Page 81 of Not In The Contract

I couldn’t help but chuckle. The too-hard sofas had been pushed to the farthest end and the ornate coffee table was tucked away in the corner, leaving the space open. What appeared to be every pillow I owned had been painstakingly laid out to create a fort of sorts, complete with pockets of empty space filled with snacks. At least three large blankets waited in a deliciously warm looking tumble, and I wondered if Devon would mind me falling asleep in there.

“When did you do all this?” I chuckled.

Devon sat down at the very center of her fort of luxury, looking around her with pride. “You insisted on cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes and I didn’t want to feel useless, so,” she said, stretching her arms out to gesture at the heaps of blankets and pillows, “I decided we should have a movie night.”

She patted the spot beside her and I walked over without hesitation, my stomach fluttering in excitement.

“Ah!” she said suddenly, freezing me in my tracks. She pointed at my feet. “No shoes allowed.”

I rolled my eyes but complied, setting my shoes near the end of the blanket neatly.

“Can I join you now?” I drawled.

She nodded and turned around to grab the remote from behind her.

Carefully, I picked my way between the pillows, trying not to break an ankle or trip. Wouldn’t that be spectacularly embarrassing? I sat down beside her, the inches between us seeming to expand into miles while also feeling nonexistent. She sat back against the pile of pillows behind her and I followed suit, unable to uncoil my muscles.

She hummed as she scrolled through the millions of options on the TV, but all I could think about was how we were close enough that her body heat radiated off her skin and seeped into my own. She reached her free hand up to grab the bulk of her hair and pull it over her other shoulder, exposing the smooth column of her neck to me. I grit my teeth and forced my eyes back to the screen.

“Oh, I think this is perfect!” she said, hittingplaywithout a second thought and tossing the remote aside. She settled into the pillows, her knees slightly bent.

Miraculously, I possessed the wherewithal to ask, “So, what is this about anyway?”

She turned those beautiful eyes on me, and my lungs stuttered out a shaky breath.

“Oh, so this florist moved across the country to find the love of her life,” she explained as the obnoxiously long logos played out in the background. “She meets this woman who’s planning her sister’s wedding and they hit it off. But I’m not spoiling it for you!”

She held a finger to her lips and turned back to the screen. I smiled, not bothering to take my eyes off her. The opening credits started and she turned to catch me staring at her.

She smiled, her cheeks rosy. “What?” she whispered.

I shook my head and sat back against the mountain of pillows she’d built. “Nothing,” I murmured.

She stared at me for a few seconds as if she didn’t quite believe me, but eventually lay back as well.

I wasn’t sure how to tell her that Hayden had practically dragged all four of us out to watch this movie the day it was released in cinemas. The fact that I’d already seen it meant I’d be hard pressed to feign interest when Devon was sittingright next to me. Close enough that all it would take was the slightest twitch for my fingertips to brush along the side of her hand.

Engrossed in the movie, Devon was blissfully unaware of the emotions warring inside me. She giggled at the characters and their woeful ignorance of their own attraction, and all the while I wondered if I could just reach out and take her hand in mine.

As if God had heard my internal struggle, a loose curl slipped from behind Devon’s ear and, without second guessing my wild actions, I reached out and gently brushed the hair behind her ear. She stilled under my touch but didn’t pull away.

“Is this okay?” I asked, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

She swallowed and nodded, her eyes fixed on the screen ahead.

My heart rate doubled and I was grateful for the darkness of the room. She wouldn’t see how hot my face had become. Softly, I twirled locks of her hair around my fingers, my knuckles ghosting over her pulse. The unsteady jump of her pulse sent tiny thrills through me, and soon my fingers left her hair to explore her skin instead.

The movie continued and Devon didn’t turn away, but her hands had curled into fists in the blankets next to her. I knew she was paying as much attention to the shitty rom com as I was.

I dropped my free hand to the fist that sat between us, slowly dragging my fingertips along the back of her hand before carefully prying her fingers open. She laced her fingers through mine with a shuddery sigh.

“I really want to kiss you,” I admitted in a single breath. “For ages now.”

Her breath hitched and she turned her face to mine. “Really?” she breathed, her gaze drifting to my mouth.

I smiled. “Really,” I told her. The inches between our mouths began to melt away, until her breath was mine and I was ready to fall into her.

“Then do it,” she murmured.