“Devon, please. Just give me a minute.”
His eyes grew wide and he lifted himself off of me. “Of course, chère. Are you ok, is this ok?”
I nodded and he moved over to lie next to me. I curled up next to him and his arms pulled me into him. This was truly the best feeling. I was safe here. He unwound my hair that was starting to come out of the wrap I’d done this morning. He slowly unbraided it and ran his fingers through the mass, sending delicious shivers through me. We lay there in silence for a while and I felt peaceful.
“Talk to me, chère. Don’t keep me out.” He was holding me tight and it was just as heavenly as I imagined it would be when I thought about curling up with him yesterday.
“I don’t mean to. I’m sorry. This feels really good.”
He nuzzled my neck and kissed my shoulder. I guess that meant he agreed with me. “It feels incredibly good. I could stay here forever.”
I giggled at that.
“That would certainly get me in trouble with the guys downstairs. They’re expecting me to get you back with the program, not change the channel.”
He chuckled. “Whatever. They know I’m going to do what I said I would do. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to do what I want to do, too.”
I was smiling so wide my face hurt. “You are very loyal to them.”
He rolled over on his back and sighed. I turned over and placed my head on his chest. He brought his arms around me and was caressing my shoulder and my back, tracing lines with his fingers.
“I guess it’s loyalty. I just do what I say I’m going to do. I wouldn’t bail on them. I just couldn’t come up with any new material and they started to panic. I didn’t feel it, what was I supposed to do? I know Marcus would just keep regurgitating the same shit but I want us to grow.”
“You guys definitely have a distinctive style. But then you guys play stuff like you did last night and that sounds terrific, too. Why does it have to be all the same? I think your fans will love you no matter what you play.”
He rolled over on his side to face me and rested his head on his hand. “Do you really think so?” I nodded.
“Of course! I know it’s hard to mix it up when you’re trying to establish your fan base, but once you do, I think your fans like to hear a little bit of mixing it up. I mean, think about Guns n Roses? ‘Use Your Illusion’ was very different from ‘Appetite for Destruction.’ And of course, Metallica! Their range has blown the doors off of what was expected of them.”
His face showed he was taking in what I’d said. He seemed to be working something around in his head. Then he narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re pretty incredible, you know that?” I rolled my eyes at him and he frowned, hard. “Why do you do that, Jaylene? I’m serious. I love how you always say what you think and don’t let anyone intimidate you. Even if it might not be the popular thing to say.”
I snickered. “Maybe that’s why I was never popular. I couldn’t stand the posturing. I liked what I liked. I still do.” I shrugged. “I never got people who said what they thought others wanted to hear. Not until I went through my grad program. Now, I understand, but it doesn’t mean I could ever do it.”
He kissed my forehead and continued to play with my hair. It was so relaxing. It helped to ease my anxiety. When he spoke his deep voice rumbled against my ear and tickled me, giving me chills.
“That’s why being with you is so refreshing. So many people who’ve been around us had their own agenda with our music or they were just hoping we’d give them a boost. They'd say anything sounded good, even if it sounded like shit. I mean, there was a time when I thought songs like Mystical Stick were the height of sophistication...”
I couldn’t hold the giggles in whenever he talked about their ridiculous songs.
“Oh, you think that’s funny? Better not tell Marcus. He’ll explain the whole concept to you and why it’s highbrow entertainment. He’ll give you a thorough demonstration,” he said as he was making vulgar faces and gestures. I was really laughing now and he started to tickle me. “Your laugh is the best medicine, I swear. I could listen to it all day.”
I stopped, suddenly self-conscious. I pushed myself up onto my elbows and looked into his eyes. “Who are you, Devon Boudreaux? Who are you and why are you in here with me?” I looked at him in wonder. I was seeing much more than his pain with him this close to me. He was a completely different person alone. One whom I liked so very much.
“I’m in here with you, Miss Charles, because it nearly killed me to see you so upset. I promise I won't let that ever happen again, ok? I don’t want to ever be the cause of that again. I just want you smiling and laughing and frowning at me. Even rolling your eyes at me. That part is kind of sexy.” I gently slapped at his arm and he snaked his hand up my exposed skin and let his fingers drift along my side.
“And I want to see you blowing your bangs out of your face when you get frustrated. And I want to see your face relax when you sleep. And I want to see your eyes light up when I kiss you.” He leaned in closer to me with his eyes open and staring into mine. He kissed me tenderly, his tongue gently urging me to let him in.
I moaned into him and our tongues met and danced together, reminding me of how good it felt to dance with him last night. Everything about Devon made my body feel more alive. But this whole thing still scared me.
I pushed the fear to the back of my mind where I vowed I would keep it until my time with him was up. I thought about what Mackenzie said and knew that being with Devon made me happy. And I wanted happy. I wanted him. I’d been alone for too long.
He rolled me on top of him and my hair fell all around us like a fort we could hide in and play. He pushed it back off my face and our eyes held each other. My legs were straddling his hips and his hands had slid up the outside of my shorts. I sat up and put my hands on top of his.
“While I am certainly not in favor of ending our current activity, we kind of left things a mess downstairs. I meant what I said about not wanting to make things more difficult for you. You have the guys waiting for you down there and I should go finish my task.”
I searched his face to get a read on his reaction. His smile was gone, but I didn’t see the pain in his eyes. With a gigantic sigh, he sat up pulling my hips dangerously closer to his. We groaned at the incredibly good feeling that movement brought us both.
“Oh wow,” I breathed and he grinned back at me.
“Yeah, I second that.”
We were now face to face, our chests touching, and his hands were gripping me tightly. I was afraid if I moved at all we’d both fall apart. He started kissing my neck and it was getting increasingly difficult to think straight.
“So what are we going to do about this, mmmmm, situation we seem to have found ourselves in?” He spoke this against my throat, finishing by running his tongue up the side. I was breathing hard. My legs were liquid.
“It’s certainly a predicament. What do you suggest?”
He laughed softly. “If I have to go downstairs, a cold shower might be in order.”
I kissed my way along his chin to his earlobe, bringing his thick silver hoops between my lips and pulling gently. I felt him push against my core and we both moaned.
“God, I don’t think even a cold shower will help this.”
We both looked down at the evidence of our dilemma. Oh. Impressive! Even through his jeans. My cheeks reddened and so did his.
“Serious talk, Devon. Just what is our situation? What do you want?”
He did his best to answer my question without letting his hands roam anymore, but I was extremely aware of the pressure against my hips. His hands were so large they covered me from hipbone to tailbone, his fingers touching in the back. And I was not skinny by any means.
“Serious talk? I think my situation is that I’m emphatically attracted to you. I want to be with you, however you’ll have me. I also have work to do.” He smiled sadly. “Which means that this can’t continue at the present time.”
“Jaylene, what do you want?”
I smiled at him and looked down at my hands for a moment to regain my composure.
“Well, Devon, I want to get to know you. I like Smiling Devon and I really want to soothe Sad Devon. I also want to further explore possibilities with Sensual Devon. But I don’t want to take you away from your duties. So we have to have ground rules.” I hoped he agreed with me.
“Agreed,” he said with a business-like sternness that was still very sexy. “I have to practice, you have to draw. I have to agree to share you with those knuckleheads down there during business hours. You have some tattoos to do. I have to keep my hands to myself when we’re not alone. When we are alone, though...” He started to lean towards me for another kiss and this time I put my finger against his lips, which he promptly kissed.
“When we are alone, Mr. Boudreaux, we need to have rules, too. I’m your employee, for all intents and purposes. You may not think that is serious, but I do. As much as I want you to not keep your hands to yourself, we need to think about that. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Cause. Problems. For. You.” I tapped my finger against his lips with each word.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, which was coming down around his face in his current relaxed state. When he looked up at me, his eyes were full of worry. And hurt?
“So does that mean this isn’t going to happen between us? Because I’m not ok with that.”
I reached up and cupped his face in my hands, running my thumb across his lips. Gods, I loved those lips.
“I’m not ok with that either. I want this, but like I told you, I have a hard enough time just trying to date someone, much less navigating the world of employer/employee relations.” I smirked at him and he at least gave me a sad smile. “And I should also tell you that I haven’t been physically involved with anyone since, well, ever.”
His eyes snapped up at me in disbelief. “How is that even possible?”
I frowned at him. “Well, maybe you are used to the world of having women throw themselves at you, but the world I live in? Yeah, my world has only been populated by guys who either thought I would be an easy score or who wanted a BFF. So you’ll forgive me if I’m a little inexperienced because neither of those were particularly pleasant.” There was a hint of defensiveness in my tone.
He grabbed for my hands and when he spoke the concern in his voice touched me. “I only meant that how is it possible that the men you’ve been around couldn’t see how special you are? It just makes me even more sure that I want to do right by you. Whatever it takes.”
His words brought tears to my eyes. “You just need to be honest with me, always. Even if it’s to say that you’re moving on. Ok? I’m not fooling myself here. I know what kind of lifestyle you have. I’m not asking you for any commitment other than to tell me the truth, always.”
I could tell he was bothered by what I said, but it needed to be said.
He pulled me into a tight embrace, his face buried in my hair. “I will always tell you the truth, Jaylene. I know you don’t know me well enough yet to believe me, but I always keep my word. And I plan to show you that.”
“Thank you,” I whispered into his shoulder.
He reluctantly let go and made to get up off the bed. He turned to look at me over his shoulder. “You don’t need to thank me. I promise I’ll do my best, but it is going to be damn hard to behave like nothing’s going on. I want you so bad it’s going to be downright painful.”
I couldn’t help but giggle at that.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “You find that amusing, chère?” There was humor in his voice.
“Nope. I’m just glad I won’t be the only one suffering. I may be inexperienced, Devon, but that just means that how you make me feel is driving me crazy. I can only imagine how much better it could get from here.”
His eyes lit up and that damn sexy smile of his was back. “How about how much better it will get? There are how many days left on your contract?”
I started Friday and today was Sunday... “Fourteen,” I answered him.
He licked his lips and rubbed his hands together.
“So two weeks for me to show you that you can trust me. Two weeks. I can do two weeks. In the meantime, I’ll still get to look at you, watch you work, and dream about you in the bed right next door...Ok, that’s probably not a good idea. I’ll dream about all the things we can do when the two weeks are up.”
“A lot can happen in two weeks,” I said with a smirk. “You might just realize there’s a reason Mackenzie always tells me I’m a pain in the ass.”
Devon stood up from the bed, shaking his head at me. He walked around the foot of the bed to my side and stood with his hands on his hips. “Oh, you’re a pain, alright. But it’s an exquisite pain. One I will revel in for the time being until I can be with you again.”
With that tasty morsel he left the room and left me to try to pull myself together. I could still smell him on me and it made it difficult to stop smiling. In the bathroom, I had to tame my hair and I splashed some cold water on my face to hopefully tame the redness and swollen lips.
I looked at myself for a long time in the mirror. Before all this insanity when I’d look in the mirror, I’d see an average looking woman. Gobs of blonde and whatever color I was in the mood for hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin. My tattoos were the only things I thought made me anything more than ordinary. I was medium height, medium build. I was pretty much nondescript other than the ink. But today I saw a sparkle in my eyes, a glow to my skin, and surprisingly, a few curves. My skin was flushed from recent activity and the color made my features stand out. I smiled at my reflection, almost like a long lost friend I was seeing again after a long separation.
I silently thanked Devon for waking these feelings in me. I could still feel the warmth from his skin against mine, and a pleasant ache in all the right places from his attentions. So this was what all the fuss was about? Oh, I’d been kissed before, absolutely. But kissing to me brought memories of beer breath, slobber, and overeager lips trying to devour my face. I pictured hands trying to maul me and get my clothes off. Devon had done none of those things. He was gentle yet persistent. He was full of passion, but restrained enough to respect my limits. That led me to a tantalizing thought. How would it feel if he lost some of that restraint? The small amount of his passion I’d felt so far was consuming. What would it be like to touch all of him?
A knock on my bedroom door had me shaking off my fantasies for the moment.
“Yeah?”
Star opened the door a crack. “Jaylene? Hey, we’re sending out for lunch. What do you like on your pizza?”
Lunch? I checked the clock to see that it was 1:00! Devon and I had been up here for almost two hours.
“Oh, uh pepperoni and mushroom? Is that ok?” I peeked out the bathroom door and he had just stuck his head in the door.
“That’s great. And Jaylene? We’re all really sorry. I can’t believe we were such idiots. Can you forgive us?”
I smiled and walked over to the door, opening it all the way. “There’s nothing to forgive, Star. It was my mistake and frankly, I can see why you guys would think it was humorous. Let’s just promise not to keep anything that major from Jaylene in the future, sound good?”
He blushed. “Of course, yeah. I’m so sorry.”
“Not to worry. I’m fine. Devon and I talked.”
Star’s face split into huge, relieved grin. “He was so worried. I’m glad you talked. We were all afraid that you would leave.”
This seemed to be a common thread. I tried to answer him with a mild voice filled with conviction.
“Star, I’m not going to leave. I’m going to probably ask y’all more questions from now on, but I’m not going anywhere. Ok? So just forget about that.”
“Tha
t’s good. I’m glad. And I’m happy for Devon. He hasn’t been this happy since...” Star scratched his head. “You know? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this before. He’s always been fun to be around, kinda quiet and reserved like you’ve seen him. But he hasn’t smiled, really, in a long time. Even before we lost Maggie.”
I wasn’t surprised to hear that. It sounded like things were out of hand for a while before then.
“I’m glad he’s smiling more, but we have more work to do, right?”
He gave me a sad smile and nodded. “Yeah. We do. So pizza should be here in about 45 minutes. After that we’ve got more to practice today. Sherry’s flying in tomorrow and we need to have something ready for her so she can tell the label we’re making progress. We may even start recording week after next if they like what we’ve got so far. Shit, we’ve got a lot to do though. I hate this part. The pressure really sucks.” He was running his hands through his hair, making it stand on end.
“It seems counterproductive to put timelines on art, doesn’t it?”
He looked at me quizzically. “Yeah, you’re right! It’s not like I’m writing a research report, I’m writing to express myself. But they pay us, I guess, so we’re kind of on their dime.”
“No doubt. When I’m in the same situation with a client, I just draw word for word exactly what they ask for with minimal interpretation. Usually they’ll look at it and say, ‘Hmmm, that’s sort of it, but can we add a little of this or a little of that’ so I end up getting more time to work.”
He chuckled. “Ah, so you’re sneaky too, eh? Maybe we should try that, like perform some country shit or even some pop rock and have them say, ‘Weeeelll, we like where you’re going with that, but maybe something a little, more, oh say, heavy?” We both laughed at that and headed down the stairs together. Star just really had a way about him that eased peoples’ discomfort.
“I got a question for you. About last night.”
“Ok,” I said cautiously, worried about what he might say. “What did you want to know?” Please don’t let it be about Devon, please don’t let it be about Devon.
Haunted Page 17