Best of Intentions

by Michelle Cary

  “You’re welcome,” Tess replied as he closed the door.

  Devin motioned to the front door. “What was that all about?”

  “I ran across some information this morning I hoped might aid in their investigation, so he came by to thank me for the help.”

  “I got that. What I was asking about was why he left abruptly. Was it something I said?”

  “Oh that.” She pushed away from him and wandered back into the living room to retrieve the vacuum.

  “Yeah, that. Is he still mad about you letting me stay here or is there more to the story you’re not telling me?”

  She paused and rested a hand over the vacuum handle. “We had a bit of a fight.”

  Devin’s brow knit and he brushed her hair from her face. “What kind of fight?”

  “In a nutshell—he’s convinced you’re going to hurt me, and he’s angry with me for letting you back into my life.”

  Devin’s brow rose. “So he hates my guts. I’m sorry to tell you this, but that little bit of information isn’t all that surprising.”

  “Hate is a really strong word, Devin. I think it’s more like he doesn’t trust you.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know. I love you more than anything, and I want to believe you when you say you’re not going to hurt me again, but-”

  “You don’t believe I’m going to stay.”

  She looked away.

  He grabbed her by the hand and led her to the sofa. “Let me tell you something. Thanks to my attorney, I’m free of the record company, and I get to keep all my money.”

  Her eyes widened. “It’s over?”

  “Well, not exactly. The deal is I have to do at least one on air interview. Andre is working out an interview with the Today show for sometime next week, so I’ll have to go to New York for a day or two, and I have to perform at the Music Video Awards in September.”

  “Perform?” She frowned. “How can you do that when your hand is damaged?”

  “The awards show is six months from now. That’s plenty of time to get some of my dexterity back, and if necessary, I’ll recruit somebody to play with me and help cover what I can’t do.”

  “That’s it?”

  Devin nodded. “Once I do those things, I’ll be done with the record company and free to do whatever I want.”

  She arched a brow. “Whatever you what, huh?”

  He drew her close. “Whatever I want,” he repeated on a whisper as he lowered his lips to hers.

  ****

  All day he’d been thinking about how he was going to propose. Now, all he could think of was taking Tess to bed and making slow, sweet love to her. His lips trailed away from her, planting slow, drugged kisses along her jaw line on his way to the sweet spot on her neck just below her ear. “Want to take another shot at a baby?”

  She angled her head toward him and nuzzled his cheek. “I do.”

  His passion flamed from deep within, sending an insatiable heat racing through his body.

  “I think we might want to go upstairs before I lose all control and take you right here on the couch.”

  She grinned. “Sounds like fun.”

  Fun? His brow rose in shock. Was his sweet little Tessa more than she appeared? “Oh it does, huh?” He slid a hand along her side, brushing over the plump curve of her breast on his way to her waist. “What happened to my innocent sweetheart?”

  Much to his surprise, she slid a hand between them and cupped him through his jeans. “She grew up and learned the ways of the real world.”

  Her words sparked his desire, calling to him to take what he wanted. A growl started low in his chest, reverberating through his entire body. He crushed his mouth over hers, his tongue spearing between her lips, begging for entrance. She granted it, stoking his fire to the point Devin was sure he’d internally combust.

  He lowered her to the couch, then dropped to his knees and slid between her thighs. His lips hovered mere inches from hers. “You’ll always be my innocent sweetheart.” She stared at him, her green eyes shimmering with a love he knew belonged entirely to him.

  “You’re really not going to leave again?” Desperation and hope filtered through her words and pierced him directly in the heart. This was the moment when he could sweep away all her fears and break down the last of her emotional barriers. “Would I do this if I were going to leave again?” He slid a hand from her leg and reached into his pocket to pull out the box, then set back on his heels and handed the tiny velvet square to her. “Open it.”

  Her delicate brows creased with curiosity as she slowly cracked open the lid. Her eyes grew wide and immediately filled with tears. “Oh, Devin.”

  He leaned forward, rested his lips over her dampened skin along her cheekbone and tasted the salt of her tears. “I want to be the husband you need me to be. I want to be the father of your children and have the family I never had growing up. Marry me, Tessa.”

  She captured his mouth with her own. Tongues darted and tangled in a deep penetrating kiss, which soon left them both breathless. Needing air, he regretfully pulled away and drew in a deep breath. “Well?”

  Tears continued to break loose and roll over her cheeks as she nodded her answer. Devin’s heart soared. From complete devastation to utter joy, never had he imagined his life could change so drastically in less than a month. A smile the size of the sun engulfed his face, and he snared the box from her, removed the ring and slid it onto her finger. Finally, after ten long years, she was his, and only his, once more. He kissed her hand and worked his way up her arm. “Let’s go upstairs. You deserve better than sex on a couch.”

  He held out a hand to help her up. Without breaking their link, he followed her up to what would soon be their bedroom. At the doorway, he paused and observed his surroundings. This space represented their sanctuary, a place where they could test their boundaries together and experiment in the safety of each other’s arms. With any luck, it would also be where their love would create life.

  Tess let go of his hand and walked to the side of the bed where she stripped down to nothing. “Join me?”

  Taking in every luscious curve, every creamy inch of her petite frame, he could barely contain himself. He quickly joined her and had to bite back a moan when she skimmed a delicate hand over his chest. One by one, he shed his clothes until, completely naked, he tugged her to him.

  Her heated skin burned wherever they touched, tattooing him with an invisible symbol of her love, one only he would ever see. The succulent aroma of jasmine and wildflowers, though subtle at this point in the day still teased his senses, reminding him of days gone by, of a time when everything was fresh, new and the world was at their fingertips.

  Ensconced within his arms, she leaned forward and brushed an open mouth kiss over his nipple. He sucked in a quick breath and held it while pleasure signals raced through is body.

  He’d waited years to feel the softness of her touch again, and now she was in his arms.

  Only he could complete the connection between them that would push them both into another existence, another plain.

  In one fluid motion, he lowered her to the bed and slid between her legs. Hard and ready, he poised himself at her gateway and stopped. With his eyes locked on hers, the world around Devin slowly began to slip away, until nothing existed but them. His fingers laced through hers. If she agreed, tonight they would not only connect on a level nether had seen for fourteen years, but also create a life.

  “Tonight is the vernal equinox,” he whispered wondering if she’d remember the significance of it.

  She looked up at him. “If we join tonight, we’ll have a better chance of getting pregnant, won’t we?”

  He nodded. “I don’t want to push you Tessa. If you don’t want to-”

  She placed her finger over his lips as a smile drifted across her features. “Do it.”

  His heart jumped with joy. “Do you still remember?”

  She nodded and pressed a
soft kiss to his chest. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”

  He drew in a deep breath and began to speak. “I call upon the watch towers, guardians of fire, air, earth and sea. With divine powers, guide us as we come together, I to her and she to me. With our bodies as one, let our minds also be. Hearts and souls forever join, so mote it be.”

  She repeated his words as he slowly sheathed himself in her wet heat. Light flashed bright before his eyes, and the landscape blurred. Somewhere deep within his chest, he sensed her, a second heartbeat, faint and steady slowly mixing with his own. After years apart, they were again one and this time it would be forever.

  Joined in a rhythm, their physical bodies played off each other, pushing, pulling, prodding and teasing until Devin was sure neither of them would survive the joining. Energy coursed through them, the power building until he couldn’t take it anymore. His release came hard, his body shuddering, pumping out his seed. Somewhere inside the chaos of his own brain, her cry registered and she clenched around him.

  Barely conscious, Devin managed to speak and the words he’d only dreamed of saying tumbled from his tongue. “By the powers of fire and air, earth and sea, make two in one, one into three.” He collapsed on top of her in a mass of exhausted flesh and much to his surprise listened to her whisper. “So mote it be.”

  ****

  Tess slapped at the blaring alarm three times before it finally stopped. Too warm to care about anything other than going back to sleep, she rolled over right into Devin’s chest. She opened her eyes and stared at the fine hairs cover his pectoral muscles before a slow smile infiltrated her features.

  She lifted her hand and gazed upon the teardrop diamond resting proudly on her finger. It was proof she hadn’t been dreaming and in a matter of a few hours, everything that had been wrong in her life righted itself. Her other hand slid down over her abdomen and she closed her eyes in an attempt to picture their child.

  Devin’s hand trailed along her side, grabbing her by the hip to pull her closer. “You want to try for some insurance?” he whispered, as he lowered his head and kissed a path along her cheek.

  “Insurance?” she asked, trying hard not to giggle at his sleepy tone.

  “Well, you know magic can only go so far. With more of my boys on patrol, we up our chances.”

  Tess started to move her hand from her belly only to feel the confirmation of his dedication hard and ready against her hand.

  A low growl echoed in her ear as he nuzzled into the sweet spot on her neck. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

  “I think some insurance is a capital idea” She wrapped her fingers around his length only to hear the blaring of the alarm once again. Mentally cursing herself for hitting the snooze button instead of shutting the damn thing off, she reached for the clock and gasped. “Oh my God.”

  Devin jerked upright in the bed. “What?”

  “It’s a quarter after six.”

  His features contorted into a mask of confusion. “So?”

  “So?” she repeated, throwing the covers off her. “I only have forty-five minutes to get a shower, eat breakfast and get to work.”

  Half way to the bathroom she paused, then traipsed back to the bed. She climbed atop the mattress and gave Devin an apologetic kiss. “I’m sorry. I promise we’ll do the insurance tonight.”

  Forty minutes later, Tess stopped in the employee lounge doorway and inhaled. Because of nearly being late for work, she had to skip her morning mocha latte in order to make it to work on time. Desperate to sate the caffeine headache forming, she’d headed for the lounge and the less than stellar coffee that kept the interns working insane hours. High in caffeine, low in taste, but it would do the job.

  What she hadn’t planned on was running into Tori so soon. After their last discussion about Devin nearly ended in an argument, Tori began to distance herself. It saddened Tess to see her friend pull away, but knowing Tori’s dislike for him was based solely on religion and suspicion, she also knew no argument she made would make a difference.

  Tori closed the refrigerator door, turned and stopped dead in her tracks when she eyed Tess. “Good morning,” she finally said after several seconds.

  “Good morning.” Tess moved into the room and shuttled the long way around the table to the coffee pot.

  “How have you been?”

  Tess poured the liquid lightening into a Styrofoam cup. “Good and you?”

  Tori nodded. “Good. So things are okay between you and Devin?”

  “Actually.” She looked at Tori and held up her hand, showing off her ring. “We’re getting married.”

  Several emotions, none of which Tess could read, streaked across Tori’s face in a matter of seconds before she schooled her features into a neutral gaze. “That’s great, Tess. I’m happy for you.” She rested a palm on the door handle. “Listen I need to get over to surgical recovery. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Before Tess could stop her, Tori disappeared through the door. Tess blew out a breath and leaned against the counter. By saying yes to the love of her life, she’d lost her best friend. With her also scheduled to work surgical recovery, it was going to be a long and awkward day.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Devin sat down on the edge of the couch, picked up his Gibson and strummed an open chord. He leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes. Images of him on stage, staring out over a sea of people flooded through him. Never again would he experience the thrill of being on stage, hearing the crowd sing his own songs back to him.

  He knew the business well enough to bet someone down the road would offer to put a band together around him, damaged hand or not, and he could continue with his career, if he wanted. What fun would it be without the rest of the band? He couldn’t imagine moving on without the others and while he desperately wanted to continue to play and write, he didn’t want to lose Tess again.

  Opening the recording studio in the basement of the music store would give him the best of both worlds. He would be able to help fledgling musicians showcase their bands, maybe do some writing and recording of his own, and at the end of the day come home to Tessa and whatever family they could make together. If only he could convince Tess his intentions were sincere.

  The soft rapping of knuckles against wood jerked Devin from his thoughts. He set the guitar back on the stand and headed down the hallway to the front door. After peeking through the hole to see who it was, Devin was more than a little shocked to find Jason standing on the porch. He opened the door. “Jason?”

  He glanced sheepishly up at Devin. “Mr. McFadden. I’m really sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Devin stepped out of the way and motioned for the kid to enter. Whatever he had to say, he could do it out of the cold. He closed the door and stepped back, giving Jason some space. “So, what’s up?”

  Jason scuffed is foot across the bristled welcome mat. “I wanted to let you know, I’m not going to sell the picture you gave me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it doesn’t feel right. I know you said you didn’t mind, but I thought about it and it’s not the right thing to do.”

  Devin smiled. “It’s good to know you have scruples, kid, but what about paying for college and bettering your life?”

  Jason shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. Mr. Goodwin said you were thinking about buying the store. I was kinda hoping if you did, could I keep my job?”

  Devin nodded. “Of course. I’m going to need somebody who knows his way around a guitar and you seemed to know what you were doing that day.”

  Now it was Jason’s turn to smile. “Thanks, Mr. McFadden. That really means a lot coming from you.”

  Devin wrinkled his brow. “I appreciate that you think my opinion matters, but I’m nobody special.”

  Jason’s eyes grew wide. “Are you kidding? You are one of the primo guitarist in rock these days. I saw you trade licks with Zach Wylde on the rock monsters tour a few yea
rs back. It was freaking amazing.”

  The awe in the kid’s eyes touched Devin on a level he didn’t think was possible. For the last five years, he’d dealt with fans almost on a daily basis and though their praise was always nice to hear, he’d learned to become immune to it. He’d seen too many of his peers grow big heads from listing to their loyal fans. Once that happened, the quality of their music began to suffer and their demise was inevitable.

  Yet, something was different about Jason Southerland. Something set him apart from the average fan. The more Devin learned about Jason and his past, the more he connected with the kid.

  Despite the band’s demise, Devin still had connections in the industry and the knowledge to know a bad deal when he saw one. If the kid had any kind of real talent, he could possibly help Jason achieve his goal.

  The lifestyle wasn’t for everyone. Egos, drugs and alcohol abuse sent many bands by the wayside before they ever reached the brass ring. As far as Devin was concerned, those who failed did so because they were in it for the rock-n-roll lifestyle instead of the music.

  Oh sure, he’d drank his fair share of alcohol and had his share of groupies, but they had only been a perk while doing what he truly loved-playing music.

  “You know, I was about to do my physical therapy for the day. You want to join me?”

  Jason’s faced contorted into a confused frown. “Physical therapy?”

  “Yep.” Devin nodded as he held up his un-bandaged and still injured hand, revealing the bright red and raised surgical scars.

  Jason’s mouth opened as he stared at Devin’s hand. “Whoa. So the rumors are true about you not being able to play anymore?”

  Devin shook his head. “Oh no, I can still play, just not nearly as well as I used to. I have to do physical therapy on my hand to try and make it as normal as possible, so I practice my guitar, but my soloing days are most likely over.”

  “So you want me to play guitar with you?”

  Devin shrugged. “Unless you have something better to do.”