by Tory Baker
“I know about what happened two years ago.” Her head tips down as if she doesn’t want to tell me what she knows. “I mean, I know that Stacey played her games, but I didn’t want to know. I swear, I didn’t look into you or anything. My cousin, he basically blabbed everything that didn’t need to be spoken. I’m not sure if he was attempting to warn me off, or if he was giving me a heads up.” This time, it’s me that takes a deep breath. This woman surprises me at every single turn.
“I’m really sorry, Devon. I promise, this isn’t how I wanted to find out your past.” She’s chewing on her bottom lip, eyes cast down, and she’s gripping the ends of her hair with her hands.
My hands have a mind of their own, and I cup her cheeks as I move closer to her. She was going to find out about my past, anyways. At least now she knows the cliff notes. Nothing will surprise me if we have to go more in-depth; it was something I knew could be a possibility at one point in time.
“Hey, look at me, please.” My voice is soft, with a pleading tone to it. When Michelle tilts her head up, I see the glistening of tears in her eyes. God, I feel like such an asshole. She has no reason to be upset. “Honey, that shit is in the past. I try not to constantly think about it. It hurt, I won’t lie, but it also made me grow up, something I should have done many years before. Then again, if I wasn’t put through that kind of hell, I wouldn’t be standing in front of the most amazing person.” I wrap my arms around her waist, feeling the curves of her body as she molds to me. I tip my head down as she raises hers, clarifying what needs to be stated. “You have nothing to apologize for. I love that you’re upfront and honest with me. It’s a breath of fresh air, and baby, I need that more than you could ever know.” My lips graze hers, not wanting to push this too far, too fast, especially after her admission. When her tongue licks my bottom lip, I deepen our kiss, wanting to taste as much as she has to give. My tongue slides against hers, and we’re grasping at each other. Her taste explodes on my tongue, something I’m coming to know as her own flavor, and I can’t wait to taste every inch of her smooth, milky skin.
We pull away, our breaths labored, my cock raging, and the flush that is usually just on her cheeks has traveled to her chest. The tank top she’s wearing is showing off the swell of her breasts, giving me a tantalizing view, something I want to see more of.
“Wow,” Michelle breathes out as we step away. I grip her hand and lead her to the small kitchen table where our food waits for us.
“No kidding. Since today is Friday, how do you feel about going to the animal shelter tomorrow? I’d offer to go after work, but I have a late meeting with the construction crew.”
“That works. I won’t sleep in as late as I did.” She laughs.
“I may have had something to do with you sleeping in so late. I didn’t get you home before that magical hour.” I wink.
“It was worth it,” she responds, and we tuck into our food. I’ll have to leave when we’re done in order to get things ready for my upcoming meeting. I want my weekend free to spend with Michelle.
“Good, that’s what matters. I hate to eat and run, but that meeting won’t run itself. Howard can do a lot of things, but controlling a bunch of rowdy men and letting them know what we need to work on next week isn’t one of them.” I get up, placing a kiss on her forehead before walking to the front door. “Sit, you don’t have to walk me to the door. I’ll lock it on my way out.”
“Okay.” Her voice takes on that breathless quality, so I lean down, needing her lips one more time.
“I’ll call you later on,” I tell her after one last taste, not wanting to leave Michelle at all. Not when she has the day off, and I could be spending as much time as I want with her.
8
Michelle
True to his word, Devon picked me up bright and early the next morning, even bringing hot tea and doughnuts. That was a treat I didn’t expect. The more I learn about Devon, though, the more I seem to fall for him, which is how I ended up with a stuffed animal instead of a puppy or even an older dog. We looked, we played, but I couldn’t set my heart on one, not with the way I sleep. It wouldn’t be fair on the poor animal. I wish that this crazy sleeping issue of mine was gone. Knowing my luck, I’d have to take my dog to the vet and be like, “Sorry, I kicked my dog in my sleep, then he did a front flip before landing on the floor, and now he’s injured.”
That was not going to happen, so Devon, being the amazing man he is, bought me a puppy in the form of a stuffed animal. He still truly thinks I’ll calm down when the time comes and I have a sense of security in the form of an animal, though I would rather it be in the form of a six-foot-tall, handsomely built, sex on a stick, green-eyed, dark-haired man.
Apparently, he and his brother grew up with dogs, each of them having their own. It’s a trait he wants to pass on to his own kids if he’s lucky enough to have them. When he confided that, my mind instantly pictured the two of us, married, with a home, and two toddlers were running around chasing a dog.
If I’d come out and said I wanted that as well, he probably would have thought I was a creep. It’s a good thing I kept that to myself, though only barely.
I’m not ashamed to say that, when I’m around Devon, he has me thinking, dreaming, and believing that we’ll have a future, so maybe I wouldn’t have missed the mark, but I was definitely too scared to say it.
I make my bed for the day, placing my stuffed animal in the center of it. Every time Devon brings me home, our date ends at the front door, and I hate it. Sure, it’s only been a month since we officially began dating. But that’s not the point, not to me anyway. The parts that I’ve gotten to feel slide up against me a few times tell me he wants the same thing.
It would probably be so much better if I told him how I feel. With this thought in mind, I buck up. It’s now or never for this girl.
I snatch my phone off the nightstand, unlock it, and click on Devon’s name. This needs to be resolved. I mean, at the rate I’m going, my fingers will look like shriveled up grapes from getting myself off so much.
“Hey, baby,” Devon answers the phone bright and chipper. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m a boiling pot of water on the stove, ready to overflow.
“Hey.” I try to sound fine, but I’m anything but fine, and Devon can hear it in my tone. “So, I’m just going to come out and say it. I feel like we’re in this amazing place in our relationship, but I still feel like we’re in limbo, and a girl has needs. Do you know what I mean? Like, I’m finding myself falling deeper for you with every phone call, every date. Anytime you’re near my body wants to meld with yours, and damn it, Devon, with everything that I am, I want you.” I get it off of my chest, and I’m met with silence. I hang my head, thinking I screwed it all up.
“I’ll just… uh, let you go,” I stammer out.
“The hell you will. I hate like hell we’re having this conversation on the phone, but let me give you the cliff notes, baby. I’ve been taking this slow because of my past. I didn’t want to fuck up our future, and I wanted you to see just how much I care about you. I want you more than you could imagine. I fist my cock nightly thinking about you—me down your throat, or your fingers wrapped around me, not to mention how badly I want inside your sweet pussy. Don’t think for one minute I don’t want you. I’ve clearly screwed up, and I’m stuck at home today, not even able to hold you. That’s enough to eat a man up.” His voice is dark and brooding.
“Shit, I think we both probably screwed this up a little bit. I’m sorry. This could have waited until we were face to face, but part of me was scared you might not feel what I’m feeling,” I admit.
“Maybe we did, but I’d rather we have it out now than you hold it in until it eats at you. Since I’m stuck at home while the crew is working on the pool and landscape, why don’t you come over here? Bring a bathing suit. You can even help me cook,” he offers.
“I can do that. I can be there in about an hour. Will that work?” I ask.
“The sooner, th
e better,” he groans.
My own thoughts go to seeing Devon in a bathing suit. My nipples harden beneath my nightshirt, and I really hope today is the day he makes me his. “I’ll be there. Do you need me to pick anything up? Food or drinks?”
“Nope, just bring yourself,” he replies.
We hang up, and I get ready for my day with Devon, this time with more pep in my step than I had when I woke up this morning.
9
Devon
I called my brother, Lincoln right after I got off the phone with Michelle. There was no damn way I was ruining a good thing when it came to her, not with what I feel.
“Hey, big brother,” Lincoln answers the phone, and I hear Presley in the background with Noah.
“Hey, baby brother,” I remark like we usually do now that things are better between us. “How are things down in Florida?”
“Never better. Everything okay in Nevada?” he asks.
“Yeah, I met someone. She’s full of fire and ice, has no problem putting me in my place. Hate to admit this, but I’m scared I’ll fuck it up.”
“That’s the thing about love. You’ll always be scared. Falling in love is a tangled spider’s web, but once you fall, I mean really fall, it’s the best thing you’ll ever have in your life.” I can hear the conviction in his voice. I tell him more about Michelle, how we met, and how I’ve probably taken it too slow. How she’s had no problem confronting me, busting my balls every step of the way. That has us both laughing.
“Thanks, Lincoln. Give my love to everyone. I know Mom and Dad will be down your way soon. Lucky son of a gun, getting all of that home cooking from Mom,” I chuckle. He knows exactly what I’m saying, too. Mom makes some of the best home cooked dinners you could ever want.
“Love ya, man. I can’t wait to meet the girl that has you all tied in knots.”
“Love you, too, and I’m sure it’ll be sooner rather than later. That is if you can bring the family out here,” I try to get Lincoln back home as much as I can.
“We’ll be there whenever you and Michelle are ready.” With that, we hang up. I’m left feeling hopeful, more so now than ever before. The next time that Michelle and I can get some time off, I think we’ll be heading to Florida, or maybe I can get the family to come out here.
I turn on my computer, a plan formulating in my head, and I look for something I never thought I’d do. I pull up a jeweler’s website, trying to get an idea of what I’d like to see on Michelle’s hand. I never thought I’d find a woman I’d want to marry, but it’s more than that. I need to see my ring on Michelle’s finger. I want her to have my last name, my baby in her belly, and for us to grow old and grey together.
The only thing missing now is my family meeting her. Hell, I met her family after the first week we started dating. They had a family gathering at a local restaurant for her father’s birthday. Our family is a decent size, getting bigger with every year, but Michelle’s family took an entire party room and still managed to overflow into the restaurant. Everyone welcomed me with open arms, something I wasn’t expecting in the least, and I want her to feel just as welcomed in ours. With that last thought, I shut down my computer. Today, I’ll be enjoying everything that I can with Michelle. I head to my bedroom to change out of my jeans and into a pair of swimming trunks before making my way downstairs.
When I went to the grocery store, I had no idea she’d be coming over today. I suck in the kitchen, so I always have snack foods, prepared meals, and things that are easy to make that I can’t burn even if I tried. I see the workers have left for the day, and I’m sure I’ll get a nice hefty bill for having them come out on the weekend, but I’ll deal. My weekdays are busier than normal right now.
The doorbell going off interrupts me from pulling food out of the fridge. My woman is here, fucking finally. I all but run to the front door, opening it as fast as I can. She’s beautiful and has a wide smile on her face, twinkling eyes, and her hair is cascading in a braid down the side of her shoulder. Her other shoulder is bare besides the bathing suit strap that is tied behind her back. She takes my breath away.
“Hey, honey.” I bend down to kiss her lips, and her arms slide around my neck, deepening the kiss. My hands mold to her backside, and she loops her legs around my waist as I lift her into my arms. My foot slams the door shut, and I back her up against it. The sundress she’s wearing provides hardly any barrier between our bodies, and I welcome the heat. I grind my hips into her center, letting her know the effect she has on me, that she always has on me.
I painstakingly pull apart from her. “I like your way of saying hello.” Her voice wavers on need with a hint of a smile.
“Stay with me tonight.” It tumbles out of my mouth.
“I’ll stay, but you may want to wear protective gear.”
“I think we’ll both be fine.”
She slides down my body, her own shivering as she does. “Fingers crossed. Show me your place?” she asks.
“Absolutely.” I show her around until we make it back to the kitchen. She helps me get a tray of food together before we go out back. I love seeing her here in my place, and I can see her being here always. It solidifies me talking to Lincoln about Michelle, especially afterward, looking for the perfect ring to place on her finger.
I’ll be doing that soon. So very fucking soon.
10
Michelle
We spend our day lounging around the pool. Well, to be honest, I’m lying on a pool float, flat on my stomach. Devon is in front of me, lazily moving me around in the water. A smirk plays on his lips. His skin is warm from the sun, the droplets of water are here and there on his upper chest and leading to his perfectly sculpted abs.
My eyes meet his, and when I lick my lips, Devon growls, a full-on growl before I’m up and in his arms. We wrap around each other seamlessly, him carrying my weight without an issue as he takes us out of the walk-in, beach-like pool to the lounger he has set up on the back patio.
I think to myself that this is it. This is when Devon will finally fill this void that seems to be hollowed out as if I’m missing a piece of him like he has to be with me as well. I feel the softness of the lounger beneath me. He settles his weight between my thighs, and I feel the full length of Devon. Our bodies align perfectly.
“What you do to me, Michelle.” His forearms cage me in as I greedily glide my hands along his taut skin, feeling him in every way possible.
“If you feel a tenth of what I feel for you, Devon, it’s like my body is at a steady simmer, then when I’m around you, it ramps up even more.”
“I feel it just as much, honey.” His hips ramp up their assault, so I take things into my own hands. I move him with my hips, wanting to be on top of him. For the first time in our relationship, I’m asserting what I want. Devon moves to his back; that smile on his face is back, and I’m getting what I want.
“Are you going to tease me all day?” I question.
“Why don’t you show me what you want?” he teases back, moving his hands behind his head. I’m shocked he’s letting me lead, but I’ll take it and show him just what I want.
I pull the strings of my bathing suit top, flinging the little triangles to the side. I’m bare to Devon’s gaze. I watch the way his jaw clinches, the muscles on his arms flexing, along with his stomach as he grinds into my core.
“Devon,” I moan. This time, I get to torment him. My fingers lightly trace the edges of my nipples as I rock my hips, feeling the length of Devon beneath me.
“Show me what you like, baby. Are you going to get yourself there on my cock as you play with those pretty pink nipples?” He licks his lips. My head tips back, my fingers pinching my nipples, needing that pain to push me to that tipping point. It’s the one way I know I’ll be free-falling into an earth-shattering, soul-shaking orgasm.
“Michelle,” Devon grunts beneath me. The cliff that I was on is taken from me. My eyes pop open.
“Why?” My body is shaking with need.
“I’m going to unwrap my present, honey, one bow at a time.” His voice is the deepest I’ve ever heard it before. He curls his body up, untying the strings of my bottoms with his teeth. My body trembles as his soft lips touch my heated skin, sucking and licking. Devon grabs the material, pulling it off of me, almost like it’s offending him for being in the way.
“God,” I moan. His mouth is on the inside juncture of my thigh, and he’s sucking my skin, branding me. I’m not sure when Devon scooted his body down farther, but I’m now sitting on his face. I should be mortified; he can see everything, smell everything, and feel everything, yet the way he’s paying homage to my body, I’m not. It’s a feeling of being free. His tongue leaves my thigh and licks my clit. I want more, so much more. Apparently, Devon is going to tease me again. My hands find his hair, and I try to manipulate him to where I want him to go, but his hold is too strong. Instead, I hold on to his warm golden strands as he takes his time devouring my pussy.
When his tongue parts the lips of my sex, it causes me to rock my body against his face. The abrasiveness of his five o’clock shadow rubs my thighs, and the way he nips at my clit while he thrusts his tongue inside my center mimics how he’d fuck me with his cock. I’m in sensation overload, and I scream as I have the most intense orgasm ever.
I hold myself up, unsure how that happens when Devon kisses my clit lightly, causing me to shiver.
“I love everything about having you on top of me, baby, but I see the way you’re quivering. Let’s get you comfortable.” He helps me scoot down his body, my pussy leaving a path of wetness from his chest to his lean abdomen until I slide to his lap. This time, it’s Devon’s body that is vibrating against mine. I can feel the way his body feels beneath mine. He’s on a tight rope, and I have a feeling he’s about to snap.