An eerie silence blankets the house.
I allow my duffel bag to drop at my feet on the cool tile. “Where are your parents?”
Devlin shuts the refrigerator and shrugs in a stilted way, like I’ve driven a spike into a nerve. He avoids me as he sidesteps around me to grab a beer from a smaller fridge at the wet bar on the other side of the room.
“Traveling for work, as usual. New York, last I heard.”
A flash of pain crosses his face before he smooths his stony veneer.
He lives here by himself? All alone?
There’s a tug in my chest that feels alarmingly like sympathy.
I scrape my fingers through my hair to fight it off. “I’ll get my other stuff from the car.”
Devlin takes a long sip of beer, lips wrapped around the mouth of the bottle as he watches me with hooded eyes.
On my way out I rub at my chest, but the pang of sadness doesn’t leave. I might have next to nothing in this world, fighting tooth and nail to survive day to day, but I’m not alone. I have my mom.
Doesn’t he have that?
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I mutter to myself, hitching the box of books on my hip.
Devlin has everything he wants under the sun. I can’t feel bad because the sad little rich boy sits in his lonely mountain tower alone. He’s an over privileged asshole, too accustomed to getting his way.
I can’t let myself feel bad.
Devlin can choke on his silver spoon for all I care.
I strengthen my resolve and make two trips to bring in the rest of my belongings, leaving them by the front door. Voices echo from the kitchen as I drop my backpack next to the box of books.
“It’s supposed to be hot as shit tomorrow.” It’s Bishop’s voice.
I find Devlin leaning over his phone at the island in the kitchen, peeling at the label on his half-finished beer bottle. He hums in response.
“I already talked to Lucas. Beach party tomorrow, dude. It’s gonna be lit.”.
Devlin meets my gaze as I linger in the doorway. “Beach party, huh?” His eyes skate down my body in a slow drag that makes my skin prickle with heat. “Yeah, sounds good. We’ll be there.”
“We?” I can hear Bishop’s eyebrows flying up through the phone by his intrigued tone. “Do you have a girl over? Like, you actually let a girl into your house instead of driving out to Peak Point to fuck?”
Bishop’s laughter fills the kitchen through the phone speaker.
“Bye,” Devlin says, jabbing the end call button. Sliding his amused gaze back to me, Devlin’s cocksure attitude rears its head. “Let me show you to your bedroom.”
* * *
The house isn’t only huge, it’s also a maze. Devlin showed me up the main staircase and pointed out a random guest room I can use. A shelf of artfully placed knickknacks drew my attention. Devlin said it was my room and I could do whatever with it. Pure elation spirale
d through me as I moved the decor from the shelf, intent on giving my books a real bookcase.
After getting my things up a stupid amount of steps and slumping on a soft bed, I groan.
Damn, I’m getting slack. I need to pick up on my runs. The prospect of trail runs in this gated community is exciting. I bet there’s a nice trail that wraps around the huge lake behind Devlin’s house.
Devlin leans against my doorframe with mischief dancing in his dark eyes. He took great pleasure in watching me cart my stuff to my room. I’m glad I only brought the essentials.
“What?”