Suri Nightingale
In my mind, I’m hoping and praying that it’s not anything bad, that it was probably just a small favor that wouldn’t be connected to being stuck with the guy next to me.
But I knew that it would be far too easy if it was, and life is just never that easy for a girl like me.
“The thing is, I was supposed to go with you to the mall to get your picture taken for your requirements, but I had a sudden work thing come up. So…” Keith’s eyes slowly glanced over to Devon.
He hadn’t finished his sentence yet, but I already knew he was going to ask Devon to bring me to the mall and I could not have that. Hours of being with him alone? No freaking way. I am not emotionally and physically ready.
“Devon, if you don’t have anything else you need to do, I would like it if you could bring her. It’s a somewhat time sensitive issue as we need to submit Suri’s requirements as soon as possible.”
Fuck. Exactly what I was dreading.
“Yea–”
“I can go on my own!” I said, beating Devon by a millisecond.
I needed to solidify my case more if Keith was going to say yes so I enthusiastically added, “I really want to see the place more so I think it’ll be a good idea for me to go out on my own and explore, you know?”
Both Devon and Keith looked at me like I was speaking gibberish and for two people who weren’t genetically related, they were looking a lot like each other with how confused they were.
Darn it. I needed to be more convincing.
“I can’t let you go out alone. You know that, right?” Keith explained like I was again, a ten year old.
I wanted to argue with him on that, but I figured that would just derail the primary concern here, so I stuck with my purpose.
“I’m not alone! I– I can go with your driver and, uh, a chauffeur? Do you have one of those?” Oh my God, I’m just blabbing away right now. This is so embarrassing.
“Suri, if you don’t want to hang out with me so badly, you can just say.” Devon said in a non-offended way, more like he was enjoying me struggling to find words.
I shake my head vehemently, even waving my hands in front of them. “No, no, no. You are mistaken. I want to hang out with you, of course I do. You’re my– my–” I cleared my throat. “Brother.”
I never thought for once in my life that I would cringe at the thought of saying the word ‘brother’ but here we are.
Devon’s smile widened, but mischief gleamed at the same time and I just knew that he’s thought of something.
“Well, if you put it that way, then we have to hang out. Don’t we, little sis? It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ll show you all the cool spots.” He said before placing his arm over my shoulder and I froze at the sudden physical contact.
For someone who just came back from running, he smelled a-ma-zing, like cinnamon and vanilla. Not the usual sweaty scent. How is that even possible?
Shit, I got so distracted by his smell and his sudden close proximity that I didn’t say anything to reject his proposition.
“Sounds good. Dev, you’ll have to drive since I’ll be using Benjamin.” Keith gave him a pat on his shoulder before turning to me with a soft smile.
“I’m sorry for having to leave you, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. We can all have early dinner later before the party. I’m sure you and Dev will have a lot of fun.” He said and I mustered a fake smile.
Did he say we were all going to have dinner later? How absolutely not fun for me.
I let out a defeated sigh and almost forgot that Devon still had his arm over me. I was only reminded by it when I felt his breath at the side of my face and when I turned, he was so close, like an inch away.
Oh, f**k. Be still my heart.
“If you sigh like that, I’m going to assume it’s because you don’t want to hang out with me.” He says and for some reason, I didn’t want him to think that–because it wasn’t entirely true–so I had to say something.
“It’s not you, it’s… me?” Really, Suri? That’s the best excuse you can come up with?
He let out a hearty chuckle, one that was so full that the sound made it all the way to my stomach and I felt butterflies go crazy inside.
Even when he laughed, he had no angle that made him look stupid or silly like how a normal human being usually had. No, of course not. Because apparently, the Wolfe brothers are incapable of not looking picture perfect, whatever they do.
“Ah,” Devon says before he lets me go, and for a split second, I felt colder as he pulled away from me, but I quickly pushed away those thoughts.
“You’re funny, you know that?” He says before smiling at me.
I’m going to need him to stop doing that, though, or else I might actually combust.
“Anyways, just let me take a shower then we can head out. I’ll see you here again in about… half an hour?”
“Yeah, I mean no! No, I really can just go by my–”
“Perfect. Half an hour it is, then.” Devon didn’t let me finish as he cut me off and shot me a quick wink and before I knew it, he had already turned around and his muscular back faced me.
Goodness gracious, what kind of workouts do these guys do? Even his back was defined like crazy.
“Oh, and Suri?” He stopped midway and I had to shake my head back to the present.
“Hm?”
His emerald eyes looked deeply into mine as he flashed me another one of those deathly charming smiles of his. “Please don’t think about standing me up. Unlike my brothers, I do actually want to get to know you.”
Before I could find another rebuttal, I had already signed myself up to hang out with one of the Wolfes.
If I didn’t know any better, I would think they were one letter away from being a wolf, and right now, I think I looked a lot like their supper.
So help me, God.