Levi’s mind touched his. I’m thinking that Eleanor could have been the one who wrecked her apartment.
Yeah, I had that same thought, said Tanner, but it wasn’t something he’d mention to Devon until he knew for sure.
“I think it would be best if you stayed here until all this is over,” Gertie said to her. “Or at least for a few days. Please, Devon? It’ll give me peace of mind. Or if you won’t stay here, come home with me and—”
“No,” said Devon. “I can’t go with you.”
Gertie squeezed her hand. “Then do one thing for me and stay here.”
Devon sighed. “What about rent money? I can’t afford—”
“Your time here will be free,” Knox told her. “Don’t argue. This is a safety measure. I won’t take your money, so there’s no sense in putting up a protest.”
“If you’re really going to refuse to stay with anyone for fear that the danger dogging your heels will clip theirs, this is your best option,” said Harper. “Believe me, I know it’s hard to accept the protection of others. Having a bodyguard claws at my ego from time to time. And I get how important your independence is to you, but you have to admit that Tanner’s come in handy a few times.”
“And he’s pretty to look at, which is always a plus,” Khloë pointed out.
Keenan’s expression hardened as he stared at the imp. “Is he now?”
Khloë tossed him yet another frown. “What is with you today? You’re all snippy and snarly. Like a lion with a thorn in its paw.”
Keenan scowled. “I’m not snippy or snarly.”
Khloë put her hands on her hips. “All I heard was grr, argh, grr, I’m a raging alcoholic with an oversized cock, grr.”
Raini groaned and buried her face in her hands.
A muscle in Keenan’s cheek jumped slightly. “I’m not an alcoholic.”
“Dude, you drink vodka like it’s water and carry a flask of it around with you wherever you go,” said Khloë. “Tell me how that’s normal.”
Larkin smoothly stepped between them. “Anyway … yeah, Devon, I think you’d be better off staying in this building for a little while. You can’t deny that you’d sleep better with such top-notch security.”
“I’d sleep better knowing you were here.” Gertie squeezed her hand again. “Please, Devon?”
Closing her eyes, Devon tipped her head back and let out an annoyed groan. “Fine.”
Tanner’s voice flowed into her mind. Right decision, kitten. She chose to ignore him.
The others stayed long enough for Hunter to whip her up some risotto while they tried theorizing on where Lockwood could be or who might be able to point them in the right direction, but the conversation didn’t amount to much.
Advising her to rest, people filed out of the apartment. Russell lingered long enough to warn Tanner that he’d get better not let Devon be hurt in any way, shape, or form.
Hunter was the last to leave. He kissed her cheek and said, “I plated your risotto—it’s waiting on the kitchen counter for you. Eat. You need to get your strength back.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Hunter.” Then he was gone. And she and Tanner were alone. In his apartment. While she was wearing his shirt.
“You hungry?” he asked.
“I could eat.” She followed him into a large, beautiful kitchen that was all cream gloss and gleaming platinum appliances. “Fancy.”
He took the plate of food from the counter, set it on the kitchen island, and gestured at one of the chairs.
Devon happily took the silent invitation and, absolutely famished, delved into her risotto. She groaned in appreciation. “Man, Hunter is good.”
Tanner put a glass of water near her plate and then straddled the chair opposite her. “How long have you known him?”
“As long as I’ve known Adam, so … six years.”
“You seem to get along well with Hunter.” He tilted his head. “You two have never had any problems? He’s not jealous of the closeness you have with Adam?”
“No. Which makes me lucky.” They made idle conversation while she ate. Pushing her empty plate aside, she sipped some water from her glass while sweeping her gaze around the kitchen. The room was as spotless as the rest of the apartment. “You have a cleaner?”
“No.”
Whoa, he couldn’t be serious. “You’re a neat freak?” She hadn’t sensed that about him.
He shrugged. “I like to have a tidy home. I wouldn’t say it makes me a freak.”
“I like a tidy home. This kind of cleanliness screams ‘obsessive.’”
Standing, he took her plate and cutlery to the sink and rinsed them off before stacking them in the dishwasher. “The staff at the kids’ home where I grew up were strict on us keeping things clean and tidy. I guess it stuck with me.”
Devon’s chest tightened. Damn, it had to have sucked growing up in a home for demonic kids. He couldn’t have had much of a childhood since the staff would have needed to be strict or the children would have caused utter mayhem. “Is it still standing?”
“No. Knox bought it, demolished it, and then built a hotel over it. It was Larkin who named it ‘Crimson Grove Hotel and Spa.’”
She wanted to ask more about the home; wanted to ask how it was he’d ended up there, but the questions seemed far too intrusive. Plus, she could clearly see he didn’t want to speak more of it.
Slipping off the stool, she added her empty glass to the dishwasher. “Tell me about the newly vacated apartment you want me to stay in. Is it like this?”
“The layout’s pretty much the same. I don’t think it has a spare bedroom, though.” He leaned back against the counter. “Just so you know, you won’t be using my spare tonight. You’ll be in my bed.”
Her stomach did a little flip. “We talked about this already; we’re leaving it at a one-night stand.”
“And if I told you that when I left your place last night I went to a club, picked up a random woman, and then went home with her and fucked her brains out?”
Devon flinched, feeling like he’d slapped her.
“I didn’t do it. But that thing you’re feeling right now, that’s what you would have felt if I had. And you’re really going to tell me that we’re done?”
She sighed. “You can get sex anywhere, Tanner. Hell, go down to the Underground, there are pussies galore.”
“But there’s only one of you. It’s you I want.”
That hit her right in her core. Her body should have been too tired to react, but damn if her libido didn’t snap awake. “My demon won’t give you a month of its life, Tanner.”
His eyes hardened. “You won’t exactly be taking the time to look for a mate while you’re preoccupied with finding Asa’s friend. Where’s the harm in us having our fun in the meantime?”
“You don’t have to say ‘mate’ like it’s a dirty word, you know.” Her pulse skittered as he pushed away from the counter and slowly prowled toward her. And then all six-feet-plus of untamed power was towering over her, and her mouth went bone dry.