Chapter 15
15
“ W hat is this?” I ask.
I’m staring at a glowing pink container that resembles an oversize capsule. It’s pulsing, and it looks like there’s some sort of liquid inside of it, but to be honest, I’m afraid to touch the thing because even though Devlin’s not the type, there could be some mad scientist in him that I’m not aware of, and if that’s the case, there’s no telling if the capsule is actually safe. It could kill and eat me.
“This,” he says with a mix of pride and frustration, “is a womb.”
“What?”
He’s got his massive arms folded, and his biceps are straining against his white shirt. Devlin’s not looking at me, which is good, because I’m practically drooling at the sight of this brilliant man showing me his secrets. If he ripped his shirt off right here, I’d have no choice but to throw myself on him.
Stop it, Blair. You hate Devlin. It’s very simple:
Devlin, bad.
Storm, good.
Me, ape woman.
I mean, I’ve got to get a grip.
He’s looking at me, and I realize that I’m supposed to say something, so I clear my throat, which makes me sound like I’m trying to hock up a loogie, and manage, “A womb?”
“For babies born prematurely. I want to put the babies back in stasis and let them develop in this.”
The wonder and magic of it hits me right in the solar plexus. I come up beside Devlin, ignoring his body heat as it swims around me.
Well, try to ignore it. Mostly it’s impossible, but focusing on the magical womb helps curb the temptation to sink onto his arm and drink up his heat and scent.
“A magical womb,” I murmur. “For premature babies. Because you had a sister…”
“Who was born premature and didn’t make it,” he whispers.
The weight of his words falls on me like a tidal wave. My throat shrinks to the size of an English pea. Here I assumed Devlin was coming up with some invention for his own good. Well, not assumed, just figured, I guess.
But that’s not what he’s been working on at all. He’s working on something that will, like he said, change people’s lives. This will save lives .
Tears prick my eyes. “This is so touching, Devlin,” I say hoarsely. “It’s beautiful, and amazing.”
“But it doesn’t work.” He knocks on the table. “Not yet, at least. Hands and I have been doing everything to make it soar, but we’re at a loss.”
To emphasize this, Hands jumps on a table and bows his fingers over in a nod. I bite down a giggle. Even though the set of hands was at first terrifying, his presence is slowly growing on me.
“This is what I need you for,” Devlin says quietly.
He turns and stares down at me. I step to the table and drink in the sight of this pink glowing womb, this thing that could help keep babies alive. “So you want to put them back into stasis, so that they can come to term fully and then be born.”
“Right.”
“And where are you going wrong?”
“You name it. There’s the umbilical cord issue, along with the placenta.”
“So, feeding the child.”
“Correct.” He rests his hips on the table, facing me. “I can’t figure that out, but I know there’s a way, and not knowing is exhausting me. The answer has got to be in the vision.”
I think about this for a moment. “And you’re going to put nutrients in the womb.”
He nods. “So that they can be absorbed by the growing child.”
“And the placenta?”
“I’m going to use the mother’s and still feed nutrients into it.”
“And the umbilical cord?”
“If it doesn’t get cut after birth we’re okay, but if it gets cut…”
“Then you need to make one,” I murmur, understanding. “And you’ve thought about a fake one?”
“I have, but I’m not sure how to make it.” He eyes me suspiciously. “Do you have an idea?”
“You could use a potion to create such a thing.”
He cocks a brow, interested. “Which one?”
“Maybe a transformation spell.”
“And use the original umbilical cord.”
“Right.”
Devlin smiles. “That might work, but there’s also the?—”
“The problem of making sure the womb remains stable.”
A twinkle shines in his eyes. “Exactly. All of that.”
Wow. This is an amazing project. So much going on with spells plus the actual mechanical invention itself. Ideas are bouncing around in my head. I haven’t had to problem solve spells or anything even remotely like this in years.
“Can I touch it?”
“Sure.” He’s staring at me. Do I have cheese on my face? Quickly, before I have time to ask, he sucks in a breath and moves out of the way so that I can get a better look. “But be careful. It’s temperamental. There’s a lot I haven’t figured out.”
I lightly graze my fingers along the smooth surface. The womb is pliable, and when I gently press on it, it resists slightly, like an overinflated balloon.
It’s warm and looks cozy inside. Where I touch it, ripples form in the interior, and liquid sloshes.
I give it another gentle tap and it pulses.
“Get back,” Devlin demands.
“What?”
The pulsing turns into a jiggling, and the whole womb wobbles like there’s a tsunami inside trying to get out.
Hands jumps off the table frantically and runs under it.
“What’s going on—oh!”
Devlin picks me up and rushes me back against the wall, covering me with his body. Just as I’m about to ask what’s going on, the womb explodes behind him. It sounds like a million lightbulbs shattering at once, and the light that flashes is as blinding as a hundred suns collapsing in on themselves.
Okay, maybe it’s not that bright—but it is bright.
The light hurts my eyes, so I clutch Devlin’s shirt and bury my face in his chest. The explosion is over as quickly as it began, and I blink to find myself staring up at Devlin and him staring down at me.
His pupils are blown. Like, where did they go? He runs a thumb over my cheek, whispering, “Are you okay?”
“Me? Are you? It’s right behind you.”
There’s that lopsided grin again. “I threw up a force field. I’m fine. I’m used to it.”
“Exploding?”
“Yeah.”
From the corner of my eye, I spot Hands crawling out from under the table and leaving the room.
“Is Hands okay?”
He shrugs. “He’s just disappointed that the womb exploded. You’d think he would be used to it, it happens so much.”
Our faces are close. Our lips are closer. He’s a magnet, and I’m being pulled into him. He’s cradling my face with such tenderness, and it doesn’t help that his eyes have literally become liquid pools of want.
Just like my body.
My pelvis throbs; my palms break out into a sweat as he cradles my face, tipping it one way and then the other.
Before I can ask what he’s doing, Devlin says, “I’m making sure you’re not injured on your temple.”
He brushes his lips over the spot, and my entire body reacts. I tighten my core as my spine convulses under his touch.
“No, you’re not hurt there,” he murmurs, his breath stealing over my face and wrapping around my neck like a vise. I can’t move, and I don’t want to, because his lips are cascading down my jaw.
“No hurts there, either,” he murmurs.
All I can do is feel as my body reacts. My heart’s pounding on my ribs like the Big Bad Wolf. Little pig, little pig, let me in? Or in this case, out.
Pinpricks of desire dance on my flesh as Devlin tips my head gently and brushes his lips up the opposite jawline.
“Looks good here.”
And then something takes over me. It’s aliens, obviously, because I dare to point my finger at my cheek. “What about here?”
He kisses my cheek, and my entire body awakens like I’m Sleeping Beauty and I’ve been kept under a glass case for a hundred years, my body collecting dust while the world kept right on spinning.
But I’m no longer in stasis. I’m up, and my body’s on fire. “What about here?” I point to my nose.
Devlin caresses the spot with his lips. “All good.”
And then I do it. My heart’s ping-ponging in my chest as I point to my lips. “What about here?”
What are you doing? My body screams at me. Mayday! Mayday! All hands on deck while Blair gets her heart crushed.
My mind might be yelling at me to think this through, to stop what I’m doing, but my body is pushing me closer and closer to the cliff that is Devlin Ross and I want to jump right on off it and kiss him.
My gosh, those soft lips and those strong hands as he holds me gently are just about enough to give me an orgasm right here and now.
His gaze darts to my lips, and for a moment I think he’s going to back off, but instead he says, “Let me see.”
And then his lips brush mine, slowly cascading over them like a feather before leaving them for greener pastures. But then they return, brushing against my mouth in the opposite direction.
A moan escapes me, and Devlin’s hold becomes firmer. He presses his chest against mine and my body jolts.
I melt against him and grip his waist as his lips meet mine again. This time he kisses me slowly, gently, his tongue teasing my mouth apart, and I let him.
I let my entire self dissolve as his tongue sweeps into my mouth, exploring.
Devlin moans into me, and that sends a pulse of desire straight down to my groin. I can’t even remember why I’m letting him kiss me. Because it feels good?
It definitely feels good. It feels better than good.
I curl my fingers into his hips and tug him closer until he’s completely pressed against me, until his entire body’s heat has wrapped around me and I can’t tell where he ends and I begin.
His kiss deepens, and I willingly oblige, giving back all the same passion that he’s giving me.
His fingers scrape up the back of my neck as mine run up his chest and grip his lapels.
I remember what kissing him was like, how it was so easy to lose myself in Devlin Ross. It’s why I lost my virginity to him. He was my first love, and if I’m being completely honest with myself, he’s been my only love.
And right now, in this moment, I have him all to myself.
And I want everything that he’s willing to give me.
He breaks the kiss and runs his mouth down my neck. I tip my head back and savor the feel of his lips against my flesh.
My entire body’s on fire. I want to rip off his shirt and jump him right there.
“Should we go to the bedroom?” I whisper.
His lips stop moving, and Devlin’s entire body stiffens. Wait. What’d I do? What’d I say?
He pulls back, taking his delicious body heat with him. Now I’m suddenly very cold (insert frowny-face emoji).
Devlin runs a hand through his thick hair. “I’m sorry, Blair. I didn’t mean to mislead you.”
Mislead me? Exactly how was he misleading me, because I thought that we were on the same page.
But then I get it. This is just horny old Devlin who can’t stop being the player that he is. Why would I think that he’d care about anyone’s feelings other than his own? Of course he doesn’t. He can’t. It’s impossible for him to concern himself with others.
And I was just played.
“Mislead me into a mistake, you mean,” I spit bitterly.
I push off the wall, and without looking back, I leave the lab, heading upstairs for my room and wishing that I’d packed my vibrator.
Of course I’m screwed on that end, too, because I didn’t.
Well then, looks like I’ll have to do things the old-fashioned way.