Hidden Devotion Read Online Free Page A

wasn’t so pushy, or dismissive of her abilities. Chalking it up to concern, she decided not to strain their relationship by telling him he couldn’t help her.
    “You want to be my date to the gala?”
    “The…oh hell no.”
    Juliette laughed. Seb hated Trinity Masters’ events.
    “Well I can’t go by myself.” Juliette made her voice breathy and feminine. “It wouldn’t be proper.”
    “And you’re always so proper. Don’t forget I have those photos from the last time we were in Malta.”
    “Blackmail. Shocking. I’ll have you know—”
    Chimes sounded. Juliette stopped, the sound unexpected enough that her heart started racing.
    “Jules? You okay?”
    “There’s someone at the door.”
    “So much for your solitude.”
    “I have to get that. Email me. Be safe.”
    “Be safe,” he repeated, a sign off they’d used for years.
    Hanging up, she quickly slipped on some shoes to go with her thick cotton lounge pants and too-large wool sweater. Sebastian had no idea how appropriate “be safe” was, considering the threats Harrison had received not long ago.
    Reminding herself that only a handful of people knew she was now the Grand Master, she headed down the stairs, letting her sweater fall over her hands to hide the fact that her fingers were shaking.
    *****
    Devon Asher tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks, took them out, buttoned his jacket, stuck his hands back in his pockets and reminded himself that for fuck’s sake, you’re a thirty-year-old man, stop acting like an idiot teenager.
    Once he was sure he had the fidgeting out of his system, Devon rang the bell, listening to the faint sound of chimes. It took just long enough for the door to open that he was fighting the urge to mess with his tie. Luckily, he was composed and still when the portal swung inward.
    Juliette Adams was stunning. She always had been, and probably always would be. Honey-gold hair lay over her shoulder in a messy braid, her slight frame nearly overwhelmed by the knit sweater that was listing to one side, not quite falling off her shoulder but exposing the delicate line of her collarbone. Her skin was a warm gold, darker than he was used to seeing, and it gave her a sort of monochromatic-goddess appeal.
    From fidgeting to flights of fancy. He really needed to pull it together.
    She leaned against the door, blocking his entrance. It was ridiculous since he was a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier than her, but the look on her face made it very clear that if she didn’t want to let him in, she wouldn’t, and damn the logistics of trying to keep someone his size out.
    He knew the house had top-of-the-line security, which meant she’d checked a video display to see who was outside before answering. That robbed him of the chance to see her unstudied reaction. Devon lived for the moments when he could catch her off guard, before her face and heart closed down.
    As he’d been studying her, she’d been studying him. It had been eighteen months, two weeks and three days, since they’d been face-to-face. He wondered what she saw when she looked at him—if she saw him at all.
    He was fairly certain that for Juliette, he was simply a representation of everything she hated.
    A gust of wind tugged at his suit jacket, reminding him that he didn’t have an overcoat. She shivered as the cold air whipped into the house and Devon shifted, trying to block the breeze. Her lips pressed together, a brief moment of…something, but then she smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes.
    “Devon, to what do I owe the honor of a visit from my betrothed?”
    Damn it, damn it, she could not deal with this, with him , right now.
    Stepping back she pushed the door all the way open and motioned Devon in. He carefully wiped the snow from his shoes before accepting the invitation. Juliette closed the door and leaned against it, taking a moment to center herself. She could feel him looming over her. At six feet one, with wide shoulders, he was