“Oh…” Another unexpected piece of Devlin’s puzzle fell onto the table. The similarities between him and his brother were slim. They had the same height and similar builds, but Tyler was blond with beach boy good looks, but a tough guy demeanor. Devlin had dark, unruly hair and a mysteriously dangerous aura about him.
“Let’s go.” Devlin pulled me away from the awkward moment and across the ballroom to a table near the front of the room. He wanted me away from his brother, and I wondered what he was afraid I’d discover.
Devlin introduced me to several people at the table, but seemed to purposely exclude a beautiful blonde woman who eyed me with disdain. The only two seats vacant were right next to her, and again, Devlin intentionally took the seat beside her.
Her pleased smile annoyed me and gave me an unfamiliar feeling inside. When she leaned in and whispered into his ear, I started to recognize it as jealousy.
Devlin spent a large amount of time talking to the woman. I learned her name when he called her Jess. It took a while for me to figure out why I had a nagging feeling I knew her. She was the blonde I’d run into at Devlin’s club over a month ago. I remembered her cold gray eyes and the haughty air she carried around. Each time I met her gaze she would curl her lip and roll her eyes at me. As dinner progressed, I grew more annoyed by her giggles and her subtle touches. I turned my focus to Tyler, who sat across from me at the round table, quietly watching every move I made.
“If your hold on that fork gets any tighter, you’ll bend it.”
I glanced at the man to my left and quickly eased my grip on my fork, my face warming up as I smiled at him.
“For the record, she has nothing on you.”
So my jealousy was that apparent. “Thanks.” His smile was reassuring. He was an older, sophisticated man with a light dusting of gray littering his full head of dark brown hair.
“Jackson Lang.” He stuck out his hand, and I shook it. He took a sip of his champagne then leaned in close and whispered, “I wouldn’t worry about Jessica. If she could land Ward, she’d have him by now.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
He nodded, but I knew he didn’t believe me. I didn’t believe me.
“Are you one of Devlin’s associates?”
“I used to work close to his father before…” He fell silent then shrugged it off. “Before Devlin took over and changed things.”
“So Ward Enterprises is family owned?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that either, but let’s talk about you. I’m sure Devlin will have my head for even bringing up his father.”
“Why?” He was the first person close to Devlin who had given me any insight to his past, and I wanted to know more. A lot more.
“How’d you two meet? Devlin doesn’t usually date.”
“I sort of ran into him and spilled my coffee on him.”
“Hmm…” He scrunched up his eyebrows and looked over my shoulder at Devlin then back at me.
“What? Why are you making that face?”
“Because something like that usually pisses him off, but then again, you are quite beautiful. I'd make an exception for you too.”
“Enjoying yourself, Lang?” Devlin interrupted our conversation, resting his hand on my knee then asserting his presence with a firm squeeze. I realized I’d become so interested in what Jackson could tell me about Devlin, I’d completely forgotten about Devlin and Jessica. Once my attention was off Devlin, he wanted to jump in and lay claim.
Jackson took another sip of his champagne then nodded. “The girl was a little lonely. Just wanted to cheer her up.”
“It’s not your job to worry about her.” Devlin’s hand moved up until he rested it on the exposed portion of my thigh. I gave him a warning look, but that didn’t stop him from dragging his fingers across the sensitive skin on my inner thigh. I tensed, attempted to clamp my legs together, but he was way quicker and stronger than I was.
“He was just keeping me company while you were preoccupied.”
“Was he? It sounded like I was the topic of interest.”
“Well, we do have you in common.” I glared at him, but his expression remained neutral.
“She’s very charming. If I was a little younger, I’d snatch her up as quickly as you did.”
Seeing an opportunity to repay Devlin for his shameless flirting, I took it. “Well, older men have a lot more experience and know how to treat a woman. Never let age stop you.”
Devlin practically growled as he pushed his fingers between my thighs and stroked them over my pussy. I gritted my teeth as he continued making slow circles over my clit, causing my panties to moisten quickly.