “The two of you having sex in the chair, like, right there.”

“Oh, that.” He laughs. “We weren’t fucking, just playing around. Totally harmless. And you can’t have disliked the show that much, you came in a skirt tonight and everything.”

Leo throws out a laugh, attempting to cover it with a cough and failing.

“I left, thank you very much,” I reply sulkily. More than aware that was much more to do with Nick and everything we’d done, very publicly, not long before and less to do with whatever they were up to. “And I didn’t wear adressfor anyone but me.”

“Well, it looks very nice,” Leo intervenes as Taylor opens his mouth to reply, something else cutting on the tip of his tongue, no doubt. “Why don’t we go see what else is going on?”

He stands, holding his hand out for me as his appreciative gaze sweeps over me. I’m not wearing anything fancy, silver heels and a little black dress, the scoop neck probably lower than it ought to be considering our height difference, but the cross back is delicate and allows the searing heat from his touch to burn through me as he guides us away from Taylor.

“Sorry about him,” he apologises, popping the top off a beer and handing it over. Not my drink of choice, but I’m not willing to risk anything not in a sealed bottle here. “He likes to play with his toys.”

“And that’s how he sees me, is it? Like one of his toys?”

“At the moment, I’m not sure he sees anything past Tamsin,” he replies with a smile. “But we’re all more than aware the stakes for the game we’re playing are high right now.”

The two of us move out of the busy kitchen, through the even busier living room, and find a quiet space down the end of a corridor, someone’s study fitting the bill just nicely.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” I finally say, accepting the seat as he leans against the table, his dark jeans pulling tight across thick thighs just inches from my fingers.

“George?” he confirms as I nod.

“Yeah, I didn’t get a chance to say it the other day with everything else going on but that must have come as quite a surprise.”

“Oh, it did. But there’s no need to apologise to me, I didn’t like the guy, but that’s not to say I won’t like the next one. And there will be a next one.”

“What about us?” I ask, hoping and praying he knows more than we do about The Angels and is willing to share it.

His head tilts to one side, a smirk starting to kick up one side of his lips as that darkness creeps in again. “What about us, angel?”

“I meant The Angels.” I blush, attraction buzzing in the air between us, and I can’t help the confusion it creates. “Will we go one by one too?”

“Oh, I’m not sure about that. I have a feeling your positions are more linked to The Devils than we’ve been led to believe.” I’m more than aware they are. “I think some misogynistic old man thinks he’s going to be able to control us, with you.”

“And you disagree…”

“I’m not interested in being led around by my dick.” He takes a swig of the beer, placing it on the table beside him as he leans back.

It’s an easy and comfortable position, and I can’t help the question that tumbles from my lips, needing to clear the air and find out exactly where I stand. “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but is there something going on between you and Jacob?”

“What makes you ask that?”

“The way you watch him, the way he responds to you. I don’t know, it’s just a feeling,” I admit, not quite able to put my finger on it.

There’s definitely something there between them. What, I’m not sure, and how that fits in with the obvious temptation that crackles between us I’m even less sure of. But before I attempt to push Nick out of the back of my mind with Leo, I need to be sure I’m not diving out of one frying pan and straight into another.

“I’m not gay, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You’re not straight though, either, are you?” It’s a leap, one I’m not entirely sure I can back up.

“I’m not,” he admits.

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