by Haley Travis
“May I walk you to the galleries?”
His thumb gently circled the back of my hand. Even though he made me a bit nervous, I did
want to get to know him better, and figure out why my stomach was doing massive flips
every time he looked into my eyes.
“Okay.”
We each took a few more sips of coffee while simply staring at each other. Then Devin
stood, holding out his hand for me. I took it, picking up my handbag, and strolled out of the
fancy restaurant as if I was accustomed to doing this sort of thing all the time.
CHAPTER TWO
* Devin *
This morning my hand had reached out to smash my alarm clock, as it did every morning at
five am. But as I sat up, I had realized that today was going to be extraordinary. Something
different was in the air. As I woke up and got dressed, it had rolled around in the back of
my mind, as if I were trying to remember a dream that eluded me.
As I hit the gym, showered, then went to the office, I couldn’t shake the slight prickle
between my shoulder blades that told me something was up. At first I thought I was simply
going nuts. Or maybe it was my quest for adventure, for something new to happen in my
life.
But the second my eyes locked on Kim’s, it all made sense. There was something about her
that was both electrifying and comforting. Part of me couldn’t believe that we were walking
down the street together. A much louder part of my mind screamed at me to take her in my
arms immediately.
I didn’t even care where we were walking, I was just happy to have her beside me. When
she suddenly stopped, my arm shot out to wrap around her, in case something was wrong.
She looked up at me in surprise, those dazzling brown eyes sparkling. “This is the graffiti
alley where several shows have filmed segments,” she said. “Do you mind if we take a
better look? I’ve always meant to check it out.”
“Anything you like,” I said, taking her hand. “Sure, lead me down a scary back alley so that
you can steal my wallet. I know how these things go.”
She laughed, rolling her eyes. It was broad daylight, and this was a wide, clean alley
between trendy retail buildings in a busy shopping neighborhood. It was the farthest thing
from dangerous, but still, there were some hidden corners and I was glad that I was here
with her.
Kim pointed to a huge hot pink mural painted across a wall, then led me farther along.
“Most shows start with that shot because the background is so bright,” she explained.
“Then they come down here and lose the light for a minute. That’s usually when they are
building up to something, then they turn this corner where the light hits their face and they
make their big point with that bright green section behind them.”
“Damn, you’ve really analyzed these programs,” I said.
“The only way to become a great video producer is to always find something different, but that still makes sense,” she said.
For a second I wasn’t even sure whether she was aware she was holding my hand, but
then she smiled as my thumb began to stroke the back.
“You’re distracting me when I’m visualizing,” she whispered, looking up at me sweetly.
“You said that you’re on vacation.”
Kim shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Yes, but I can’t shut off my eyes.”
“Maybe you should,” I said. “Maybe you should take a break from your busy mind and video
producer eyes.”
I was slowly backing her against a wall, and she giggled as her shoulders touched the
painted brick. Releasing our grip, I brought one hand to her hip, holding her close as I gently
covered her eyes with the other.
“There you are,” I said. “No more visual input. No more planning perfect shots, and
analyzing colors.”
I was studying her carefully, ready to release her if she seemed nervous. But from the faint
flush across her cheeks and throat, I could tell that she was as aroused as I was.
“Since you led me down an alley,” I breathed softly into her ear, “Will you forgive me if I
behave like a bad man?” She nodded, her head tipping up to mine.
“Keep your eyes closed,” I commanded, not even knowing where this dark tone was
coming from. She nodded slightly, as my thumb ran along her cheekbone, taking hold of her
chin and tipping her mouth up further.
Brushing my lips against hers, she tasted like sunshine and sweetness and everything I’d
ever dreamed of. The tiniest sigh escaped her lips as they parted, as my hands gripped her
hip, pulling her against me.
Her eyes stayed closed as her hands reached up to find my shoulders. Holding her more
tightly against my chest, I turned my hips slightly so that she didn’t feel my erection
thickening between us.
Damn, she was so sexy that I needed to tear her cute little sundress off right here. Her soft
moan as my tongue melted together with hers drove me completely insane. From the way
she wriggled in my arms, our kiss growing deeper and deeper, I sensed that she wanted it to go further as well.
A deep voice from directly behind me completely destroyed the magic. “Excuse me, you
two will have to move along.”
I spun, slipping an arm around her as I pulled her into my shoulder protectively. “Jesus
Christ, Todd, you don’t interrupt a guy like that.”
The man, in a dark blue uniform, instantly laughed. “Devin? Oh shit, man, I’m sorry.”
I let go of Kim to reach out to shake his hand. “Kim, this is Todd. We both worked as
bouncers several years ago at a couple of huge clubs.”
Todd shook her hand gently, then stepped back. “Nice to meet you, Kim. Sorry to interrupt,
but there’s a film crew coming in, and I need to clear this area.”
“No problem,” I said, taking Kim’s hand again. “We’ll take off. But good for you for getting a
respectable job.”
“Just like you,” he said, looking up and down at my suit. “Mister fancy man with his official–”
“That’s enough,” I said, shooting him a glare that I hoped Kim would think was comical.
“You two behave,” Todd laughed, “or I’ll tell her about the time we had to throw out the
drunken cheerleaders.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I growled, but I couldn’t help grinning.
Todd raised an eyebrow, then gave me a nod and went back to his post around the corner.
Leading Kim out the other end of the alley, she turned us west as we kept walking.
“You know I’m not going to let it go,” she giggled. “Tell me about the cheerleaders.”
I gave her hand a little squeeze. “I’d rather talk about that amazing kiss.”
She was so cute when she blushed. “I’m honestly sort of surprised that happened,” she
said softly.
“I knew it was going to happen from the second I laid eyes on you,” I said. I hoped that I
sounded confident, not like a jerk. There was something about Kim that was twisting me up
inside, making me second-guess every natural reaction.
“Well,” she said, looking up at me through her long, delicate lashes, “I’m on vacation.
People are supposed to let go and be free when they’re on holiday, right?”
I could feel my grin taking over my face. “Absolutely. Why don’t we roll with that? Instead of starting to date like normal people, let’s
act like we’re on vacation this week, and stay
together as much as possible.”
“Week?” she laughed.
“Yes. I haven’t taken any time off in a while, since I haven’t had a good excuse. I do have to
work for a few hours this afternoon, but what if I picked you up for dinner, then we had a
fabulous tropical evening together?”
I was relieved that she only seemed to think about it for a few seconds. “Okay.”
Pulling out my phone, I took down her number and address, so that I could pick her up at
seven-thirty. “Bring a bathing suit,” I said, “so that we can go for a dip in the ocean tonight.”
Her perfectly arched eyebrow raised higher. “Where are you going to find an ocean
downtown?”
“Trust me, I have my ways,” I said.
Pulling her off the sidewalk and under the awning of a vacant storefront, I held her against
me as I kissed her gently. I instantly felt my heart thumping heavily. “I can’t believe what you do to me,” I murmured.
Kim nodded, looking up at me with those wide, pretty eyes, then she stretched up to kiss
me again.
She definitely wanted me. I could feel it. I could taste it. “It’s killing me to leave you for even a few hours,” I whispered into her ear.
“Good things come to those who wait,” she smiled.
Grabbing her hip, I gave her a little shake. “Does that mean you’re going to wear sexy
lingerie for me, since I won’t see you for a few hours?”
She started to giggle, but then saw that I was deadly serious. “What kind of girl do you
think I am?” she asked saucily.
“The kind that knows what she wants, so she’s going to go out and take it.”
Sliding my hand up her back to caress the nape of her neck, I kissed her lightly. “Besides,
you’re on vacation. Just let everything happen, gorgeous.”
Her nose crinkled when she grinned. “We’ll see,” she said cautiously.
“I’ll pick you up for dinner,” I said. “Until then, I’m going to miss you.”
She gave her head a shake, then took off down the street. I raced back to work, quickly
calling my buddy Evan for advice on a romantic tropical restaurant where I could dazzle my
sweet new lady.
CHAPTER THREE
* Kim *
At seven-twenty-five, my makeup and hair were done, and I had finally settled on a green
and black dress with a green tropical necklace. A bikini was tucked into my purse just in
case Devin hadn’t been joking.
The only thing I couldn’t decide was whether or not I should sleep with him.
The heat behind that kiss in the alley had been…remarkable. A little crazy. I barely knew the
guy, so I shouldn’t just be jumping into bed with him.
But in a way, he was right. If I were in Tahiti this week and ran into somebody half as hot as
he was, I would feel compelled to go with the flow.
I considered calling one of the other girls for their opinion, but knew that they would just
laugh at me. I was always so bold when I was talking to my friends. They probably didn’t
have any idea how shy I could be around men. It was too easy to start second-guessing
myself, then suddenly I would be all awkward and had no idea how to behave.
I sort of liked that Devin took the lead. He was incredibly confident, without being forceful. It was a good energy to be around.
Looking down at my feet as they paced back and forth over my purple living room rug, I
wanted to make a decision before he arrived and my mind became scrambled with lust.
Was it even possible for a person to relax and go with the flow if they’d been completely
driven and uptight for the past few years? My career path was tricky, and was taking up all
of my energy. But I also wanted love. Everyone else seemed to find a balance. I’m sure I
could do it too, somehow.
A sharp knock stopped me in my tracks. I was going to have to wing it. The second I
opened the door, Devin swept into the room with a little bouquet of hot pink and lime green
daisies that were delightfully tacky.
Before I could focus on the flowers, he was already kissing me. The way his mouth
gravitated to mine, his hand sliding along my ass to pull our bodies together… His hunger
was making my pulse twitch erratically. Then he stepped back, grinning, as he handed me
the flowers rather formally.
“Thank you,” I said, taking them the four steps into the kitchen. Opening a cupboard, I
reached up for my only vase, but Devin was behind me already, taking it down for me.
“Thanks again,” I smiled, turning in his arms as he set the vase in the sink. I filled it with
water and placed the flowers in it, loving the way he seemed to be staring at me. I already
felt addicted to his attention.
“You’re distractingly beautiful, baby,” he said, his low voice almost smoky. “I took the next several days off work so that I could join you on your little holiday.”
“You’re crazy,” I laughed. “You don’t even know me yet.”
“This is the perfect opportunity to learn all about you,” he said. “Also, I’m sorry they didn’t
have any tropical flowers. It was a last minute convenience store decision.”
As I leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek, his arms wrapped around me, lifting me up
onto the kitchen table. Devin’s huge hands ran up my outer thighs, under my skirt.
Everywhere he touched me, my skin prickled and tingled. There was something so strange
about this man, as if he were a wild animal but his suit was keeping him under control like a
fashionable leash.
I felt like I should slow him down, but I honestly didn’t want to. I wanted him. I needed this
intense energy. I wanted to give myself to him, and didn’t quite care if it made no sense. My
mind felt tipsy, and my body was completely in charge.
“Let me have a little snack before we go to dinner,” he commanded, staring at me with
those wild almost-black eyes. “I’ve been obsessing over you for hours and I need an
appetizer if I’m expected to go into public and act normally.”
Those huge hands grabbed my hips, pulling me against him as his lips crushed mine. My
hands gripped the back of his neck as he held me, a soft growl low in his throat.
Rubbing my thighs together, I could feel the moisture gathering between my legs already.
As Devin’s hand snuck out of my skirt and followed the line of my dress to cup my breast, I
felt like I was actually melting in his hands. Although his touch was a bit aggressive, his lips and tongue were gentle, our slow, dreamy kiss simmering between us while time seemed to
stop.
Tilting me back if I were a doll he was playing with, his lips skimmed down my throat to
nuzzle the top of my cleavage. I felt like I was gasping for air, both from shock and arousal.
His hand slipped up to grip the edge of my dress and bra together, his feverish eyes
meeting mine. “Say yes,” he rasped. I loved that it was a command, not a question, yet he
still waited for permission. The second I nodded, he pulled the fabric away, wrapping his
lips around my nipple as he sucked gently at first, then so hard I squealed. He stepped
back, licking his lips, looking completely pleased with himself.
As I pulled my dress back into place, he gave me another swift kiss, his tongue swirling with
mine as I heard a tiny moan escape my throat.
“That’s what I needed, baby,
” he murmured. “Just another taste for now. I need to keep
your motor running all night long.”
Devin kept his arm around me as I slid off the table. His cocky, satisfied grin made me laugh harder than I had in a long time. “You’re too damn naughty for your own good,” I sputtered.
“And you love it,” he said, grabbing my ass hard.
The way he touched me so casually was strangely arousing. My bedroom was steps away,
and the urge to take him straight there was nearly overwhelming.
Taking a slow breath, I walked to the mirror by the door, checking my lipstick for smudges.
“I don’t have a lot of rules,” I said, waving my finger at him, “But if you wreck my makeup,
you need to tell me immediately so that I can fix it, okay? I’m not fussy about many things,
but that’s one of them.”
“Fair enough,” he grinned. “Let’s go quick before I drag you to the bedroom.”
Although I truly needed to know what made him so deliciously cocky, I rushed him out and
locked the door before I could think about having him naked in my bed.
CHAPTER FOUR
* Devin *
Walking into an extremely fancy Polynesian restaurant with Kim on my arm looking so sweet
and sexy, I felt like a million bucks. Hell, a billion.
After a bit of a womanizing past back when I was a bouncer, I changed my ways when I
followed in my father’s footsteps and went into banking. He set me up with a job as an
assistant at first, but I have a natural knack for numbers and risk assessment and it only
took a few years for me to get a corner office and more money than I’d ever dreamed of.
Sure, it was as exciting as watching paint dry to some, but I got a kick out of running and
re-running numbers to see where things connected, and where they didn’t.
The only thing that bothered me about my life was that I couldn’t be excited about my
