Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Pizza,” Kai finally announced. “I don’t like pizza.”
Dev stared at him for a moment, looking as if he hadn’t understood a word out of his mouth. “But…but you had pizza last night.”
“You seemed excited about trying the place, and we didn’t have a lot of options,” Kai said with a shrug.
“But…everyone likes pizza.”
Kai’s nose wrinkled. “There’s just something about the bread with the sauce and all those toppings.”
“What about the flatbread ones? Or the really thin pizzas?”
Kai shook his head. “Same. Now it’s just on a cracker.”
Dev stared at him for a second and then dropped his head back on a loud shout of laughter. Half the restaurant looked over at their table, but Kai didn’t care. He loved Dev’s laugh. It was like the joy in his soul was so big that he had to share it with the entire world. Those people should count themselves lucky to share the space with Dev. God knew he considered himself to be lucky simply sitting with him.
“Okay!” Dev declared when he finally stopped laughing. “No more pizza.”
“But—”
Dev held up his hand, shaking his head. “Nope. We can figure out compromises if we need to, but no more of you eating things you don’t want to simply because you think it will make me happy. You wouldn’t want me doing that, right?”
Kai could only smirk at him. Yeah, Dev had him there. “Agreed.”
The conversation seemed to flow easier through dinner. Dev’s smile rarely wavered and he spoke more freely now. It was as if the laughter and that confession had broken through the dam that held in Dev’s words.
Or maybe it was the kiss. His lips tingled from Dev’s touch and he craved more. As ridiculous as it sounded, he could be happy cuddled up on a couch, making out with him for a few hours. Not that he had enough self-control to keep from wanting to take it further. Dev was a sexy man, and he was dying to see how responsive Dev would be in his hands.
But as much as he wanted to explore every inch of Dev’s body, he found that he was incredibly happy with every smile and stray touch Dev directed at him. Throughout their meal, Dev would simply reach across and brush his fingers over his hand, as if he couldn’t stop himself from touching Kai. As if he had to keep checking to make sure that it was all real.
Kai wanted to take Dev straight to their hotel room and show him exactly how real he was.
Unfortunately, as they were leaving their table, Kai spotted a familiar face. His message had been received, and he was now being watched. It was time to get to work. And the hardest part would be keeping Dev safe through the next several hours while not destroying what little progress they’d made.
Chapter 10
Dev’s brisk footsteps pounded on the pavement while Kai’s fingers bit into his arm, pulling him along. Kai didn’t say much as they were leaving the restaurant, only that they were being followed. The fact that he needed to obey Kai’s every command was simply understood. That was just fine with Dev. There was no doubt in his mind that if he didn’t listen to Kai, it could very well mean his life. And probably Kai’s since he would do everything within his power to keep him alive.
If they were aiming for natural, Dev was ruining it. Kai’s long legs were difficult to keep up with and every once in a while, Dev had to jog a couple of steps to catch up with him. Thank God he had been keeping up with his jogging recently, or he’d be out of breath already.
As they hurried along, Dev glanced around at the buildings, trying to catch the names on street signs where he could. He wasn’t sure where they were in the city. Just that they were moving away from the hotel.
“Is this the same guy? From Tahoe?” Dev asked a little breathlessly.
“No.”
For a moment, Dev thought that was all Kai was going to give him, and that was fine. The man needed to concentrate on where they were going and the threat that was likely on their heels.
“This is someone else. When we finally meet with them, you must not do anything. Let me handle it. And please, don’t speak. Even if you are asked a question directly. Don’t speak.”
“Are these people more dangerous than Mother?”
Kai had them pause at a corner, looking both ways as if he were checking the traffic to cross the street, but Dev wasn’t fooled. He was carefully checking on their tail before they continued on. Dev just couldn’t figure out if Kai was trying to lose this person or make sure he didn’t lose them.
“A different kind of dangerous,” Kai murmured as they continued down the block. “Mother knows you’re an outsider, not a danger to our world based on what little you know.”