Devotion (Indecision Duet Book 2)

by Brittany Fuller

  “Hey asshole,” Rex says. “You forget something?”

  “Nope!” I answer before I lie. “I was just on my way.”

  “Yeah right, lying was never something you were ever good at.” He jokes through a loud laugh. “Are you coming or not?”

  I look at Evelyn and pull her close, feeling her fall into my side effortlessly like she used to. The feeling warms me inside as I kiss the top of her head and realize how much in this moment I never want to let her go again.

  “I’m on my way. Give me about 30 minutes and I will be there. I’m bringing a friend too, just so you know.” I smile into the top of Evelyn’s head as she looks up to meet my eyes.

  “Well, about damn time you two made up. You were starting to really piss me off!” Rex says before yelling off at someone in the distance. Something about not pouring too much lighter fluid on an already blazing bonfire. “Don’t be a bastard now and blow us off all because you have your life back together.”

  I look down at Evelyn and realize how much she is my life. The only life I will ever need, and can’t see anything ever being able to change that ever again.

  “I can hear you, Rex!” Evelyn says into the receiver, earning her a laugh from both of us.

  “We are on our way!” I say with a smile, ending the call and feeling my heart lighter than I have ever felt before in my life.

  “What is this all about?” Evelyn asks as she pulls away from me slightly.

  “A little old fashioned country party. You game, baby?”

  Her eyes light up and I can see excitement there over the thought of seeing further into my world. The look in her eyes fills me with more than I ever needed from her, and I know no woman will ever be able to replace the joy she gives me.

  “Am I!” She enthusiastically responds. “What are we waiting for, let's go!” She exclaims climbing in the cab through the driver's side and scooting her way over to the passenger door.

  I climb in and stop her by pulling back on one of her wrists. Shaking my head, I motion for her to come back over. “I just got my arms wrapped back around you for good. There is no way in hell I’m letting you sit that far away.”

  She smiles as I start the ignition and put the car in reverse. Closing the door, I wrap my arm around her as she settles into my side and look behind us as I back out, turn the truck around and continue back down the dirt road we came in on.

  She snuggles closer, and I hear her whisper lowly, “Promise never to lose me again?”

  “You’re my lifeline, Ev,” I confess, a realization I’m just now making myself. “Losing you once almost killed me. Losing you again would end me. Like I said Darlin’, you’re it for me. It’s time you start accepting it.”

  “Ditto.”

  Evelyn

  We drive in silence for a while with me cocooned in Noah’s side and our hands laced together. A soft breeze blows in through the rolled down windows and my heart brakes a little as I realize I might never be happier than I am now. As long as I have Noah, I could never want anything more.

  “Die a happy man” by Thomas Rhett plays low on the radio and I feel the rumble in Noah’s chest as he hums along. Wrapping his free arm around me a little tighter, he kisses the top of my head and I melt further into his side. Closing my eyes, my joy is uncontainable as I smile to myself - thankful that our past is now behind us. Soon, Noah brakes our embrace as he sits up a little straighter and turns the truck down a dirt road. I watch as fireflies dance in the tall grass on the sides of the road as we near our destination. Up ahead I can see a bright light, and the closer we get, the scene I make out in front of me makes me laugh and almost burst over with excitement. Pulling up to the side and backing his truck down in between the other cars gathered around one of the hugest bonfires I have ever seen, Noah puts the truck in park and kills the engine. Turning to me, he looks me up and down as if he is undressing me with his eyes before he smiles and bites his lip.

  “Come here,” he whispers.

  Loud noises come from those gathered around the fire, but at this moment, it is just Noah and I as he holds me close and stares into my eyes. Brushing a stray hair behind my ear, he kisses my lips softly before pulling back. Not breaking our embrace, he says, “We don’t have to stay long. I just got you back and I’m not sure I am ready to share you just yet.”

  I smile, “A few times in the back of your truck wasn’t enough?” I jokingly ask.

  His grin widens as he pulls me closer and rests his head against my own. Grabbing my hand, he kisses my palm up to my wrist. Slowly he lowers it to his lap and presses down so I could feel how aroused he is again. “Baby, I will never get my fill of you. Just thinking about the way you feel, how good you taste, it’s enough to drive me crazy.”

  Torturing him, I let my hand caress him tenderly and watch as his need and desire build in his eyes. A low growl escapes his lips as he pulls me closer. “God, baby. Screw this party. Let me take you home. I don’t think I can wait to have you again, Ev.” He says through gritted teeth as I quicken my strokes.

  His mouth finds my neck, and he proceeds to kiss and suck his way down to my collarbone. His loose hand comes up and caresses my breasts. His strokes grow stronger as mine grow quicker. A whimper escapes my lips as his hand drops to my thigh and he begins feeling his way towards my center. I am moments away from agreeing. I am seconds away from telling Noah to take me right now, damn whoever might see. Right as the words are about to escape my lips a thud comes on the driver’s window. Breaking away from each other, I turn to see Rex. His drunken face is plastered to the glass and he is giving us a mischievous smile.

  “Hey, Romeo!” Rex yells through the glass. “Just because you're a taken man again doesn’t mean you can be a shitty friend. I got a beer with your name on it. Hurry the hell up and get your ass out here.”

  I turn back to Noah and see him roll his eyes. Giggling, I figure it might be best if I answer because the blood is not necessarily rushing to his head right now. Or at least the wrong one, for that matter. “We’re coming! Save the lecture!”

  Rex smiles and wanders off. Grabbing both sides of my face, Noah kisses my lips. “Just give me a minute,” he says. I nod and kiss him one more time as I scoot over and exit the truck.

  Looking toward the fire, I see Gwen walking up to greet me. A beer in each hand. She hands me one and I take it willingly. She glances around me to Noah and raises her eyebrows, an all-knowing look comes over her face and she smiles wide. “I take it things went well after you dropped me off at the hotel?”

  Smiling, I bring my beer up to my lips and take a long sip. “You could say that.”

  She links her arm in mine and starts leading me down toward the fire. “Well shit! It’s about damn time.”

  Reaching the fire, I notice a few familiar faces and some I have never met. I nod and smile to those gathered around as Gwen leads me further across the yard to a truck where Jolene is sitting on the tailgate. A mason jar in her hand, she smiles as I approach.

  “About time you got here,” she says. Glancing over my shoulder, I see her smile at someone. Turning, I notice its Noah staring at the two of us. She nods towards him, and he smiles and turns back to talk to Rex and a few others I noticed him talking to at the bar last night.

  “Glad to see he finally got his head out of his ass,” Jolene says. She holds up the mason jar to me and I lean away, not knowing what it is or what she expects me to do with it. Laughing she says, “Oh come on! You never had Kentucky shine? It won’t bite, at least not that hard.”

  She winks at me as I take the jar from her. Lifting it to my nose, I smell it and look up still unsure. Glancing over at Gwen, she gives me a nudge and I figure to hell with it. When in Rome, right? Taking a swig, I don’t notice much at first. By the time I hand the jar back to Jolene, the burning warmth down my throat makes me start coughing.

  “That good, huh?” Jolene laughs taking the jar back.

  “Mmmmm, I love it!” Gwen says stealing the jar away
from Jolene and taking a bigger shot.

  Jolene laughs again. “Slow your roll, Gwen. I don’t care how seasoned you think you are, that stuff right there will knock anyone on their ass!”

  Still slightly clearing my throat, I soon feel a warmth take over my body. The kind that typically takes three shots to feel. Knowing she’s right, I figure I’ll steer clear and stick to my beer. Raising it up to take a sip, I feel two hands wrap around my middle and soon ease back as Noah’s lips find my neck.

  He kisses me once and holds me against him gently. “Don’t go making my girl drunk now, sis. Not everyone was raised on that stuff right there.”

  Jolene rolls her eyes. “She might not have grown up in the country, Noah, but I think she can handle herself.” She winks at me and jumps down off the tailgate.

  In the distance, someone turns on a radio. “She’s got this thing about her” by Chris Young flows through the night around us. Gwen and Jolene walk off towards a few people in the truck next to us, and I feel Noah’s grasp on me tighten. Soon, I feel his lips next to my ear.

  “Dance with me,” he whispers.

  Stunned, I don’t answer. He turns me around to meet his stare. Love stares back at me as he takes my drink and sets it on the tailgate. Desire builds between us as he takes my right hand and raises it. Kissing the inside of my wrist, he pulls me closer and wraps his free arm around my waist.

  “Here?” I ask, glancing around us.

  His eyes hold mine still as I look back at him. As the song enters the chorus, Noah sways me to the music and I feel myself blush knowing people are watching us. He pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head. Keeping me close he slowly leads me in a small circle as we sway back and forth by the fire. By the middle of the second verse, I have tears in my eyes. How I could have ever left this man before I do not know. I must have been crazy to think I could live without him, without this.

  “I love you, Evelyn,” he whispers in my ear. “I will love you forever. I loved you before I ever met you. You complete me.”

  I know he can’t see, but my smile couldn’t get any wider as I press my face against his shirt and a tear rolls down my cheeks. “I love you, too,” I whisper as he releases me into a spin. I laugh as I twirl back towards him and he catches me. We stumble a little as he regains his footing and continues swaying me to the music. I sigh as I lean in and rest my face against his chest. His rhythmic movements melt me. His warm embrace engulfs me. Looking up, he smiles at me and my heart bursts with joy for being able to put our past behind us and finally move forward.

  A drop of water hits my cheek. Stunned, I notice Noah must have felt it too because he backs away slightly and looks up at the night sky. Another drop falls, and we look at each other. Soon, the sky opens up and a sudden downfall pelts the ground around us. Screaming, everyone jumps off tailgates and seeks the cab of trucks or runs to a house I notice is not too far away.

  Grabbing my hand, Noah laughs as he leads me running through a field in the rain. “Noah, where are we going?” I yell as the rain falls harder around us.

  He doesn’t answer, but keeps a tight grasp on my hand as I continue running after him and watch my feet splash through the mud. A few moments later I find myself standing in front of an old black Kentucky barn. Noah opens the door and ushers me inside. Laughing, I run in and try shaking some of the wet rain off of myself, although I am drenched and it is no use. When I look up, Noah’s eyes are clouded over when they meet mine. His eyes roam over my body, and I look down to see my clothes, wet and plastered tight against my skin.

  In a rush he grabs me, pushing me up against the door to the barn. Hastily, he grabs my legs and wraps them around him. He steals my breath with the urgency he takes my kiss. I moan into his mouth as his hands run up my thighs, up my waist and grab me through my shirt tightly. His thumbs graze over my tender breasts as my heart rate quickens.

  “Noah,” I gasp as his face lowers and he sucks my neck, stopping only to nibble the tender flesh he’s just exposed. “Here?” I ask, my breathing rushed with desire.

  He presses me against the wall harder and slowly pulls me down so I can feel how hard he is against my own arousal. Desire takes over as I feel his thickness grinding against me. I hear him pant my name once as my hand finds his zipper. Driven with need, I don’t care who hears or sees. I need him inside me right now just as much as he needs me wrapped around him. Quickly, he pulls away from the wall and I find myself descending onto a pile of hay near us.

  “No one can hear us up here,” he says, as if he’s reading my mind. His hands start ridding me of my clothes in a hurry. I grab his belt and quickly unfasten it. Pushing his pants low, my heart races when I find him completely aroused and circle his hardness with the tips of my fingers. “Make sure you scream my name when I make you come undone, baby. I want to hear how I drive you crazy. I want to know how bad you want me.”

  His face lowers as he kisses his way down the now bare center of my chest. My eyes flutter closed as his fingers connect with their prize. My toes curl as a groan escapes his lips. He continues lower, his assault on my body making my breathing quicken. He blows on my swollen flesh and I arch my back as I hear him whisper, “Get ready, I’m about to show you how much I love you, and how I never intend to stop.”

  Evelyn

  “Well, all I can say is it is damn good to see that big of a smile on your face once again,” Gwen says the next day as we walk through town.

  The events of yesterday seem like a blur, one that I want to hold onto as long as I live. Not just the way that me and Noah made up, but before that, after that, and everywhere in between. Breathing again for the first time in months, I feel more than just the weight I used to carry lift. It’s almost like I feel free for the first time in my life. What it is making me feel this way, I am not quite sure, but I know I want to hold onto this feeling as long as I live and never let it go.

  Stopping for a moment to let a few cars pass before we cross the street, I look over at Gwen and notice she’s in her own little euphoric state of mind. Smiling like I haven’t seen her smile in years, I watch as she texts someone, giggles to herself and then puts her phone back in her purse.

  “And what is all that about?” I ask. “Do tell what has you all giggly and blushing.” Shaking her head, she doesn’t say a word just continues to stroll along beside me.

  Heading towards the newspaper office, Gwen tells me she had told Jolene she would meet her at the cafe and then the three of us would meet up later after my appointment for drinks. Not quite sure what to expect, I was a little surprised when I called the office this morning and Mary extended an invitation to meet with her this afternoon. Not that I have decided to stick around permanently or anything, but after the events of last evening, I don’t plan on leaving for long again if I don’t have to.

  “So, are you seriously considering this?” Gwen asks. “You know, uprooting your whole existence and moving all the way across the United States.”

  “What, you don’t like Kentucky?” I ask.

  Squinting, she looks around us. “No, I didn't say that. This place has its potential.” I can’t help it and laugh at her statement. “Just gut checking you. Making sure you are sure, you know?”

  “Gwen, the last time you gut checked me, I wound up drunk, getting my boyfriend and one of my oldest friends into a fist fight, and then crashing my car into a ditch making us wind up here. Let’s not go there!” I joke.

  She laughs. “True, my latest track record isn’t so stellar, huh?” We come to a stop in front of the newspaper office and look inside. Her stare catches my attention through the glass. “You ready for this lady?”

  The realization that so much more awaits me on the other side of the door begins to rattle my nerves. Taking a deep breath, I exhale slowly and nod my head. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Besides, it’s just a meeting. Not like they are already shipping my bags over from Cali or anything.”

  I turn to look at her. “Keep telling yoursel
f that sister.” She says as she pulls me in for a big hug. “Good luck, I’ll see you in a few, ok?”

  I nod and watch as she walks away. The evening is rolling in, and I stand at the door to the office a little bit longer before even attempting to step inside. The weight of the possibility of what opening that door could bring is just a little too heavy to make me take a step forward. Is this one of those moments that will change my life forever? Do I even have a choice, or is it all just predestined as some would say? Can I really do this, possibly move all the way here?

  I look to the left and my eye catches the fire station across the street. Sitting out front waiting for a call is Noah, Rex and Cash. I catch Noah’s eye for a moment and he smiles, but then notices where I am standing and an inquisitive look crosses his features. I hadn’t told him anything about my meeting with Mary. Last night, all I wanted to do was be with him. Be us. Be in the moment and not think about anything else but the past we had finally put behind us. Now, with the weight of my future possibly standing right in front of me, it all seems a little too surreal. Looking down, I see him fumbling with his phone before mine alerts me a text had just come in.

  Noah: I’ve got 14 hours left on shift Darlin’. Then I plan on doing nothing but you for the next 48. Be ready.

  Glancing back up, I blow him a kiss and watch his smile grow bigger along with my heart. No, there is no turning back, only moving forward - and the only place I ever want to be is with him. Looking straight ahead, I don’t even hesitate as I pull on the door to the office and step inside.

  “The pages were supposed to be at the press 30 minutes ago, Stacey. What do you mean you are still waiting on B section?” I hear Mary say from a desk in the far corner of the room. A few workers are spread out across the office. One looks scared as hell, the other looks pissed as Mary stands with her arms folded at the desk she’s using to call from. The third could care less as he sits in the corner with his feet up on his desk.