by Cotton, L A
I found Devon in the kitchen looking every bit at home at the stove. It was strange. At home we occasionally fended for ourselves, but generally Loretta made our meals.
Sliding onto one of the stools, I was content watching him until he glanced over. “Better?”
“Much, thank you.”
His eyes danced over my face, lingering on my mouth. He looked at me with so much intensity, heat pooled low in my stomach. I thought he would turn around and tend to the bacon, but instead he placed down the spatula and stalked toward me. “Christ, you look good in my clothes.”
“Maybe I should wear them more often?” I said around a coy smile.
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “Did the shower help clear your head?” His expression grew serious as he stood close enough I could reach out and touch him, but not close enough I could feel him against me.
“Hmm, a little.”
“Only a little?” Devon scratched his jaw, the ends of his hair falling over his eyes. He looked good in dark jeans and a dark t-shirt, the sleeves pushed up over his defined biceps.
“Yeah, but I think I know something that could help me.”
“Yeah?” He inched closer, his hands hovering over my legs.
“Yeah.” I reached out for him, twisted my hand into his t-shirt and yanked. His mouth came down on mine, hard and urgent. One of his hands slid up my body, drifting over my chest, and found its way into my damp hair while the other one crept along my thigh.
I shivered.
The good kind.
“Are you sure?” he rasped, and I nodded, smiling against his lips. “Thank fuck.”
Devon slid his hands around my ass and pulled me flush against his body. We both groaned. It was hot and needy, and he lit up my body like July fourth fireworks. Until a throat cleared, and both our heads snapped up as the sexual tension between us was doused with ice cold water.
“Dad?” Devon stuttered. “I wasn’t expecting you home yet.”
“I’d ask how you’re doing, but I think I’ll wait. Hello, I’m Mr. Lions.” The man smiled warmly at me, amusement creasing his eyes.
“Ermm, hi.” I gave him a small wave. “I’m Macey.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Macey, but if you don’t mind, I’d like a moment with my son.”
“Wait for me in my room,” Devon whispered, dropping a kiss on my nose. He backed up, letting me stand, and I hurried out of there, the embarrassment of being caught tinting my cheeks. Today was turning out to be a morning of firsts for me.
I’d admitted I needed Devon. And now, I had met his dad. I’d never met a boy’s parents before. I didn’t know how it had happened, but slowly and surely, Devon Lions was thawing my heart. Yet despite the flutters in my stomach, the new feelings taking root in my chest, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Too many people wouldn’t understand—my brother, Lo, even Caitlin—but I was no longer sure I cared. Because I’d done nothing but protect myself, protect my brother, my whole life and it was exhausting. And with Rick off living his future, maybe it was time I focused on mine.
Inside Devon’s room, I couldn’t resist looking at the noticeboard hanging above his desk. He looked so carefree in the photos with Liam and Jared when they were younger, so happy. I wondered when things changed, when he sold his soul to someone like Caitlin Holloway. They were so different. She was the rich entitled girl from one of the wealthiest families in town and he was... well, I hadn’t quite figured him all out yet. But I knew he didn’t belong in her world.
Maybe he didn’t belong in mine either.
“Sorry about that,” his voice washed over me like the sun, and I felt him come up behind me. He slid his arms around my waist and he dropped his chin on my shoulder. “I still remember that day.” Sliding his fingers into mine, he lifted our joined hands and pointed at the photo. “We were in ninth grade and thought we were the shit. We formed a band over the summer.”
“What happened?”
“Liam sucks on the drums, and Jared can barely whistle a tune, let alone sing one.”
“But you’re good,” I said eyeing his guitar.
“It’s just a hobby.” He seemed to close down at the mention of his guitar.
“Is your dad mad?”
“Nah, he doesn’t care really. He just likes to play the interested father. He’s away a lot for work.”
“And your mom?”
“It’s complicated.” The closed-off expression fell over his face again.
“Oh no.” I gave a strained chuckle. “My family wins that contest hands down.”
“Yeah, I guess it does.” Silence enveloped us as we stood there, our differences and similarities swirling around us. “I never meant for it to get so out of hand, you know?”
“Devon, I—”
“No, you need to hear this.” He turned me in his arms. “I liked Lo, I liked her a lot. But I knew early on I stood no chance because she was already in deep with your brother. She denied it, obviously, but I saw the way she looked at him. It stung, knowing I’d lost another girl to him. So, when Cat started showing interest again, I didn’t see it for what it was.”
“She played you.”
“Yeah, and I was so angry. But she’s good at using your weaknesses against you. And she knew I still had feelings for her.” He dropped his head exhaling a long breath. “I let my pride get the better of me.”
“Because you love her.”
“Loved, past tense. I was young and impressionable. And she puts on a good show. But if I could take it back, I would, Macey. Caitlin Holloway is like poison and whatever existed between us is done. I want you to know that. I need you to know that.”
The truth hurt, burning through my veins like acid, but looking into his eyes all I saw was Devon’s feelings for me. Not her.
“I needed to hear that,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. When we first... you know, I told myself it was a huge mistake. But then it happened again and again.” My cheeks flushed remembering the stolen touches, the desperate kisses. “So I told myself we were using one another to forget. I thought...”
“You thought I was using you to forget about Cat?”
“Yeah.”
“It was never about that for me. But I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting us to end up here.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, causing a soft sigh to slip from my mouth.
“Me neither.”
“Come here.” He led me to the chair in the corner of his room and sat down, pulling me with him. My legs fell either side of his, so I was straddling him. “I’ll never hurt you, Macey. Tell me you know that?”
“I know,” I swallowed, the intensity in his voice catching me off guard.
“I want to be here for you. I know it’s complicated, and I know we have to figure things out, but—”
“Ssh,” I cut him off, replacing my finger with my lips. Devon buried his hands in my hair, kissing me deep and slow, erasing the night before until I felt nothing but him.
And I wanted to stay there forever.
Chapter 14
DEVON
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Macey asked ten minutes into the ride.
“It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise.” I caught her frowning out of the corner of my eye, and added, “Don’t worry, I doubt we’ll run into anyone from school.”
“I didn’t—”
“It’s cool. I know we need to keep this thing under wraps for now.”
“I just don’t want you to think it’s like what happened with Caitlin. I’m not ashamed of you or anything.”
“Good to know.” While she was only being honest, the mention of Cat did sting because she’d wanted to keep our relationship a secret too. And look how that ended. But this was different. This was me and Macey.
“So where are we going again?” Macey grinned, and I wanted to freeze-frame it. She was like a different girl since waking up this morning in my clothes in my bed.
/> After making out for a while in my chair, we’d finally managed to tear ourselves away from each other. I was desperate to be inside her again, to feel her wrapped around me, skin on skin, but after the party and then Dad’s timely appearance, I figured we should wait. But I wasn’t ready for our time together to be over either, so I’d surprised myself and asked her out.
Even more surprisingly, she’d said yes.
“Nice try, Princess, but my lips are sealed.” I smiled over at her but noticed she’d gone deathly pale. “Macey?”
“He- he called me that.”
Fuck. I wanted to hurt that motherfucker something fierce.
“I’ll never say it again,” I ground out, appalled.
“No, I just... it was that word that snapped me out of it. It’s what you always call me.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I reached over and tangled our fingers together. “We’ll be there soon.” I’d spend all night trying to erase that fucker’s memory from her mind. And if that didn’t work, there was always tomorrow and the day after that.
JERRY’S WAS ON THE edge of Rotunda, the neighboring town to Wicked Bay. Not many kids from school came out here though as it butted up against Rotunda Heights—the poorer part of town.
“You brought me bowling?” Macey unbuckled her belt and twisted her body around to me.
“You sound horrified.”
“No, I just... I haven’t played in a long time.”
“I’m a great teacher, you’ll see.”
We climbed out of the car but before Macey could get around to me, I went to her. Crowding her against the hood, I lowered my head, brushing my lips over hers. Macey’s hands slid up my chest resting on my shoulders as our tongues slid together. “I want you so fucking much,” I whispered against the corner of her mouth. She stared up at me, cheeks flushed, lips parted, but said nothing.
She didn’t need to.
“Come on.” Laughter rumbled in my chest. “We’ll bowl, eat, hit the arcade, and then I’ll have my way with you.” I went to walk off, but she grabbed my wrist, yanking me back.
“You can’t say stuff like that to me, Devon.”
I winked flashing her a smirk. I liked seeing the raw lust in her eyes, knowing I was the one who’d put it there. Pulling her along with me, I held open the door while Macey ducked inside.
“Hey, kid,” Jerry, the owner, greeted us. “Haven’t seen you around here in a while. Well, hey there, darling,” he said noticing Macey tucked into my side. “And who might you be?”
“This is my girl, Macey.”
“Your girl?” Macey craned her neck and looked up at me with stars in her eyes.
“Yeah,” I said, my chest swelling with some unfamiliar emotion. “My girl.”
She swallowed hard but didn’t protest. We traded our shoes with Jerry and made our way to lane five.
“It’s like being back in time.” Macey scanned the bowling alley. Jerry’s was pretty dated, but the authentic nineteen-eighties vibe was one of the reasons I loved the place so much. Not to mention, Jerry had an epic collection of original arcade games.
“Is this okay?” I asked, suddenly feeling like I’d screwed up. Macey Prince was used to dinners at The Coastal, and spa days at L’Apaiser.
She moved closer until we were standing face to face and smiled. “It’s perfect.”
Relief sank into me. Macey was real. Underneath the designer purses and expensive perfume, she was just a girl trying to figure out her place in the world.
“I hope you’re prepared to lose, Prince, because I am the king of the bowl.”
An amused grin tugged at her lips. “Never say that again.”
“What?” I said picking up a bowling ball and testing it out. “It’s true.”
“Just because I haven’t played in a while doesn’t mean I’m not any good.” Macey arched her brow, challenge glittering in her dark eyes.
“Well in that case,”—I flicked my head to the lane—“by all means, ladies first.”
She sauntered to the ball rack and made a show of choosing her ball. The tight denim skirt clung to her ass, revealing long smooth tan legs. Her orange halter top contrasted with her dark hair and eyes, revealing inches upon inches of sun-kissed skin. Skin I wanted to get to know better, to spend my sweet time exploring... touching... kissing. When she slipped around me to get to the lane, I couldn’t resist hooking my arms around her waist and pulling her against the hardness in my jeans.
“Devon,” she protested trying to wiggle free. If she was worried about people seeing us, no one was watching, and the lighting was low enough to give us some privacy.
“I don’t think I told you yet,” I whispered against her ear, feeling the vibration travel through her body. “But you look beautiful tonight, Princess.”
Macey melted into my arms, tilting her head and letting me kiss the expanse of tan skin. I trailed my tongue up the column of her neck, kissing her jaw and finally her lips. “Now.” I pulled back and smirked again. “You can bowl.”
AFTER LETTING MACEY beat me at bowling and air hockey, we got ice cream and walked down to the pebbled beach. It was cool out, the sea air whipping around us. But it gave me an excuse to pull Macey down onto the sand with me and hold her close.
“So, your dad seemed nice,” she said.
“He’s a regular dad. Works hard.”
“And your mom?”
“Are you fishing, Miss Prince?” I dug my fingers into her ribs and she yelped.
“Okay, okay, you got me. I noticed how you tensed up before when we were talking about families.”
“She left us five months ago.”
“I’m so sorry, Devon.” Macey leaned her head back on my shoulder as we sat watching the waves crash onto the rocky shore.
“It is what it is. I knew for a while. Dad was always at work. And Mom was different, you know. By the time she left, it was too late.”
“How did your dad take it?”
“He acts like nothing changed when really everything changed. He works more than ever, and if he isn’t at work, he’s at the bar drowning his sorrows.”
“Thank you.” She shuffled onto her knees and turned to face me. “For telling me.”
“It isn’t a secret. I just don’t make a habit of advertising it.”
What was there to say? Mom hadn’t only left Dad, she’d abandoned me. Sure, she told me to come around whenever I liked, and at first, she’d tried to call. But she left us. She walked out, choosing her new family over us.
Over me.
It was weird. I was eighteen, it wasn’t like I was a kid. I didn’t need her around to take care of me, but I didn’t know what to say or how to feel either. Maybe one day things would be okay between us again, but today was not that day.
“I get that.”
“So, what’s it like being the sister of two of the schools most popular athletes?”
Macey’s mouth dropped open, and she squeezed my side. I shirked her off, grabbing her hand in mine and tugging her closer. Her legs slid over mine until she was seated in my lap.
“Growing up was intense. Rick and Kyle mean well but they can be so overprotective. Sometimes it’s hard to breathe.”
“And what about you? Did you ever go overprotective sister on them?”
Something passed over Macey’s face, but it was gone as quickly as I saw it. “I’ve been known to have my moments.” She gave me a wry smile. “It makes trusting people hard. All my life people have either wanted to use me to get to Rick or to hurt him. Kara is probably the first friend I’ve had who doesn’t care who my brother is.”
“You can trust me; you know that, right? I know I did a shitty thing to Lo, but that isn’t me, Macey, not really. I was messed up over Cat and your brother, and I let my pride get the better of me.”
“I know.” Macey pressed a kiss to my jaw, her eyes glittering with appreciation, and something that had my heart jack hammering in my chest. “Thank you for tonight.”
&nb
sp; “I’ve wanted this for a long time now.” To take her out. To show her off. To be with her.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I dropped my head to hers, breathing her in. Tonight had been everything. We’d talked and laughed with nothing between us. I wasn’t ready to go back to reality.
My hands drifted to her legs rubbing the bare skin there. “Devon,” she breathed, a shiver rolling through her. “I want you.”
My eyes snapped to hers in question. “Here?”
I glanced around. We were alone. But it was still a public beach. “Mace, I’m not—”
“Please, I need you.” Her fingers dug into my shoulders as she kissed me, slow and deep, grinding herself against me, letting me know exactly what she wanted.
Macey wasn’t the kind of girl you said no to, so I dipped my fingers underneath her skirt, grazing her panties. She arched into me, moaning softly. “More.”
It was my turn to groan when I felt how wet she was.
Hooking the material to one side, I pushed a finger inside her, swallowing her cries with my mouth. Then I slipped a second in until Macey was riding my hand. My dick strained painfully against my jeans. But I wanted to see her come undone like this first.
Her breathing turned shallow as I worked her faster, rubbing circles over her clit with the pad of my thumb. “Come for me, Princess.” The words sent her flying over the edge and her muffled moans pierced the night.
When she came down, Macey pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “My turn.” Her hands fumbled between us, pulling the zipper on my jeans. Before I could say no, she shoved her hand into my boxers and freed my dick, stroking it up and down. My body jerked, overwhelmed at her touch. The cool sea air lapped at my skin. Then before I could catch my breath she rose up on her knees and sank onto me, stealing the air from my lungs and making my eyes roll back. She felt so fucking good.
“Shit, Macey, condom.” Reality smacked into me.
She shook her head. “I want to feel you. All of you,” she panted, finding a perfect rhythm rolling her hips back and forth. My hands dropped to her hips, guiding her up and down while I thrust up to meet her on the downward roll.
