That didn’t seem possible.
“Someone doesn’t know how to knock,” Gabe muttered.
Devlin didn’t seem to hear his brother or even realize anyone else was in the room, because those stunning, clear sea-green eyes were latched on to her. He stopped just inside the living room, leaving the door open behind him. “What is she doing here?”
Rosie’s spine stiffened like hot steel was poured down it and she stopped checking him out right then and there. He said “she” like she was some sort of venereal disease, and that was, well, freaking insulting. “I’m here to break shit and raise some holy hell.”
Nikki choked on what sounded like a laugh.
Devlin stared at her, his handsome face cold and bland.
“I’m visiting my friend.” Rosie rolled her eyes. “That’s all.”
“Is that so?” he remarked.
“Uh. Yeah?” she replied.
“Hi, Dev.” Gabe raised his glass in his direction. “You don’t know this, Rosie, but Dev has a preternatural ability of knowing whenever someone that is not family is in the house.” He paused. “It’s kind of freaky.”
“While having a preternatural ability sounds interesting, that’s not how I knew someone was here.” Devlin didn’t take his eyes off her. “Her car was parked in my space.”
“You have assigned parking?” Rosie felt a laugh bubbling up her throat. “At your own house?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“He likes things to be organized,” Gabe replied. “For everything, even his car, to have a place—his place.”
“I can answer for myself,” Devlin said dryly, and finally he focused on his brother, and she felt like she could take a full breath. “But thanks for speaking for me.”
“You’re welcome.” Gabe took a drink.
Dev stared at his brother and then that unholy intense gaze came back to Rosie. “But you’re not parked in my spot. You’re actually blocking access to my spot in my garage.”
She stared back at him, stuck for a moment, wondering if he was actually being serious. “Would you like me to move my car?”
“That would’ve been nice of you to suggest when I first mentioned your car was in my spot,” he said, tone even.
Nikki stiffened beside her while Gabe sighed. “You don’t have to move your car,” he said. “Dev is fine.”
Devlin’s gaze still held hers and there was a challenge in that stare.
Swallowing down a mouthful of words that would probably get her kicked out of the house forever and a day, she stood. “You know what? I’ll move my car.”
“Rosie,” Nikki started.
“No, it’s okay.” Rosie smiled at her friend and then whirled toward Devlin, keeping said super-big smile plastered across her face while she glared up at him. “I’m more than happy to move my car out of the way for him. After all, I wouldn’t want him to get stressed-out over it.”
“I’m not stressed-out over it.” A slight frown pulled at his lips as he turned, watching her walk to her purse.
“Oh I don’t know about that.” Digging around in her purse, she pulled out her keys. “You seem like you’re one more occupied parking space away from having a cardiac issue and I would not want to be the cause of that.”
There was another choked sound, but this time it sounded like it was coming from Gabe. Keys in hand, she spun back to them. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” Nikki murmured.
Moving toward the doors—the doors Devlin blocked—she stopped and stared up at him. “Excuse me?”
He was still for a moment and then slowly, purposefully, he stepped to the side.
“Thanks, buddy.” Walking past him, she patted his arm and then stalked right out the doors. Clouds had moved in, and the scent of rain was in the air. A storm was coming, both literally and figuratively.
Because, of course, Devlin was right behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him. “Are you following me to make sure I move my car?”
He arched a brow. “I’m not following you.”
“Sure looks like you’re doing that.” Looking away, she kept walking. “Or are you worried that I’m going to damage your property?”
“Should I be worried?” He fell into step beside her, easily keeping up with her brisk pace that was close to leaving her winded.
Rosie rolled her eyes again as she reached the staircase and started down the steps. “Yes. Very worried. I’m one bad ma—” She reached the end of the balcony and could see the massive garage down below, and the vehicle that hadn’t been there when she arrived. Her mouth dropped open. “A truck?”
Devlin stopped beside her. “That is what it appears to be.”
Sort of dumbfounded, all she could do was stare. Parked on the other side of her Corolla was a . . . truck. Just an ordinary truck. Looked like a Ford. Not particularly a newer one either. It was black and had mud dried and splattered along the wheels. It wasn’t a Porsche. Or a Jaguar. Or a Benz. Or any other number of luxury cars that cost the price of a town house.
This man owned a private jet, but drove a truck?
“Is there something wrong with a truck?” he asked.
She blinked and shook her head no. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was unexpected. Whatever. His choice, no matter how surprising it was, didn’t matter. Turning, she stepped toward the staircase.
“I’m not following you, by the way,” he said. “After you move your car, I will need to move mine.”
Oh well, that made sense—
She gasped as Dev suddenly moved. One second he was beside her, and the next, he was blocking the steps below. She clutched the vine-covered railing. “How am I supposed to move my car if you’re blocking the stairway? Or do you expect me to go traipsing through your house to get downstairs?”
Even though he was two whole steps below her, he was eye to eye with her. “Do you often traipse through homes?”
“Daily. It’s how I get my workout in.”
“That must be interesting to see.”
“It most definitely is.”
He leaned in suddenly, and Rosie sucked in a sharp breath, unprepared for him to be so damn close to her. She immediately thought of Saturday morning. Him. Her. Their bodies pressed against one another. Was he thinking about that, too?
His dark lashes lifted. “You smell like—”
“If you say something ignorant, I’m seriously going to push you down these steps.”
The blue of his eyes seemed to deepen. “That wouldn’t be very nice, Rosie.”
There was another catch to her breath, because she was pretty confident that was the first time he’d said her name, and in that deep, slightly accented voice of his, it sent an unwanted thrill right through her.
“But what I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted,” Devlin continued. “You smell like vanilla and . . .” He trailed off as if he couldn’t place how she smelled.
Rosie sighed. “Sugar. Brown sugar to be exact. I work at Pradine’s Pralines and went straight from there to Nikki’s place to get her some fresh clothing. You’ve probably never heard of the place—”
“I have. They have amazing pralines.” He tilted his head to the side. “I didn’t know you worked there.”
“It’s been family owned since the beginning and my parents now run it,” she said, noting the flicker of surprise in his eyes. “I can’t picture you eating pralines.”
“You can’t?” One eyebrow rose.
“Yeah, I picture you eating raw vegetables, lots of fat-trimmed steak, and beets.”
“Beets?”
She nodded. “Isn’t that what people eat when they’re in a permanent state of constipation?”
His eyes widened and his mouth went lax. “Did you just suggest I was constipated?”
“That would explain the attitude, wouldn’t it?”
“Then what would explain yours?”
“Mine has nothing to do with what I eat, but it’s affected by who I’m around, Dev.”