by Sandy Loyd
“I don’t know.” Dev stared into the amber beer bottle as elation burst inside him. “You might be on to something. Did you call the house?”
“No. We don’t want to tip her off.”
“Good point. Let me think.” Dev sat forward, silent for a moment, wondering if he’d found Judith. “Is the key still in the same place you guys always keep it?” At James’ raised eyebrows, he said, “You know, the one you use in case you lock yourself out.”
“Yeah, my parents would have said something if they’d moved it.”
Dev grinned. “Well then, I’ll make a trip to Tahoe and bring this whole episode to an end.”
He took a big swallow of beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Finally, this nightmare encompassing the worst days of his life would be over. Anticipation replaced negative thoughts. Just thinking of what he’d do once he had Judith in his arms again had his heart racing.
“I’ve got to admit, Mac.” James offered a relieved smile. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“You’re a good friend, James.” Dev stood and clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s good to know someone like you is watching my back. You know I feel the same about you. I’ve got yours covered.”
“Hey, how about a game of pool? Winner picks up the tab for tonight, dinner included,” he joked, shrugging off Dev’s praise.
Dev laughed. Both knew he was the better pool player. “You’re on.” He owed James more than the evening. “And, since it’s a no-brainer that I’ll be the winner, I’ll buy you another beer before we begin.”
They walked over to the bar. Dev gave an order for another round to be delivered to the pool table, before both men headed in that direction.
As the evening advanced, Dev’s mood lightened. In between his shots, he formulated a plan, happy to have concrete information with which to work. He’d head up to Tahoe the next afternoon, using the morning for work to be done in the office. He smiled deviously and aimed his pool cue. Tomorrow he’d surprise his wayward princess.
“I’m happy for you, Mac.” James flashed a grin.
Dev only grunted as his ball rolled into the pocket.
Later, after several games and a hearty dinner, the two walked out of the club to pick up their cars.
“It’s funny, I never think about romance much,” James said. “I mean, Paul found Kate and he’s happy. But hey, that’s Paul, the stable one. It’s something you expect from him. Still, I have to tell you. Just watching you and Judith together gave me a warm fuzzy feeling and restored my faith in love. I hope you find her in Tahoe.”
“Thanks, James. I hope so too. And thanks for tonight. I needed it.” Dev handed his stub to the valet. “I’ll let you know what happens.”
Chapter 19
Friday afternoon Judith walked through the house with its huge wall of windows, taking in the awe-inspiring view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe on her way to the tree-lined deck with a book to read while sunbathing. She loved the setting, especially this time of year. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. The contrasting verdant shades of evergreens and deciduous trees sandwiched between two vivid hues of blue—the crystal clear lake and the cloudless Northern California sky—never failed to make her realize how balanced nature was. Everything had a purpose. A reason for being.
Her break had been cathartic, an ideal solution for working through her emotional upheaval. The Morrison family’s lake house was an idyllic setting for soul-searching.
She positioned the chaise lounge to take advantage of the sun’s angle and plopped facedown on it. Reaching behind, she undid her top and closed her eyes with her thoughts on the past few days.
Arriving on Monday afternoon in an introspective mood, her days had been spent in silent reflection that brought forth childhood memories, and in turn unlocked feelings of loneliness, of being disconnected to her surroundings. She now understood how circumstances produced them.
She’d jumped to conclusions and had assumed the worst, both ten years ago and now. That made her rather shallow and snobbish. It didn’t matter that she had good reason.
She’d always been an introvert, keeping to herself or staying lost in books. Books became her friends, while her imagination eased her loneliness. She’d skipped grades, the first time going from first to third, which had been a hard social transition. It took Judith months to find a friend. The next year, when she went from third to fifth, she pretty much closed herself off socially. By then, all the girls in the class were in cliques and had been friends for several years. None seemed inclined to include Judith in their group and she didn’t know how to break into their circles. So she began the habit of being by herself, which lasted throughout high school. Maybe her parents could have intervened to help her adjust, but since Judith never complained, they were oblivious to her plight.
She’d met Kate in college when she was older, more mature, and determined to make friends. Judith kept her age a secret for two full years, not willing to risk rejection from someone who’d become so important to her.
All Judith wanted back then was to fit in and be part of a group.
After days of deep thinking, she realized how very sensitive she was to anything that made her feel different. Her virginity definitely fit that criteria. She reasoned most people had first loves during their late teens, when the emotional upheaval of romance was tossed in with everything else that adolescents face. Somehow the timing made it less traumatic. She never had that because she kept her emotions inside.
Her feelings for Dev were all too new, especially after their glorious night of lovemaking. She should’ve been able to deal with them at twenty-eight. Instead, she’d botched everything.
Amazing how she could now see things so well from a backward perspective.
When she’d learned about Dev’s building, she’d jumped to conclusions based on emotion, had assumed the worst, and shoved reality aside to become that hurt child again, never giving him a chance to explain. The truth was, she no longer was that girl and hadn’t been for many, many years.
She reassessed her life and decided what she wanted from it. Of course she wanted Dev, but she’d needed to make sure she’d be going to him without chains of the past weighing her down.
Her thoughts switched to Dev and his many livid phone messages. She loved him and knew she had to make things right between them. She sighed.
She’d been ready to leave on Wednesday, yet avoidance had kept her here. Delaying any longer would only make things worse, so she would drive home in the morning. If she didn’t, he’d eventually figure out where she was and come looking for her. She could only imagine what he’d say, and she had no idea of how she’d handle him. All she knew was that it would be better if she headed him off at the pass.
Without warning, as if her thoughts had conjured him up, a voice shattered the stillness of the afternoon.
“Hello, Judith.”
Stunned speechless, she put up a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight and saw Dev, handsome as ever, wearing a polo shirt and shorts with loafers and no socks. Her focus traveled to his face, carved with an expression hard as granite. She couldn’t see his eyes because he wore sunglasses, but she sensed they hid the same hard expression.
“Hello, Dev! I see you found me.” Lame thing to say, but shock had stolen her capacity to think.
He shed his sunglasses and sighed, shaking his head.
She swallowed hard as his gaze slowly slid up and down her body. Warmth rushed to her cheeks at how vulnerable she was, wearing basically nothing. His glance eventually landed on her face and heated blue eyes seized hers, holding them captive. Her mind went blank and she couldn’t breathe or move. She could only stare at him for endless moments.
The spell was broken when he bent to set his sunglasses on the table. Making quick use of the diversion, she stood, holding her bikini top in place, and leaned over to snatch up her cover-up.
Dev, with surprising agilit
y, grabbed her from behind and nuzzled her neck. His cool lips sent shivers everywhere. Her heart skipped beats when his fingers skimmed over her body. Then he turned her around. Her forgotten top slid to the ground as she locked her fingers behind his neck and tugged as instinct took over. She melted into his lips, kissed him, put everything she had into her mouth and tongue, and let the kiss speak of what was in her heart. Eventually he pulled his lips from hers. A surge of disappointment flared until he dropped to the chaise lounge, taking her with him. She landed in the middle of his lap, felt his erection and stilled, embarrassed, yet utterly excited. Judith watched in dazed silence as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring, and slipped it on her finger.
The enormity of his actions hit her. Too shocked to think of what to say, she gawked at her hand.
Dev gave her a gentle tug while he bent and brushed his lips across hers. After he positioned her underneath him, his mouth and hands seemed to be everywhere. All coherent thought fled when his mouth became more urgent. Heat flooded from her center, moving throughout her body like lava flowing toward the sea, hot, fluid warmth, extending all the way to her fingers and toes.
She couldn’t hold on to the slow moan slipping out.
How did he do that so effortlessly and so quickly? The thought dissipated into pleasure as his lips and tongue increased their tempo. She couldn’t not respond, had to return his kiss in order to drive him as wild as he was driving her.
His mouth broke free, moved across her face to her ear and his tongue circled the outside, before he whispered, “Hello, Dev! You found me? I can’t believe you put me through five days of pure hell and that’s all you have to say?” He increased the pressure of his tongue on her ear. When he nipped her lobe once more, she almost came apart at the intense spurt of pleasure. Then he stopped, waited till her moans died, before whispering, “It took me a while but, yes, I finally found you.”
Without giving her a chance to let the building heat coursing through her subside, his mouth captured hers again. She couldn’t catch her breath. He moved too fast, wouldn’t allow the excitement she felt to slow so she could grasp on to control. She melted into his warmth until he broke the kiss and his intent blue gaze snared hers.
“And now that I have, you’ll never get away again. You’re mine, Judith. You belong to me and I belong to you. Do you hear me?”
Judith moaned and closed her eyes. She could barely nod, since he obviously required a response. Her sentiments exactly. He belonged to her, and she planned on having him. She reached for his neck and brought him closer. Once their lips connected, she kissed him with her whole heart, no longer fearful or embarrassed, letting all the love she felt come out in the kiss.
In seconds, Dev’s mouth and tongue were everywhere as were his cool hands. He knew exactly where to touch…exactly where to kiss…exactly how to prolong her pleasure.
Elation surged through her when she felt him taking off her bikini bottoms, felt his hands move lower. His fingers were magical…his strokes heavenly. At the same time, he kissed his way to her breasts, where swirls of ecstasy his tongue and mouth elicited had more heat swamping her core.
A kaleidoscope of bliss burst forth as well as her uncontrolled moan. Prisms of vibrant color washed over her in wave after wave of pleasure.
Without breaking his kiss, Dev rose above her and managed to pull his shorts and underwear down, kicking them free. The next moment, he filled her. Her first orgasm hadn’t receded. Each stroke sent her higher.
Her second orgasm hit and a scream of pleasure pierced the air. She was too overcome with the moment to realize the sound came from her own lips. A few more thrusts and Dev climaxed so powerfully his body jerked. He threw out a forceful groan before he collapsed on top of her. She was completely sated and unable to move, her legs and arms useless.
~
The passion of the joining left Dev breathless. He wondered if it would always be like this with her. She touched something deep inside of him and it brought out every tender, protective, loving, hungry, predatory instinct he had.
He rose up on his elbows and peered down at her closed eyes. “Judith, look at me,” he said in a low voice. When she opened her eyes, adoration shone from them, and he sucked in a quick breath. “I love you. Please, don’t ever put me through something like that again, because I don’t think I’ll be able to survive it.”
His mouth captured hers for a soul-searing, gentle kiss. It amazed him how quickly she aroused him. Would he never get enough of her?
Finally, Judith broke the kiss. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and captured his gaze. He could see she was about to say something important. He waited.
“I love you too, Dev.”
The warmth of the sentiment flowed over him. He’d never tire of hearing it. She loved him.
“But,” she said. He groaned. Of course she had a but. He grinned into her shoulder when he heard what her but was. “We need to talk. You’re not the only participant in this. You can’t just waltz in, give me a ring, and then expect to pull me along while you bulldoze the world the way you want it. If you do, I’ll drag my feet until you slow enough so I can walk or run beside you of my own free will. You got that, Devon McAllister?”
“Yeah,” he said, still grinning. “Come on. We still have a few things to work out. I don’t want sunburned cheeks, so let’s go inside where we can be more comfortable.” He kissed the top of her head and boosted himself off her, tugging her up as he went. His gaze raked over her naked form, stopping at her flushed face. “We can talk later. I’m more interested in taking up where we left off. We have all night and I’m just getting started.”
He discarded his shirt and let it drop to the deck. When she reached for her cover-up, he chuckled.
At her raised eyebrow, he said, “Like that’s going to help you now? Leave it. I like you naked.” When her blush darkened, his grin inched wider. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. I told you last time, you’re going to have to get used to us both being naked and me looking at you while you’re naked.” He turned and taking her hand, led her through the open patio door and into the house. “Which room are you using?”
“The smaller master bedroom and bath.”
He reached the bedroom with her in tow, then aimed for the bed. He kicked off his shoes before he sat down, taking her with him.
“Now, where were we? Oh yeah, I remember,” he murmured, and slowly bent, brushing his lips over hers.
Dev spent leisurely moments touching her, discovering her with his mouth and tongue and fingers, in no hurry. Without understanding why, he needed to make her fully comprehend how it was between them. They belonged to each other. For all time.
As his hands approached the curls at the top of her legs, he spread her legs apart and caressed her gently. She moaned. Her hips came off the bed in response. Her hands found his head, clutching and yanking.
But Dev pushed her back down and said in a tender voice, “Stay still, I want to taste you.”
He then proceeded to caress her with his tongue. She tugged his hair harder, her moans sounding louder. When Judith bucked, screamed her release, he didn’t let up. Not until her movements subsided. Dev stretched above her, but didn’t enter her. Instead, he found her mouth and teased it with slow, erotic kisses. He fought her sensual moans, moving his hand to her breast, leisurely circling in unison with his mouth.
“No,” he whispered fervently, when she twisted her hips into position to take him. “Not yet.”
“Please! I want you inside me! Now!”
He ignored her pleas until she reached down and stroked him. When her tentative fingers captured his fullness, desire so fierce streaked through him, shattering the miniscule bit of control he had left. In a deft move, he sank inside her warmth.
Judith wrapped her arms and legs around him. He tried to keep it slow, still wanting to draw out her pleasure, but Judith’s frantic movements wouldn’t let him. He was lost. Where he tried to brand her with
his body, she branded him with hers. The woman who met him head to head in their sensual battle had marked him for life. He knew in that moment as a flash of clarity struck. He belonged to her, heart and soul. No other would do for him. All he could do was follow her into a mind-altering release.
His heart eventually slowed its rapid beating and he could think again. Dev rolled onto his back and tucked his outside arm behind his head. He gently tugged Judith closer so she was now lying almost on top of him, with her head on his chest.
He lay there caressing her, simply enjoying the feel of having her next to him. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry I hurt you, Judith. I’m not sorry I bought the building because it brought you to me. I did intend to have my revenge. You should be happy to know my carefully made plans unraveled the first time we had dinner together. I never stood a chance after that night.”
“I’ve already figured that out on my own,” Judith said. “What I don’t understand is why you needed revenge? What did I do to deserve it?”
Dev sighed. “That’s complicated.”
She leaned away, eyeing him intently. “Like you said, we have all night, and I’m all ears.”
“Okay.” He hesitated. “I don’t like admitting I was wrong, but I was. I made an error in judgment.” He kissed the top of her head. “The night we met at that party changed me forever. From the moment I spotted you across the room, you held me spellbound. After spending hours talking with you, the feelings intensified. You seemed so different from all those other women I knew at school, game-playing, manipulative, vain creatures whose only goal in life was to catch a good husband. Something happened in those few hours. I fell in love. From then on, no one else would do.”