Read Four Letters (The Lust List: Devon Stone #3) for Free Online Page B

spending nights away from my apartment. I replace all my things in their respective homes—wouldn’t want to mess up Maddie’s work—and then return to the gorgeous flowers on my dresser. A little envelope is tucked inside the middle, and I pluck it out, anticipating another heartfelt apology from Maddie.
    Another punch in the gut.
    These aren’t from Maddie.
    Better luck next time. ~N.V.
    Nat Vorhees. I’m only just now noticing her initials sound like “envy”. Did she make that up too? Who would ever envy her? Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.
    I grab my phone and storm out of the room. Maddie’s in the kitchen.
    “Who brought those flowers?” I demand.
    She spins around. “Whoa. What’s wrong?”
    “The bouquet on my dresser. Who brought it here?”
    She thinks for a second. “I assume the florist delivery people.” She rolls her eyes and smiles. “They were waiting at the door when I got home yesterday. Why?”
    “They were sent by Nat.” I sit down and pull up yesterday’s text message on my phone.
    “What a creep,” Maddie says, joining me.
    Lex returns from outside, wanders through the living room, and disappears into the bathroom. Normal people have errands to run, bills to pay, and a house to clean. I have drug addicts to intervene, relationships to repair, and a stalker to evade.
    I rub the growing ache in my head and push the phone to Maddie. “It gets worse.” I give her a second to put it all together. “That photo was taken minutes before she sent it. She’s following me. I don’t think she’s finished.”
    Maddie shakes her head in disgust. “Then we stop her before she can hurt you again.”
    She takes my phone and walks into the living room. “Is this her personal phone number?” Then I hear her mumble quieter, pressing the phone to her ear. “For a longtime stalker, she sort of sucks at it.”
    “I don’t know what phone that is. It’s the same number she used while we were planning the gala. Maybe it’s a work phone or…”
    “You listen very carefully,” Maddie says into the phone, her voice as serious and threatening as sweet Maddie can be. “You will not go near Olivia again. Or Devon for that matter. You have no idea who you’re messing with, and if you think you can lay a finger on my best friend again, you have another thing coming to you … You will regret every stupid move you’ve made, and jail time won’t be an issue because I’ll make sure your crazy ass is stuck in a hospital for a very…long…time. Do I make myself clear? No more of these games … Got it? … Good.”
    She hangs up and I exhale the breath I’d been holding. “What did you just do? What did she say? Did she take you seriously?”
    Maddie hands my phone back. “I don’t know. I got her voicemail.”
    “You’re insane. Maybe not Nat-insane. But what if you just added fuel to the fire?” I point to my phone. “You saw that photo. She could be outside our door right now.”
    The doorbell rings, and we both jump. We sit here, frozen, staring at each other, when Lex comes out of the bathroom and looks at us.
    “What’s wrong with you two?” She walks to the door and opens it wide. No crazy stalkers rush in, so that’s a relief. “I’ll be back later.”
    Lex lets the door shut behind her.
    “Who does she know in L.A.?” Maddie asks.
    I raise both hands in an “I have no clue” gesture. Maybe I should’ve stayed at the mansion. At this point, Serena Lynn doesn’t even show up as a speck on my stress radar.

I survived Day One being back in my supposedly simple life. Nat didn’t try sneaking through my window while I slept, and her flowers are out in the dumpster—thanks to Maddie. Devon’s back from Atlanta, and we’re meeting up for lunch. I completely dropped the Lex subject, and he seems to be in a great mood. That’ll probably change when he sees Lex with me, but these two are talking today—face-to-face—whether he wants it or not.
    My phone alarm goes