Claimed By The Devil - Joanna Blake Page 0,4

that was the last time I saw him. And I was in such a haze of grief at the time that I didn't even remember if we had spoken. That had been fewer than two years ago, I realized with a start. Now I was possibly losing my other parent. If Mom died, I would be all alone in the world.

Don’t think about it. Don’t even think about it for a second.

"Thank you. That means a lot. Dad really liked you," I said honestly. “And Hendrix, of course," I added.

He stood there with his hands in his pockets, still looking adorably confused like a puppy who was hearing a new sound. I’d never seen him looking anything other than supremely relaxed and confident. The man had no reason to be anything else.

"Do you want some coffee?" I offered, holding out my thermos. "I don't have a cup but I could go get one from the house."

“Oh. Thanks,” he said, reaching out to take the coffee. He grasped the thermos and our fingers brushed. Just for a second. But it was more than enough to send my entire body into chaos. That set off the whole chain of unwelcome tingles spreading down my arm.

No, do not, I told myself. You are not allowed to go back to being obsessed with him. No tingles allowed.

But those eyes, I argued with myself. Those lips. That glorious long hair. Those muscles . . .

Speaking of lips . . . I watched, transfixed, as he drank directly from the thermos. His Adam’s apple bobbed in the sexiest way. I wondered what it would be like to kiss it. He handed it back to me, and I turned it surreptitiously to put my lips in the same place. I couldn't help it.

I was giving a whole new meaning to the word ‘thirsty’.

Wait . . . is he looking at my mouth? He is. Nick Henderson is actually looking at me. This is a first.

“I was about to take Hendrix for a walk,” I said stupidly.

Stop trying to impress him. It won't work. It will never work. You tried a thousand times back in high school, remember? You're just a girl and he is a man. A man who could have any woman he wanted and probably does with revolting frequency.

"I didn't know you were still doing that."

"Of course. Hendrix and I are old buddies."

"I'll go back to paying you. Unless . . . are you going back to school?"

Did he sound almost . . . hopeful? Worried?

I shook my head and shrugged.

“I’m halfway through my junior year, but I probably won't be going back anytime soon.”

“Junior?” he asked suspiciously. “How old are you?”

"Twenty," I answered, tilting my head to the side. What was he getting at? “I’ll be twenty-one soon."

He shook his head and backed away looking somewhat terrified. I glanced behind me to see if there was an axe murderer or something. I halfway expected to see a guy wearing a hockey mask. But there was nothing there.

"That's cool,” he practically stammered. “Good to see you. I got to . . ."

I watched him go and shrugged. It was early in the morning for most people. And Nick had always been a man of few words.

"Right. Okay. I need to get back to work too," I said to the empty hallway. I highly doubted he heard me, but whatever. Either way, I knew I'd spend the rest of the day daydreaming about Nick.

Chapter Three

Nick

"Hey, buddy," I murmured, brushing Hendrix's silky coat. Even though he got a daily grooming, I knew he liked the extra attention. I liked it, too. Hendrix was a giant kitty cat in a lot of ways. He was looking good. Excited to see me. But my mind was elsewhere.

The truth was, my mind was fucking blown.

What the hell just happened to me? Had I really just seen that? Had I just seen her?

All those years. Every single time I’d tried to imagine the girl I would end up with someday. And she’d been there all along.

Melissa. It was Melissa. It had always been Melissa.

Fuck. Double fuck. Triple fuckity-fuck.

Goddammit. Why did it have to be her? She was too fucking young for me, even at twenty years old. And I still thought of her as a kid, even though she clearly wasn’t. I couldn’t betray my friendship with her folks by creeping on their way-too-fucking-gorgeous-for-her-own-good, not-to-mention-far-too-young-for-me daughter. But there was no mistaking the way my body reacted to her. Not just my