Following Me

by K. A. Linde

  He sighed softly before bringing her face down to meet his lips. She kissed him until she was breathless. When they broke apart, she melted at the sight of him lying beneath her. How had she gotten so lucky after everything that had happened to her?

  “Devon,” he whispered. He scooted his body up, so he was facing her, seated on the floor of the boat.

  “Yeah?” she asked, mirroring him.

  “I don’t really open up to many people, so this is kind of big for me,” he said, taking her hand in his.

  Out of nowhere, Devon’s heart rate picked up. She wasn’t sure if it was just because she hadn’t been completely honest with him or what, but it made her uneasy.

  “This, uh…isn’t my dad’s boat.”

  “What?” Devon asked, confusion creasing her temple. “Then, whose boat is it?”

  “What I mean to say is that it was my dad’s boat,” he said softly.

  Devon stopped fidgeting and stared into his handsome face. Was. That was such a final word. “What happened?”

  “Three years ago, he died in a car accident on the Fourth of July. Sideswiped by a drunk driver,” he said, gripping her hands. “They took him in an ambulance to Northwestern Memorial. It was the hospital he had worked in as a doctor for thirty years. He died before I got there.”

  Devon gasped. “Brennan…” she whispered, clutching his hand more tightly. What could she say? What could she possibly say to heal that wound? No wonder he had been sick and in a terrible mood the week before the Fourth of July. How could she have ever blamed him?

  “I don’t know why, but when I look at you, I sometimes see myself. I feel like I understand you…like we could understand each other. I don’t know if that even makes sense.”

  “It does,” she said quietly, tears welling in her eyes. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms around him. She didn’t even want to ask, but she had to. “What happened to your mom?”

  “They were divorced. I was an only child. She lives in California with her new husband and brood of children,” he said, distaste seeping into his voice. “She was only really interested in me after he died. At least, she was until she found out he left me everything, and I wasn’t going to give her a dime. Now, she doesn’t even send birthday cards.”

  At the thought of having a parent that cruel, Devon felt a lump form in her throat. And she couldn’t even imagine the loss of her own parents. Her problems felt so small next to his.

  “Everything just feels better with you in it,” he told her.

  “It feels better with you in my lifeit, too.”

  Before she could say more, fireworks exploded overhead, filling the night sky with color. Devon jumped in surprise, and Brennan pulled her in closer, laughing in her ear. They watched the sky light up over and over again, content in each other’s arms. It was a beautiful spectacle, announcing the end of the festivities for the day. Devon didn’t want the day to end though. She didn’t want to let Brennan suffer another day alone.

  She stood, pulling him up with her, and led him to the back of the boat. She opened the door, and he followed without question. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned up on her toes and kissed him. He picked her up mid-kiss and deposited her on the bed. Devon shifted under his intense gaze.

  Reaching forward, she worked the buttons loose on his collared shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. He dropped it to the floor and stripped out of his T-shirt. She swallowed hard as she stared at his body. When he lay down on the bed, his hand trailed the curves of her body lightly. He moved to her stomach and pushed away the soft material of her shirt from the warmth of her flat stomach. His lips skimmed across the surface, flicking light kisses across the hem of her shorts before he returned north to recapture her lips.

  Her heart was racing, yet she was completely content with him, being in his arms. He ran his fingers back through the hair he loved as she found herself exploring his longer strands at the back of his neck. His gaze found hers, burning with questions she couldn’t answer.

  “Brennan, let’s stay here tonight,” she whispered.

  He nuzzled into her neck. “You think I’m letting you leave, Belle? You’re very wrong.”

  BRENNAN’S ARM WAS locked around Devon’s body when she woke up. She yawned and snuggled in closer to him. Her thoughts were hazy as she opened her eyes and realized she was still on the boat with Brennan. The bed was comfortable, but lying with Brennan was even better. She hated that it was morning, that their date was coming to a close, that they had to work today, so they couldn’t hang out on the boat all day again.

  Rolling over to face him, she began to twirl the hair on the back of his neck again. She really liked the longer strands and the way he looked at her when she played with them. His eyes slowly opened, and he smiled when he saw her.

  “Morning, Belle,” he said before he kissed her lips.

  “Good morning.” Her heart fluttered at her nickname. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed it until last night when he had finally called her that again.

  “Can we skip work today?” he asked, nibbling lightly on her bottom lip.

  “Uh-huh,” she said. Her body was suddenly wide-awake.

  “Okay, good.”

  As his hand slid up the back of her shirt, she arched in response.

  “No one will even notice that we’re both playing hooky.”

  “Definitely not.”

  She did everything she could to keep her focus, but she wasn’t winning. Work didn’t sound like that great of an idea anyway. It would be better to just stay here all day on the lake and forget the rest of the world. Brennan tracing her rib cage with his fingertips wasn’t helping with her motivation to leave.

  “It’s not like I need money to pay rent or anything.”

  Devon inhaled sharply as his hand brushed her breasts unexpectedly.

  He stopped moving and pulled away. “Oh, that’s right.”

  “That was a joke, Brennan,” she said, pulling him closer.

  He kissed her lips again. His body shifted over her, covering her. As his hips began grinding into her, she groaned, and her legs naturally moved to wrap around his waist. Her body was pulsing, and all she could think about was getting him closer and closer. She didn’t want this to stop. She didn’t want any of it to stop. He tried to break the kiss, but she pushed her hands up into his hair and pulled his mouth back down to hers. He growled deep in the back of his throat and gripped her tightly.

  “Dev,” he said with a painful edge to his voice, “I don’t want to stop you.”

  “Then, don’t,” she said, willing him to continue.

  She knew they had to go, but she didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want to think of anything but Brennan—the feel of his body pressed into hers, his heated touch, his passionate kisses.

  Brennan sighed and moved back just far enough, so he could look at her face. “But we have to stop.”

  Devon stuck out her bottom lip and pouted.

  “I don’t mean it like that. I want to, Dev. I do.” He planted another kiss on her lips and then nibbled on her bottom lip again. He stopped and smirked. “I’m not playing around. I do want you, but we have places to be.”

  Devon rolled out from under Brennan and stood, so she wouldn’t tempt him any further. He reached out and took her hand, placing a kiss on it.

  “You look good in my shirt,” he said, gently pinching her exposed thigh.

  She jumped, surprised by the touch. “Don’t pinch me!” Devon cried, reaching forward and pinching his arm.

  “Who said you could pinch me?” he asked, crawling across the bed. He wrapped his arms around her middle and yanked her back into bed. “On that note, who said you could get out of bed?”

  “I’ll do what I want,” she said stubbornly.

  “Not until I let you,” Brennan said, holding her tightly and wrestling her back into the bed.

  It didn’t take much effort because she wasn’t really
fighting him. Although if she had put up a fight, she was sure it still wouldn’t have taken much effort on his part. He was surprisingly muscular.

  So, she stopped resisting entirely and enjoyed the fleeting minutes they had left, locked away on his boat. She wished they didn’t have to leave, and when they did leave, she wished that they could come back soon. This felt right for them, and she wanted to remember that and cherish it for what it was.

  BRENNAN DROPPED HER off back at her apartment and escorted her all the way up to the forty-third floor. He stopped her before she could head inside. He picked her up by her waist, letting her feet dangle above the ground. She giggled and leaned forward against him.

  “I’m going to miss you.” He let her body slide against his as he released her, placing her gently back on the floor.

  “I’ll see you soon,” Devon said, shaking her head at him. She was dizzy from his touch and his enthusiasm. She couldn’t get enough of him.

  “Too long,” he murmured. He walked her backward into the wall and captured her lips.

  “Much too long,” she said between breaths. “Maybe you could stay—”

  “I’d never make it to work on time.”

  “Not such a bad thing.” She fiddled with the buttons on his shirt.

  “That’s not helping.”

  Devon smirked deviously, toying with his shirt more. “Just stay.”

  Gripping her wrists in his hands, he pulled them away from the buttons and lifted her hands up next to her head. “Maybe tonight. I’ll stay here, or you can stay with me. How does that sound?”

  “Like forever away.” She pouted despite her heart feeling like it was beating out of her chest.

  “So, is that a no?”

  “That’s a yes, of course.”

  “Good.” He released her, kissed her one last time on her lips, and took a step back. “I’ll see you at work then, Belle.”

  Devon watched him walk away. Sighing heavily, she wished that he could have stayed, but she knew it was impractical. They actually did have to work. They had gotten yesterday off, and Brennan had missed too much recently because of his dad. She couldn’t let him miss work again because of her.

  She pushed open the door to the apartment and was surprised when she noticed that Hadley wasn’t camped out on the couch already. “Hadley?” she called, tossing her purse on the floor next to the side table.

  “Hey,” Garrett said, walking out of the bedroom.

  “Oh. Is Hadley here?” she asked. Since the incident, she didn’t like being alone with him. It didn’t sit well with her.

  “No. She went to get lunch with her mother, who is in the city for the afternoon,” Garrett told her.

  “Her mom is here?” Devon asked.

  Hadley’s mom was the nicest woman Devon had ever met. She was a mirror image of her daughter—all smart, pretty, and bubbly. But she didn’t like big cities; they made her feel claustrophobic. So, there must have been a good reason for her visit.

  “Yeah. Drove up this morning.”

  “Why?” Devon asked, narrowing her eyes.

  “Hadley didn’t say.”

  “That’s…weird,” she said. “Does her mother know about the overdose?”

  “I don’t know. Only if Hadley told her,” Garrett said.

  “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see her later then. I have to get ready for work,” Devon said, turning toward her bedroom.

  She shut the door and pulled out her phone from her back pocket. She glanced down at the screen, and her stomach dropped to the floor. Her phone nearly slipped out of her fingers, but she gripped it tighter even though her hands were shaking. There were five texts and a few missed calls from Reid, all from the last hour.

  She swallowed hard, wondering what this could be about. Her brain told her not to read them. What good could come from reading them? But she couldn’t stop herself. It couldn’t be a coincidence that all the messages were so close together.

  I saw your parents on TV this morning for some award ceremony in New York. Are you in the States?

  FUCK! She couldn’t believe he had seen the ceremony.

  Devon? I’ve missed you since you’ve been gone. If you are in the States, hurry home. I have a bed waiting for you.

  Devon shook her head. This could not be happening.

  Why aren’t you answering me? Are you avoiding me? Answer your phone. Let me know if you’re here. I’ll fly out to get you.

  To. Get. Her. She knew what that meant.

  Answer your goddamn phone. Since when do you not answer my texts right away? Are you in New York with someone else? Is that what this is about? You better text me back right away. Better yet, call me. I need to talk to you.

  No. No. No. No. No.

  I don’t know what the fuck you are doing, but if you don’t call me, this isn’t going to be good. I’m giving you fair warning. Don’t be a bitch. Call. Me. Back.

  Devon’s palms were sweating by the time she finished reading the last text message. Not good. This was so not good. How the fuck had she not thought of this? Of course, he would happen across her parents’ award ceremony, the one she had skipped with good reason.

  Her hands were trembling, and she was barely keeping it together. What would he do now that he knew she hadn’t been in France? Okay, she was getting ahead of herself. He didn’t know that. He just knew that her parents were in New York. They could have come back from Paris for it unexpectedly. She could have stayed in Paris…right?

  She shook her head. He was too smart. She couldn’t fool him into believing her. Not that she could text him back if he was flipping out anyway, not that she had responded to anything he had sent her in weeks.

  How did he do this to her? How did he make her feel so guilty for what she had done when he was the one who had hit her? She needed to keep repeating that to herself or else she would end up texting him back. She already felt bad for lying to him. They had been together for so long. Not letting him know that she was alright felt weird. But if he found out, he would make sure that she wasn’t.

  A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts, and then the phone started ringing again. Reid. Fuck.

  “Hey, Devon? Can I come in?”

  Devon silenced the phone and tried to stay calm. “What’s up?” she called out to Garrett.

  All she wanted to do was lie down and pretend she was back on the boat with Brennan.

  The door cracked open, and Garrett cautiously walked into the room. “Do you think we could talk?” he asked.

  “I’d really rather not,” she said, not wanting to deal with this and Reid.

  “Don’t you think we should discuss what happened?”

  “I prefer to just forget about it,” she said. She really wanted to forget everything at the moment.

  “Right,” he said, shaking his head. “You would rather run off with Brennan and avoid everything that’s happening in your life. Does he even know about the things that went on with you and your boyfriend?”

  Devon glared. “It’s none of your business what I’m doing and who I’m with.”

  “I’m just trying to look out for you,” he said, taking a step toward her.

  “I really don’t want to talk about all of this right now, Garrett,” Devon said, crossing her arms.

  “I’m trying to apologize,” he insisted.

  “I know. I get it. I just can’t even think about it. Reid has been calling and texting me nonstop all morning. He won’t leave me alone. I don’t know what he’s thinking or what he’s doing, but I’m just sick and tired of it. So, please just drop it for now!” She turned away from him.

  “He’s been contacting you?” Garrett asked.

  “Yes! All morning. I have to go to work, and I’m going to be late. So, please just drop it Garrett.”

  “Dev,” he said consolingly.

  “Please, Garrett,” she pleaded, hoping he would actually listen.

  “Fine. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I made a mistake
. I don’t want you. I want Hadley. And I should have never let any of this happen.” He threw his hands out wide and walked back toward the door.

  “No, you probably shouldn’t have,” she said. Her emotions were too high right now for her to have this conversation. She just wanted him to leave, so she could wallow in peace.

  “But it was just a drunken mistake.”

  “Garrett, please just leave. I can’t handle anything more right now,” she pleaded.

  Garrett shook his head and walked through the doorway. Turning around to face her, he said, “I’m trying to do the right thing here, Devon.” Then, he walked out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

  Devon gritted her teeth upon his exit. It wasn’t that she intentionally wanted to be angry with Garrett, but she was just too mentally exhausted. Between her growing feelings for Brennan, Reid’s persistence, and Garrett’s continual reminder of that night, she was too drained to deal with anything.

  Devon quickly changed into her uniform and pulled out her phone to let Brennan know she would be a few minutes late. She clicked out of the new missed call from Reid and sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t likely stop anytime soon.

  Another message flashed on the screen as she was deleting Reid’s call.

  I’m going to be a few minutes late to work. Can’t wait to see you.

  Brennan. Devon smiled.

  She exited the screen and sighed. She missed him.

  Staring down at her phone, she was full of frustration, doubt, and regret, and then she remembered that Reid didn’t know she was in Chicago. As long as he didn’t know, then she was safe from him. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him. She would deal with him in August when she was on more solid ground.

  DEVON SHUFFLED INTO Jenn’s Restaurant a full fifteen minutes late. After her conversation with Garrett and those texts from Reid, she hadn’t been able to get herself together. The only way she had guaranteed she wouldn’t respond to Reid’s messages was to leave her phone at home. She had backtracked her steps and picked up her phone at least three times before tossing it back on her bed and leaving it there. The last thing she wanted to do was thumb through her messages at work while Brennan was around. They had too much to talk about tonight after work, and she didn’t want him to find out about Reid early.