Page 45 of Slow Burn


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Leaning back in my chair, I kicked my feet up on the desk in my home office as I swiped my thumb against my phone’sscreen, shooting off a quick text to the group message with everyone from Elite Security.

Me:Working from home for the rest of the day. Call me on my cell if anything comes up.

The replies were instant.

Willow:Is everything okay with Cash?

Me:Cash is fine. Just needed a change of scenery.

Lark:I heard there was a showdown between Laeth and Holt right in the middle of Main Street.

Goddamn small towns.

Gage:Christ. What did you do? I’m not bailing your ass out.

Lark:Oh no, it was over a giiiiiiiiiiirlllllllllll.

That hadn’t even happened an hour ago and it was already spreading through the grapevine. It was barely even gossip worthy, for Christ’s sake. If I didn’t love this town so damn much, I’d pack my shit and move tomorrow.

Jensen:For shit’s sake. You went home for a little afternoon delight with the nanny.

Me:I said I’m WORKING, you asshole! There is no afternoon delight.

Jensen:And hasn’t been for a while, apparently. How’s your right hand treating you lately, buddy? HEY OH!

Willow:I think Deva is very sweet. And really pretty.

Lark:Aw, sweet Willow and her belief in fairytales.

Gage:How the fuck do I get off this goddamn group message?

Dealing with my so-called friends and partners was giving me a headache I had no desire to deal with, so I turned my phone to vibrate and tossed it face down on my desk.

I flipped open my laptop and got down to business, trying my best to focus on the work in front of me, but my damn mind kept wandering every few minutes. Truth was, I wasn’t in the rightheadspace to get any work done. My thoughts kept drifting to the woman just on the other side of my closed door.

Unable to ignore the draw for another minute, I pushed out of my chair with a pathetic groan and headed out of the office.

Deva was in the kitchen, a bottle of all-purpose cleaner in one hand and a rag in the other, scrubbing down the inside of the microwave when I rounded the corner. A clean load of laundry sat folded in the basket on one of the barstools around the island, and near that, the stack of books she’d checked out from the library.

I moved toward the fridge for a bottle of water as I scanned the titles on the spine, overly curious to see what held her interest.

Apparently, the answer was everything.

“Eclectic selection you got there?”

Her hair lifted off her shoulders as her head swung around toward me. The skin between her eyebrows puckered adorably as she asked, “Sorry?”

I finished taking a gulp of water and screwed the cap back on the bottle, using it to point at the stack of books.

“You really like to read, huh?”

You really like to read? For fuck’s sake. It was like I’d never talked to a woman before.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to pick up on my awkwardness and smiled sincerely. “I do. Anything I can get my hands on.”

“Have you always liked reading?”

Her expression grew wistful as she closed the door to the microwave and came to stand at the island across from me. “I’ve always had a fascination with books, but I haven’t always been able to read.”

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