Decision made, she stood and grabbed her phone, then surveyed the scene. “Stay there,”she commanded, moving to the back of my rocking chair.
Samson lifted his head and regarded us with interest. I pointed a finger at him. “Samson, stay.”
He tilted his head and perked his ears, but stayed in place.
Devon crouched beside me and held up the phone. “Say ‘Devon’s tea is awesome’!”
I grinned for the picture and noted how she’d managed to get the tea and porch into the frame as well.
She snapped the photo and stood. Right as she moved, Samson bolted toward us. Devon moved to avoid him, but instead of behaving like a normal dog that wasn’t trying to constantly harm people, Samson tangled himself in her legs.
“Ah!” Devon screeched and started to fall.
I grabbed her arm to steady her, but the move ended up pulling her into my lap.
“Oof,” she said as she landed full-throttle against me.
I cradled her in my arms. For one brief moment, it was just her deliciously soft body pressed against mine, and it was glorious.
She pulled herself upright almost immediately, but Samson woofed and pawed at the two of us, keeping her on my lap.
Thank you, you magnificent dog. Such a good boy. The best boy.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, attempting to stand up. “I swear he’s trying to kill me.”
He was doing something, all right, and I was beginning to think he was as much of a meddler as Chief. I grinned and tightened my arms around her, hoping she’d take the hint. “It’s okay.”
She stilled, and Samson gave one final woof before joining Daisy back in the patch of sunlight on the porch.
I owed that dog a steak dinner.
Devon relaxed, but stayed upright on my lap. Our eyes met. Wordlessly, I trailed my fingers up her arm, from the soft underside of her wrist up to her shoulder and back, and she steadily melted. After a few minutes, she lay against me, her head against my shoulder, her body perfectly curled into mine.
“Aaron.” Her voice cracked.
“Devon,” I whispered, and kept tracing her skin.
She twisted so that she was looking at me, one arm holding herself upright while the other snaked around my neck. Her eyes were the blue of the sky right before sunset, and her cheeks were pink. Her lips parted.
“You are gorgeous,” I said, my voice low, reverent.
She flushed even more, her eyes resting on my lips before meeting my gaze again. “This won’t be the best.”
“What won’t be?”
“This kiss.”
I tightened my grip on her waist as I wet my lips. Her eyes followed the movement. When they met mine again, they were dark with want. My heart pounded and I moved my hand down to her legs, finally giving in to the urgent need to touch them, and pulled her closer. “How about you let me be the judge of that?”
She hesitated a fraction of a second, and I leaned up to meet her. All I wanted was to feel her lips on mine. “Is this okay?” Even though she’d started it, I needed to be certain.
Devon nodded, closing the inch left between us, and finally, her lips were on mine. My brain stuttered to a halt, and my entire world zeroed in to the way her lips felt, lush, soft, and pliant. I gripped her tighter, and she shifted on my lap. She pulled away for a breath, and I pulled her back, immediately pressing her mouth to mine again. She tasted of sweat and cherry chapstick. I licked at the seam of her lips, teasing them open even though I couldn’t go any farther because of the wire, then fusing our lips together again.
I moved her so that she faced me as much as possible, not caring that she could definitely tell how excited I was, and wrapped my arms around her. She moaned and rocked against me, all shyness banished now that she was in my arms. She felt incredible, all luscious curves and softness, her skin silky beneath my hands, the shorts practically non-existent in this position.
I gripped her velvety thighs and sipped at her lips, unable to get my fill of the tiny sighs and sounds she made. I would stay on this porch forever. I would wait however long it took, and I would battle whatever demons needed battling. If Devon was the prize, I would endure anything.
I swallowed her groan. “Aaron,” she whispered. She rested her forehead against mine and pushed her hand through my hair, exhaling a soft swear. “Never have I hated having my jaw wired shut more than right at this moment,” she said, her voice low.
I met her eyes, dark blue now, as her fingers traced down the side of my face to my chest. “Agree. That was still a great kiss, though.”
She giggled, and her cheeks flushed. “It wasn’t bad.”
“Not bad?” I feigned hurt. “It needs to be the best.”
Her eyes glittered. “Guess we need more practice.”
“Come here,” I growled, and gathered her to me once more.
13
DEVON 5 MONTHS, 12 DAYS TO GO
I FLIPPED THE switch, then watched as the overhead light blew out. “Great,” I muttered. With this final bedroom, the entire upstairs was officially in the dark. Every room’s light had blown this morning, and I knew it wasn’t the bulbs. This was definitely a wiring issue, and wasn’t that awesome.
At least it was daytime. I crossed the room to open the curtains, and dust flew out at me. I sneezed, then wiped my watery eyes.
Undeterred, I grabbed the cord to yank the blinds up, but they didn’t budge. I bit back a groan. Of course. Why would they move? That would be far too easy. I tried again, really putting some muscle into it and looking up at the top of the window at the same time. Instantly they came off, popping out of their casing and flying out to land with impressive precision on my head, then flopping down to my arms and landing in a dusty heap of cheap plastic on the floor.
