Page 81 of Inseparable
A familiar cocky grin appears on his face. “If you think I wasn’t primed to pounce, then you’re sorely mistaken. You just beat me to it.” He runs his thumb over the back of my hand. “I want to touch some part of you every second I’m in your presence. The last few weeks have been absolute torture, and I’ve had the worst case of blue balls known to man.”
“We should’ve been stronger.”
The smile slips off his mouth. “Do you regret it?”
I lean across the table and peck his lips. “No. I wish we had gone about this the right way, but how can I regret last night. Last night was…” Heat spreads up my neck and onto my cheeks.
“Incredible. Mind blowing. The abso-fucking-lutely best night of my life, hands down,” Dev says, finishing my sentence.
My cheeks are on fire as I shyly meet his eyes. “You mean that?” I’m a lot less experienced than most of the girls Dev’s been with, and while it was amazing for me, I’m sure he’s had better.
He smiles softly, caressing my face. “You’re too fucking cute when you blush. And, of course, I’m sure. No one has ever made me feel like that, Ange, because I’ve never loved any other girl. Last night was the best experience of my life.”
“I didn’t think it was possible to feel closer to you, but I do,” I quietly admit.
He gets up, moving over to sit beside me. He holds my face in his hands, staring intently into my face. “I’m feeling that too.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “And I’ve got to warn you, I don’t think I can let you out of my arms.” As if to prove his point, he wraps his arms around me, reeling me into the warmth of his body. “I have an indescribable addiction to you, Ange. I can’t bear to be parted from you. I think you’ll have to switch majors,” he jokes. “Sign up for all the same classes. And move in with me. I’ll even join your ballet class. Anything to not spend a single second apart.”
I look up at him, smiling. In a heartbeat, Devin has elevated my mood and has my soul singing. “I think you’d get sick of me pretty quickly in that scenario.”
“Never.” He kisses me sweetly. “Never in a million years would that happen.”
I place my hands on his chest. “So, we’re doing this?”
His answering smile is bright. “Yes. We’re doing it. There’s no going back now.” He winks, and my heart surges with joy. “And I meant what I said.” He brushes the pad of his thumb across my mouth. “Move in with me, baby. Share my life.”
His phone pings before I can form any coherent response. Wanting me to move in with him shouldn’t surprise me—Devin lives his life in the fast lane, and he’s not one to hold back once he’s decided on something.
“Hold that thought, beautiful,” he says, frowning at his phone as he puts it to his ear. A look of alarm appears on his face as he listens to whomever is on the other end. “Yes, she’s with me.” His eyes dart to mine.
“Who is it?” I mouth, but he shakes his head, tucking me in to his side.
He turns a deathly shade of pale the longer the conversation continues. The arm around my body falls slack as tears spill out of his eyes. The cell clatters to the ground, shattering into pieces. Several heads turn in our direction. Devin is trembling. Like his whole body is convulsing, as if he’s on the verge of a fit.
“Devin, what is it? What’s wrong?” Imaginary sirens are blaring in my ears.
He stands up, bending over at the waist, clutching his stomach, and the most tormented howl rips from his mouth, filtering through the air, capturing the attention of every person in the diner. A solemn hush descends over the room, and his frantic breathing is the only sound in the place. He runs toward the exit, and I scramble out of the booth after him. Stumbling out the door, he almost trips over his feet. My heart is thudding painfully against my ribcage as I follow him. A dreadful sense of foreboding has settled over me, compressing my chest, and constricting the oxygen flowing to my brain.
Whatever it is, it’s bad.
I push through the door, scanning left and right. Devin is slouched against the wall, hugging himself, sobbing uncontrollably. I’m way beyond alarm at this point. I reach for him, but it’s as if I’m invisible. He doesn’t move a muscle as I try to wrap my arms around him. Agony has transformed his features. Tears continue to course down his face. “Baby, please. You’re scaring the shit out of me. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
He opens his mouth, but all that comes out is a raw choked sound. He’s panting, his breathing heavy and quick, and he claws at his chest, as if he’s struggling to breathe.
I don’t know what to do. How to help him.
“Is he okay?” a timid voice asks, and I whip my head around. A blonde-haired girl holds out my purse and our jackets. “You left these inside.” Her worried gaze bounces between us. “If you need any help…”
“Thank you, but we’re okay.” My voice sounds remarkably composed considering I’m so freaking panicked on the inside.
Devin leans into me, dropping his head on my shoulder and clinging to my body like he’ll fall over if unsupported. I almost buckle under his weight. My cell rings in the back pocket of my jeans, and I pull it out, cradling it between my head and my shoulder as I continue to prop him up.
“Ange.” Mom’s voice is wispy soft, barely there, and laced with obvious pain.
Butterflies go crazy in my stomach, soaring to my chest and back down again. Bile travels up my throat. “Mom,” I croak out. “What’s going on? Devin’s falling apart, and I can’t get a word out of him. What’s happened?”
There’s a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as a horrific thought crosses my mind.
Please, God, no!
