Page 37 of Devious Love

How is that possible? I haven’t said a fucking word to her since the day she left for Phoenix. Why is her laughter so familiar to me?

I shake my head to get rid of these ridiculous thoughts and jog down the stairs. In the living room, Matt, Chiara, and Mia sit on the giant sectional, each nursing a bottle of beer. I go to the kitchen and take a beer bottle from the fridge before returning to the living room. I move closer, almost stumbling over myself when I realize the only available space is beside Mia.

“You’re finally up,” Matt says.

Nodding, I drop onto the couch.

“Did we wake you?” Chiara asks.

“No. I slept longer than I planned, so I needed to get up anyway.” I take a sip of my drink, enjoying the cool temperature of the glass under my palm. “What are you guys up to?”

Mia assesses me, her dark blue eyes like fathomless pools in the dim light of the room. “Just talking,” she replies with a subtle lift of her shoulder.

“Apparently, there’s a lot I don’t know about my little sister.” Matt barks out a laugh. “So it’s been entertaining and…traumatizing.”

Mia leans over and pats his knee. “Don’t worry,Matthew. I’m keeping all the juicy details to myself.”

He chokes on his drink, coughing loudly.

Frowning, Chiara moves to him, but he holds his hand up to stop her. Me, though? I can’t take my fucking eyes off the girl beside me. Her tee has ridden up, revealing her toned midriff, the tight fabric emphasizing her perfect tits. She’s petite, but with what have to be D cups? It looks absolutely mind-blowing.

Fuck me.What the hell am I doing?

I rub a hand over my buzzed hair, focusing on the tickling sensation to force my thoughts away from Mia.

Because the heat that spreads across my skin and down to my dick makes me reconsider even being in the room with her.

This is fucking ridiculous.

“Dom?”

At the sound of my name, I lock eyes with her. It’s a mistake, because now, it feels like I’m drowning in the midnight depths of her irises.

I lick my lips. “What?”

“We’re going to play Never Have I Ever. You with us?”

The longer I sit here, the more curious I am about her. She was feisty before; is she the same way now? A little mayhem who always knows what to say? Who knows how to stand up for herself? IsAlice in Wonderlandstill her favorite book? Does she still love video games? Is Kitana still her go-to character inMortal Kombat? So many questions, and if I want answers, I know what I need to say.

“Sure. Why not?”

CHAPTER 10

does she know that?

DOMINIC

Age 22

August

I bitethe inside of my cheek, trying hard to keep myself from laughing. I haven’t had this much fun in years. The game is ridiculous, the questions silly and absurd, but it’s also fun, light.

And I’ve been missing light in my life for a while.

I’d like to blame the second beer, but there’s no denying it has more to do with the company. Watching Matt freak out over things Mia admits to having done is weirdly entertaining. His big-brother instincts are kicking in as if she never left, so much so, it makes me wonder how he survived being away from her for so long.

When my phone buzzes and my dad’s name flashes across the screen, I tap Mia’s bare knee to catch her attention. Instantly, a bolt of electricity courses through me, as if I’ve been struck by lightning.