Chapter Twenty-three
“Alright, alright.” Bram said, shaking them off. “It’s late. You need to get to bed buddy. I think I’ll watch a bit of tv before I head off. You can take the bedroom over there.” Bram pointed to one side of the suite, “Devon and I will stay in the main room.” Standing up, he pulled Devon up into his arms.
“I’m too big to carry around dad.” Devon pouted and Bram reciprocated, putting the boy down.
“Well fine then.” He pat Devon on the back, “Go on now, get dressed for bed and brush your teeth.”
The little boy took off toward their room, and Bram turned toward Izabella. “So, I assume that means you are interested in staying?”
“I think I could help you both, yes. But we do need to have a plan incase that ever happens again.” She looked away, blushing. She felt like an idiot, throwing herself at him like that. The only thing that made it less awkward was that Devon jumped in. “That is, if you think I would be a good fit.”
“Devon’s already head over heals for you. You’ve got him liking you more than any of the others in a day. He’s not usually so clingy, so he clearly thinks so. I do want to make it clear that just because I have you helping take care of him, doesn’t mean that I need you digging into my life.” She felt her heart drop, he had taken it the wrong way. “We’ll discus your payment later, and you can move into the apartment next to Tyler’s as early as tomorrow if you’d like.”
“Thank you. I should go make sure Devon’s all set.” She rushed from the room as quickly as she could. His voice had been so cold. Izabella shouldn’t be surprised, Tyler was probably the only one who could stand that attitude of his. But she understood his anger. It didn’t sound like he grew up happily, and though he lived in luxury now, that clearly wasn’t always so.
“Heh-“ Devon smiled, his mouth full of toothpaste. “Doe vat mean ya stayin’ mow?” He asked around the tooth brush.
She couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes, I’m staying. Don’t talk with your mouth full.” She brushed his hair from behind. “Did you grab your clothes from the dinning table?” He shook his head. Izabella looked behind her, but didn’t see Bram standing at the table anymore. “I’ll go get them. You finish up and make sure you try to use the bathroom before bed.” She mussed his hair, still damp from the pool.
Bram had settled himself in front of the news, half watching, half going through his phone. Izabella tip-toed out, not wanting to bother him or bring attention to herself. Snatching the little set of pajama’s, he did look over. Their eyes met for a moment, and she smiled at him before turning to escape back to the bedroom. A minute later, the bathroom door opened, and Devon came out. “Thank you.” He smiled, dipping back into the bedroom. Izabella went to the bed, turning down the sheets. Looking around the room, she realized there was nothing red in here. She wondered if the world felt bleaker without color.
“All done,” Devon dove into the bed, curling up under the covers.
“All the bankets or just the sheets?”
“It’s warm, so all of them.” He giggled.
“That doesn’t even make sense.” She threw the blankets over his head, tickling him. “We do need to settle down though.” She stopped, tucking the blankets under his chin. Booping his nose, she smiled down at him. “Sweet dreams, okay kiddo.”
“Will you send dad in to say goodnight?”
“Sure thing.” She started out toward the living room, but he was already standing up, headed toward the bedroom.
She stopped, stepping away from the door as he walked through it. He’d removed his shirt, and his barrel chest and sculpted back was hard to look away from. Her eyes couldn’t help but follow him. She swallowed hard, watching him settle next to Devon. Brushing his hair back, he dotted on the boy, even smiling down at him. They were exchanging soft words, and Izabella thought they could use a moment alone. She half closed the door. Pouring herself a small glass of milk, she saw Bram’s phone shining on the table. Grabbing a fresh apple from the counter she sat on the sofa.
The news was talking about a gruesome murder of seven people in central park earlier today. It was particularly scary because of the brutality of it, and that all the bodies had been hung upside down from the trees and drained of their blood. Experts were arguing because they believe that there should have been more blood on the ground, that there was too much missing.
She gasped as she felt the sofa behind her shift. Bram was leaning over her shoulder, reaching for the remote. “Sorry, the news before bed is the worst thing to put on.” He clicked the television off.
“Did you see what happened?” She looked at him with large eyes. “How could anyone do something so evil? Seriously, what is wrong with the world today?” His face was incredibly close and she could feel the heat of his closeness creeping up on her. What was this strange urge to reach out and touch him? This, strange desire to feel him against her skin.
His lips came close to her ear, “There are dark things in this world, and sometimes it’s better if we choose not to see them.” His fingers slid into her hair, “I’m going to retire with Devon. Pleasant dreams.”
“Ye-yeah. Sweet dreams.” She bounced from the couch as soon as his hand released her. “I’ll head off too.” She nearly made a run for her room. Bram couldn’t help but smile, that had been his plan. He sat on the couch, waiting. He wanted to make sure both were sleeping before he left. She had affected him far too much for him to simply fall asleep now.
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