Chapter 3

                                                               Mira

This can NOT be happening!

I tear my eyes away from Dev and watch my father and traitor of a sister walk off. Furious, I go to follow them but come flying back when Devin doesn’t move with me. I hiss when the metal bites into my wrist. “This is ridiculous!” I gripe, holding up my hand and pointing to the handcuff around my wrist. “Why are you just standing there, Devin?”

Devin frowns, “What do you want me to do?”

 “Helping me find a way to take these off would be a good start.” I quip, and Devin chuckles and shakes his head.

“There’s no way out of these without the keys, Tinks.” He states and shrugs indifferently while I gawk at him incredulously. “Looks like we’re stuck together for a while.”

I narrow my eyes while I look up at him. “You’re just loving this, aren’t you?” When he just grins back at me, flashing those pearly whites and dimples, I feel my anger triple.

“Any time spent with you is a good time, sweet cheeks.” I groan when he squeezes my cheek affectionately. I scowl and slap his hand away, momentarily forgetting about the cuffs I try to storm off, only I come barrelling back into him again. Devin catches me before I lose my footing and steadies me.

“Hey, you lug, you’re supposed to move with me.” I huff, smoothing my beige mini skirt down. “Let’s go.” I try to walk, but Devin drags me back again. “Ow, stop pulling on the cuffs—

  you’re hurting my wrist.” I hiss when the metal digs into my skin.

“Where do you think you’re going? We have work to do.” I shake my head when he starts walking toward his desk. I dig my feet into the ground and glare at him.

“Nah-uh,” Dev looks back at me when he feels the resistance. “I have work to do in my office. Let’s go.” I try tugging him, but he doesn’t budge and just watches me, amused, while I pathetically attempt to pull him along with me.

“Having fun there are you, Tinks?”

I stop and huff, pushing a strand of my hair out of my face. Jesus, this isn’t going to work. He’s bigger and stronger than me. “I have conference calls in less than two minutes. I already rescheduled twice with these investors.” I sigh and make my eyes all big and pleading like I used to when we were kids, and he would never be able to refuse me.

Devin stares into my face, the corners of his mouth twitches. “Still got the look down, huh?” He drawls and leans in closer till he’s in my personal space. I can smell his intoxicating, citrusy aftershave wafting around me, and I almost moan. God, he smells so fucking good. I mentally swoon. I’m a sucker for men that smell good. You know when they walk past you, and they leave that lingering smell of aftershave…ugh sexiest thing ever. I clear my throat when I realise I’ve been staring at him wordlessly for a touch too long.

“You tell me? Is it working?” I question, hopeful, and he sighs and rolls his eyes playfully.

“I’m allowing it this once, but if you think you can use your puppy eyes on me to get whatever you want, as you used to when we were kids, you’ll be left disappointed, Tinks.”  

 I give him a mocking smile, and he chuckles and pushes me toward the door. “We’ll see about that…Dev.” I hear him chuckle behind me while I pull him through the open-plan office toward mine, the employees gawking at us as we pass by handcuffed to one another.

Oh God, this is going to be a nightmare. I just need to play nice and pretend we are getting along so my Dad can let us out of these stupid handcuffs.

I couldn’t focus on a damn thing during my conference call with Dev sitting so close and watching me with those deep, beautiful chocolate coloured eyes. Every time we move, our arms brush against each other, and my body tingles. How am I supposed to be around this boy and in such close proximity when my body reacts like this to him.

Oh, it’s been ten fucking years, Mira. Get a grip on yourself for the love of Cheetos woman!

“Easy for you to say,” I utter bitterly and do a double-take when Dev lifts his gaze from his phone to look at me questioningly

“I didn’t say anything.” He answers bemusedly.

Oh crap! I went and said that out loud, didn’t I? Nice one, idiot!

“Uh, no, I was just…thinking out loud,” I reply and force my gaze away from him when I feel my cheek start to burn. Devin gives me an odd look before he goes back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

“Great, can you hurry up. I’m starving.” He states with a yawn and goes to stretch and pulls my arm up along with his, which results in me accidentally hitting something on my keyboard and sending the draft email I wasn’t yet finished writing to an investor.

“Noooo!” I yank my arm back and tap on my mouse furiously. “No, no, no, please don’t be sent, please don’t be… oh my God, it’s sent.” I turn my angry gaze to Devin, who was watching me with a frown. “Oh! You idiot!”

“What?”

“You just made me send an unfinished email to one of our biggest investors with your stupid stretch!” Devin sighs, rolls my chair out of the way, and proceeds to click a couple of things and gives me a smug smirk. I look at him expectantly and back at the screen. “What are you smirking at?!”

“I recalled your email. There, look, it’s back in your drafts, you big baby.” I lean closer to the screen with a frown, and sure enough, there was my email.

“Wait, that’s a thing?” I question, surprised, and he nods, his smirk broadening into a full-on gleaming grin. “How did you even do that?”

“Here, I’ll show you.” Devin scoots closer to me, leaning over to reach my mouse with his free hand. “So you go to message…” While he clicks on a few things, I force myself to watch the screen, but the only thing my mind can focus on is the way he smells and how close his face is to mine. If we both turn to look at one another, our noses will touch. “Dilemma averted with a click of a mouse.”

“And you’re sure he won’t see the email?” I query warily, and he smiles, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m certain, Tinks.” I groan inwardly when he winks at me. “You can thank me later.”  

“Thank you?” I sputter in incredulity. “You want me to thank you for fixing something you messed up in the first place?” I give him a scornful look which he returns with a grin. “You’ll be waiting a while.” I exhale and force myself to focus on the email I was typing when I feel him slide closer to me.

“Tinks,” He almost whispers, and my fingers start to tremble as I type when his lips brush against the shell of my ear, the warmth of his breath on my skin warms me but sends a shudder through me at the same time. How is that even possible?  “I’m hungry.” He groans breathily, and I lose concentration and type the word ‘tinks’ instead of thank you. He notices and chuckles gruffly. “Having trouble focussing there are we, Tinks?”

I lift my hand and press it against his face and push it away from me. “Will you shut up! How do you expect me to focus when you’re invading my space and irritating me while I try to work?” I mutter, pressing the backspace, dramatically deleting the typo and retyping again. “You’re like an imprudent child.”

Devin laughs and rocks my chair with his foot. “Fuck, you type slow.”

“Stop it!” I growl, standing up I shove his chair away, briefly forgetting about the cuffs which sends me hurling toward him as he rolls away. I fall into his lap, and Devin catches me; his strong arm circling my waist. Everything around me slows for a split second when our foreheads press together and our gaze interlocks. My left hand is clasped around his, where he caught me as I fell. I forget how to breathe, and my cheeks fill with blood under his gaze. We were so close I was sure he could hear every frantic thump of my heart, and I could feel his beating against the palm that is pressed upon his chest.

Neither of us move for how long I couldn’t tell you. It couldn’t have been longer than a couple of seconds. It wasn’t until I felt his thumb tracing slow circles over my palm…just like he used to, that quickly brings me crashing back to reality, and I rip my hand away from his and scramble off of him. “I’m done. We can go to lunch.” I say after clearing my throat.

“Excellent. I’m famished.” He declares, standing up and walking to the door to my office with me following close behind. I find myself wondering if he felt what I did at that moment. If he was affected, he isn’t showing any sign of it.

Bloody aloof bastard.