The joke had Deven’s muscles loosening. Leave it to Paul to make her feel better. “Well, I felt horrible,” she admitted. “And humiliated. But mostly horrible because I hurt you. And I lost a very good . . .” Deven clamped her lips shut, not wanting to mortify him even more by referencing him as something so menial as a friend. Not when he meant so much more and she knew he considered her just as esteemed. “What I mean is,” she tried again. “I lost someone that means a lot to me.” Her eyes searched his, silently begging for him to tell her otherwise. She really didn’t want her assumption to be true.

Her heart swelled when Paul’s hand reached across the table and stroked her wrist. The sensation was encouraging as much as it was erotic. Deven had to tighten her thighs to keep from being distracted by the sudden pulsing. Easy girl.

“You haven’t lost me.” His voice was sincere, his eyes just as compassionate. “It was embarrassing as hell, but I can’t blame Justin honestly. I’m sorry for putting us in that position. But my feelings were—are still very real, Deven. I can’t pretend they’re not there or they’ll just go away because we don’t talk to each other for a few days.”

“I know.” And she did know. But did she really want them to go away? Hers certainly hadn’t. “Well, we’re not—he’s not . . . in the picture anymore.”

She waited, already anticipating his next questions about her thoughts on their prior discussion. To her surprise, he gave her arm one final squeeze before leaning back to pull out his phone.

“I’ll order that pizza,” he said punching in a number. He wouldn’t push. That respectful gentleman was just as sexy as the man who had kissed her breathless. She half-listened to him ordering the food while she continued sipping her hot chocolate, grateful it had chilled to a more tolerable temperature. She would not, under any circumstances, sleep with this man. It would be wrong on so many levels. Especially now that he had made it plain. The sexual gratification wasn’t worth the distress. Not this time.

“Pizza will be here in an hour,” he announced hanging up his phone. He sat it on the table and laced his fingers together like he was preparing to listen to a lecture. “So, what else have you found out about your sister? I know it’s something because you’re too hellbent on solving this yourself like you’re on First 48.”