Page 102 of Dangerous Obsession
A low, irritated sound rumbled through the line.
Dev ignored it. “Are you two getting along?”
That silence lasted longer.
“Better,” Leland said.
Interesting. Neither good nor bad. A man trying not to say too much.
Dev allowed that to sit for a second. “There’s a point where caution stops being caution and starts becoming stupidity.”
“I’m not in the mood for relationship advice.”
“Good thing I’m not giving advice.” Dev’s tone stayed easy. “I’m telling you life’s too damn short not to grab happiness when it lands in your lap.”
Silence.
“She deserves better than what I’ve got left.”
Dev’s tone sharpened. “That woman’s terrified, sleeping in your bed, wearing your clothes, and still looking at you like you hung the damn moon.”
“Yarborough likes to talk,” Leland grunted.
“Was he wrong?” Dev asked. “Maybe stop deciding what she deserves and let her decide for herself.”
The silence afterward stretched longer.
Then, finally: “You done?”
“Not remotely, but Cari says I’m supposed to ease people into emotional growth.”
That pulled a rough, reluctant laugh out of Leland—brief but real.
After the call ended, Dev stood there another moment, staring through the office glass toward Callan and Rhys still working the footage.
His old friend was in trouble. Now that Julia was inside his home, sleeping in his bed and moving through his space like she belonged there, Leland was running out of ways to pretend she was better off without him.
The way Dev say it, the problem wasn’t allowing her in anymore. It was that Leland no longer had any idea how he’d survive losing her again.
Chapter 27
Returning to Devil’s Pointe felt like coming home. Warm light spilled across the patio while music drifted softly through the night air. Laughter rose from the scattered groups gathered beneath the palms, relaxed and familiar, the kind that came from people who knew and trusted each other.
It wasn’t a club night. No scenes were playing out; no protocols were in place. Just friends lingering over drinks and food while the river moved dark and slow beyond the yard.
Julia paused at the end of the walkway, taking it in. For over a week now, she’d felt trapped with too much time to think. Whatever he’d seen in her that night in the shower had unsettled him more than she realized. She hadn’t even asked to come tonight. He had suggested it himself.
That still surprised her. Especially after how fiercely he’d resisted any other conversation involving her leaving the house.
“You look better already.”
She glanced toward him. “Because I feel like I can breathe again.”
The tension that lived in him since they’d left his house, her cocoon of protection, was still visible in his eyes despite the calm face he put on for everyone else. He worried but had brought her here anyway.
“Oxygen and mental health are important, I’m told,” he drawled.
His hand settled on the small of her back, guiding her farther inside. They had barely made it three steps before Cari appeared.
