Page 64 of Her Devil
A tension that wasn’t there before sizzles in the air between us. I’m not above taking what I want, and destroying anything in my way if needed.
“I’m not the only spoilt little rich boy here though, am I?”
I don’t know enough about him, enough about his background. Small talk has never been my thing. But there are plenty of other guys in this building who prance around like God’s gift to the world.
“I wonder what Jacob would think about you sharingyour girlwith me, but keeping him under wraps.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I seethe.
Talk shit about me all you like, but don’t you dare talk shit about my brother. Why he’s waited until now to bait me, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s just because he needs me on the back foot, and spending all that time fighting on the back of finally getting Ivy where I want her has me something akin to tired, and happy.
“Look, I’m not here to get in the middle of whatever relationship you think you’re going to have with her. I’m more than sure your caveman bullshit will do that just fine all by itself. But your brother isn’t going to be picking one of the girls out of that house, and you’re making it very hard for anyone to get close to him.”
“I’m…” I say, my eyebrows raising in disbelief as I point at my chest. “I’m doing nothing of the sort,” I argue.
Yeah, I’m not happy with Leo and how he’s always hovering around him. The guy is a dick, and Jacob is better off nowhere fucking near him. There are plenty of other people he could be interested in. Plenty. Aren’t there?
I drop heavily onto the edge of the table, catching my weight with my hands. So, there are six girls and eight of us left… one of those is my brother, and he’s gay… how many more options does he have?
“I’m sorry to have to put it to you like that,” Wyatt admits. “But he’s a good guy, I like him. I don’t want to find him up and gone one day because he couldn’t find his place.”
I nod, not willing to give him anything more than the confirmation that I’ve heard him, and that I understand.
“And I’m not walking away from Ivy either. When she needs me, I’ll be there.”
With that his final word on the matter, he slides his headphones on, dismissing me completely. With my head reeling, I slide on some sweatpants and a shirt, heading for the game consoles, or a movie. Just something, somewhere that I can do without thinking too hard about everything currently going through my head.
TWENTY
IVY
“Ithink it’s bloody ridiculous they give us two half days of peer training or whatever and then expect us to meet these girls. I mean, seriously? One day of setting expectations and peer management and we’re supposed to know what we’re doing.” Stephanie scoffs. “Yeah, right.”
“We’re only meeting them for a coffee or whatever,” Aimee brushes off, dumping a pile of towels on the kitchen counter before pulling out a couple of bottles of water. “Nobody is expecting life-changing affirmations on the first date, so to speak.”
“And we’ll have had two or three more by the time we see them again,” I add, tying my sarong in the doorway. “There’s plenty of time for you to have something important ready to share.”
“I can’t believe nobody thought a hot tub would be a good idea,” Penelope grumbles as she ties her hair up, following us down the corridor and locking up behind us. “The pool is great and all that, but a jacuzzi would have been better.”
“Ooh, and a sauna,” Charlotte adds excitedly. “Or a steam room.”
“Hell, why not just make the place a spa and call it a day.” I laugh, the sound echoing in the thick brush around the pool as we abandon our things on a couple of loungers.
Aimee lays out on a towel, catching the last of the late summer rays, weak as they may be, Stephanie and Penelope joining her as Charlotte and I step into the beautifully warm water.
I don’t know how it’s heated or who maintains and cleans it but I’m loving having this available whenever we want. I try and avoid looking at the spot Nick and Leo checked out, a shiver of fear attempting to take hold, but no one was there, and if anyone is watching us now, it’s the guys in the house. Or at least, that’s what I attempt to console myself with as the two of us swim from one side to the other and back.
“That changing room is all wood,” I ponder aloud. “It could totally become a sauna.”
“And nobody needs a games room anyway. It would make a way better steam room,” Stephanie agrees. “Ooh, and you could totally split it and have half for mani-pedis or massages!”
“And this is exactly why we’re in the pool house and not that ancient monstrosity,” Charlotte says as we touch base on one side. “Can you imagine how badly we’d show them up? I mean, six of them rammed into our comparatively tiny space… it would be complete carnage. At least with a huge house like that, there’s half a chance it won’t look like a complete bomb site in twenty minutes flat.”
“True,” Penelope agrees. “Did anyone else notice how they have on-site chefs? Sure, the groceries are done for us, but we at least have to cook it ourselves.”
“And clean up,” Aimee agrees. “I bet they have a cleaner too.”
“Probably,” I agree. “But then, we do too. Helen comes twice a week. Have you not seen her?”
