11
Kinsley stared at the scene in front of her. Her living room remained trashed, but nothing had changed since the photos. Still, seeing in person the way someone had violated her space in such a forceful way hit her hard. Tears quickly flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She swiped at the moisture but couldn’t stop the flow. The stress of the past few days, coupled with this disaster before her, seemed to hit all at once.
“Hey, now.” Dev faced her. “Don’t cry. Everything will be all right. I’ll make sure of it.”
She appreciated his sentiment, and she knew he had the skills to ensure her safety, but he could never make these feelings of helplessness go away. Her tears intensified, and the last thing she wanted to do was ugly cry in front of him, but she was heading down that path.
“Shh.” He put an arm around her shoulder and drew her close.
Another sweet gesture and one that moved her further down the ugly crying path she hoped to avoid.
He swung her around to face him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She rested her head on his chest. The solid muscles under her cheek should reinforce her confidence in his strength and remind her how he was doing everything within his power to protect her. It should, but it didn’t. She clutched the back of his shirt and lost all control.
“Shh. We’ll get through this together. I’ll help you in any way I can.” He stroked her hair.
She reveled in his touch and moved her cheek against the softness of his cotton shirt. She was in Dev’s arms, receiving comfort from the man she cared so deeply for. How could she not forget about the mess here, focus on the softness of his shirt, of his touch, and let go of her worry? Control her emotions and stop crying.
She took a long breath, her chest protesting. She let it out slowly and inhaled more. Over and over until she gained control. After using a tissue from her pocket to make her face presentable, she leaned back. She stared into his eyes. Deeply. Struck by the level of emotion she found there. He cared about her. That was clear. Was it a romantic love for a woman as Jada had said, or was it friendship?
He swiped his thumb under her eyes, drying her tears. He gritted his teeth, then shook his head. “Forget my promises.”
He gently cupped the side of her face, then let his fingers tantalizingly slide into her hair and draw her head up.
He returned her searching gaze. “I’m going to kiss you unless you tell me not to.”
Kiss her? Not want him to? What was this nonsense he was speaking? Of course she wanted his kiss, more than anything, but was it a good idea?
He drew her closer, his fingers behind her head urgent, his other hand moving to join the first one. “Tell me it’s okay.” His voice was raspy, and emotion nearly choked off his words.
“Yes, please,” she managed to get out when she wasn’t even sure if she could breathe.
He tugged her even closer and lowered his head. Slowly, as if savoring the coming moment when their lips would touch. She held her breath. His mouth settled on hers, gently but passionately. She kissed him back.
Savored his touch. Savored the freedom. Savored the fulfillment of years of wanting.
This kiss meant more than anything she’d experienced in her life. Much more.
She intensified the kiss, showing him the deep well of her emotions.
He moaned and deepened the kiss even more.
She wrapped her arms around his back and slid them up to his neck, moving one hand into his hair and pulling him closer. She lost herself, forgetting where she was. Forgetting everything but his touch. His lips. The joy.
“Guess I’m interrupting something,” a male voice she didn’t recognize came from the doorway.
She jerked back and looked around Dev to see a slender man dressed in a tight-fitting black suit standing by the door and holding a small notepad. He wore polished dress shoes that gleamed in the light, and his hair was in a modern cut, styled to perfection with gel. He looked nothing like a detective, but more like a model.
“Detective Stewart.” He glanced at his notes before fixing a penetrating gaze on her. “And you must be Kinsley Pearce.”
She brushed her hands down her shirt to straighten it and stepped to the door to shake hands. “I am, and this is my friend Devan Graham.”
His eyebrows had gone up at the word friend, but he didn’t comment. So the man had restraint.
Dev offered his hand, not seeming at all disturbed by being caught kissing her. Maybe he was far more used to that sort of thing, but it didn’t happen in her world. Was she just one among many women he’d kissed? He was handsome and attractive, so of course he’d kissed a lot of women over the years.
Stewart released Dev’s hand. “Since you’re both still at the doorway, can I assume you haven’t disturbed anything?”
Dev cleared his throat. “Unfortunately my brother and I discovered the break-in earlier, and we looked through a few things. Then we also removed some binders. They’re in my vehicle if you would like to look at them.”
