CHAPTER 25
Dev
I may not have won the race today, but having Willow in my arms feels better than winning ever could.
We’ve both cleaned up, but the sight of her slick thighs as she climbed out of bed did something to my brain. I almost went full caveman and threw her back onto the mattress so I could leave her with my mark all over again.
I managed to resist. Barely.
Watching her face as she came . . . Fuck, I’ve never seen a more stunning sight. The sound of her little gasps and breathy moans will be seared into my memory for the rest of my life. The day I forget them is the day I die. It’s been five minutes, and all I want is to hear them again.
And again, and again, and again.
My love confession may have snapped off my tongue as an easy reply to her taunt, but it’s true. This girl is it for me. I just wish I’d realized it sooner, because no matter how much time we’re given together, it will never be enough.
I extend an arm to invite her to rest her head against my chest, and she accepts gratefully, pressing herself into my side and hooking her thigh over mine. I’ve dreamed of this so many nights, but now it’s actually happening. Shit, maybe I am dreaming.
‘Do you need to go back to your own room soon?’ she murmurs against my pec, big brown eyes swinging up to look at me, telling me exactly what my answer should be. ‘You probably don’t want to get caught sneaking out of here in the morning.’
‘I don’t care.’ Anyone on this floor who sees me knows to keep their mouth shut. ‘I can stay as long as you want me to.’
She snuggles closer, a contented sound escaping her lips. ‘Good. I don’t want this night to end.’
Neither do I. And I can only hope all of our nights from now on look exactly like this one.
I press a kiss to her forehead, then litter more across her curls until she giggles and pushes my face away. With a grin, I pull her in and pin her down to steal all the kisses I want, but the muffled buzz of my phone in the pocket of my jeans on the floor distracts me. I consider ignoring it, but it could be Howard, and I’m not about to miss the call that could shape the rest of my life.
‘I’m not done with you,’ I declare, planting one more hard kiss on her lips before leaning over the edge of the bed.
Except when I yank my phone free, Howard’s name isn’t the one flashing on the screen. It’s Oakley’s.
Willow lifts a hand to my chest, a concerned crease between her brows. ‘Who is it?’ she asks.
I don’t want to wreck her peace, but I won’t be dishonest. ‘Oakley.’
As I anticipated, she stiffens beside me, though to her credit, she doesn’t pull away. ‘Answer it,’ she instructs.
Without second-guessing it, I slide my finger across the screen and say, ‘Hey, man.’
All I hear at first is the rush of air, like he’s driving fast with the windows down and the call on speaker. ‘What time are you getting into town tomorrow?’ Oakley shouts over the noise.
I frown, watching Willow. She can likely hear his side of the conversation in the quiet of our room.
‘Are you in San Diego already?’ I ask.
‘Got in earlier,’ he answers. ‘Our moms have already force-fed me at least six meals. I had to get out for a drive before they made me eat another.’ He snorts. ‘Good thing I’m not the one racing these days. I wouldn’t be able to fit in the car.’
I force out a laugh. ‘Maybe I’ll put off coming home for a few more days, then. I can’t risk it.’
‘Nah, fuck that. Get your ass back here ASAP. I’m bored without you, and Neha Aunty is starting to go a little wild with all this wedding stuff. I need reinforcements. Which brings me back to my original question: when will you be here?’
I glance at the clock on the bedside table. It’s two a.m., which means it’s five p.m. yesterday in California. I’ve been travelling the world for most of my life, and the time zones still get me wildly fucked up.
Today is technically the first day of the summer break. I promised Oakley and my family that I’d come home as soon as I could so that I’d have plenty of time with them, plus some time to relax before the whirlwind of Alisha’s multi-day wedding starts. I’m supposed to get on a California-bound plane at some point today – along with Willow and Mark and Chava – but I’d be hard-pressed to say when. I was a little too busy having sex with this guy’s sister to bother looking up my itinerary last night.
I squeeze my eyes shut, then open them and focus on Willow’s perfect face. ‘I don’t know,’ I mumble. ‘Check with Chava. He’s the one running my life.’
‘Already called him like three times. He didn’t answer,’ Oakley counters. ‘Maybe Willow knows. She’s usually an organized control freak about this kind of stuff. I’ll call her now. Talk to you la—’
‘No!’ I blurt, just as Willow’s eyes go wide. Shit, now I have to cover. ‘It’s like two in the morning here, man. Stop calling people and waking them up. When I find out, I’ll text you.’
Oakley heaves a sigh that’s almost lost in the wind. ‘Fine. Just don’t leave me here alone for too long. I miss you, you dickhead.’
Even though my stomach is roiling with guilt, his words make me smile a little. ‘Miss you too. See you soon enough.’
I hang up and toss the phone back to the floor, groaning as I scrub my hands down my face.
When I open my eyes again, Willow has her chin tucked to her chest and her lower lip pulled between her teeth.
The phone call has officially burst the bubble we created for ourselves.
‘How is this supposed to work, Dev?’ she asks. Her voice is small. Scared. ‘How are we supposed to do this?’
I run a hand over her hair, wanting to soothe her, but I’m just as terrified. ‘How do you want to handle it?’
‘I don’t know,’ she murmurs. ‘I want to be with you. I am with you. But I’m afraid of telling Oakley.’ She takes a breath and lifts her chin, even if it wobbles a little. She’s being as strong as she can right now. ‘Can we keep this between us for a little while? I want us to be sure about this – all on our own – before we tell anyone. No distractions. No doubts. No one trying to talk us out of anything.’
I’m already sure, have been for entirely too long now, but she’s right. There can’t be a single doubt from either side when we take the plunge. The waves we make will be big, and loving each other might not be enough to keep them from drowning us.
‘I think Chava and Mark might already know,’ I joke in an attempt to lighten the quickly darkened mood.
That drags a soft laugh out of her. ‘You might be on to something,’ she plays along, but she quickly grows serious again. ‘I don’t think I can keep this from Grace and Chantal either. They’ll figure me out in no time.’
‘So, seems like Oakley will be the only one out of the loop.’ I sigh. I don’t like it, but I get it. If anyone’s going to try to convince us not to be together, it’s him, and we don’t need that kind of influence this early on.
‘Yeah.’ Willow wets her lips, the wheels turning in her head. ‘We can’t hide it from him for too long, though. What if . . . What if we tell him right after Alisha’s wedding? That’s two weeks from now.’ She waits until I nod before continuing. ‘We can take that time to figure out how we want to handle going public. Plus, that’s at the end of my contract with you and Argonaut.’
She’s right. But I don’t want to think about what things will look like when her contract’s up and she’s not by my side at all times. Then again, when she’s not my employee, what we’re doing won’t be so frowned upon.
‘Okay,’ I agree, tugging her close to me again. ‘Looks like we’re going to be sneaking around for a while. You up for it?’
She braces a palm on my chest as she hovers over me. Even in the low light of the bedside lamp, I can see the caramel sliver in her eye. Her perfect imperfection.
‘If it means I get to be with you,’ she says, ‘then I’m up for anything.’
I slide my fingers up her neck and bury them in the tendrils of hair at the back of her head. ‘Hey. I love you.’
Relief flickers across her face. ‘So that wasn’t an accidental, heat-of-the-moment thing?’
‘Not in the slightest. You?’
‘Nope. I meant it.’ She purses her lips, like she’s considering telling me a secret. ‘I think I’ve been in love with you for most of my life.’ It’s a vulnerable admission, but she eases the seriousness by teasing, ‘About time you caught up.’
She can joke all she wants, but she’s right. It took me too fucking long to see what was in front of me and run toward her.
But at least we’ve made it here. I just hope we can stay.
——
The first things I notice when I wake, before I’ve even opened my eyes, are the scent of sweet vanilla and the warmth of Willow’s body seeping into mine.
I can tell she’s awake, even though her back is to me and she’s trying to keep her movements small and limited. She’s always been a restless sleeper. I remember how she would end up out of her sleeping bag or halfway across the tent floor when our families went camping together. Clearly, nothing has changed over the years, though now I’m worried she does it because she’s uncomfortable. I can’t imagine staying in one spot for very long is easy on her body – especially after the multiple rounds I put her through last night.
‘I know you’re awake,’ I mumble against her bare shoulder.
She stills at my words and turns her head a little, though she doesn’t look back at me. ‘I didn’t mean to wake you,’ she whispers. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Mm, don’t apologize.’ I sweep her hair out of the way and kiss the nape of her neck, revelling in the shiver it sends through her. ‘I don’t want to miss a moment with you.’
She shifts a little more toward me, and this time, I can see her smile. ‘Do you go to sleep at night with all these lines planned?’
I grin against her skin in return. ‘Want to hear another?’ When she nods, I whisper, ‘I’m convinced the gods dropped you right in my path.’
‘Ooh, good one,’ she says, showing me those dimples. ‘What Bollywood movie is that from?’
I laugh, my face already aching from the width of my smile and the pure fucking joy she inspires in me. ‘If you find out, let me know.’ I kiss her neck again, and this time I’m rewarded with a contented sigh from her. ‘But I mean it. I think this was always meant to happen.’
‘What, falling into bed together?’ she jokes, rolling onto her back and squinting up at me sleepily.
‘And everything that led up to it.’ I punctuate the theory with a kiss on the corner of her jaw. ‘How we needed help from each other. The time we’ve spent together because of it.’ My lips drift to her collarbone. ‘How close we’ve been able to grow without being questioned about it.’ I flick my tongue across the fluttering pulse point at the base of her throat. ‘It was all perfect. Like it was written in the stars.’
‘Written in the stars, huh?’
‘Pure fate. Kismet. Red string and all that.’
‘And you believe in it?’
‘Considering you’re in my arms right now, I have to.’
‘Sap,’ she mumbles, threading her fingers through my hair. ‘Keep talking.’
I could go on about her all morning, but Willow’s phone chirps on the bedside table, interrupting my attempt to tell her how the Indian astrologers my mom claims she doesn’t believe in but utilizes anyway couldn’t deny how compatible we are.
Willow huffs as she pulls away from me to grab the phone.
‘It’s Chava,’ she says, her face falling just a little as she reads his text. ‘He wants to head to the airport in an hour.’
Reality is calling, and it’s time to face it. We have a lot to stare down.
‘All right.’ I kiss the corner of her mouth, knowing this will be the last time I can do that until we’re alone again. And I have no idea when that will be. ‘Let’s head home, jaanu.’