Page 101 of The Devil’s Lair

God, I want him to kiss me.

I feel like a teenager brimming with excitement because the guy everyone fancies at school has set his sights on me. That didn’t happen, by the way. I wasn’t the popular girl at high school. Most of the time I tried to make myself invisible.

Hmm. Never thought that would be good practice for when Marcus came calling.

The old, familiar tightening of my chest briefly makes a comeback. I take a couple of deep breaths. Marcus isn’t here. He’s dead. He can’t hurt me anymore.

A knock comes at the door. Even though this is Tobias’s home and he can go anywhere he likes, he still respects my privacy. It’s just one more tick on his pro list. As for the cons, I can’t think of any off the top of my head. He’s perfect. Probably not true—everyone has faults—but whatever Tobias’s are, they don’t impact on Isla or me. There’s not a lot more I could ask for.

Other than for us to find a way through our trauma and come together as a real couple. I wouldn’t have thought it possible just a few short months ago, but now… I think we can, and we will. It’s only a matter of time.

I cross the living room and open the door. Butterflies swarm my stomach at the sight of Tobias holding a gigantic bucket of popcorn in one hand and two bottles of soda in the other.

“Your date is here.” He hands me the popcorn. “And me, of course.”

I laugh. “Daft thing. Come on in.”

He nudges the door closed with his hip, swipes the TV remote off the coffee table, and flops on the couch.

“Isla still okay in her own bedroom?”

“Yeah. She loves having her own space. Decorating it in Paw Patrol wallpaper certainly helped.”

“Better for you, too. Privacy is important.” He stares at me, his gaze prolonged. An arc of electricity passes between us. My stomach’s in knots, and my heart starts racing.

It’s me who breaks the spell. “What do you fancy watching?”

He blinks, his gaze lowering to my throat, where my skittering pulse is double-timing it. “If I said you, what would you say?”

A nervous giggle escapes me. “I’d say that’d make for a pretty boring evening.”

“Not from my perspective.”

I giggle again. What the hell is wrong with me? I sound like a bloody idiot. “You’re easily pleased.”

“Not true. I’m quite hard to please, actually.” He takes pity on me and my ridiculous reaction to his attention and turns on the TV. “What sort of films do you like?”

“Anything. You pick.”

He grabs a handful of popcorn, dropping the kernels into his mouth one at a time while searching through one of the streaming services. “This is supposed to be good. It’s a psych thriller. That okay?”

“Works for me.” I help myself to some popcorn, too.

We settle down to watch the movie and the moment between us passes.

The film is one of those that starts a bit slow, but as it gets going, and the tension ramps up, I’m glued to the screen. The suspense intensifies, and I find myself shifting closer and closer to Tobias. At a particularly scary moment, I turn my face into his chest.

“I can’t watch. Tell me when this part is over.”

His arm comes around my shoulders, and he pulls me closer to his body. “No need to be scared,” he whispers. “I’m here.”

There’s something in his tone that makes me look up at him. He’s no longer watching the TV. His eyes are on me. I could be wrong—God knows trusting my instincts isn’t something I feel I’m qualified for—but is that… lust?

“Wren.” His voice is low, husky, and sends a blazing trail of desire arrowing between my legs. Heat pools low in my belly, spreading through my limbs until I feel weightless. My heart pounds against my ribcage as a physical response to the earth shifting beneath my feet.

I’m scared. So scared of making the wrong move and causing him distress like I did underneath the oak tree.

“Tobias.” I tilt my head back, parting my lips in what I hope signals that I want this. I want him.