Page 124 of Handsome Devil
And if so, maybe I’d have to make more of an effort to prove to her that I was not the bad guy she thought I was.
“I’m sorry about bringing Lex. That was a dick move.”
Devi gave me a narrow-eyed look, like,I knew you arranged that. “Why did you?”
I’d tried to figure that out all day.
“I’m used to having people around, protecting my interests. Watching my back. I’m used to having a team.”
“So, when we agreed to bring one guest each…?”
“I don’t know. I just did what I needed to do. What I always do.”
“Right,” she said flatly. “You did what’s best for you.”
“Right.”
“You realize everyone at this wedding is here for you? I have Katie. Just Katie.”
“Yeah.”
“So… I just want to talk to her.”
I just looked at her. Was she seriously not coming up? At all?
She dropped her arms and sighed. “I’ll be up in a bit, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll hit the shower.” I turned to go. “Take your time.” Then I headed up the stairs, and I was sure I felt her eyes on me the whole way.
Chapter Twenty-One
Devi
Iheaded up to the honeymoon suite a few minutes after Dane—dragging Katie along with me. We could hear the water running in the outdoor shower, the one at the far end of the private patio, behind a stone wall.
“Aw, that’s sweet,” my best friend said. “He left the fancy one for you.” She poked her head into the en suite bathroom, which was massive and gorgeous. Then she wandered in there and back out again, drinking rum punch from a coconut.
While I paced around the bedroom, trying to psych myself up.
I’d remained sober on purpose, determined not to turn into a loose, horny mess and jump on my husband just because I could. It had been a while since I’d had sex, and long days on tropical beaches made me very relaxed and amenable to sex thoughts, apparently.
Kissing him at least a dozen times, however briefly, over the course of the wedding didn’t help.
My bridal bouquet was laying on a table where I dumped it after the ceremony, refusing to let the staff put it in water, for some reason. Katie picked it up and frowned at the flowers, which were starting to wilt.
“Okay, lay it on me,” I prompted her, when she just kept wandering around, marveling over the details, like she’d never seen this room before.
“What?” she said, sucking back rum punch through her fancy straw.
“My wedding night pep talk. Come on, it’s your job here.”
“Oh. Uh…” She laid the flowers carefully down. “Do you think the guys gave Dane a pep talk?”
I groaned a little. Not what I needed to think about right now.
“Shane seems pretty drunk,” she went on, thoughtfully. “He kinda flirted with me when I got this coconut from the patio fridge? And said something about Dane being nervous? I think he was joking. Are you nervous?”
“Nope,” I said, fiddling with my hair in the mirror. No idea why, since I was about to shower anyway. Should I wash it? How much time could I kill in the shower? Maybe if I stalled long enough, Dane would fall asleep? “Just forget the guys. They’re being guys. There is no way this is going to be half as fun as it probably appears from the outside.” I turned to her. “Am I really doing this?”
