Page 30 of My Beautiful Sin

But Devlin cuts him off by sliding back his chair. He leans forward and lowers his voice so that there is no chance of anyone overhearing. “She trusts you. That means I trust you.” He looks between me and Brandy. “Tell him the rest of it.”

I see Brandy’s eyes widen, reflecting my own surprise. “Everything?” she asks. “I mean, not that there’s anything shocking,” she adds, as if to cover a faux pas.

Amusement flickers across his features, but his attention stays on Lamar as he stands. “Everything. And then if you have questions, ask Ellie. If she doesn’t know, ask me. Don’t poke around in my life. Trust me when I tell you that isn’t a good idea. I don’t appreciate it, and more importantly, there are people who worked very hard to make me who I am. And they don’t appreciate it either.”

“What the—?” Lamar says, but Devlin is already striding toward the door. I glance between my friends and him, then lift a finger in a just one sec sign as I hurry outside after my boyfriend, feeling just as bewildered as my friends.

I get caught in a crowd of college kids, and by the time I get to the door, I’m afraid he’ll have already disappeared. But he’s on the sidewalk waiting for me, and seeing him standing there in the soft glow from the restaurant’s windows, I melt a little.

“You did that for me.”

The hint of a smile flickers across his lips. “I think you already know there’s very little that I wouldn’t do for you.”

“But—”

“No.” He presses a fingertip to my lips. “You were right. I can talk about my world, my life, my past, and my present with so many people, even despite all the secrets I’m keeping. You only had Brandy.”

“Not only,” I tell him. “I have Tamra. And Anna. I’m enjoying getting to know her.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, but it’s not the same, and I know that.” He slides his arms around my waist, and I tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “I don’t want to be a negative in your life,” he says.

“You couldn’t ever—”

“Yes, I could. And that’s exactly what you were telling me earlier. If I walk into your life and suddenly you have to change the way you talk to your closest friends, then I’ve taken something from you whether I meant to or not. And that’s not acceptable.”

“You took a risk telling him.”

“No, I didn’t. You trust him, remember?”

I laugh, then nod. “Yeah, I do.” I rise up onto my toes to kiss him. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“Okay. Well, I guess I’m going to go back in there and finish my dinner and field a dozen questions. And I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Saint.”

“Come to my place later.”

I shake my head, grinning. “No.”

“All those points I just won?”

A bubble of laughter explodes from me. “Don’t even try guilt.”

“I have a full box of condoms.”

“No,” I repeat, but I’m having a hard time not laughing.

“But you want to.”

“I do,” I admit.

“So you’re punishing me.”

“No way,” I tease, my voice singsong. “I’m giving you what you like best. Anticipation.”

He leans forward and whispers. “In that case, I’ll have to make sure it pays off when I see you next.”

Then he turns and walks away. I watch him go, only to have my breath catch in my throat as I see a familiar figure in a doorway across the street.