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)
Besides, Gabriel and Justin were good people, and they vouched for Kai.
“Sorry if I woke you,” Kai murmured when he was standing in the hallway.
Devlin closed the door and stepped in front of him again. “Oh, no. I was just settling into my first cup of coffee.” He tapped his temple with a finger. “Still trying to get all the brain cells online.”
Kai didn’t say anything to that. He stood there staring at Devlin, but his expression was so impossible to read. The silence stretched as Devlin mutely soaked in everything he could about the man. He had seen Kai all of twice in his life, and this was the first time they’d even spoken directly to each other. But all of it was now branded onto his brain.
The assassin stood at least four inches taller than himself with a long, lanky build and surprisingly wide shoulders. His features were sharp and angular with dark eyes that seemed to take in everything. Emotions were hard to read on his face, but there was something wounded about his eyes that called out to Devlin. The first time they’d met, Kai had been there to kill him, and yet Devlin had found himself wanting to wrap his arms around Kai, pull him in tight for a comforting embrace.
Yep, he’d completely lost his rational mind when it came to Kai.
Standing there awkwardly in the hallway, he finally noticed that the man had a bag slung over his shoulder. From travel. He’d probably been traveling all night to get to him.
“God! I’m sorry! You look exhausted. Come in!” Devlin ushered him toward the living room. “Can I get you something to eat? Or maybe some coffee?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind if I borrow your shower? I need to freshen up and change clothes.”
“Of course not!” Devlin led Kai up the stairs, cursing himself every step of the way. He sounded like an idiot. Maybe a shower would help him clear his head as well. He paused before reaching the master bedroom and waved to his left. “This is the guest bathroom. Jake usually uses this one, but I don’t think there are too many toys in here.” He then waved to his right. “You can also use this guest bedroom if you’d like. Get some rest. We can talk after you’ve had some sleep.”
Kai shook his head. “A shower and some coffee should be enough to wake me up.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll shower too. I can meet you downstairs when you’re done. We’ll grab coffee, and I can see what I have to eat.”
The assassin leaned across the bathroom threshold and frowned. “Was this the tub in which you found the body?”
“Oh! No! That was the master bathroom.” Devlin jerked his thumb over his shoulder and took a step toward the bedroom. “Would you like to see it? The bedroom—bathroom! The bathroom, I mean.” God help him.
At least if Kai thought he was a complete idiot, he was showing no sign of it on his face.
“After the shower and coffee, please.”
Devlin nodded and walked backward to the master bedroom. He shut the door and leaned against it, sucking in a deep breath. In his head, he could hear Adam laughing at him. His husband had never accused him of being suave or debonair. Clueless had tended to be Adam’s favorite description of Devlin. But he’d meant it in an endearing kind of way.
When they’d first met, Devlin had been clueless about Adam’s attraction toward him. He’d been clueless about all the hints Adam had attempted to drop about grabbing coffee or dinner. When they’d started dating, he’d been clueless about the depth of Adam’s feelings toward him. Hell, Devlin had been clueless every step of their relationship. Adam had been the one to take him by the hand and lead him along.
But now his husband and best friend was gone. Who was going to lead him by the hand now? Who was going to show him what to do or tell him the right things to say?
Snorting at his train of thought, Devlin shoved away from the door he’d been leaning against and stumbled into the bathroom. Right things to say? How ridiculous! Kai was a suave, sophisticated assassin who traveled the world and eliminated bad guys—at least that was what Devlin told himself. What interest would he have in a nerdy scientist with a son? His idea of exciting was going commando to the grocery because he couldn’t be bothered to keep up with laundry during the week.
And he’d definitely lost his mind if he was wishing his husband was there to give him advice on what to say to Kai. The thing was that Adam had been his best friend well before he’d become his husband. They’d talked about everything. Adam had just understood people. He’d always known the right thing to say. He’d known when to hug and when to joke and when he’d just needed to listen.