Daughter Trilogy Bundle (56 page)

He catches it just before it hinges and pushes through to join me.

"There's nothing to worry about.  I'll tell you that as often as I have to, but I hope I don't keep having to.  I love you, Adisia.  There's nothing and no one that can change that.  Please believe me."

I sigh a little, and the tears that have been beating against the backs of my eyelids for various reasons choose now to slip out.  His eyes soften as unwarranted guilt spreads over his face.

"Adisia, I swear I don't care anything about her.  If it's upsetting you this much, we'll find another way."

"No," I grumble as I wipe away the escaped tears.  "I'm just a little overwhelmed.  If we need her, then go get her.  I'll feel better after a shower."

He takes my hand in his and pulls me to him to graze his lips against mine as he mutters softly, "I love you."

"I love you," I choke out through my emotional hiccup.

"Please stop crying," he murmurs against my lips before kissing me softly.

I sniffle as I pull back and wipe my eyes.  His pitiful look only makes me want to cry more.  I don't know why I have to act so crazy around him.  My emotions are on overload right now.

"I'm sorry.  I'm fine.  Just let me get a shower."

He pulls me back to him, and his arms slide around my waist to offer me comfort.  I try not to sob into his chest, but I do anyway.

"I'll stay in here with you."

"No," I say, agitated with myself.  "I just need a minute to myself, please."

He frowns in response to my request, and kisses me on the head before walking out to show respect for my gruff request.

Tears fill up in my eyes again as I struggle with my own demons.  Years of being lied to, broken, and completely devastated by men who had promised to never cheat just before breaking that promise has taken its toll on my confidence.

Wrestling with so many ghosts is exhausting for a mortal or an immortal.  I don't know how to let go and trust someone the way I need to, and I'm worried it's eventually going to rip us apart if I don't.

I turn on the water to drown out the sound of falling tears I know he's capable of hearing.  I huff as I slide free from the restricting confines of my clothes, and let the water consume me.

New, misty air enters my lungs, and the light scent of lavender calms me as I smear the wonderful lather over my body.

I have to learn to trust.  I can't lose him.

"Adisia?" Devin asks as he
knocks on the cracked, padded room door.

"I'm almost ready," I say with a forced rebounded tone.

He creeps in, and his mouth drops open when he sees me in a small, black, formfitting strapless dress that hugs every inch it covers.

The low starting point invites a daring peek at my cleavage, and the mid-thigh length is enough to show off my freshly smoothed, glistening legs.

The loose curls in my hair dangle seductively across my shoulders, and the respectable heels offer a professional sexy.  He smirks as I finish dabbing on the last touch of my makeup.

"I should invite Henry and Clara over more often," he says with an overly pleased tone.

I giggle a little and hang the ornate, onyx gemmed earrings in place.

"Camara grabbed this when the girls went shopping for supplies earlier.  She got me some other clothe, too - some of which I'll need the help of Aphrodite to pull off," I chuckle out.

His eyebrows raise as he props against the doorframe.

"I suppose I'll need to wrestle more unwanted eyes off you now," he teases.

I roll my eyes, and he flashes over to allow his lips to gently stroke mine.  He smiles, and I finally notice how incredible he looks in his very professional and hot-as-hell business attire.  His tie is neatly in place, and his hair is tousled to perfection.

"I suppose you'll be preoccupied fighting off unwanted eyes of your own, since I'm just a mere mortal and unable to fight for you just yet," I mock.

He laughs a little, and tilts my chin up so my eyes can connect with his.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better.  You've been in here a while.  I was starting to get worried," he murmurs sincerely.

I force an encouraging smile.  "I'm fine.  It'll be good to see Clara."

He smiles again as he pulls me out of the room where I see Hale for the first time since his disappearing act into Theia's room.

He scoops me up and whirls me around in his strong, yet gentle arms.  I can't help but laugh a little at his reaction.

When he pulls back, I can see a glistening glaze to prove he's fighting back his tears.

"You're going to be one seriously badass ally," he says with adoration.

"She already is," Deacon counters, and I notice he's also in a business suit.

"What are you doing all dressed up, shaved, and looking like a real professional?" I gasp.

He tugs at his tie smugly and humors me with a playful twirl to show off his new attire.

"I'm Devin's lawyer.  I'll be making this whole charade look a genuine business transaction," he says with a proud tone.

"You're a lawyer?" I scoff.

"Oh yes, love. I'm a damn good lawyer.  Haven't you ever seen a courtroom?  It thrives on conflict, and we all know how well I do with that.  It's a playground for embodiments such as myself," he jokes.

"Well I'll be damned.  I never would have guessed it."

Devin and Deacon smile a little at the revelation I find amusing, and then Camara walks out with a completely surprising and polished appearance -  a perfectly tailored pant suit, a pedigree business strut, and an unusually tame mane.

"You're a lawyer, too?" I ask in surprise.

"No.  I'm a real-estate developer.  We all kind of do business together, and this just happens to be my niche.  Henry will be bringing along his own entourage, and we need this to look completely professional so he goes through with the deal and heads off to Paris with your friend.  We've already done this once," she says with a wink.

I blush a slightly.  I had run away to California while they were tending to this the last time.  Devin frowns a little, and my hand is suddenly being held by his.

The painful memory of my leaving is etched on his face, and I lean into him to try and distract him.  He finally offers me a small smile, but I can tell he's still dealing with the bitter taste of our misstep that seems to have happened ages ago, when in reality, it hasn't even happened yet.

I look to see the bed flashing out of the padded room piece by piece, and then Kry finally slows down long enough to instruct Ther.

"Grab the white sofa, and I'll get the rest."

My eyes can't focus in on the blurred men racing back and forth from the two rooms as they rebuild the padded room to look like a conference room.  Devin smirks when he sees my wild curiosity.

"That's the room I do all my business in.  We're leaving after we finish up here anyway," he explains.

"Where are we going?" I inquire.

Hale smirks as he wiggles into the conversation.

"Vegas, baby," he gleams.

"Vegas?" I ask, feeling a little excited.

"Yes.  We've all got several contacts there who can lead us to the powers we need.  It'll be a good start to what we need to accomplish before our next encounter with the-" He pauses, and it's as if he's struggling to find a good way to phrase the rest.

"The bitch squad?" I interject.

Everyone chuckles at my little joke, and Kry nods.

"Sounds accurate."

He walks over, and I notice he's also wearing a suit, though he's not relinquishing his faux-hawk.

"Lawyer?  Real-estate broker?  Accountant?" I quiz.

He laughs a little as he shakes his head.  "I'm the architect in every development operation.  You didn't think Devin amassed so many empires all alone, did you?"

I shrug, and Devin smirks at my innocent notion.  I really thought he was that badass.

"Devin is the brains, the eyes, and the deal closer, but we all play our roles when needed."

"Ah, I see.  I didn't realize everyone had a day job."

"We get bored when we're not trying to stop wars," Ther mumbles with dry humor.

"And what are you?" I ask.

"I'm the contractor.  I'm a pro with lighting.  The rest is just details," he kids.

I laugh a little - since he is the embodiment of light after all.

Hale shrugs on his blazer, and I feel like a broken record as I ask, "And you?"

"I'm the other interested party.  Devin likes to make everyone rush their decisions by having someone like me on board.  I'll pretend I have a similar project I want Devin to invest in, and Henry will gobble up the bait to keep from losing a wealthy investor."

"Phillip was the actor last time, and he was miserably terrible," Theia grumbles as she walks out in her best-dressed business skirt and blouse.

"You're in on it, too?" I muse.

"Of course.  I always play the part of Devin's consultant.  Phillip can be security today," she grouches.

"I can hear you, dear.  My acting isn't that terrible either," Phillip argues.

"I know you can hear.  That was the point.  Perhaps it's the listening you struggle with in your old age," she teases.

I laugh a little, and Devin kisses my forehead.

"I feel a little left out," I pout.

He smiles affectionately before pulling me into his lap.

"One day you'll figure out what you want to do, and I'll make it happen.  You have all the time in the world to decide how you wish to spend your idle time, and I'll make sure we get our eternity," he promises.

My lips find his despite the fresh coat of lip gloss I just applied.  He licks his lips as he pulls back, and I giggle as I wipe away the small smears.

"I suppose I should go fix my lips again," I murmur.

Devin leans over to pull a Kleenex from the box in front of us, and he hands it to me.

"Just get rid of it.  My lips never stray from yours for very long, and I'd prefer it if I wasn't wearing a shade of pink during our business meeting," he snickers.

I laugh lightly as I remove the remaining remnants of my failed lip gloss attempt, and he pulls me tighter against him.

"I want to get married," he murmurs softly as his lips brush against my chest.

"We are," I say with a little amusement for his random change of subject.

"I mean now.  Today you referred to yourself as my first girlfriend, and you didn't even mention you were my fianc
ée.  I don't want to feel as if we're traveling backwards - even though time has rewound.  I want to get married as soon as possible.  Perhaps that will also ease your inability to believe my devout loyalty to you."

I frown slightly.  "I don't want to get married just because you don't want me feeling like a crazy jealous girl."

"Adisia, I want to marry you because I love you, and I can't go a second in the day without thinking about our lives together," he says so genuinely before playfully adding, "I just mentioned the jealously being lost as a perk."

I don't laugh at his little joke though.

"I'm trying to work out my own insecure issues, I swear.  I love you, and I want to marry you, too.  I just want to do this right."

"There's never a time I don't deign as right to marry you.  Marry me in Vegas," he proposes.

"Vegas?  That's way too big-city-bright-lights cliché for me.  How about we wait until we stumble upon the perfect place?  I want it to be some place you've never been with another girl.  I know Vegas isn't one of those places, and I want our wedding place to be a special place with only our memories."

"Okay.  That's an argument I can understand.  I don't want to wait for too long though."

"I don't either," I add, and his lips engulf mine the second I finish.

"I swear he's not Devin Cole," Hale grumbles.

"You and me both," Gemma snarks.

Devin smiles against our kiss, and I return the silly grin.  He's the only Devin Cole I've ever known.

"I'm going to go grab a few things from down the street for the trip," Persia says as she walks through.  "Let me know if the traditional methods don't work on Henry, and I'll make sure he takes the deal," she murmurs smugly.

"Will do," Devin chuckles, and the others disperse into padded room to prepare their presentation.

"I'll come with you.  I need some travel supplies," Gemma grumbles.

Great
.  Now my arch nemesis and my mother are going shopping together.  I make sure to let Persia see me scowling at her, and she tries not to grin in response.

Gemma's parents are in another country with some of their dearest friends, still unaware of the rewind, and now we're stuck with Gemma.

There are still so many of their group to tell, but Theia needs breaks, rests, and time to rejuvenate herself between sessions.  I wish they had called Ava instead of Gemma to be the one from their family to remember and start dialing contacts.