by Amanda Boone
“What did I ever do to get this kind of view so early in the morning?”
I squeaked and stood up straight. “Devon!”
He was standing behind me with his arms crossed over his chest. A big grin was teasing his lips. “Amanda.”
My mouth instantly watered. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. There was a lot of tan skin showing, and I had no problem remembering the big tattoo on his arm like I’d just seen it the day before. His jeans rode low on his hips, and a line of dark hair started low on his stomach and disappeared into them.
I told myself to look away, but it wasn’t working. He was wearing the cowboy hat pulled down low on his face. It wasn’t fair for one man to have visible abs, mystery, and sex appeal. I trailed my eyes back down to his abs and licked my lips. So many visible abs.
“Damn.” I’d just meant to think the word, but I could immediately tell by the smile that transformed Devon’s face that I’d said it out loud. “I mean, damn. I wanted to annoy you by showing up early.”
It was lame and I sounded so stupid.
Devon stepped closer and ran his fingers down the thigh of my leggings. “These are pretty damn, too.”
He stepped away from me and pointed over to the chicken coop beside his parents’ house. “You’re lucky I’ve still got a lot of work to do around the house before I can even make it over to the barn.”
“But, I thought we were going to work on the party.”
“I’ll help with the party after you help me with the chickens.”
I frowned but looked at the coop. It was pretty small. Surely it wouldn’t be that hard. “Fine. What do I do?”
He closed my car door and led the way over to the coop. “You just go through this door and move to the back of the cage. There’s a ledge back there where they lay their eggs. I’ll give you a basket and you just put them in the basket.”
I nodded. It seemed easy enough. “Why do I have to do it, though?”
“I’m too big to get into that little thing. Normally Mason does it. He stayed the night at a friend’s house, though.”
“Fine. Give me the basket.”
I took off the light jacket I had on over my camisole and threw it on the ground. I could get dirty. It wasn’t an issue.
“As soon as I open the door, you’ve got to rush in there to keep them from getting out.”
I nodded. “Sure. Sounds easy.”
He opened the door and I rushed inside the little cage. It seemed that all at once every chicken in the place was squawking. They kept brushing against my legs and arms and one pecked me. I screamed out of shock, and it seemed to irritate them even more.
Chickens suddenly were charging at me from everywhere. I screamed again and waddled backward until I tumble out of the cage. They raced out of the cage and charged at Devon. He’d been laughing at me but quickly shut up when he saw them running at him.
“Oh, shit.” He turned around and ran from them, but they were too fast.
I suddenly saw the hilarity in the situation and barely managed to shut the cage door I was laughing so hard. They were pecking at his legs and angrily screaming at him.
“Grab a chicken, Amanda!”
I laughed harder. “No way! You sent me in there with those crazy things! You grab a chicken!”
I heard footsteps coming down the main porch and looked over. His mom was coming down the steps with two oven mitts on her hands. She was laughing so hard tears were running down her face, but she still managed to grab a chicken right away.
“I told you that they don’t like anyone but Mason, Devon.”
I moved out of Mary’s way and grabbed my jacket to use the same way she used her mitts. It wasn’t easy, and I ended up chasing the same chicken around for nearly five whole minutes. By the time all the chickens were put up, a small crowd had gathered.
Paul, Devon’s father, and a few ranch hands were all laughing. Devon had managed to join them and watch as I fought the chicken into the cage. A big help he’d been.
I jabbed a finger at Devon and scowled at him. “You did that on purpose! You sent me in there with those rabid chickens!”
They all laughed even more. Devon walked over and picked straw out of my hair, despite my trying to knock his hand away. “You looked real cute in there. I’ve never heard anyone screech like you did.”
I knocked his hat off his head and moved away from him. “Yeah, well, I’ve never seen a cowboy jump so high to avoid a little chicken.”
Mary patted my shoulder and laughed. “He’s always been the one I had to keep an eye on most. He was always quiet, but sneaky. I wouldn’t turn my back on him if you gave me a hundred bucks.”
I couldn’t help but smile back at her. “I’ll find a way to get him back. Don’t worry.”
14.
“No, Devon, I’m sick. I need you to pick up the tester cake from the shop on Delaney Street. I just want to make sure it’s going to look the way we talked about.”
We’d discussed a large cake for the stag and doe that would be rodeo themed for Justin, with little figures of the bride on the groom’s back. It wasn’t my idea, but Sara loved it for the party. She’d made it clear that the stag and doe could be as manly as Justin would like, because the wedding was going to what she wanted.
There was no tester cake, though. Instead, I’d put in a separate order for a cake to embarrass Devon. Mimi Stokes made novelty cakes for the right price. I would’ve paid more for a chance to pay Devon back.
“Fine. It’s the little pink store, right?”
I rubbed my hands together in excitement. “Yeah. Thanks so much for this, Devon.”
“Sure. I’ll stop by and check on you later.” He hung up before I could argue.
Not that it mattered. I wasn’t sick and I wasn’t at home. I was hiding in Mrs. Wilkens’ old car in front of the store. The tenting on her windows was so dark that no one would ever be able to see me. Still, I was hunched down in the seat, facing the window front of Mimi’s shop. I had a clear view of the counter, and I couldn’t wait.
I waited for nearly twenty minutes before Devon showed up. I held my breath and watched as he passed by the car and walked into the shop. He already looked uncomfortable in the vibrant pink shop. Women stared at him, and I was amazed by the slight tinge of pink that touched his cheeks.
At the counter, Mimi got his name and her eyes lit up. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, of course, but I knew what we’d talked about. She reached under the counter and pulled out a long cake box.
Devon immediately pulled back the lid and then tried to slam it closed. It drew the stares of the women sitting around the shop, and Mimi kept talking to him. To my amazement, his face turned bright red. I had no problem seeing the color from twenty feet away.
Mimi took the lid from him and gestured at the cake. She was asking him if there was anything wrong with the cake.
People got up to see what the commotion was about, and I could see lots of shoulders bobbing in laughter. Devon kept shaking his head and pushing the cake back toward Mimi. She just pushed it back to him each time.
Finally he just shoved the lid back on the cake box and snatched it from the counter. He got out of that store faster than he’d run from the rabid chickens.
I was laughing so hard I was sure he’d hear it from outside the car. He seemed to be so focused on getting the cake into his truck and getting away from the store than he didn’t notice me, though.
Barely ten seconds after he raced from the parking lot, my cell phone rang. I tried to answer it but couldn’t hold my laughter back.
“A fucking penis cake?! Seriously, Amanda?”
I couldn’t even make a sound. I’d gone into my hyper-laugh. No sound came out, but my mouth was locked in an open position and my face was all squished together as I silently laughed my way right to a headache.
“Amanda?”
When I could make sounds again, it was just a wheeze as I tried to catch my breath.
“You were
there, watching, weren’t you?”
“Yes!”
“This means war.”
He hung up, and I knew I should’ve been worried, but I wasn’t. I was still on a laughing high. I rubbed my forehead and drove back home. Mrs. Wilkens had given me strict instructions to have her car back by three. She needed it to meet her boyfriend, Henry, at Hank’s.
I parked her car where I’d taken it from and walked across to my house. Moo-Key raced out as soon as the door opened and ran in circles around me. “I haven’t been gone very long, you big baby. Do you want to go over to Devon’s and tease him a little? Plus, we could get cake.”
Moo-Key loved going to the ranch. I’d taken him the past two days, and he loved racing around all the open areas. He even had a calf he played with.
I drove over with a smile on my face that wouldn’t stop. I felt like a hero after pulling a stunt on Devon. He’d been torturing me for days. First the chickens and then there was a milking incident. After that, there was an incident with some pigs. He’d put me in the fence to feed them and told me they were all babies. Instead, monstrous sized pigs raced at me. I’d thrown the bucket and climbed the fence in mere seconds.
I parked next to his truck and climbed the steps to his parents’ house. He had a house being built at the back of their property but was staying with them while it was finished up. I knocked on the door and Devon pulled it open with a frown on his face.
Behind him, Mary was standing over the cake, laughing hysterically. Justin and Avery were there, too. Paul appeared behind Devon and grabbed my hand to pull me in. I brushed past Devon and hugged Paul back as he squeezed me.
“He deserved to be messed with after everything he’s done to torture you, but this was just great.”
Mary high fived me. “The prankster got pranked, finally. This penis cake is decorated exceptionally well, too.”
The sons all groaned. Avery wouldn’t meet my eyes, but Justin came over and clapped me on the back.
“You did well.”
I looked down at the cake and had to bite my lip from laughing again. It was decorated exceptionally well.
15.
I hung around with the Steeles until it was late and they’d all gone home or to bed. Devon was still pouting, but he’d helped me plan a few last-minute things. I’d also helped Mary cook a big dinner and learned a few secret recipes. She said I had earned them with my trick on Devon.
I was curled up in one of their big recliners with Moo-Key at my feet when I noticed how late it was. I’d ended up watching a movie with Devon, but it was almost over. I was also having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
“I think it’s time for me to go. We’ve got a big day of getting things ready tomorrow.”
Devon looked up from his position, stretched out on the couch next to me. He’d lost his boots and socks at some point, and his flannel shirt was unbuttoned. Too much flesh was exposed for me to handle. “You’ve been falling asleep for the past thirty minutes. You can’t drive like that.”
I stood up and twisted around to loosen the muscles in my back. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got to get Moo home so I can give him his bedtime vitamin.”
As if on cue, Moo-Key fell over and yawned. Devon reached over and scratched Moo-Key’s belly. “I think the big guy is pooped.”
“He is. He’s normally in bed by now.”
Devon stood up and stretched his arms above his head. “Let me get my boots back on. I’ll drive you home.”
I shook my head. “You’re tired, too.”
“But I’m fine. Come on. It’s that or you stay in the guest room.”
“Fine. Drive me home, cabbie.”
He grabbed the cake and laughed at my confused face. “You don’t think I’m eating this thing, do you? A man’s got his limits, Amanda.”
I shrugged. I’d love some cake. Mary had already started a pie for dinner when the cake had shown up so we’d eaten pie for dessert. I still had room for cake, and I planned on eating some as soon as I got home.
Devon helped me get a sleepy Moo-Key in the truck and then drove me home. We didn’t talk on the way, and it soothed me. He’d cracked his window and the fresh breeze ruffled my hair.
Once we got to my house, I was so relaxed I felt like I was already asleep as I trudged up to my door. Devon followed me with the cake. He carried it inside and held the door open for Moo-Key, who was in the yard looking for a special place to pee.
I grabbed two forks from the silverware container and a jug of milk from the fridge. “I’m going to have some cake. Do you want some?”
Devon pulled the door closed after Moo-Key ran in. “I don’t want to eat penis cake.”
“It’s the right flavors for the cake we’re having made for the party and for the wedding. Don’t you want to taste it?”
He grabbed one of the forks from me and sat down next to me at the counter. “If you tell anyone about this, I’ll say you’re a filthy liar.”
I shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”
We each cut a big piece of cake off and scooped some into our mouths. Only after I’d chewed my bite and swallowed did I see the face Devon was making.
“It tastes really good, but I can’t do it. I can’t stop thinking about the face that it’s a penis.”
I pulled the cake closer to me and dug in. “I don’t care what it’s shaped like. It’s cake.”
Devon grabbed a glass and poured milk into it. “You’re going to choke to death, eating bites that big.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “Oh, what a way to go.”
“What a lady.”
I gulped down some cold milk and sighed. “What a cake.”
He laughed and put the lid back on the cake. “I’m going to get you back, you know?”
I stood up and pulled the T-shirt I’d been wearing over my head and tossed it at the couch. I was still wearing a camisole and more leggings, so I wasn’t worried about Devon seeing anything. Besides, he’d seen me in much less. I kicked my shoes off and sat back down on the stool.
“You can’t get back at me. That was me getting back at you for all the tricks you’ve played on me. You’ve been horrible. I thought I was going to die multiple times.”
He didn’t say anything, so I looked up at him to see what he was doing. He was staring at me with the heat of the sun burning in his eyes. The pale brown color was quickly turning to the color of caramel.
I swallowed so loudly, and it was so quiet that it felt like a shotgun blast bouncing around the house. “Devon?”
His eyes trailed down to my throat and then farther down. “Yeah?”
“You’re staring.”
He met my gaze and nodded. “Yeah.”
My stomach came alive with butterflies, and I was instantly aware that my nipples were hardening against my bra. A slow burn started south of my belly, making me too aware of the moisture gathering there.
I watched his fingers tighten on the countertop until his knuckles were white. I sucked my bottom lip in between my teeth and bit down.
“Amanda?”
I looked up at him through my eyelashes. “Yeah?”
“I’m going to stand up in a second. When I do, I need you to make a decision. Are you going to walk me to the door and tell me goodnight?” He paused. “Or are you going to walk me back to your bedroom?”
My heart felt like it was going to explode if it beat any faster. My palms were sweaty, and I was breathing too fast for all I was doing. I looked up at him as he stood. I had to make a decision.
I knew what I was supposed to do, according to my own rules. When I stood up, though, I couldn’t seem to find the desire to walk him to the door and tell him goodnight. I’d worry about the consequences later.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me to my bedroom.
16.
Devon’s hands were instantly on my waist, dragging me back against his chest. He pressed his mouth to my neck and sent shivers racing across my body. “Sorry, Moo. You�
��re out of luck tonight.”
I looked back to see Moo-Key pouting on the couch as Devon pushed the bedroom door closed. “He’ll be okay for the night.”
“I’m not worried.” Devon turned me to face him and walked me backward until my knees hit the bed. He pushed me back, and I had to crawl up the bed as he followed on his knees until he was hovering over me. His eyes trailed down my body and stopped at my core. “Just so you know, every time you were yelling at me about something, I was remembering just how good you taste.”
My cheeks warmed, and I dug my nails into the blanket beneath me. “You were supposed to be listening to me.”
He dropped his hips and pressed his impressive erection against me. “It was hard to focus.”
I tilted my hips and rubbed myself against him. “Lots of things are hard.”
“Lift your hands above your head.” His voice had grown huskier and commanding. Devon in bed was dominating, and he was the only man I’d ever let control me.
I lifted my arms and he grinned. His mouth was on my underarm and then on the sensitive skin above it. He ran his mouth up to my wrist, torturing me with open-mouthed kisses.
“You have the softest skin.” His mouth moved back down to my collar bone and then across the top of my chest. When he moved to my mouth, I moaned. “And the sexiest mouth. No matter if you’re yelling at me or moaning my name.”
I couldn’t imagine why I’d stayed away from Devon’s kisses for so long. He put everything in them. When he kissed me, I felt the world tilt. My head always got fuzzy for a few seconds before I could even kiss him back. His mouth was soft and warm while his five 0’clock shadow tickled me. His tongue slipped past my lips, and I gently sucked on it, tasting the cake he’d eaten.
He sat up and ran his hands from my wrists to my throat, where his fingers stroked the skin there until I wanted to beg him for more. From there he moved down the center of my chest and then hooked his fingers in the hem of my top.
I held my breath as he pulled it over my head slowly and left it tangled around my arms. “Devon, faster.”
His mouth lowered to the valley between my breasts, and he sucked the sensitive skin. With an agonizing patience, he moved to the skin under my breasts and then down the side of my body, treating my ribs to light nips and caressing strokes from his tongue.
