Chapter 11 #2
“I don’t want us to get arrested for public indecency,” he teased, holding out his hand to pull her to her feet. “Let’s go home. I have something to show you.”
She burst out laughing. “I’ve heard that line before!”
Together they laughed and folded up their blanket and Devin grabbed their cooler.
They said goodnight to the Donovans and moved along with the crowd, making their way to the exit.
It took a moment once they were out in the parking lot to remember where they parked, but eventually made their way back to his truck.
It was unusual for there to be a traffic jam in town, but considering everyone was there, it was to be expected.
The trip home took a little longer, but all it did was build the anticipation he was feeling.
Wordlessly, Devin came around to her side of the truck once they were parked in the driveway and helped her climb down.
Reaching into the cab of the truck, he grabbed the blanket and within minutes, they were in his backyard.
When she came to a stop beside him, he realized MacKenzie hadn’t been back there before–hadn’t had a need to–and all she could do was stop and stare.
There weren’t any houses close by, and the massive yard was fenced in with a giant oak tree in the back corner.
The grass was perfectly manicured, and there were several varieties of shrubs lining the sides.
“We may not be up high on a mountain, but I think the sky’s just as impressive from here.
What do you think?” he whispered before he let go of her hand so he could lay the blanket down on the grass.
Next, he kicked off his shoes. When her gaze met his, he gave her a wicked smile. “I figured privacy was a good thing.”
Kicking off her own shoes, MacKenzie nodded. “You figured correctly.” She peeled her t-shirt up and over her head and then shimmied out of her shorts. In the blink of an eye, Devin was down to his boxer briefs, but the sight of her standing in the moonlight took his breath away.
Perfection .
It didn’t matter how many times he’d seen her stripped down.
Her body was completely perfect–all soft skin and fabulous curves.
Just looking at her was enough to kick his arousal up a notch.
His fingers twitched with the need to touch her even as he trembled with the need to be touched.
And as if reading his mind, she stepped forward and did just that.
Starting with her hands on his shoulders, she gently caressed her way down his arms until he clasped her hands in his and slowly dragged them up and placed them around his neck. Then he dipped his head and stopped when his lips were a breath away from hers. Her name came out as a whisper.
“Yes,” she breathed and then his lips were on hers, kissing her, claiming her. It was like his every sexy fantasy come to life. All of his senses were heightened and with every touch of MacKenzie’s hands or the feel of the cool evening breeze against his skin was pushing him toward an overload.
Slowly, Devin lowered her to the blanket and stretched out beside her. “How did I get so lucky to find you?” he asked, his tone full of awe.
Reaching up, MacKenzie caressed his strong, stubbled jaw, loving the feel of it. “It’s a good thing you were going my way. Otherwise, there’s a good chance I’d still be sitting on the side of the road.” She was going for light and teasing, but his expression turned fierce. “Devin…I…”
He placed a finger over her lips. “You have no idea how glad I am to be the one to come along. Do you have any idea how dangerous that whole thing was? Anyone could have stumbled upon you…taken advantage and…”
Now it was her turn to quiet him. Her hand snaked around to his nape and pulled him down for a searing kiss.
He knew it was a distraction, but he was more than willing to let that train of thought go.
Right now, he didn’t want to think about everything that could have gone wrong. Not when everything was so damn right.
MacKenzie was here in his arms–practically naked–and looking glorious in the moonlight. And as he covered her body with his, he was beyond thankful that he had found her and that he was lucky enough to share this perfect moment with her.
On Saturday afternoon, MacKenzie walked into the garage bay and saw Devin standing next to her Mustang. The garage was closed for business, but the two of them had opted to skip the festival for now so they could check on the car. “Can I take her for a spin?”
“Absolutely.” He tossed her key to her and then stepped around to open the door for her.
“Wow…what service,” she teased as she settled into the driver’s seat.
“Just take it easy with her again…”
“I was easy with her the last time, Devin. She’s just got some years on her.” She rubbed the dash lovingly as she said it. “I’m sure she’ll be fine this time. And I have my phone with me…you know…just in case.” And with a wink, she started the engine and slowly backed out of the garage.
Walking along beside the car, he tapped the hood to make her stop.
“What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you might stop at the store and pick up something for us to take to Jade and Levi’s tonight?”
Jade had called earlier to say they were also skipping the festival today but were hosting a barbecue for friends and family and hoped they could come. It sounded like it was going to be fun, so they had readily agreed.
“Yeah, sure! No problem. I’ll run into the grocery store after I drive around town a bit.” Then she playfully blew him a kiss as she backed up. Devin watched her go and gave her a quick wave as she drove away.
As she had on her last drive, MacKenzie circled the town and drove along some of the side streets before hitting the town limits and pulling over.
Then immediately reconsidered and turned the car around to head to the grocery store.
She really wanted to pick something up to take to Jade and Levi’s later.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot–which was oddly empty–and shut off the engine.
But before she shopped, she took out her phone and Googled car engines and tried to find something to do that wouldn’t be too obvious again–and would be easy for her to do on her own with no tools.
Or without any witnesses to her tampering with her own engine.
Unfortunately, there was no way she was going to stick her hand in the engine again or crawl under the car.
There weren’t a whole lot of options for her, and she actually lost track of time while scrolling for ideas.
When her phone rang, she screamed and dropped it on the floor.
Picking it up, she saw Devin’s number on the screen.
“Hey!” she said, sounding overly bright and cheerful. “What’s up?”
“Is everything okay? You’ve been gone for a while.”
“Oh…um…I was just…”
“Is the car running okay?”
She sighed wearily–but quietly. “Yeah,” she said, a little deflated. “It drove great. Really.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course I’m sure, Devin. I’ve been all over Sweetbriar Ridge and…
I just lost track of time. Everything is so damn pretty around here that I just got caught up in it all.
Now I’m at the store and was just about to go in and grab some salads or something.
I’m guessing they’ll have plenty of dessert stuff, so I’m going to see what else looks good. Any requests?”
“They have some great dips. Maybe grab some chips and guacamole and maybe a veggie platter. How does that sound?”
“Very yummy! I’ll text you when I’m done!”
“Please do,” he said cheerily before hanging up.
Going inside, it was a little like a ghost town.
There were only a handful of people shopping, and she was able to get everything she wanted and was checking out in a matter of minutes.
She’d gotten everything Devin suggested, but also grabbed some buffalo chicken dip and a spinach and artichoke one.
“You can never have too many dips,” she murmured as she put the bags in her car.
When she got back in the driver’s seat and shut the door, she pulled out her phone to text Devin. Unfortunately, that’s when she remembered the message waiting for her from her mother. And because her curiosity got the better of her, she opened the app and held her breath.
Oh, my goodness, MacKenzie! This is a surprise! It’s definitely been a long time and I honestly thought it was for the best. I believe the last time we spoke I made you very upset and your father asked that I not reach out again.
“Wow, right away with the blame. Good to see nothing’s changed,” she mumbled wearily.
I am sorry to hear about his passing. It’s been a long time since the two of us saw eye to eye, but he was a big part of my life and I was sad to hear the news. I hope you’re doing okay without him.
“Um…no, Mom. I’m not doing okay. I’m a mess! Seriously, why would you even say that?”
As for you coming to Oregon, I’d really like to talk to you about that.
And not here in a social media message, but on the phone.
Honestly, I rarely come on here. I don’t know why I did the other day but I’m glad I did so I could see your message.
Life’s a little hectic right now. I’ve remarried and have two sons.
It’s summer vacation and we opted not to do camps this year, so they’re keeping me very busy.
I’m not trying to make excuses, but I haven’t told the boys or my husband about you.
I actually think Dale knows, but we don’t really talk about it.
Muttering a curse, tears stung her eyes and she contemplated throwing her phone out the window and then running it over with the car.
But she didn’t, because curiosity had her wanting to read the rest of the damn message.