Page 100 of The Devil of Downtown

“God, no,” I half shriek. “It’s better coming from me.”

A low laugh rumbles in his chest as he moves closer and brushes his knuckles along my jaw. “Then hurry up. I’m not waiting long.”

He leaves me to get ready, and as I step into the leggings and zip up the fleece, my mind drifts to Brody, to that flicker of worry I keep trying to ignore. I’ll text him later, I tell myself. He probably ended the night with one of the women hovering around his booth, anyway.

When I find Dane in the kitchen, he’s already changed into a fresh T-shirt and joggers, looking unfairly good even out of his bespoke suits. I help him gather food for the day—granola bars, fruit, and a few sandwiches. I enjoy seeing this version of Dane, not the one that dines out at Michelin-starred restaurants five days a week.

Every time I pass near him, his hand grazes my back. Or his fingers trail lightly over my arm. Or his palm settles briefly at my waist as he reaches around me to grab something from a cabinet.

It’s unconscious. Or semi-conscious.

Either way, it’s doing things to me.

“Do you do this with everyone?” I tease as he brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

He doesn’t bother pretending. “No.”

I swallow.

He hands me a water bottle, mouth curving slightly. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Outside, the wintry air bites in a way that wakes every nerve. The sky is a crisp, cloudless blue, and the lake glints like glass behind the house. Tall pines surround the property; their scent fresh and earthy.

The trail starts behind a cabin, weaving through trees; the incline is gradual but steady. I fall into rhythm beside him, our boots crunching over frost-kissed leaves.

Only a few minutes in, I crouch beside a cluster of bright red wintergreen berries pushing through the frost. “Elsie would love it here,” I say, smiling despite myself. “She hoards anything tiny or colorful. Flowers, sparkly stickers... last week she tried to collect raindrops.”

He huffs out a quiet laugh. “I can tell you like spending time with her.”

“Yeah, I watch her a lot when Sloane is working. She’s very special to me. You know, if Elsie doesn’t like someone, they’re pretty much dead to me.”

“Oh, so my fate rests in the hands of a five-year-old. That’s reassuring.”

“Yep,” I laugh. “But she’s easily bribed with gummy bears.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he says drily. “I guess it’s the same for me and Charlotte. Someone needs to be a special kind of asshole for her to dislike them.”

His eyes soften at the mention of Charlotte, and I can tell they’re close. I can’t lie; it’s nice to see Dane in the role of protective big brother. Something tells me it’s extremely hard to win Dane Black’s heart, but once you do, he’ll do anything for you.

“And what’s Julian like?” I ask, intrigued to find out more about his family. “You and he seem quite different.”

“Julian is sort of complicated.” Dane frowns. “He acts like the wolfish, nothing-touches-me type. But when our mother died... he took it harder than any of us expected.”

The way he says it—flat, almost cold—softens something in me. I risk it anyway. “You must have too?”

For a moment, I think I’ve gone too far. But he just looks out at the trees, jaw tight. “Julian... he feels everything. Loudly. I've always kept it to myself.”

The flat certainty in his voice twists in my chest.

I nod slowly. “Sloane’s like that. She’s only five minutes older, but she acts like she’s five years older. I guess elder siblings come prepackaged that way.” I glance at him, smirking. “You and Sloane are actually kind of similar.”

“Oh?” His smile says he already knows exactly where I’m going with this. “How’s that?”

“You know... bossy, control freaks—”