by Haley Travis
heard something. “I have to get back to the kitchen. Lovely to meet you, Kim.”
Clayton stood up to shake my hand. “Thanks for coming, Devin. It means a lot to me. And
thank you for your help with the other thing last week.”
“Anytime,” I smiled. “That’s what old friends do.”
He took off to the kitchen, leaving Kim to stare at me strangely. “Do you just know
everybody in the city?” she asked.
“When you know a bunch of restaurant people, you end up hearing quite a bit of the inner
gossip,” I explained. “You find out who spends time in what neighborhood, what sorts of
people frequent which restaurants and bars, that sort of thing.”
“Why do you need to know any of that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t. But my brother Damon is a chef, so I’ve always sort of listened in.”
Kim’s delicate dark-tipped fingernails skimmed her hair back behind her ears thoughtfully as
she glanced around the room. The server came to take away our plates.
“Are you hungry for anything else?” I asked her.
“I couldn’t possibly eat another bite,” she laughed. “I’m going to have to find the time to join a gym if I keep eating out with you.”
Reaching for a hand across the table, I entwined our fingers. “If you join a gym, you’ll have
less time for me. Let’s just work it off together, okay?”
Her hand tightened on mine as she looked at me very carefully. “So, you don’t see this as a
vacation fling? You really want this to last?” As soon as she spoke, she bit her lip shyly as if she regretted it already.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, baby, it’s been so long since I had a girlfriend that I forgot that women need things spelled out loud and clear. You’re my girlfriend. We’re already together.
Now we just hang out until we see what happens next. All right?”
Her gorgeous eyes blinked rapidly, then she nodded. “Okay.”
“And if you have any more questions for me, please ask,” I said. “I’ve heard of my friends
having all sorts of strange fights because people won’t come out and ask about whatever’s
eating them up inside. So just ask.”
“Okay.” She looked like she was about to say something else, but changed her mind.
Reaching under the table to squeeze her knee, I asked, “Would you like to go somewhere
else? Dancing, or martinis on a rooftop patio? Or we could go back to my place.”
Watching her teeth dig into her bottom lip for a second as she looked up at me through her
lashes was a very clear answer, making my pulse race.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
* Kim *
I was feeling girlish and shy around Devin again, and didn’t know why. I wasn’t sure what to
think about him just announcing that he was my boyfriend. I’d only wanted to agree that this
was going to be an attempt at a real relationship, if that’s what he felt. Commitment wasn’t
immediately required, but he’d offered it so fast.
It was odd, but I guess that didn’t make it wrong.
He took me straight to his place, and there was no mistaking what was about to happen.
His huge hands were all over me in the cab, then the elevator. The second we were inside,
he kicked off his shoes then picked me up, carrying me to his bed while I laughed
hysterically.
Our clothing came off in a flash, and we laid on the bed together, my eyes and hands
wandering across the tattoos along his well-muscled chest and arms. He was so huge, yet
so gentle. I found the contrast intoxicating.
He kissed me gently at first, his fingertips gliding around my breasts, his hand wandering
along my hip. As the heat grew between us, our fire was so much more than sex. Devin
made me feel absolutely adored. I could imagine spending a lot of time with this rough and
sweet guy.
A tiny purr in his throat stopped our kiss, so I could look into his eyes as he rolled me onto
my back, caging me in with his huge frame. I couldn’t believe that I’d just met this stunning
man, and I was already underneath him, naked and moaning.
“Please,” he whispered into my ear, “tell me to grab a condom. I’ve never needed a woman
like this before.”
“I’m on the pill,” I whispered.
While he looked relieved, it also wasn’t precisely permission to continue. His hot, hard
length was throbbing against my hip bone, as he began to slide it down, between my legs.
I tried to think clearly. The wine from dinner had long faded away, so now I was simply high
on adrenaline. Did I trust him? I thought so. Did I want him? Hell yes. After years of wishing
that I was more of a wild woman, this was my chance.
“Don’t make me wait any longer, baby,” he breathed. I don’t know why I loved the sound of
him begging for me. “Please say yes. Tell me you want me.”
His eyes were savage. Raw. He needed me so badly I could feel it, and I wanted to share
this strange, intense hunger. The tip of his shaft rubbed gently along my entrance, and I
could feel how incredibly wet I was already. My entire body was screaming for him.
“What is it that you want?” I asked teasingly, wrapping one leg around his waist suggestively as my hand slid up and down his broad back.
The feather-light tapping between my legs was sending sizzling tendrils of desire through
me.
“I’ve wanted to do this from the second I saw you, Kim,” he murmured. “If you want to wait,
just say the word and I will lick your sweet pussy, then we can go to sleep. But if you want
me, baby, just say the word.”
Devin nuzzled the little spot under my ear and made me gasp and quiver. The room was
hazy, the only thing I could focus on was the huge, hot body pressing over mine as he
moved his hips slightly, begging for the magic words.
His dark eyes met mine, and I felt like he was opening himself to me completely. “Kim, I
want to be everything for you. Anything you need, I’ll take care of it. Everything you want, I
will make it happen for you. Just tell me, baby.”
Although I knew that his size was going to be an intense experience, I absolutely needed to
feel him inside me. It was too much, too soon, and I didn’t care.
“I want you,” I whispered, grabbing his hip and pulling him into me.
I felt his lips curl into a smile as he kissed me, easing into my wetness slowly. My blood
turned to a river of fire as I realized he wasn’t going to be rough, only tender.
Feeling the delicate walls deep inside me opening and stretching for his thickness was
uncomfortable at first, but Devin was so gentle. His thumb circled my nipple as he pressed
deeper, his weight bearing down until he was completely buried inside me.
“So wet for me, gorgeous,” he rasped. “So tight and perfect.” His eyes glimmered with
concern. “Please, tell me if I’m hurting you.”
Bringing my hand up to caress the back of his neck, I whispered, “I can’t believe how thick
you are, but it feels so good.”
His sigh of relief was adorable. “Someday I’m going to take you for hours, and make you
come dozens of times. But you feel so good, baby, so hot and wet around me… I don’t
know how long I’ll last.”
Somehow he sank even deeper with a long groan that echoed through the room. I could
feel the tension in his shoulders as he forced himself to go slowly. The deep, uncontrollable
pres
sure was already building inside me when I felt the pad of his thumb strumming gently
across my clit.
“Devin,” I moaned, “You can…harder…if you want to.”
His eyes blazed as his smile almost turned into a snarl, his hips pitching forward as he ground deeper, faster.
We were both panting, our kisses sporadic and messy, both of us twitching as we
completely lost ourselves in the moment. My thighs were shaking as they clenched around
his hips.
“Fuck, baby, I can feel your hot little pussy tensing up around me. Look at me.”
His eyes were filled with a thrilling mixture of lust and so much more. It felt like he was
swelling, his throbbing heat touching every secret nerve inside me. My breath was
catching, my lungs tight as I moaned under him. The pressure of him inside me was driving
me to a point of lust I’d never experienced before.
“Devin, don’t stop,” I whimpered, clutching him desperately as his thumb moved faster, his
heavy length pounding deeper.
“That’s it, baby. Come for me. Give yourself to me. Fuck, baby, I love–”
My scream drowned out the entire world as my body arched off the bed, almost shifting his
weight against me. Colored spots floated in front of my vision as I wailed, every part of me
tightening around him uncontrollably.
The climax rushed through me over and over as I stared up into his wide eyes. Devin’s
mouth fell open, roaring as he drove into me hard a few dozen times before he froze,
thrusting more gently as I felt bursts of his hot release filling me. I whimpered as another
shockwave of sensation rumbled through me.
He gently kissed me in random spots around my face as we caught our breath. “Kim, you’re
so perfect for me,” he murmured, slowly rolling away so that I could breathe more freely.
Curling against his shoulder, I felt like I’d fall asleep in seconds. Devin’s lips brushed the top of my hair. “What a great week already, sweetheart. We found each other, and both took a
chance on someone new. We’ve already checked out two incredible restaurants together.” I
smiled as my arms wound around him.
He chuckled. “Your coworkers both went to lousy restaurants, and you finally ended up
getting a fair shot, and we got to go on a road trip. So far it’s been amazing hanging out
with you, Kim.”
“Mmm,” I purred, loving the feeling of his hand stroking my shoulder and arm, dissolving into
sleep. In a flash, I was sitting upright. “How did you know that Terrence and Cliff got sick at
two different restaurants?” I asked. “Why didn’t you assume that they were at the same
one together? That would make far more sense.”
He shrugged casually, as if he had no idea what I meant. “You must have mentioned it. I
hope they go to better places in the future. I’d be happy to make a list of recommendations
if you like.”
Nodding, I got up to go to the washroom, needing a second to myself. Never in my life had I enjoyed thinking the worst of people. But as much as I was drawn to his energy, and falling
hard for Devin in every possible way, I still had to look at things analytically.
He was a huge, tough guy, covered in tattoos, who was incredibly well-connected. He was
incredibly wealthy. He didn’t talk about his work. He seemed to know everyone, and had a
guy to find information on whatever he needed.
Was it absolutely insane of me to wonder whether he had my coworkers poisoned at
restaurants where he had some connection to the kitchens? Could he have tracked them
somehow?
It struck me as odd that Devin was so upset by the fact that I may have been treated
unfairly because of my gender. It was nice when guys stood up for women, but it seemed
to hit him particularly hard.
Making someone sick to get them out of the way was pretty low. Was there any chance at
all that he could have done it?
After using the washroom, I went back into the bedroom and quickly threw my dress back
on, stuffing my bikini back into my purse.
“I’m sorry, I have to go,” I said quickly. “I forgot that I have an online course in the morning.
I’ll call you in the afternoon or something, okay?”
“Sure, sweetheart, let me drive you home.” He was already reaching for his pants, but I
shook my head. “No, really, it’s fine. I’ll just grab a cab.”
The mixture of concern, hurt, and confusion in his eyes was painful for me to take in. “How
about we compromise?” he said softly. “Let me call you a car, so that I know you’re home
safe?”
“Alright. Thanks.” I had to get out of there as fast as I could before I changed my mind, or
said something I’d regret.
“I don’t know if anything is wrong, baby, but please text me when you get home, okay?”
“Okay.”
I gave him a quick kiss then practically raced to the elevator. I should have been impressed
by the fancy town car out front, with a driver who opened the door for me. But all I could
think about was the big, rough guys who seemed to be Devin’s friends.
Was he in the mob? Or maybe not organized crime, but something shifty like that? Would
he really have people poisoned just to help me?
The second I was inside with the door locked, I sent a text.
Me: Thank you for a wonderful night. Sweet dreams.
Devin: I miss you already, sweet baby. I’ll call you tomorrow. xox
Checking the time, I shouldn’t call my friends at this hour. Well, I could and they would
forgive me, but it wasn’t quite that level of emergency. At least, I hoped it wasn’t.
CHAPTER TWELVE
* Devin *
My obsession with being a cool, modern man had dissolved completely. The only man I ever
wanted to be now was Kim’s. Feeling her soft, curvy body curled around me as I slid gently
inside her had left me feeling transformed.
As I looked into her brilliantly sharp eyes, Kim’s open mouth as she made soft choked little
noises of pleasure had transformed me completely. Clamping my lips shut, I had swallowed
the words that wanted to bubble out of me for the first time ever. I love you. I need you.
Please, I’ll do anything to be your man.
Then she had suddenly left, leaving me feeling like the biggest jackass on the planet, but I
didn’t know why. It felt like a block of ice was melting in my stomach, making every organ
numb. What had I done? How could I have offended her?
That was the most deeply primal and romantic sex I could have ever imagined. Was she
upset that it was too soon? She had seemed so into it. Her eyes had been absolutely
begging me, and there’s no way I could have misread that.
I tried to recall every detail of our conversation just before she left in such a hurry. I’d been mentioning what a great vacation it was, with us finding each other, and her work going
well.
An uncomfortable prickle gathered between my shoulder blades. Was she upset that I had
told her I wanted to be her boyfriend without asking permission? Making that sudden
announcement was intended to be dramatic but amusing.
My feelings for her were completely obvious, and there was no way for me to hide it or
tone it down. But I couldn’t quite think of anything else that would have scared her off.
Maybe it was all too much too fast, and she was just overwhelmed. Kim did seem to
> bounce back and forth between confident and shy. She was so well-spoken and bright that
it was easy to forget that she was so young.
Was I coming on too strong? I had been mentioning other restaurants we should check out,
and a few exclusive cocktail lounges. But that was just conversation, not specifically
planning for our future together.
If I had to make the choice at this second, I would move her in with me and propose
immediately. But that would obviously freak her out.
For the first time ever, I pulled up my laptop and prepared to do some online stalking.
Although I felt completely dirty about it, I knew that’s what everyone did these days.
There were only a few Kim Parkers in the area, and only one with her gorgeous photo. Her social media pages were sweet and lively, full of photos of her girlfriends, art gallery
openings, and a photo series called, “Interesting things I find in my neighbors’ gardens.”
There was no mention or indication that there was another man in her life, so that was a
relief. Checking out the website for her workplace, it was only lists of their services, and
sample video clips. There was no staff listing.
I had to admit, I was extremely happy about that. I knew that some people splashed their
names and locations online, and it was too easy for jerks to follow women. I didn’t want
everyone to know where Kim was going to be every day.
My paranoia stemmed from seeing far too many couples break up in front of the bars I
used to work at. Screaming matches that the guy had been checking up on her, and it
creeped the woman out.
That was the main thing preventing me from rushing to Kim’s apartment right now and
begging for forgiveness for whatever I did. Showing up on her doorstep in the middle of the
night would definitely come across as creepy.
I fell into a fitful sleep, trying to figure out how I could make this better, even if I didn’t know what the hell I did wrong.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
* Kim *
After tossing and turning all night, I woke up in a huff. My anger was equally divided
between Devin and myself.
What the hell had I been thinking? I hadn’t been impressed by his money or his flashy suits.
I may have been taken in by his style and confidence. Although he seemed incredibly
