“Have you found Melody yet?” Ty dealt another round of cards.
“No.” As usual, Dev got a terrible hand. Still, he made a show of rearranging the cards like they were winners. “I called their mom, but she hadn’t even heard what was going on.” Tammi’s shocked reaction had floored him.
“Yikes. I bet that was a fun conversation.” Mateo helped himself to another beer from the fridge and came to sit back down across from him.
“Yeah. Tammi seemed pretty worried about the whole thing.” If he’d realized Charity hadn’t told her mom yet, Dev wouldn’t have called, but it was too late to go back now. “If she doesn’t know where Melody is, I doubt anyone does.” What more evidence did they need that she was involved in the robbery? Why go underground like that if you didn’t have anything to hide?
The table got quiet.
They all focused on their hands, shifting cards around, eyeing one another while they assessed their best moves. Dev didn’t have anything to assess. It was a good thing he excelled at bluffing.
Always the first one ready with a strategy, Lucas laid his cards facedown on the table. “So it sounds like Bodie’ll be sticking around and living with Charity then, huh?”
“I would assume so.” Dev laid down his cards too. He wouldn’t know for sure because Charity wasn’t exactly speaking to him right now.
“I swear, Bodie is all Gracie talks about these days. ‘Bodie said the funniest thing at school today,’” Lucas mimicked in a high voice that bore a striking resemblance to his dramatic stepdaughter’s. “‘Bodie did all of the work dissecting the frog so I didn’t have to touch anything.’” He shook his head. “Should I be concerned?”
“Hell yeah, you should be,” Lance said. “Don’t you remember when we were in middle school? We were always trying to find ways to hook up with girls.”
“You were probably the worst of all of us,” Levi reminded his older brother with a laugh.
“I don’t want to remember.” Lucas grimaced. “Not now that Gracie is that age. I can’t deal. I just want to stick her in a magic bubble to protect her from the jerks.”
Dev thought back to the morning he’d spent with Bodie and Gracie. When most kids would’ve done everything they could to avoid getting in trouble, Bodie had tried to protect her. In his opinion that was a good sign. “Actually, Bodie is pretty mature for his age. He’s had to raise himself.” The kid had made plenty of mistakes since arriving in town, but he’d also handled the consequences well. “That’s good to know.” Lucas picked his cards back up as though he could relax. “Still, she’s not allowed to date anyone until—”
A loud knock on Dev’s front door broke the concentration in the room. “Dev?” Charity’s voice may have been muffled, but it still had a sharp edge.
“Whoa. She sounds pissed,” Ty said. “What’d you do?”
“Not sure.” Dev stood and headed across the living room.
“Hello?” Her fist pummeled the wood. “Open this door!”
He did as he was told, fast enough that Charity’s fist came flying toward him. He caught it in his hand and held on. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Don’t play dumb.” She ripped her hand out of his grasp. “You know why I’m here.” She peered past him, seeming to notice everyone else for the first time. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”
Ah. Well, the only thing he’d done since he’d seen her last was call her mother. Obviously she didn’t appreciate his help. “You heard her. The party’s over.” Dev walked back to the dining room table and started collecting beer bottles.
“Seriously?” Try tried to hold on to his IPA. “You’re kicking us out because of a woman?”
“Yep.” Dev snatched the beer out of his hand. “You can take the party somewhere else,” he said, herding his friends to the door.
“Go easy on him, Calamity Jane.” Mateo shot a teasing look at Charity, but wisely stayed out of range.
One by one, Dev all but shoved his friends out the door. “Night all. Thanks for coming. Drive safe now, ya hear?”
“You had no right to call my mom.” Charity didn’t even wait for the door to close fully before she started in on him. “You had no right to tell her what was going on with Melody and Bodie.”
“I thought she knew.” Call him crazy, but he thought daughters told their moms things like that. Sure, they weren’t close, but Melody had been missing for almost a month. “I was trying to help. I was trying to find Melody so we could get to the bottom of everything.”
“Why?” she demanded. “Why do you always have to help? Why can’t you just leave things alone?”
Good question. He’d been asking himself the same thing lately. Why was it so important for him to make everyone else happy, even if he wasn’t? That’s the question that had haunted him since Hank Green had put him in the hot seat at the event the other night.
“My mother showed up at my house,” Charity went on when he didn’t answer. “You shouldn’t have gone behind my back and called her.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Dev put his hands on her shoulders to remind her they were on the same side. “I only wanted to see if she’d heard from Melody. I didn’t tell her to come out here. And I didn’t give her many details. But I should’ve asked you first.”
“Yes, you should’ve.” She backed away from him, her eyes all fiery. “And you should’ve talked to me about the robbery investigation.”
“I tried,” he reminded her. “That night we danced. You told me you didn’t want to talk about it with me. So I figured I wouldn’t say anything else until I knew more.”
“That’s a total cop-out.” She shook her head. “You had plenty of other chances to tell me.”
He couldn’t argue with that, but she had to know his motives were good. “I wanted to protect you,” he said simply. “What good has it done now that you know? You’re worried and upset, but there’s nothing we can do about it right now.” He tried to see past the walls she was putting between them. It was like she wanted him to betray her, so she could walk away and leave him behind. But he wouldn’t let her go that easily. “I know how tough you are. I know you’re independent. I know you don’t need me to protect you. But I want to anyway.” Didn’t she know by now? Hadn’t he shown her? “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You captivate me. I care about you, Charity. I admire you and I respect you, and maybe I screwed up by not telling you, but I’ve also been there every time you needed me. I’ll always be there for you if you’ll let me be.”
She looked at him wide-eyed. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
“I thought if I could find Melody, if I could find a way to help her through this whole situation, you’d forgive me.” Dev walked over and dropped to the couch. “I know it’s messed up, but that’s what I do. I try to fix everything for everyone else. I try to make everyone happy.” Even when they didn’t want his help.
“Why?” Charity came and sat next to him, tears still glowing in her eyes. “That sounds exhausting.”
“I guess in some ways I’m still trying to prove myself to my birth mom. She didn’t want me. I wasn’t worth keeping.” He couldn’t look at Charity. He knew how pathetic it sounded. “So I have to prove my worth. All the time. By doing everything right. By taking care of my parents. By helping you and Bodie. By running for sheriff…” Even though that felt less and less like his dream and more like everyone else’s.
“Dev…” Charity turned to him and gently took his face in her hands. For a second he thought she might kiss him, but she only stared, her eyes brimming over with tears. “You’re already good enough,” she murmured. “You’re open and you’re positive and you’re wise and you’re protective. You are a good man.”
He closed his eyes to let those words soak in. He had no idea how much he needed to hear them until that moment. When he opened his eyes, he saw that tears had spilled down her cheeks.
“You completely messed things up for me by calling my mom, but I still like you
.” Her lips broke into the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. “A lot. I like you a whole hell of a lot. More than I’ve ever let myself like anyone.” She still held his face firmly, centered with hers, like she wanted to make sure he heard every word she said. “So you can stop trying so hard. It won’t make any difference. I like you because of who you are.”
Maybe a lot of people felt the same way, but no one had ever said it to him. No one had ever looked at him like Charity was looking at him either, with eyes so clear and blue he could see into the depths of her. “I like you too,” Dev murmured. Then he carefully guided her face to his and leaned in to show her exactly how much.
Chapter Eighteen
This was the part when she usually started to fight. Fight the pull, the urgency, the no-holds-barred lust Dev’s kiss stirred up in her. But she was tired of fighting. She’d been holding on to his deception so tightly, using it as another shield to protect her heart, but for once she wanted to lay the armor aside so she could accept the intimacy he offered her. Little by little, word by word, her heart had opened to him. Maybe the whole last month had been chipping away at her defenses—all the love she had for Bodie had started to change her. Dev was right…he had been there for her. She’d relied on him without even meaning to and he’d proven himself over and over no matter how many times she’d pushed him away. And she’d kept things from him too. She never told him Melody called…
Charity pulled away from the kiss. “My sister called a while ago,” she blurted. “And I didn’t tell you. Because she didn’t sound good. The truth is, she really might be in trouble. I don’t know.”
“Okay.” Dev ran his hands up and down her arms, and it was so comforting to be touched, to have someone she could share her worries with.
“What’d she say?”
“Just that she’d come back for him. She wanted to check on him, but she wouldn’t tell me where she is or what she’s doing.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this.” He pulled her close, giving her a place to rest, to let go. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, but you have to tell me everything. You can trust me.”
“I know.” He was so good. She wanted to show him, to prove the words she’d spoken. In some ways Dev was as lost as her—trying to overcome the wounds of his past, and she could help him with that. They could help each other.
Charity raised her head to kiss him again, gliding her hands over his shoulders and pulling him tighter in against her. On some level, she’d known this was inevitable, this kiss and what would come after. She’d wanted him for a long time. His hands on her. His mouth breathing hotly against her skin. She wanted to finally satisfy that curiosity that seemed to swell low in her belly and tease certain long-neglected regions of her body.
“You sure you want to kiss me like this?” Dev’s words were jagged, cautionary. But for once she wouldn’t run scared.
“I’m sure.” For the moment, Bodie was taken care of. She’d told her mom she had a few errands to run, and Tammi had told her to take her time. But taking her time would require more control than she currently had. Her patience had run out. The ache yawning through her had to be remedied, and at the moment she could think of only one way to do that. “Let me show you how sure I am.” She pulled him up to stand with her, placed her palms against his chest, and backed him down the hall into his bedroom.
He stared at her, lips parted, eyes full of a heightened awareness as he dragged his gaze down her body. But he didn’t touch her. He still didn’t believe she was sure.
“Sit on the bed.” Again, she pressed her hands against his shoulders, directing him back. His eyes never left her as he sank slowly to the mattress.
Charity lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it on the ground, leaving her bra on for the time being. She eased closer to him, wedging herself between his legs. “Touch me, Dev.”
He brought his hand to the edge of the lacy satin, tracing his fingers lightly over her skin.
Goosebumps prickled the backs of her arms.
“You’re so sexy.” Dev brought his hands down to cup her breasts, teasing her through the material.
Charity’s lungs tightened, laboring each breath. She eased forward and straddled his lap, bending her head to kiss his neck.
Dev brought his hands around her back and unclasped her bra, slowly sliding it down her shoulders.
She sat taller, anticipation boiling through her.
When her bra straps were at the tops of her arms, Dev paused. “We can stop. Anytime.” His eyes were steady on hers.
She brought her face level with his. “We’re not stopping until we’re both extremely satisfied.” She sealed the promise with a slow, seductive kiss, letting her lips linger over his.
“I’m going to make you feel so good, baby.” He brushed the straps all the way down her arms, and then peeled the bra off, his eyes darkening in the dim light. His lips found their way to her skin, leaving kisses all the way down.
“That feels so good,” she murmured, guiding his head to her other breast. “No one has ever kissed me like this. No one except for you.” There’d been a few other men, but no tenderness, no mindfulness. Dev seemed determined to give her the control, to ignore his own desires and offer her what she needed.
More. What she needed was more.
His warm, wet tongue stroked her into sweet oblivion as she lowered her hands to the buttons on his shirt. His shoulders rose and fell, tensed and hard as though anticipating her touch. She pushed the shirt off him, taking her time to feel her way across the wall of muscle and skin that made up his chest. “So strong,” she said, admiring the bends and curves.
“Damn, you turn me on,” he murmured.
Charity spread her knees wider and rubbed up against the crotch of his jeans. “I can see that.” She shifted her weight so she could work on that heavy-duty belt buckle at his waist, but Dev scooped his hands under her and lifted her up, standing. “Not so fast.” He spun and laid her back on the mattress, hovering over her. “First, you. Always you first.”
Charity opened her mouth to protest but he lowered his mouth to her breast again, grazing his teeth against the hardened peak of her nipple while he unbuttoned her jeans.
By the time he raised his head, she’d resorted to gasping, which seemed to amuse him. “Do you need a minute?” he asked, sliding her jeans down her legs.
“A minute won’t help.” She clawed at the waist of his jeans until she could get a good grip and pulled him down over her.
“What will help?” He murmured between soft kisses on her neck.
“You. Inside of me.” Taking their connection deeper.
She turned on her side so they were face-to-face, chest-to-chest, hips-to-hips. Arching against him, she brought his lips back to hers. This time the kiss struck something deeper.
Dev stroked the skin on her hip and trailed his fingers lightly over her butt before nudging her legs apart so he could slip his fingers inside her underwear. His movements were slow and deliberate, which could only mean he had a hell of a lot more control than she did.
Impatiently, she wriggled her hips into his touch, breath shuddering hard when his fingers slid into her hot wetness.
“Mmmm.” He stroked and teased. “You want me.”
“Obviously.” Charity realized she was digging her nails deep into his back. “You need to lose the pants. Now.”
“Patience,” he murmured in her ear. His thumb hooked the edge of her underwear and tugged it down her hip, then thigh. Rustling her legs, she impatiently kicked it off. “Patience is not one of my strengths,” she informed him.
Dev grinned and directed her to lay on her back. “But I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Charity. And I want to see everything. I want to feel everything.” He circled a finger over each of her breasts and then painstakingly slowly down her stomach.
“Is this what you want?” Dev worked his fingers into the folds between her legs, sliding them up to graze that magi
c spot before plunging them deeper inside of her. “Yes.” Her head fell back and she pressed her heels into the mattress, bending her knees.
“What about this?” Dev leaned over her and took her breast in his mouth, while his fingers started a rhythm that made her hips arch off the bed.
“Oh my god, yes.” She strained against the tightening, the pulsing that was pushing her closer to the edge of a monumental orgasm. Not yet. “I mean no. That’s not what I want.” She scrambled to her knees and unclasped his belt. “This is what I want.” This is what she’d wanted since that first night he’d kissed her in his car.
His erection strained against the button fly of his jeans. Dev watched with rapt attention as she undid each button. Ha. Now it was her turn to torture him.
“Let me help.” He yanked his jeans down and kicked them off onto the floor.
“Patience,” she taunted, slipping her hand into his boxer briefs.
A groan of frustration rumbled in his chest. “It was easier to be patient when I was the one teasing you.” He hastily pulled off his underwear, baring himself so she could get a better grip on him. She tightened her hand around his shaft and moved it up and down, grazing her fingers over the head.
“That’s good,” he breathed. “Jesus, Charity, that’s so good.”
“Good but not enough.” She stretched out an arm, reaching for the drawer in the bedside table. “Do you have any—”
“Over here.” Dev rolled to the other side of the bed and opened the drawer, pulling out a condom. By the time he came back to her, he already had it on.
“That was fast.”
“Patience isn’t one of my strengths either.”
She straddled his lap again, situating her hips so she could come down on him and bring him deep inside of her. A moan hurtled out as he filled her, stretched her. “This,” she whispered. “This is what I want.”
“This is what I’ve wanted since the first night I kissed you.” Dev’s hands caught hers and he clasped their fingers together intimately. “You completely naked. Opening up for me. Your body wrapped tight around mine…”
Colorado Cowboy - Includes a bonus novella Page 19