The Handsome Devil

Chapter 70 - The talk

The fifteen minutes before Maximón re-emerged from the bathroom might as well be an eternity.

At first, Deya tried to distract herself by reading, particularly because she might not have the book for much longer. However, after only few lines, the image of the plot she pictured in her head got interrupted by the devil's handsome face, and so she finally closed the book and resorted to finding a spot on the wall to stare at.

'A little chat'. She repeated in her head for the hundredth time and shivers ran down her spine. Let's just say, lately their conversations were anything but innocuous and the more she thought about it, the faster her heart beat.

Once the door clicked open, she was already so on edge that the subtle sound made her jump. Fortunately, luck was on her side and to an immense relief she found that he at least bothered to wrap a towel around his waist.

"So?" She called out as he walked to his wardrobe, unable to bear the suspense anymore.

"So?" He repeated without facing her, hands fishing in the shelves for something to wear, and Deya's eyes were drawn to his new tattoo again.

"You wanted to talk to me?" The girl reminded with a hint of irritation, well aware of how much he's enjoying teasing her.

"Yeah, that.." He mumbled lowly while dropping the towel to put on his boxers, and Deya's chocolate orbs quickly glanced away.

Not again.

"Cole is moving in in two days" His voice was as cold as ever, yet, somehow the girl sensed she's not the only one excited about the news.

"No way!" Her squealing voice echoed throughout the room. "So soon?"

Max casted her a quizzical look, and she wondered if she spoke too fast.

"I mean, they'll release him so soon?" She added in an attempt to save it, but the man didn't seem convinced and so she went on blabbering. "And is he moving in for good? Which one of the rooms? And, more importantly, am I allowed to hang out with him?"

There was a short pause as his eyes carefully scanned her for a trace of lie, but eventually his posture relaxed and he continued to dress.

"He'll sign a release" He replied after a while, but she could sense his sudden distance. "We'll hire a nurse and have a doctor come over for the check-ups"

The girl patiently waited for replies to the rest of her questions, but they never came. Instead, the man slowly walked over, grabbed a chair and sat down mere centimeters from her, enjoying keeping her on edge.

She watched his lips part as he prepared to say something, but then the book in her hands caught his attention again, and his expression noticeably hardened.

"I don't appreciate you going through my stuff" He growled lowly, eyes fixated on the brown cover.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have left me here alone" Deya returned frustratedly, taken aback by his sudden abruptness. "Or bring me over in the first place"

Suddenly, his hand shot up as he tried to grab the book, but the girl reacted fast enough and pulled it out of his reach.

"Woah!" Her eyes went wide at the unexpected turn of events, and every muscle in her body was on alert in an instant.

"Give it to me" Max ordered firmly, eyes ablaze. Nonetheless, that only pushed the girl more into defense.

"No!" She shouted while pulling it even farther, wondering what's all the madness about.

The man made another move, and this time it forced Deya to jump up from her seat and quickly move to the other side of the desk.

"What has gotten into you? It's just a book!" She yelled out in anger, feeling close to stomping her feet on the floor like a child.