Barrett, Julia Rachel - Anytime Darlin' (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Anytime Darlin' (20010) (lit)

  “Our flight was cancelled,” said Beth, “There’s bad weather in Dallas, and that’s where the plane originates. It’s okay, Jake. I couldn’t leave now anyway. I need to hear that Devlin’s safe.”

  “Yeah,” said Mike. “Why don’t you give us your keys? We’ll take the Jeep and head home. We can pick you and Devlin up tomorrow, or at least, we can drop your Jeep here. I’ll stick the key under the floormat.”

  Jake looked at his friends gratefully. “Thanks,” he said. “Do you mind hanging around until I get a flight? That way, you can let Mary know what’s up. Tell her I may call her later. If I have to rent a car, I’ll need directions to Devlin’s house. If Devlin calls, do everything you can to convince her to stay at the airport.”

  Jake learned there wouldn’t be another flight to Des Moines until midnight. He couldn’t wait that long. The ticket agent suggested he catch a flight leaving for Chicago in twenty minutes and then connect with a flight to Des Moines. He’d have twenty-five minutes between flights. That would put him in around nine o’clock. The only seats available were in First Class. Jake pulled out a credit card and tossed it on the counter. Snatching up the plane ticket as soon as it was printed, he handed his keys to Mike and gave him the location of the Jeep in the long-term parking garage. Jake sprinted toward his gate. He made it just in time. The flight attendants closed the cabin door right behind him.

  Jake would bring Devlin back. He had no other choice. Devlin had captured his heart years ago. Now that he’d made his feelings known to her, now that he’d made love to her, there was no way he was living without her. She could fight him. She could slap him, she could cry, she could scream at him, and he wouldn’t blame her, but it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. Jake would never let her go. He belonged with her, and she belonged with him. He would do whatever she asked of him, whatever she wanted. He’d leave his job and go to Paris. Sell his property in Idaho if he had to. Move to Iowa and become a farmer. He was prepared to give up everything to keep her. He couldn’t lose Devlin, not now.

  Jake sat back in his seat and ordered straight whiskey. He tossed it down in one swallow, the liquor providing the burn he craved right now. The flight attendant offered to bring him another drink, but he declined. One was enough to take the edge off his anger and his worry. Drinking himself sick, though tempting, would be the worst thing he could do. He’d need a cool head to get through the next four hours. Jake hoped he was lucky enough to make it to Des Moines ahead of Devlin. He’d camp out in the parking lot all night if he had to. This time, she wasn’t getting away from him.

  * * * *

  After spending thirty minutes arguing with the rental car people at Eppley Airport in Omaha, Devlin felt numb with fatigue. She practically had to sign over the mortgage to her home in order to convince them to let her drop off the car with the rental agency at the airport in Des Moines. As she drove away, heading back toward Iowa over the same bridge where her parents, her brother, and her grandparents had died, she broke down. She recognized the Madison Avenue exit in Council Bluffs and pulled off the freeway. The Walnut Hill Cemetery was only three or four miles away. Devlin made her way through town, sticking to streets she was familiar with.

  The hills appeared very green in the late afternoon light. A soft breeze blew in through the open windows of the car as Devlin drove through the gates and climbed the steep brick road to the very top. She parked along the curb and hiked across the thick grass down to the gravesites. Though she’d paid the caretaker extra for upkeep, she hadn’t been back since she returned from Denver four and a half years ago. She tried to live her life pretending the dead still existed, somewhere, just out of sight.

  Devlin recalled her friend Jason saying on more than one occasion, “A little denial goes a long way.” A little denial was a luxury she couldn’t afford right now. They were gone and weren’t coming back. Devlin once again felt like that tree falling in the forest. Her family wasn’t around to hear her. Neither was Jake.

  Just as she did when she’d returned four years ago, Devlin sat down beside the graves. She deadheaded the violets the caretaker had planted at her request. Violets were her mother’s favorite flower. More than anything, she wished she could ask her mother for advice. Devlin wondered what she would do in this situation. She looked up at the clear blue sky, half hoping to hear a voice descend from heaven. Her mother’s, her father’s, the voice of one of her grandparents, even her little brother’s would be fine. Devlin laughed at herself. The dead didn’t speak, except in the movies.

  Devlin stretched out in the warm grass beside the graves. The August sun warmed the side of her face. She had no idea what she would do, but for the moment, she simply wanted to be here with her family. Growing drowsy, Devlin watched the long rays of the sun filter through the birch trees bordering the green hillside. Their leaves seemed to tinkle like coins as they fluttered back and forth in the gentle breeze. Devlin listened to the calls of robins and meadowlarks. She saw a flash of red as a cardinal flitted from branch to branch. The cardinal was the last thing she saw before she fell asleep.

  When Devlin woke up two hours later, the sun had nearly set, its last rays burnishing the hills with copper. She sat up, blinking at the sudden light. Somehow, while she slept, her unconscious mind had considered the facts and come to a conclusion. Janice was lying—that was clear now. Devlin had let her fear of loss overrule her better judgment. She’d been so afraid of losing Jake, so terrified he’d vanish from her life, that she’d done exactly the same thing she’d done the last time. She fled from him without giving him a chance to explain.

  Devlin looked down at the diamond ring she still wore on her left hand. It sparkled in the fading light. She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered clearly what he’d said to her, what he’d done to her, what he’d forced her to admit. After everything they’d shared this weekend, Devlin knew without a doubt Jake would have told her if he had a child. Even, Devlin shuddered, if his child’s mother was Janice Matheson. Jake had never lied to her, never manipulated her. He’d always protected her and put her first. Devlin remembered how he sat at her bedside when she nearly died of pneumonia, holding her hand, murmuring to her in that deep voice of his, hour after hour. He didn’t even know her then.

  Jake alone had called her back to this life. He was the reason she’d returned, the only reason. Devlin realized she had indeed heard a voice from the other side, Jake’s. He’d called to her loud and clear when she hovered near death. Back then she had listened and come home. To him.

  Well, Dev thought to herself, it was time she started listening to him again. She may not make a sound in the forest, but she assured herself that Jake McKenna certainly did. Devlin rose to her feet, brushing the grass from her clothing. She bent over and kissed the still-warm headstones, then looked around for some loose rocks. She’d learned a couple of years ago in one of her religious studies classes that it was a Jewish custom to leave a pebble on the grave of a loved one, to show that they were not forgotten. It took some time to find five smooth, flat pebbles, but she did. Devlin laid them on the gravestones.

  “I’ll be back. I promise,” she said. Then she searched for a sixth stone, tossing it into the meadow beyond the graves for her Aunt Carolyn. She ran to her rental car, searching her memory for the quickest route to the interstate. Devlin knew she could return to the airport in Omaha and try to get a flight back to Denver, but she just wanted to go home, to Grinnell. As soon as she got there, she’d call Jake and apologize. She only hoped she’d be able to find him.

  She had a two-hour drive ahead of her. Devlin figured she might as well make good use of the time. As Devlin drove east, the sun dying behind her, she imagined herself knocking out all Janice’s perfect white teeth. Giving her two black eyes. Breaking her nose. The images made the time pass.

  * * * *

  Jake was exhausted by the time they landed in Chicago, but he didn’t have time to think about it. It was fortunate he’d been seated in First Class
because his plane was forced to circle O’Hare several times, and he had to sprint to his connecting flight. Once again, the flight attendants closed the door immediately behind him. Jake had hoped to have time to call Mary. He wanted to find out if she’d heard anything from Devlin, but that would have to wait until he arrived in Des Moines. His plane out of Chicago left half an hour late. At least it was a short flight. The problem would be finding Devlin. He had no idea whether she’d be flying into Des Moines, driving in, or staying in Omaha. She might even hide out with Mary’s family in Treynor. Jake sighed. He’d get directions to her house from Mary. He’d camp out on her front porch indefinitely if that’s what it took to get her back.

  When Jake disembarked in Des Moines forty minutes later, he searched for a pay phone. All he’d brought with him were the clothes on his back and his wallet. He needed change. Most of the vendors were closed for the night. There were very few passengers about, but he found a rental car agency open near the baggage claim. He got change from the attendant and checked the hours of operation. If Devlin didn’t show up, he’d need to rent a car.

  Mary answered on the first ring. “Devlin?”

  “No, Mary, it’s me,” replied Jake. “I take it you haven’t heard from her?”

  “No, nothing,” said Mary, distress obvious in her voice. “I phoned my mom and all my brothers just in case, so they know to be on the lookout for her. I told them what happened. I hope you don’t mind. I figured if she shows up they can set the record straight.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t care who knows what anymore. Look, sweetie, you must be exhausted. Give me directions to her house, and I’ll let you go to bed.” Jake looked around for something to write on. He realized he didn’t have a pen or a pencil, let alone a piece of paper. “Hold on a minute,” he said. “I gotta find something to write with.”

  The only place Jake could think to look was the rental car agency. He hated to leave Mary hanging on the phone, so he told her he’d call her right back. He’d nearly reached the baggage claim area when he heard Devlin’s voice. Jake stopped in his tracks. He spotted her leaning over the counter at the rental car agency, practically shoving a set of keys into the young attendant’s face. He could hear her trying to explain why she wanted to drop the car off here instead of driving it back to Omaha.

  Jake took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. Jake was sure he could catch Dev if she started running from him, but he didn’t want it to be that way. He could hear the anxiety in her voice as she tried to convince the attendant to accept the car. While she was distracted, he walked right up behind her. Jake stretched a big arm on either side of her, placed his hands on the countertop. He pressed his body against her back, trapping her between himself and the desk. He felt Devlin jerk, and she fell silent. From over Devlin’s shoulder, Jake saw surprise in the young man’s eyes. He could only imagine what this must look like.

  Jake lowered his head. Putting his mouth close to her ear, he murmured, “Devlin, don’t run from me. Please. We need to talk.”

  He felt her breathing quicken. He slid a hand over hers and held her wrist. Her heart was racing. She turned in his arms and stared up at him, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.

  Devlin whispered, “Jake,” before her eyes closed, and she slid down his body toward the floor. Jake caught her up in his arms and carried her to the nearest row of seats.

  Jake laid her across his lap, cradling her against his chest, rubbing his hand over her smooth cheek. “Dev, it’s okay. Wake up, darlin’. C’mon, Devlin, wake up.”

  “Can I help with anything, sir?” asked the young man as he hurried from behind the desk. “Should I call an ambulance?”

  Devlin began to stir.

  “No, I think she’ll be all right,” replied Jake. “Do you have any juice or pop or something? Even a glass of water would be good.”

  “I’ll be right back.” The young man took off at a run.

  Jake continued to speak quietly, rubbing her cheeks and her arms. Her skin felt cold to his touch. She’d left Denver with only the clothes on her back. She wore a sleeveless shirt, and the air-conditioning felt like ice in the airport. Jake wished he had a jacket to cover her with, but he didn’t, so he snuggled her close to his chest. If he knew Devlin, she probably hadn’t had a thing to drink or eat since lunch.

  The young man returned with a plastic cup of orange juice.

  “C’mon, baby, wake up and drink something,” Jake coaxed. Devlin began to wiggle in his arms, and her eyes fluttered open.

  “Jake,” she said. Her voice had a husky sound, as if she’d been crying.

  “Jake,” she repeated, “how…? What are you…?”

  “Shhhh.” He lifted her upright and showed her the cup of juice. “Drink this,” he ordered. “Then we’ll talk.”

  Dev obediently took the cup and sipped. She made a face.

  “No, drink it all.”

  Devlin drank the juice. The young man hovered nearby and asked her how she felt and if he could bring her anything else. Devlin thanked him and told him she was fine, just tired.

  “I’ll be behind the desk when you’re ready to check in the car,” he said politely. He walked down the corridor a little farther than he needed to in order to give them some privacy.

  * * * *

  Devlin decided to take matters in hand. She climbed off Jake’s lap and stood on shaky legs, facing him.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have run off. I’m sorry you had to chase me all the way to Des Moines.”

  “Devlin, I…”

  “No,” she said, taking his hand and pressing it to her lips. “I know he’s not your child.”

  “How?” asked Jake, confusion in his eyes.

  “By the time I left Omaha, I knew she was lying. Maybe I hadn’t figured it out completely, but my subconscious mind knew. It suddenly became clear. Jake, if you had a child, you wouldn’t hide him away, no matter who his mother was. You would love him with all your heart. And when you met me at the airport in Denver last week, you would have been carrying him in your arms. I’m sure of that.”

  Devlin watched relief flood Jake’s face. She felt the emotion as if it was her own. Jake rose to his feet and wrapped her in his strong arms. His heart pounded against her chest. Devlin tilted her head back, a half smile on her lips, inviting him in. Jake didn’t disappoint. He moved a hand to either side of her face and slanted his mouth over hers. Jake’s lips were velvet, and his tongue tasted of whiskey, slightly smoky, as it tangled with hers. Devlin found the taste very arousing. She whimpered beneath Jake’s kiss and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, pressing herself against his long length. Jake broke contact with her mouth. He looked into her eyes.

  “Don’t ever scare me like that, ever. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “You won’t. I’ll never run off again. You’re stuck with me, Jake McKenna.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “In the long-term lot, but I need to…”

  * * * *

  Jake left her standing, bemused, by the bank of seats while he headed to the desk. He picked up the keys Devlin had dropped and called the young man over. Jake reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, removed a hundred-dollar bill, and handed it to him.

  “Will this take care of the inconvenience?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess,” the young man replied, surprised. “I just need to check out the car.”

  Jake handed him another hundred-dollar bill.

  “Consider it checked,” said the young man. “You two have a nice evening.”

  Jake strode back to Devlin. He tucked her arm beneath his and steered her toward the sign pointing to the long-term parking lot.

  “Jake,” Devlin said, “just so you know, I have a small car.”

  “I’m flexible.”

  Devlin’s laughter rang out in the night, and Jake smiled. He loved to hear her laugh. Devlin was his, and as soon as they reached her car,
he would show her. Jake laughed out loud.

  Devlin turned toward him, a question in her eyes.

  “You. And airports,” said Jake, his big hand roaming over her bottom. “There’s something extraordinary about you and airports.”

  * * * *

  Devlin led Jake to her car. He groaned when he saw it.

  “There’s no way I can fuck you in the backseat of that,” he said bluntly, adjusting himself in his jeans.

  Devlin caught his movement and grinned. “Fuck me?” she asked innocently. “I thought you wanted to make love to me.”

  Jake rolled his eyes at her. “How long a drive is it to your house?”

  Devlin pretended to consider the idea for a moment, teasing him. “Oh, about an hour and a half, maybe an hour and forty.”

  “What’s the speed limit in Iowa?” he asked.

  “Fifty-five,” Devlin laughed. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘Patience is a virtue’?”

  “Feel me,” answered Jake, pulling her against him. “This is a virtue.”

  Devlin gasped. It felt like he had a club between his legs. She became aware of an answering wetness between her own legs and wasn’t certain she could hold out another two hours.

  “Oh God,” was the only response she could muster.

  Her eyes on his face, Devlin pressed close as she reached down and unzipped his pants, freeing him. She ran her hands along his steely length, taking care to keep her activities discreet. Devlin heard Jake growl as she backed him around a large cement pillar. The pillar abutted a low brick wall, and the back side faced a dark, empty field. She glanced around. As far as she could tell, they were the only people in the long-term parking lot.

  “Dev, stop.” He reached down and stilled her hands.

  “Why?”

  “I want you beneath me when I come. I want to hear you call my name,” he answered, his voice low and husky in the night air. “Not here, not now.”

  Jake pressed his head back against the pillar and tried to control his breathing. He pulled Devlin close and held her, his hands rubbing her back. Now that her hands were free, she continued her rhythmic stroking of his erection.