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“Something like that.” Shit. He did not want to tell her the truth. He wished to hell she hadn’t called him.
Yet, even with her brow creased and her lips in a serious line, she was still one of the most beautiful women he’d ever known. Actually, she was more ‘cute’ than beautiful but so appealing his damn heart ached whenever he saw her. She was very fae with a gently pointed chin and ears she often stroked at the tip.
She was doing it now. She had an emerald stud in the lovely crevice at the top. How many times had he imagined his tongue right there, doing what her fingers were doing. This was his real problem with Emily. He couldn’t be with the woman, but he wanted her so bad he could hardly breathe.
He forced air into his lungs anyway. That’s how it had been from the first, from five years ago when she’d kissed him in that coffee shop in Boylbury not far from his home.
Kyle had asked him to meet him for coffee but hadn’t said a word about Emily. But that was Kyle, always messing around. He thought it would be funny if they met unsuspecting.
Had Kyle seen the kiss? Devyn had never said anything nor had Emily. He wouldn’t have mentioned it if his life depended on it. Devyn knew the kiss had been innocent, at least that’s what he’d told himself for five years.
Yet the way he’d felt had been anything but. The minute she’d thrown herself on him and planted her lips on his, he’d been fucking lost. That’s the only way he could explain what he felt for this woman. Lost, like she had some power over him he couldn’t fathom.
He resented her for calling him up and asking to have a beer with him. She was his dead brother’s fiancé who now told him she’d intended on breaking up with Kyle before his death.
But she was here now and seemed pretty intent on stirring things up. Time to finish this off. “Look, Emily, I won’t pretend there’s not something between us. But for a long time, I’ve set it down to twins often being attracted to the same woman. It’s not that unusual. But I’m not interested in you, not romantically. Whether or not you were breaking up with Kyle before he died doesn’t matter. You were his woman. You can’t be anything to me. Do you understand?”
She shook her head slowly and grabbed his arm. “No, I don’t and like hell you’re telling me the truth.”
Where she touched him through his woven shirt felt like fire. Her flowery scent hit him again causing him to shudder.
Did he want her? Like a dry summer to a rainstorm.
But she was off-limits. She’d been off-limits for years. He was used to holding back. He saw no reason to change things, not when it was his fault his brother was dead.
His damn fault.
He shook his head and looked away from her. The night before Kyle died, he’d caught his brother cheating on Emily. He’d come out of a hotel with a woman and kissed her before they headed opposite directions.
When Devyn had confronted him, Kyle had broken down. He’d been seeing a lot of other women from about the time he and Emily had gotten engaged. No, he didn’t think Emily knew a thing about his affairs. But he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Rage was what Devyn had felt, on Emily's behalf and on his own. He would never have treated a woman like Emily the way his brother had.
He’d shut his brother out that night, refusing to take his phone calls. They’d always served together, fought the enemy Invictus side by side. Brothers-in-arms. Comrades. Best Friends.
Devyn would never know how Kyle ended up dying at the hands of the enemy that night. One of their mutual friends, a Guardsman who’d been with Kyle, said his brother hadn’t been himself. He’d been arrogant in his battling and
a surprise attack by several Invictus wraith-pairs had ended in Kyle’s death. But it had also resulted in a mountain of guilt. If only he hadn’t refused to go on patrol with Kyle, his brother would still be alive.
Now he was standing way too close to Emily, his chest aching, his body on fire.
He had to get rid of her. “I can’t have a beer with you, Emily. Kyle … well, he’s still with me. I can’t cross that abyss. I’ll never be able to. You were his woman and he loved you.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond. Instead, he turned away and headed up the street on foot.
Chapter Two
Emily stared at Devyn as he walked away, longing to call him back. She felt as she always did, like she ached to her toes. She was pretty sure his guilt about Kyle’s death had closed him off where she was concerned. Yet, she knew he wasn’t indifferent to her. Both episodes in the time-path had reaffirmed the truth for her.
There was nothing more she could say to him tonight. She needed time to think about the future, to see if there was anything she could do to coax him in her direction.
But as she started to cross the street again, she took two steps then her feet refused to move. Instead, she felt a presence near her followed by a man’s voice whispering through her mind. Stay with him. He’s in trouble, Em.
She grew very still. She swore she’d just heard Kyle’s voice. She waited to hear more, but nothing else was coming through.
Her fae instincts fired up swiftly. Whatever had just happened, whoever had just spoken, she sensed trouble would soon arrive in Millerell and it was all about Devyn.
She glanced his direction once more then began walking in his wake. A sense of urgency struck her, of the future punching at her in swift jabs. She picked up her pace, moving faster since he was thirty yards ahead of her.
