Chapter 15 Atlee
FIFTEEN
ATLEE
Devlin follows me home, his truck never leaving my rearview mirror. If there’s anything about this man, it’s that he’s committed to making sure I’m safe. I love this about him. I love a lot about him, and I’m going to tell him that tonight.
As we pull around the back of Devlin’s house, I gather my stuff, but before I can get out, he’s already come over to the door and is opening it for me.
“Thank you.” I smile up at him as he holds the door for me.
I get out, and he pins me up against the driver’s side door. “You’re welcome,” he says, right before he takes my mouth in a steamy kiss. I let myself melt into him for a few moments before he pulls away. “I’m sorry about everything that happened tonight.”
Reaching around his waist, I hug him tight. “I’m not, Devlin.”
He looks like he wants to say more, a pained expression crossing his face. “I just hope that you aren’t doing this because you think I expect you to.”
I shake my head, pulling back to look at him properly. The moonlight catches the sharp angles of his face, making him look both dangerous and vulnerable at the same time.
“I’m not doing anything because I think you expect it,” I tell him firmly. “I’m here because I want to be.”
He studies my face, like he’s trying to read the truth in my expression. Whatever he sees there seems to satisfy him, at least temporarily.
“Let’s go sit,” he says, nodding toward the back porch and the rocking chairs that have become our nightly ritual.
I follow him, but instead of heading straight for the chairs, I find myself drawn to the railing. From here, the view of the mountains is breathtaking, even in the dark. The moon casts everything in silver.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I say softly, feeling him come up behind me. His arms wrap around my waist, and I lean back against his chest, soaking in his warmth against the chill of the night air.
“Yeah,” he agrees, his voice rumbling against my back. “Never gets old.”
We stand like that for a while, just breathing together, watching the night. There’s so much I want to say, but the words feel heavy in my throat, weighted with importance.
“When I was a little girl,” I start, surprising myself with where my mind has gone. “I used to imagine what my life would be like when I grew up. I’d dream about having a house with a white picket fence, a dog in the yard, someone who loved me waiting for me to come home.”
His arms tighten around me slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“My parents weren’t exactly the loving type,” I continue, the familiar ache dulled by time and distance.
“Dad was drunk more often than not, and Mom was too busy trying to keep him from flying off the handle to pay much attention to me or Lennon. We raised each other, really. I’ve told you a little bit about that. Enough for you to assume.”
I turn in his arms, needing to see his face for what comes next. His eyes are dark and attentive, fixed on mine.
“I’ve been looking for something my entire life, Devlin,” I tell him, my voice steady despite the vulnerability of the admission.
“Something my parents never gave me. Love, security, a place where I belong. I kept thinking I’d find it—in school, at work, in other relationships—but it was never quite right. Never quite enough.”
“Atlee…” He says my name like a prayer, his hands coming up to frame my face.
“I want to show you something,” I whisper, taking his hand and leading him to the rocking chairs. When he sits, I don’t take the chair beside him. Instead, I straddle his lap, facing him, my knees on either side of his thighs.
His hands automatically come to rest on my hips, steadying me, before they go around to palm my ass. The surprise in his eyes is quickly replaced by heat, but I need him to hear me before we get lost in each other.
I take his face between my palms, making sure he’s looking right at me. “I’ve found it now,” I tell him, my thumbs stroking the stubble on his cheeks. “With you. This feeling, this peace—it’s what I’ve been searching for all along. And I’m not letting it go, not for Noah, not for anyone.”
His eyes widen slightly, like he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing. “Atlee, you don’t know what you’re saying. The trouble we could be in…”
“I know exactly what I’m saying,” I cut him off.
“I love you, Devlin. I love your strength and your gentleness. I love the way you make me feel safe without making me feel weak. I love that you built this place with your own hands, that you knew what you wanted and made it happen. I love all of it, the good and the bad.”
He looks stunned, like I’ve knocked the wind out of him. His hands tighten on my hips, and for a moment, I worry I’ve said too much too soon. But then his expression shifts, a rawness I’ve never seen before breaking through.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect what we have,” I continue, the words spilling out now that I’ve started. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it. I’m all in, Devlin. All the way.”
“Why?” he asks, his voice hoarse. “Why would you risk everything for me? I’ve done things, Atlee. Things I’m not proud of.”
“Because that’s what you do when you love someone,” I tell him simply. “You stand by them. You fight for them.”
His hand slides up my back, coming to rest at the nape of my neck. “You’re incredible, you know that?” he murmurs. “Walking right into this mess with your eyes open, choosing to stay when most people would run.”
“I’m not most people,” I remind him with a small smile.
“No,” he agrees, pulling me closer. “You’re certainly not.”
When his lips meet mine, it’s different from the kiss we shared by the car. That was heat and passion. This is deeper, something that feels like a promise. I melt against him, my body molding to his, my fingers threading through his hair.
He tastes both like danger and safety, and I can’t get enough. I press closer, feeling the solid strength of him beneath me, the steady beat of his heart against my chest.
His hands slide under my shirt, warm against my skin, and I shiver at his touch. “Cold?” he asks against my lips.
“No,” I breathe, rocking my hips against his. “Definitely not cold.”
He groans, the sound vibrating through both of us. “We should go inside,” he suggests, though his hands are still moving, exploring the curve of my waist, the dip of my spine. The rough tips of his fingers play over the edges of my shirt.
“Or we could stay right here,” I counter, nipping at his bottom lip. “Under the stars.”
His eyes darken at the suggestion, and I can feel his body’s immediate response beneath me. “Out in the open? Feeling adventurous, aren’t you?”
“There’s no one around for miles,” I remind him, grinding down deliberately. “And I want you, Devlin. Right here, right now.”
That seems to break his restraint. With a growl, he captures my mouth in a searing kiss, his hands now moving with purpose, tugging at my clothing. I return the favor, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine.
We undress each other with frantic need, pausing only to adjust our position so I’m still straddling him, but now we’re both gloriously naked, the cool night air raising goose bumps on my exposed skin.
But I hardly notice the cold, not with the heat building between us, not with Devlin looking at me like I’m the most precious thing he’s ever seen.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, his hands reverently tracing the curves of my body. “So goddamn beautiful.”
I arch into his touch, my head falling back as his mouth finds the sensitive spot where my neck meets my shoulder. “Devlin,” I gasp as his hands and lips continue their exploration, turning me molten from the inside out.
When I can’t take it anymore, I reach between us, guiding him where I need him most. We both moan as our bodies join, his cock pressing inside me.
“Look at me,” he commands softly, and I open my eyes to find him watching me with an intensity that steals my breath. “I need you to know something.”
I still, my heart pounding, waiting.
“I love you too,” he says, the words simple but profound. “God help me, but I do, and it scares the hell out of me, because I know Noah and Richard will use it against me. Use you against me.”
I roll my hips slowly, savoring the way his breath catches. “Let them try,” I whisper fiercely. “They can’t break what we’re building together.”
His hands find my hips again, guiding my movements as we find a rhythm together. “You don’t know them,” he warns, even as his body responds to mine. “They’re powerful men with a lot to lose.”
“So are we,” I remind him, leaning forward to kiss him deeply. “We have each other. That’s more powerful than anything they can throw at us.”
He doesn’t argue further, giving himself over to the moment, to us. Our bodies move together on the wooden rocking chair, the motion creating a gentle sway that enhances every sensation. I lose myself in him, in the feel of his hands on my skin, his lips on mine, the way he fills me so completely.
When the tension finally breaks, I have to bury my face in his shoulder to muffle my cries. He follows right behind, his arms tightening around me as he shudders beneath me, my name a whisper on his lips.
We stay like that for a long time, tangled together, our breathing gradually slowing, my head resting on his shoulder. The night has grown colder, but I’m warm in his embrace, content in a way I’ve never known before.
“We should head inside,” he eventually murmurs, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Get you warmed up properly.”
I nod and reluctantly disentangle myself from him. We gather our scattered clothing, helping each other dress with lingering touches and soft kisses, neither of us quite ready to break the connection between us.
As we head toward the door, Devlin suddenly stops, turning to me with a serious expression.
“Atlee, I meant what I said. I love you. But I’m worried that all this”—he gestures vaguely, encompassing the situation with Noah and the Morrisons—“is going to put too much pressure on us. On what we’ve found. ”
I reach up, tracing the worry lines between his brows. “I know you’re scared,” I tell him gently. “I am too. But I meant what I said too. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. Whatever happens, we face it together.”
He catches my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. “Together,” he echoes, but I can still see the shadow of doubt in his eyes, the fear that our newfound happiness might be too fragile to withstand the storm that’s coming.
As we step inside, I make a silent promise to myself, to him, to us. I won’t let that fear come true. We’ve both spent too long searching for what we’ve found in each other to lose it now. No matter what Noah Sanchez or Richard Morrison throw at us, they won’t tear us apart.
Some things are worth fighting for, and what Devlin and I have? That’s worth everything.