Sammi muttered, “Sexy as hell Devil.”
Alessandra glared at her.
*
“I should be done around three or four today.” Sammi primped her newly bleached hair. “You can meet me at the convention center, if you'd like.”
Alessandra shook her head. She was looking forward to a day of reading on the beach. She had her whole day mapped out, beginning with breakfast at a cafe that was just around the corner from the hotel.
“Are you sure?” Sammi asked.
“Go ahead. I'll be fine. Just call me when you are done and we can meet for dinner.” Alessandra hugged Sammi goodbye before retreating back to her hotel room to get ready for the day.
With her beach bag packed, she set off for the cafe. Anxious to enjoy people watching and a leisurely walk through the local Arts & Entertainment section of the newspaper. As she stepped out of the elevator, she nearly ran into the man she couldn't stop thinking about.
“Oh, hey, how are you doing?” He asked her.
“Good, but what's your real name? I can't call you 'Devil'. It doesn't feel right.” She smiled.
“Are you afraid of the Devil?” He teased. “My name is Devon. Devon Matthews. They don't call me that because I'm evil. I'm a nice guy most of the time. I own a bike shop called Devil on Wheels. That's why they call me that.”
“Bikes. Really? Are you into mountain biking?” She looked at him, curiously. Nothing about him, from his tattoos, to his muscular arms and broad shoulders, told her that he was into biking.
“No, motorcycles. I ride motorcycles. I have since I was a kid. My dad rode,” he explained.
Embarrassed, Alessandra answered, “Sorry. I thought you meant...”
He laughed. “So, what's your name? What do you do?”
“I'm Alessandra Di Novo. I'm an Interior Designer and Design Consultant.” The way he looked at her made her nervous. She had to look away.
“Di Novo? Really? Where are you headed?” He nodded to her bag.
“Breakfast and the beach. And, there are Black people in Italy, too, you know.” She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to invite him along. “Have you eaten yet? You're welcome to join me.”
Alessandra's throat went dry as she watched him lick his lips – the same lips, she'd imagined licking her body. She studied every muscle of his body, committing it to memory. From his sandy brown hair to the way his hazel eyes reflected in the light of day, she couldn't get enough of him.
“Did you hear me?” His question brought her back to the here and now. He smiled, knowing full-well that she was ogling him. “Like what you see?”
Embarrassed, she looked away, clearing her throat before she answered. “Um, I was just trying to figure out where we should go eat.”
“No, you weren't, but I'd be happy to join you. I have some time before my meeting.”
She was smiling on the outside, but jumping up and down on the inside. Alessandra hoped that her bold move didn't seem too forward and wouldn't give him the wrong idea.
He took her hand as if they'd known each other forever.
She hesitated, pulling back slightly.
“You okay?” He asked.
She looked down at their clasped hands.
His eyes followed her gaze. “Sorry.” He let go of her hand and took her bags from her. “I'll carry this.”
Alessandra wanted to kick herself. She didn't mean for him to let go. She was just surprised by his bold move. As soon as they went out the door, she instantly regretted making him let go of her hand. The streets were crowded and it was hard to stay together. He did his best to stay with her, but it became impossible. Finally, after several people squeezed their way between them, Devon grabbed her and pulled her to him. She flew directly into his arms and couldn't bring herself to move. She was intoxicated by his scent and relished in his embrace.
“Sorry. I didn't want to lose you,” he whispered into her ear.
She couldn't speak. The words were there, but the instant sensations that his touch gave her, wouldn't allow the words to come out of her mouth. She curled into his arms further, resting her head on his chest as more people whisked past them to get to wherever it is they were headed.
After a moment, he said, “If we keep this up, I might not let you go.”
Alessandra moaned low in her throat, hoping he meant what he said.
“Are you ready?” he asked, talking into her hair.
“Yes,” she answered, forcing herself to pull away from him. This time, she took his hand and led him around the corner to the cafe. “Is this okay?”
His eyes didn't move from her curves. “Looks delicious.”
They spent the next hour and a half talking and flirting back and forth. With him, Alessandra felt like someone else. She'd all but forgotten about wanting nothing to do with men. Devon was easy to talk to and he seemed to really listen to her, asking the appropriate questions and eager to hear more about her life.
“I haven't asked you.” Alessandra sat back in her seat. “Do you live in Chicago, too?”
“No,” he answered. Her heart sank. “I live twenty minutes outside of the city in Indiana.” She nearly jumped up and hugged him. She was so relieved. Twenty minutes was nothing at all to her. It took that long to cross the street sometimes, so driving twenty minutes outside of the city wouldn't be a problem for her.
Alessandra knew she was getting way ahead of herself, but couldn't stop herself from thinking about him in that way. There was no reason for her to even be interested, smoldering good looks aside, he wasn't the type of guy she'd ever consider allowing into her life. He had bad boy written all over him, but it didn't matter. She wanted him and she wanted him now.
If she had to guess, she'd say he was probably at least five years older than her. He had a certain maturity and grit. She'd never found herself attracted to someone like him. Alessandra thought that her sensible nature and drive would never blend well with someone like Devon, but he was proving her wrong and she couldn't wait to find out what other surprises he had in store for her.
*
Devon stood up. “I should get going before I miss my meeting.”
A wave of sadness came over Alessandra. She was completely mesmerized by him. There was never a lull in their conversation. He'd seen places and done things Alessandra never dreamed of doing, but wanting so much to be a part of now.
Where she was practical, he was adventurous. She rarely vacationed; he enjoyed life by the seat of his pants. He'd seen so much of the world on his own. She only traveled for work.
“Okay. Well, enjoy your meeting.” Alessandra tried to hide her disappointment.
Devon held out his hand to her. “I said that I should, not that I would. Come with me.”
Alessandra's heart began to race. She ignored the rational side of her brain that told her not to follow him and put her trembling hand in his and walked out with him. They headed in the opposite direction from the hotel.
“Where are we going?” She asked.
He squeezed her hand and pulled her to him. “I don't know, but will you go with me?”
She swallowed, feeling as if she couldn't breathe. The look in his eyes told her he wanted her too. The green flecks in his eyes sparkled. She was mesmerized. Choosing to throw caution to the wind, she continued to follow him through the streets until he came to a sudden stop in front of a park, filled with people.
Devon looked at her, winking. “Trust me?”
Alessandra nodded. She didn't want to disappoint him or herself. “Yes.”
As they walked across the park, he searched for the right spot. Nestled behind a small row of trees, he found an empty space, overlooking the path they'd just walked.
“This is perfect.” He grabbed the beach towel out of her bag and put in on the ground for her to sit. “I hope this is okay.”
“What are we doing here?” She asked as he removed his shoes and sat down beside her, their bodies touching.
“I don't k
now. I just wanted to be with you. I couldn't pull away. Is that so wrong?” He looked into her eyes.
Alessandra hated herself for asking, but old habits were hard to break. “You really wanted to spend more time with me? Why? I mean, you don't know me.”
He smiled at her, placing his hand on her knee. “And, you don't know me either, but you came with me. I didn't force you, did I?” He watched as she swallowed her nervousness. “I'm not a romantic kind of guy. At least, I don't think I am, but there's something about you, something different, interesting, intoxicating about you. Ever since I first saw you on the plane, I was drawn to you. That might sound creepy and that's not my intention, but I can't explain it any better.”
“You saw me on the plane? How come I didn't see you?” She thought back to the plane right and couldn't remember having seen him.
“Because you weren't looking for someone. You were just there, looking beautiful and, I don't know, I guess, not trying so hard to get someone's attention,” he answered, gently rubbing her knee with his thumb.
Warm sensations traveled through her body. His touch took her out of her head and into another part of herself she didn't know existed. This wasn't real. She didn't allow herself to be easily swooned by any man, but this man was no ordinary man. This man was powerful. One look at him and the world she thought she knew had changed. All sensibilities shattered and she was putty in his hands. That’s what scared her about him.
Alessandra's body never responded this way to a man. She felt pleasure and she'd felt pain in her life, but no man had ever sent ripples of desire through her body without there being some overt sexual activity. Just the mere sight of Devon made her body explode in orgasm. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. He had her and she knew it. She had to move away, but her body refused.
“Alessandra?” He asked, leaning closer to her. “Are you with me?”
She shook her head and stood up. “Yes, I should probably get back to the hotel.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “What's wrong?”
She wrestled with how to explain what she was feeling. “You... well, nothing and everything. I don't know how to explain it. You scare me, but I want you. I mean, I really want you and that scares me.” She started gathering her things to go.
He put his hand on hers. “I don't want to scare you. I just wanted to spend some time with you. Let me walk you back.”
Alessandra felt terrible. He hadn't done anything wrong, but he scared her, not in a maniacal way, but she when she was with him, she felt like she would lose control and that wasn't something she was used to.
“I'm okay. Really. I'll see you later.” She left him standing in the park, looking wounded.
“Just keep walking,” she told herself. “Don't look back.”
*
“You did what? You left him there?” Sammi couldn't believe her ears. “Are you insane?”
Alessandra held her head in her hands. “I know. I couldn't think. As soon as he put his hand on my knee, my mind went crazy. I had all these thoughts spinning in my head and my body... I can't even explain what was happening to my body.”
“That's called lust, sweetheart. I don't understand you. We're on vacation. You're supposed to have fun. So what if you don't know him. Does it really matter? I'm sorry, but if some hot guy wants a fling and he's not some flipping maniac, then, what's the harm? It’s not like you're going to marry the guy!” Sammi peeked out the hotel room door to see if Devon had returned to the room yet.
“Is there a light on?” Alessandra asked.
“No, nothing. He probably left. Wouldn't you? You embarrassed the poor guy and left him at the park. What are you, like twelve?” Sammi shook her head.
“I need to fix this. I don't want him to think that I hate him. I just don't know him. I got scared. What do I do?” She sincerely wanted Sammi's help.
Sammi looked around the room, trying to figure out how to help Alessandra save face. Grabbing the phone, she dialed the front desk. “May I have Devon Matthews' room, please?” She listened for a moment, then hung up.
“Well?” Alessandra asked.
“They said that they haven't seen him since he left this morning. You have to make this right,” Sammi advised her.
“I know.”
“Hold on. I have an idea and I don't want to hear about whatever your hang-up is, just listen to me on this one. You have a hot guy that wants you and you're darn well going to oblige him and, hopefully, get over the old-what's-his-name at the same time.” Sammi walked out of the room and ran down to hers.
Alessandra peeked out the door, across the hall. There was still no sign of Devon.
When Sammi returned, she was holding a black, lace negligee. “Here, I bought this for the trip, but looks like you're the one that's going to need it. Put it to good use.”
“What? What am I supposed to do with that?” Alessandra held it away from her. Looking at the price tag, she asked, “You paid one hundred dollars for this?”
“Sure did and I'm going to get my money's worth. Put it on and wait for Devil or whatever his name is to come back to the room. You better hope he's alone and not out looking for a replacement for you. Make this right or make his night or something. I'm going to my room and I don't want to see you until you've apologized to him.” Sammi sashayed out before there was time to protest.
Alessandra was at a loss. She didn't know how to fix what she'd done. She wasn't really sure if she even owed him an apology. Things moved too quickly and it scared her. She didn't like how mixed up she was when she was near him. It didn't feel right, but being away from him, felt wrong.
“What am I doing?” She looked at the negligee. “What if he rejects me?”
Just then, she heard a door slam across the hall from her. He was back. Goose pimples took over her body. This was it. She could follow Sammi's advice and risk being thrown out or she could let it go and hope that she didn't run into him over the next few days. Neither of those choices was all that appealing to her, but she knew how it felt to have things left unsaid. That’s not something she intended to Devon.
After thirty minutes of talking herself into it, Alessandra put the negligee on and placed a black slip dress over it. She was going to try to be brave, but not too brave. She stepped out into the hallway and knocked on the door quietly.
The floorboards moved under her feet as Devon stepped closer to the door, looking out at her. He unlocked the door and peeked out.
“Hi!” Alessandra's voice shook.
“Hello.” He held the door semi-shut.
“I'm sorry about...” she started.
“You look gorgeous,” He interrupted her. “You don't have to apologize. I won't touch you again. I'm sorry. I got ahead of myself.”
Without thinking, she answered, “No, I want you to touch me.” Her face reddened. That hadn't come out the way she wanted it to come out.
He laughed, opening the door wider, showing her a bottle of wine and flowers sitting in a chair in the room.
She was confused for a moment, but he explained. “I bought those for you.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. “I have something for you too.” His breath caught as she stepped into his room, moving past him.
“You did?” He asked, looking at her through hooded lids.
“I brought dessert.” She let her slip dress fall to the floor. It puddled at her feet.
Devon licked his lips as his eyes cascaded down her body in that black negligee. “Are you sure?”
She moved closer to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him to her. “Are you?”
He wrapped his arms around, caressing her smooth skin with his firm hands. She inhaled his scent, feeling all the nervous feelings she had disappear. She wanted him. Based by his body's reaction to her, he wanted her too.
Whispering, he asked, “I thought I scared you?”
“Don't. We can think about it later. Right now, I just need this. Can you let me have this moment with you? Don’t
you want this? Don’t you want me?” She tugged at his shirt, pulling it over his head.
PART TWO
"This isn't how I want you." Devon pulled back from the tight grip Alessandra had on him. "Why are you doing this? You don’t have to try so hard."
Embarrassed, Alessandra gasped and covered her face as tears brimmed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She rushed out of the room and fought to get her key card into her hotel room security lock, her hands shaking.
Behind her, Devon sighed, raking his hand through his hair. "Let me help you."
She clutched the key card in her hand, visibly shaken by her failed attempt at seducing him. A whimper started in her throat.
Devil's Ride Page 2
