Claimed By The Devil (Devil's Riders 8)

It might be silly, but I was hoping he would kiss me again. It seemed like he liked kissing me. But I was so woefully inexperienced that I wasn’t sure.

One thing I definitely knew—onions were definitely not good for kissing!

It still seemed inconceivable that a guy like Nick would enjoy kissing someone like me, but who was I to argue if he did? I could still feel tingles all over my tips from his lips. That’s how good at kissing he was. I was grinning as I brought Mom a tray with her food and a big glass of herbal iced tea.

“Are you sure you don’t mind eating a little early?” I asked breathlessly. I knew she would say ‘no’. But I knew better. I was watching her. She’d been forcing herself to eat what I made, but I could tell she didn’t really want to.

And she wasn’t exactly cleaning her plate lately, despite her best efforts.

I’d taken her to the doctor last week. She’d been uncharacteristically quiet afterward, just saying that things were ‘going good’. It was hard to believe that, as much as I wanted to. But I didn’t push her. There wasn’t a whole lot I could do. I’d read a thousand articles and blogs about how to treat cancer, and so far, nothing had helped. None of the supplements or dietary changes. She’d finally begged me to stop trying.

“I’m starving. This is better for me,” she said kindly when we abandoned the whole ‘gluten free’ thing. I knew she was fibbing. But things had changed by then. Basically, we were at the point that if I could get her to eat anything, at any time, it was a good thing.

I watched nervously as she took a few bites. I had a terrible feeling she was chewing and swallowing entirely for my benefit. I pretended not to notice how tiny her bites were.

Mom was wasting away before my eyes and it scared the heck out of me. Lately, she’d seemed to stabilize, which I considered a win. When I hugged her, she felt frail, but the pounds were sticking. She wasn’t gaining, but at least she’d stopped shrinking from day to day.

I sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I won’t be gone long.”

“Take your time, girl. You deserve to enjoy a sunny day with a handsome boy.”

“He’s not a boy,” I said with a laugh.

“Well, you know what I mean.”

“So, you approve?”

She nodded.

“Yes, I do. As long as you approve. It’s your opinion that really counts.”

“I don’t have a lot of expectations,” I said hesitantly. “But I do . . . like him. A lot.”

“That’s an understatement and we both know it,” she said pointedly, raising her eyebrows. Then she reached for the toasted bread I’d put on a side plate and shooed me away. “Now, git. I will see you soon enough.”

I smiled, despite my misgivings. Mom was right. A few hours here and there wouldn’t hurt anybody. Mom was okay for now. I’d just spend extra time with her later.

My smile stuck with me as I applied a thin layer of lipgloss and ran a brush through my hair. Then I went down to the kitchen to finish packing the picnic basket. Before I knew it there was a soft knock at the front door to the farmhouse. I practically ran to the door and opened it, breathing in the sight of Nick. He was so gorgeous it almost hurt to look at him.

The warm look in his eyes made my stomach do a couple of backflips. He definitely liked what he saw. I was the luckiest girl in the world right now, even if this was just a fun little fling for him. I was the one Nick chose to spend time with. I felt like I had a leg up on every girl on the planet. And that included all the movie stars and famous musical artists in the world. Even royalty. It included everyone.

“Let me carry that,” he said gruffly, reaching for the basket. I gasped as he pulled me forward too, pressing his incredible lips to mine. He made a low noise of appreciation that sent a shiver down my spine.

Oh, my. Nick certainly knew how to kiss. I just hoped I didn’t embarrass myself in that department. I had to hope he would say something if I were truly terrible at kissing him back.

I hooked my arm into his and we walked into the stables to get our horses.

Chapter Twelve

Nick

“This looks like a good spot,” I said after carefully making sure we were far from prying eyes. Even if someone wandered onto the property, it was unlikely they would get all the way back here in the woods. I wanted, no, I needed to get closer to Melissa today. And I required some serious privacy for that.