by M. S. Parker
Chapter 28
KRISSY
The heartbeat that had been racing was beginning to slow. I supposed mine was returning to its regular rhythm as well, but I was more aware of the one I was listening to than my own at the moment. I slid my arm across DeVon’s chest and waited for him to make a comment about how he didn’t cuddle. Instead, the arm around my shoulders tightened, pulling me closer. We’d kicked the bedspread off and were under the sheet and thin middle blanket, but our body heat was more than enough to keep us warm.
“Remember how I said before that I didn’t just kiss?” DeVon asked suddenly.
“Yeah?” He’d said it to me twice, but hadn’t expounded on it.
“When I kiss a woman, it’s because I know it’s going to lead to sex,” he said simply. His fingers began to stroke my bare upper arm. “That’s the entire point of the kiss, to get to fucking.”
I laid very still, unsure where this conversation was going. Was he going to tell me that this was all because of a kiss? That this was the same as what he’d done with everyone else? I didn’t know if we were at a place where we were going to talk about what we meant to each other, but I at least hoped that all of this meant what we had was different.
He pressed his lips against the top of my head as if he knew what I was thinking. “Until you.”
I tilted my head back and looked at him, needing him to explain that what I was hoping was what he meant. He bent his head and brushed his lips against mine, so gentle compared to how the kisses we’d shared earlier tonight.
“I want you,” he said. “But if all I could ever have from you was a kiss, it’d be enough.”
I ducked my head against his chest, not knowing how to respond. I knew how much it cost him to reach out and I tightened my hold on him, hoping that the gesture would tell him how much that meant to me. It wasn’t a declaration of love or a statement of what we were to each other, but it told me that I at least meant more to him than his other conquests. Right now, that was enough.
Silence fell again and I wondered if we were going to fall asleep here. I hadn’t even thought about that when I’d suggested the hotel room. The clock said it was almost eleven, which wasn’t too late to leave and head back to my apartment, but I didn’t want to move, and I hoped he didn’t either.
“So, I guess we’re even now, right?” Devon’s teasing question brought the mood back to a lighter tone. “No more members of my family you slept with?”
I playfully smacked his chest and laughed. Still, there was a semi-serious question I’d had since I’d realized who Franco was. “Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“Did you know that I slept with Franco before I told you?”
He was silent for a moment and I looked up at him. “No, of course not,” he said finally. “It shouldn’t really have surprised me, though. He is my brother, after all. Whom hasn’t he slept with in New York?”
I propped myself up on my elbow. “You guys are crazy.” I shoved his arm, causing the sheet that had been covering me to drop to my waist, exposing the teddy I was still wearing. I ignored it.
DeVon didn’t. His eyes dropped and he brushed the back of his knuckles across the tops of my breasts.
He ran his fingertips over my cheek and down to my lips. “I’m glad that you came to me and told me what had happened. It made me know that I can trust you.”
I snuggled back down against him and he put his arm around me again. I traced patterns on his skin for several silent minutes before I spoke. “Just for the record, you don’t need to ever trick me or come up with excuses for us to play these games.” I let my nails dig into his tight stomach enough to make him hiss. “I’m enjoying them, and I’d like to explore more.”
His arm tightened and he made a sound in the back of his throat. My pussy, aching from the pounding it had taken, gave a throb of desire.
Instead of rolling me over and taking me again, however, he kissed the top of my head again and murmured, “Maybe you really are perfection.”
“Not according to my mother.” The words popped out. I considered back-tracking but decided to push on instead. He’d shared with me. The least I could do was share this with him. “She stopped by the office on Thursday. Obviously just to annoy me.”
DeVon chuckled. “I like when you pout. You’re cute.”
I was pretty sure I should’ve been insulted by that, but I wasn’t. I liked that I could make him laugh.
“You know,” he said. “I’m curious about her.” His tone was deceptively casual. “I’d be interested in meeting her.”
I sat up in surprise. “Really?” I searched his face, looking for some hint of a joke and finding none. “Who are you right now, because you’re certainly not the DeVon Ricci I’ve known the past couple months? You want to meet my mom?”
“Point taken, but yeah.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’d like to meet the mother of my perfect woman.” He gave me a tight smile. “Unless it’s too much trouble.”
“Um, no, I’m just surprised, that’s all.” I didn’t want him to think that I was ashamed for him to meet my mom. It wasn’t that at all. I knew how she could be.
“Is she here for business?”
I didn’t know how much he knew about my family, so I didn’t specifically answer his question. That was a conversation I didn’t want to have any time soon. I gave him the truth behind her visit. “She said something about going to a charity auction at the Beverly Wilshire on Sunday.”
His eyes lit up. “Let’s go. I love auctions.”
“You do?” He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning.
“Sure,” he said. “How do you think I got all that junk in my house?”
I laughed. “Okay. I’ll tell you what, how about I pick you up and we’ll go together?”
“That sounds great.” He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him so that I was half-laying on his chest. “Now, that’s Sunday, but you haven’t told me if you had plans for tomorrow.”
“Nope.” I pressed my lips against his chest, right over his heart.
“So if I said we didn’t have to be out of the room until noon tomorrow...?”
I scraped my teeth over his nipple and he growled. “I’d say we’d better get your money’s worth.” I grinned up at him, the desire in his eyes sparking a flame inside me. “Think you’re good for another round?”
I laughed as he pulled me on top of him, his body telling me he was definitely ready for a second go.
Chapter 29
KRISSY
This had seemed like such a good idea when it had been just me and DeVon, his arms wrapped around me, the two of us in our own little world. Now, as I was standing in front of my mirror debating whether or not the dress I’d chosen was appropriate, I was beginning to wonder if this was all just a colossal mistake.
We’d decided that instead of me picking him up, he’d pick me up so I didn’t have to drive in heels. I wondered if he was driving or if he’d hired someone to drive us. An event like this wasn’t the kind that people showed up to in a taxi, especially not in LA. Waiting, however, wasn’t helping my nerves any. I’d spent the past two hours trying on different dresses and wondering which one would convince my mother that I had my life together and that DeVon was special to me. Mom had always hated any guy I’d dated because I never picked ones from among her socialite friends’ sons. Never mind that pretty much all of them were total douchebags. Failing to snag a man with a worthy name was yet another entry on my long list of ways I’d disappointed her.
I wasn’t going to let her do this to me. I knew who I was and what I wanted. I looked at myself with a new eye. I would dress appropriately because it was how I wanted to be seen. Not because of whose daughter I was, but because of who I was. The only other person’s opinion I cared about was DeVon, and I was sure he’d like the plain, but elegant, black dress I’d chosen. I’d gone with a minimalist approach for my make-up and accessories as well. My hair
was down and I’d let it keep more of its natural wave than usual. All in all, a good look for me, I decided.
There was a knock at the door and I frowned. Surely DeVon would’ve just texted me that the car was here. I wasn’t expecting anyone else. For a frightening second, I thought that maybe Derrick had found out where I lived and was coming after me. I closed my eyes and took as deep a breath as the fitted dress would allow.
I’d had a nightmare last night that Derrick was choking me again. I’d woken in a cold sweat and had ended up calling Carrie. I’d wanted to call DeVon, but I wasn’t sure if we were at that point where I could call him for something like that. Carrie had gotten me calm enough to go back to sleep, but it was obvious the after-effects were lingering. I glanced at the mirror again, checking to make sure the bruise wasn’t showing through my cover-up. My mother hadn’t commented on it earlier in the week, but that could’ve been because she hadn’t been paying attention. I certainly didn’t want her calling me out on it today.
Satisfied that no one would see it, I left the bedroom and headed for the front door. I looked through the peephole and saw that my momentary panic had been for nothing. DeVon was waiting on the other side of my door. I opened it, letting myself take a minute to enjoy the stunning picture he made. It didn’t matter how many times I saw him in a tux. He took my breath away.
“You look amazing,” he said.
“Thank you. So do you.” I stepped out into the hallway as he held a small box out.
“What’s this?” I was puzzled.
“Just a little something to remind you of me.” DeVon smiled. It was a warm, personal smile, not the charming one he gave to potential clients or other people in the industry.
I opened the box and gasped. Inside was a delicate diamond necklace. I’d never seen anything like it. “It’s beautiful,” I said. I wanted to protest and tell him it was too much, but I knew he’d never take it back. Instead, I reverted to our usual go-to when real emotions were too difficult to communicate. “Is this your way of staking your claim?”
“Something like that.” His eyes were shining as he picked it up.
I turned, pulling my hair aside so that he could put it on. His fingers brushed against the nape of my neck, lingering even after the necklace was fastened. I enjoyed his touch for a moment before letting my hair fall back into place.
He held out his arm. “Ready?”
I nodded, linked my arm through his and walked with him towards the elevator. As we rode down to the lobby, my free hand kept smoothing down the side of my dress. I’d told myself that I was happy with who I was, but that didn’t make introducing DeVon any easier.
“Are you okay?” He sounded concerned.
“Just a little nervous,” I admitted.
He took my hand and brought it up to his lips, his eyes locked with mine. “I promise, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”
“Thank you.” Impulsively, I kissed his cheek, then put my mouth against his ear. “But only with my mother, I hope.”
He gave me a devilish grin that made me regret that I’d agreed for us to go out today rather than staying in.
The driver was waiting by the door of the sleek, black town car DeVon had rented. DeVon climbed in first so I wouldn’t have to slide across, but I still caught my breath when I sat down.
“What’s wrong?”
I scowled at him, letting him squirm for a moment before answering. “My ass hurts.”
He laughed and slid his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. He spoke quietly so the driver wouldn’t hear. “I promise I’ll make up for it.”
Yeah, definitely regretting not locking myself and DeVon in the hotel room for another day.
I put my hand on his knee and slid it halfway up his thigh, enjoying the feel of his muscles under his pants. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
Traffic was surprisingly good for LA and we made it to the Beverly Wilshire in record time. On one hand, that was good because it meant I didn’t have more time to dwell on my anxiety, but it was also bad because now I couldn’t put it off any longer.
The valet opened the door for us and helped me out first. As soon as DeVon stepped up next to me, he took my arm, holding it tight enough for me to know that, despite his reassurances, he was a little nervous himself. He looked down at me and I nodded. Together, we walked towards the hotel. It wasn’t hard to find the ballroom where the auction was being held. All we had to do was follow the line of people with wine and champagne glasses.
Hundreds of people were already there, milling around, studying the art hanging on the walls and the sculptures on their display podiums. Some of them were socialites like my mother – they were easy to spot – but more were like DeVon, wealthy members of the entertainment industry and self-made millionaires. I suddenly felt a bit more relaxed. This wasn’t going to be as bad as the parties my mom used to hold back home.
“Should we get a drink before checking out the art?” DeVon asked.
I shrugged. My nerves were still stretched. Maybe a drink was what I needed.
As he scanned the crowd for one of the tray-bearing waiters, he spoke again, “What did your mom donate?”
“I’m not sure,” I said absently. “A few paintings, I think.”
That’s when I heard it, the unmistakable, shrill laughter of my mother. It wasn’t her real laugh. No, that was much more pleasant, but ten times as rare as the fake sound she made at her parties.
“That’s her,” I said. I looked up at DeVon.
“Let’s go say hi.” He grinned at me.
I took his arm and led the way. I spotted her easily enough. As always, she wore the latest fashion for a woman her age and her hair was perfectly coiffed. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her not look perfectly put together. When I’d been younger, I’d thought she was like that because she was some kind of superhero or something, but as I’d gotten older, I’d realized that her wardrobe was part of her arsenal, her way of telling people what her station in life was without having to be low-class enough to announce it.
“Krissy!” She didn’t hide her surprise at seeing me. “I’m…so happy you could make it.” Her eyes slid to the side, narrowing as they assessed everything from the cut of DeVon’s tux to his slightly-longer-than-she-liked hair. “And you brought a...friend.”
I gave her a tight, polite smile. “This is DeVon Ricci, my–” I wasn’t sure what to call him.
“Date,” he interrupted smoothly. He held out his free hand. “I’m so pleased to finally meet Krissy’s mother.”
“DeVon Ricci.” Her lips pursed in clear distaste. “I’ve heard about you. You’re Krissy’s...” She let her statement trail off as if she couldn’t bear to say the word.
“Boss, Mom,” I said it for her. “He’s my boss.”
“I like to think of it more like a partnership.” He smiled down at me. “In more than one sense.” In one smooth move, he unhooked his arm from mine and put his hand on my back, resting it just around my hip enough to make it clear that we were together.
The look on my mother’s face made it clear that she didn’t approve, but I knew she wouldn’t get into it here, not with so many important people around. She held herself stiffly, as if she’d been mortally offended.
“Excuse me, I have business to attend to. I just realized I’d forgotten to add a particular painting to my donations.”
As she walked away, DeVon chuckled. “That went well.”
I watched my mom go, something gnawing at me that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. She seemed to have made a point to say that she had to donate something else. Something was up.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” I said. I hurried after her, not waiting to see if DeVon followed. The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach grew as I saw my mother talking to someone I assumed was in charge of the auction pieces.
“I’ve decided to donate
this piece after all.” She gestured to a painting on the wall, one that had a ‘not for sale’ sign on it.
One look was all it took to confirm what I already knew. The painting on the wall was of an idyllic countryside. It was a beautiful picture, done in clear, broad strokes. The artist had made it so that the landscape didn’t just look like something he’d stopped by the side of the road and painted. There was something deeper about it, something that made me think of a hidden story. I’d spent hours as a child staring at that painting when forced to attend my mother’s parties. Out of all of the beautiful things we had, that was the only one I’d ever truly loved.
“You can’t donate that!” I marched up to my mother, ignoring the stranger who was staring at me. “It’s mine.”