Khloë pursed her lips. “Hmm, I’m not buying that. Speaking of ‘buying’ stuff … what do I get our little Asher for his birthday? I have some ideas, but I want to get him something he’ll really like.”
“If it lights up or makes noise, he’ll like it,” said Harper. Raini tilted her head. “What time’s his party on Sunday?”
“Two pm,” replied Harper. “I’ll expect to see you all there. Including you, Dev. I don’t want to hear any of that ‘I can’t go because it would lead danger to your door.’ I’m asking you to attend a party, not move in. You’re going.”
Devon saluted her. “I’ll be there.”
Khloë absentmindedly played with her earring as she turned to Devon. “When are you moving into Tanner’s building?”
“Later on.” If Devon liked the look of the place. Which she probably would, if it was anything like Tanner’s apartment.
Harper gave a satisfied nod. “Good. If you need help moving in, give us a call.”
The bell above the door chimed, and in breezed—groan—Eleanor. Devon tried not to tense, but it was impossible when looking at the woman who wanted the guy you cared for to impregnate her.
Devon’s feline bared a fang, recognizing the female who’d falsely professed to having a claim on Tanner. It was a little disturbing that her feline had developed a possessive streak where he was concerned.
Keeping her keen eyes fixed on Devon, Eleanor walked up to the reception desk. Khloë made a move toward it, but Devon touched her arm and said, “I got this.”
The girls looked confused. Well, of course they did. She hadn’t told them about her previous conversation with Eleanor. Or about what the bitch wanted from Tanner.
Going for nonchalant, Devon casually made her way to the desk with a professional, impersonal smile. Deciding to channel Jolene, she greeted, “Eleanor, always a pleasure.”
Stone-faced, Eleanor glanced at the hand that Devon had braced on the desk. “Is it true? Did he mark you?”
Devon could have played the “I don’t know who you mean” game, but that would only drag out the conversation. “Yes.”
The female hellhound pressed her lips together and took in a deep breath through her nose. “And you two are sleeping together?”
“Now, that’s not really any of your business, is it? And for the record, I don’t appreciate you turning up at my place of work, just as I didn’t appreciate you turning up at my apartment.”
Eleanor sighed. “Look, if you were anything other than a hellcat and he didn’t have the typical male hellhound commitment issues, I’d step aside. I’m not interested in messing up a relationship. But there can never be anything between you and Tanner other than however many fucks your demons allow. Quite frankly, I’m surprised they allowed it to happen even once.”
“I’m not sure at what point you reached the conclusion that I’d give a rat’s ass what you think about anything. You can leave now.”
Nostrils flaring, Eleanor leaned forward slightly. “You have to know it would be good for him to start a line of his own. It’s hard enough for demons to maintain dominance over the entities within us. The older we get, the harder it gets. Tanner’s never going to have an anchor to ground or center him. Having a child of his own could do that. I’ve seen how becoming a parent can change people.”
“Just because he hasn’t found his anchor yet doesn’t mean he never will.”
Eleanor very slowly tipped her head to one side. Something that might have been sympathy flashed on her face. “He hasn’t told you, has he? It’s probably not something you should take personally. I doubt he’s told many people. I only found out about it because it came up in the background check I had done on him. A lot of Tanner’s past is … ‘off-record,’ shall we say? There are probably a great many things that neither of us know about him.”
“And yet, you still want him to be the father of your child?” Something that made Devon want to lunge for the bitch’s throat.
“Yes, I do. You’re young, you may not be interested in having children just yet, but I suspect you might want them in the future. Just think about how dearly you wish to have, hold, and love a child of your own someday. And think about how Tanner could just warm up to the idea of experiencing that for himself … if you’d only let him go.”
Devon almost jerked back. “I don’t have any hold over Tanner.”
“Oh, I think you do.” Her eyes dropped to Devon’s wrist. “Those are his brands, aren’t they?” Whatever she saw on Devon’s face made her nod, adding, “That’s what I thought. It’s a shame for both of you that nothing could ever come of it.”
The bell jangled as the door opened again. One of the guards who Tanner had stationed outside stepped into the reception area and shot Eleanor a hard look. “Time to go, Miss Owens.”