Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A couple of minutes passed with no answer. Maybe no one was home? But my gut told me a certain auburn-haired woman might be intentionally ignoring me from behind the door. I was just about to turn around when the door finally opened.
Devyn’s beautiful eyes looked tired, the carefree glow from the night I’d met her nowhere to be found. I imagined running into each other earlier had rattled her just as much as it had me. And now she seemed just as speechless as I was.
We stood there for probably ten seconds, just looking at each other. But with each moment that passed without her slamming the door in my face again, I felt a little less tense.
That was a win.
“What are you doing here?” she finally asked.
As stressed as she apparently was, Devyn looked so damn beautiful. I wanted to cup her face with my hands, bring her mouth to mine, and taste her again. Instead, I reminded myself that she apparently wanted nothing to do with me anymore.
I crossed my arms. “First, tell me why you slammed the door in my face earlier.”
“How did you even find me?”
“Find you?”
Oh fuck.
Maybe because my head had been stuck in my damn ass for the past few days, but it had never dawned on me that she might think I was stalking her. It kind of offended me a bit, actually.
“I wasn’t looking for you, Devyn. After the way you left the hotel the other night, I got your message loud and clear. Believe me, I’m no stalker.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“This is my building.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re the owner?”
“Yes. I was coming to issue a noise complaint to the woman who lives here.”
Devyn’s expression softened. “You didn’t know I was here?”
I looked deeply into her beautiful green eyes. “No, I didn’t.”
“I’m…” She shook her head, looking down at her feet. “God, I’m sorry.”
“You know, you say that a lot.”
Devyn looked up. “Say what?”
“That you’re sorry.”
“I’m…” She hesitated. “Jesus, I almost just said it again.” She swallowed. “I’m nervous.”
She’s nervous?
“Don’t be,” I told her, attempting to sound confident. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’m figuring this situation out by the second—just like you are. When you came to the door earlier, I was shocked. You seemed upset before you slammed the door in my face, so I didn’t knock again. But I knew I needed to come back. I have official business here, so I couldn’t just leave things like that.” I sighed. “Can I come in for a moment?”
She nodded and moved aside. I entered to find the apartment cluttered, with loads of unfolded laundry on the couch and piles of books stacked up on the floor.
As we stood across from each other in the living room, our chemistry still felt tangible. It hadn’t waned a single bit—for me at least—since the other night, despite the difference in circumstances. I wanted to tell her how amazing our time together was, and how happy I was to see her again. But nothing came out. And I continued to hold it all in because her body language told me she wasn’t going to be open to hearing any of that. Her stance was rigid, her breathing labored. This woman was guarded—layers upon layers of virtual armor.
“As I was saying…” I cleared my throat. “I came here because we’ve been receiving noise complaints about this apartment from other tenants. The two teenagers who live here have been problematic around the building for a while. But as of late, it’s gotten to the point where we need to do something about it. Where is the woman who lives here…Vera Marks?”
“She’s not here.”
“Where is she?”
“I actually don’t know,” Devyn muttered. “She took off.”
“You’re looking after those kids? How much is she paying you? It better be a shitload.”
“She’s not paying me.”
“Nothing?” My brows furrowed. “How is that possible?”
Devyn stared off for a moment. “Heath and Hannah are my brother and sister.”
I felt my eyes widen. “Vera Marks is your mother?”
“If you want to call her that…” She rolled her eyes. “She gave birth to me, yeah. That’s about it.”
I remembered Devyn’s friend, Mia, telling me Devyn’s mom was a piece of shit. So understandably, there was some bad blood there—probably a long story I wouldn’t be hearing today, or maybe ever. I didn’t want to bombard her with questions while she was still getting over the shock of me showing up out of the blue. My curiosity was endless, though.
What had brought her to the bar the other night?
Why did she run off from the hotel?
What did her mother do to her?
Did she live here in New York?
How long had she been here in this apartment?
Before I could contemplate what to say next, the door burst open and in walked Frick and Frack. The brother and sister were in their early teens, and the boy looked a bit older than the girl. Maybe fifteen. I couldn’t believe these infamous kids, whom I now knew as Heath and Hannah, were Devyn’s siblings.