Page 93 of The Villain

“Yeah.”

Rhys’s next question was softer. “Does he like you, too?”

“We’re coming back together. That’s the way it’ll stay.”

“You sound good.”

“I am.”

Rhys chuckled. “I’m happy for you. Jace seems to be coming around about him, too. He keeps mentioning him in conversation.Devlin said this,Devlin did that. Fucking weird.”

“Fuckoff!” Jace shouted in the background. “I can be friendly!”

“Jace’s idea of friendship matches Devlin’s,” I said as I stubbed out my cigarette on the balcony railing. “Probably should monitor those two when they’re together.”

He snorted. “Double trouble.”

“Yeah. We’re leaving in the morning. So I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Drive safe.”

“Take care.”

I hung up the phone and stared out at the ocean. The moonlight glittered on the surface of the water, and I inhaled deeply. We’d return to the beach. As often as we could. Devlin had been a vision today. So radiant and happy andopen. And for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t felt so lonely, so worried about the future.

I turned and leaned back on the railing. The light from the TV flickered over Devlin’s face as he remained on his stomach, casually bending his knees and lifting his feet before lowering his locked ankles back to the bed. At the head of the bed, resting on a pillow, were the shark and orca stuffed animals, their faces pressed together in a semblance of a kiss. Fuckingridiculous. I didn’t find it endearing or adorable at all.

Devlin must have felt my eyes on him, because he turned his head and smiled at me. “Everything okay at home?”

Home.

My chest pulled tight, and I scratched at it. “Y—” My voice caught, and I cleared my throat as I stepped back into the room and shut the door behind me. “Yeah.”

He propped himself up on his elbows and lowered the volume on the TV. “Tigers are winning,” he said.

“Like I give a fuck.”

Devlin just laughed, and I sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. He rubbed his head against my side, and the soft hairs tickled the skin on my ribs. He rolled onto his back and pressed a kiss to my outer thigh.

“Are you going to let me work for you? Or am I going to be a kept boy?”

I snorted. “You’re no boy.”

He grinned. “Whatever.”

“What do you want to do?”

His eyebrows lifted. “You’re really asking me? Not just telling me?”

I cupped his neck and rubbed my thumb along his jawline. “I won’t ask twice.”

“I want to work for you. In whatever capacity you want. I can be by your side with a gun drawn, or I can bus tables at O'Shea’s. I don’t care. But I want to stay busy and be productive. Your crew will talk if I don’t.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I didn’t give a shit about what my crew said, but that wasn’t quite true. I did care. They weremymen, and they deserved my respect. “We’ll figure it out. You can start at O'Shea’s when we get back. Jace will show you the ropes.”

“I’d like that.”

“Rhys said Jace has been talking about you.”