Why Resist a Rebel - By Leah Ashton Page 0,47

her with an unreadable expression.

She pushed the down button—the only button on the shiny brass panel.

And waited.

Not for the elevator door to open—as it did that immediately—but for...something.

The doors had opened fully now, and Ruby could see herself reflected in its walls. She looked into her own eyes, trying to determine what was going on here. Why she was still outside the elevator.

Her gaze wasn’t so unsure though. Her gaze was...

The doors shut again, and now all she could see of herself was the blurriest of silhouettes.

‘You’re still here,’ Dev said.

Out of the corner of her eye she knew he hadn’t moved. But he was watching her. Waiting.

Now all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing—definitely faster than was normal.

She turned, a slow, deliberate movement.

And then Dev was there, standing right in front of her. So close.

She tilted her chin upwards to catch his gaze.

‘I’m still here.’ There was a long pause. ‘You’re very difficult to resist, you know that?’

His gaze, already warm, flickered hotter.

She reached out, her fingers toying with the untucked hem of his shirt, then travelling upwards, tracing his buttons in slow, irregular movements. ‘Maybe it’s the whole world-famous-movie-star thing.’

She felt him tense beneath her fingertips. ‘Maybe,’ he said. But his tone was flat.

Her exploration had reached his collar, skimming across its sharp, starched edge. Then she was touching skin: the cords of his neck. His jaw. Hot beneath her touch.

‘Or maybe not,’ she said. Then she looked up again, looked up into those blue, blue eyes.

Who was she looking at? At Devlin Cooper, Hollywood star? Or Dev, the man who made her heart flip, and who managed to make her smile just as regularly as he pushed her buttons? Who made her breath catch when he allowed her a glimpse of his true self? The man who’d calmly cleaned up her kitchen and who’d reached for her hand in his mother’s front hall?

Could he tell that for her there really was no question?

Yes, she thought as he leant towards her, and as she stood on impatient tiptoes.

Yes, she thought as their lips finally met, and as he pulled her tight against him—and before the incredible touch of his mouth obliterated the possibility of any further thinking at all.

Dev woke, gradually. It was dark—very much night still.

As his eyes adjusted in the blackness, Ruby’s shape materialised before him. She slept on her side, facing him. He liked the way the sheet followed her shape, up along the long length of her legs, over the roundness of her hips, then down to the dip of her waist.

She was asleep, her breathing slow and regular.

How long had he been asleep for?

He turned over, reaching for his phone on the bedside table. Pressing the button to make the screen illuminate simply confirmed what he’d suspected: it was two in the morning. He’d slept for less than an hour.

He bit back a groan. What had he expected? One visit to see his mum and suddenly life would be back to normal? He’d finally be able to sleep?

Well—yes. That was exactly it.

It was exactly why after all these weeks he’d finally sat down about twenty-four hours ago—once again unable to sleep—and listened to every single one of his mother’s voicemail messages, no matter how much it hurt.

The decision to charter a flight and attend the party had come much later the next day, out of the blue. He hadn’t questioned it at the time, nor his decision to take Ruby with him.

And he didn’t regret either decision. Tonight had been...he didn’t know. Something good. A step forward maybe.

To where he had no idea, but the sense of moving in any direction was certainly a welcome contrast to the past few months.

Except—he still couldn’t sleep.

He wasn’t magically cured.

It made him want to hit something.

Instead, he pushed himself off the bed in jerky, frustrated movements, and headed for the en suite. He shut the door carefully behind him before switching on the light, not wanting to wake Ruby.

Someone had ensured his zip-up bag of toiletry supplies had made it into the bathroom, and he barely had to look into it to find the familiar tray of tablets. A moment later he’d pushed a couple out onto his hand, but, rather than transferring them to his mouth, he found himself just staring at them.

He was reluctant to take them with Ruby here. They lasted a good five hours, and if Ruby tried to wake him before then he’d be groggy, a mess.

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