Chapter 4
Devon
I finished my shift two hours ago, and I’ve been parked outside Suri’s apartment ever since. She still hasn’t come home, and I’m starting to panic. Did something happen to her? Did she go straight to the restaurant from work? Is she out with some other man right now?
My hands strangle the steering wheel as I debate whether to leave my post and swing by Palmer’s Steakhouse to look for her or stay here and wait. It’s getting late, close to seven-thirty already. I curse under my breath as I turn the key in the ignition.
I don’t have a plan for how to break up her date. Do I say that there’s been a threat and get the whole place shut down for a bit? Would anyone believe that in this small town? I guess I could always grab the guy, knock him out, and carry Suri out of there.
I’m about to shift into drive when headlights appear behind me, and the vehicle parks in the spot Suri vacated this morning.
I shut off the engine, relieved as I climb out of my police cruiser. At least she’s not hurt. Plus, she’s alone.
“How was your date?” I ask, trying to sound calm and in control. I’m pretty sure I fail terribly. I sound like an angry ogre.
“I had to reschedule since I had to work late,” she says, holding her things to her chest as she locks her car and turns to face me. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to check on you. Have you eaten?”
“No, not yet. I’m about to make something.” She nods toward her apartment.
“I’ll take you out.”
“No, that’s ok—hey!” she shouts when I grab her and throw her over my shoulder.
She’s stiff and outraged in my arms. But me? I’ve never felt better in my life. I’ve got Suri’s sweet curves rubbing against me, and I’m about to take her on our first date. Life couldn’t get better.
“What are you doing?” she yells as I tuck her into the passenger seat of the cruiser and buckle her up.
“Safety first,” I say cheerfully.
Her eye twitches.
Fuck, I love her.
I close the door and sprint around to the driver’s side, throwing myself behind the wheel before she can unbuckle and bolt. I pull away from the curb before I even have my seatbelt on.
Suri glares at me from the passenger seat. “Where are you taking me?”
“To dinner.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not hungry.”
Her stomach growls. She closes her eyes and blushes.
I bite back a smirk. “Burgers, okay?”
She sighs and shakes her head.
I reach over, threading our fingers together. She tries to shake me off as I drive along Main Street and pull into Toasty Bun Burgers.
“Have you been here before?” I ask as we climb out of the car.
“Yeah.”
“Are the burgers here as good as they were at Jonny’s back in Colorado? You said they were your favorite in one of your letters.”
She pauses when I mention the letters, and I try to read her expression. She looks almost… sad.
“Yeah, they’re good,” she says quietly as she walks inside.
I follow her up to the counter, and she pretends to scan the menu as we wait our turn in line.
“Hey,” I say softly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
She presses her lips together and keeps staring at the menu.
“Hey, Suri, it’s me. You can talk to me. You can tell me anything.”
That hits a nerve.
She whirls to face me. “Why are you here? Why are you doing all this?”
“Because you’re here. Where else would I be?” I throw my hands up. “What I want to know is why you’re seeing other guys when we’re meant to be together?”
Her mouth drops open, and she stares at me. “Us?”
I nod. “Yes, us.”
Jesus, what letters was she reading all those years? I thought it was obvious that we were fucking soulmates.
Her pretty blue eyes scan my face. “When did you figure that out?”
“Your second letter to me.”
“So if I had never written to you, you still wouldn’t know I existed,” she whispers, tears forming in her eyes.
It feels like my heart is cracking in my chest. I reach for her, my fingers wrapping around hers. Her skin is ice-cold, and I want to say something, do something, to fix all this.
“Thank fuck you wrote to me.”
It’s our turn to order, and she pulls away, putting space between us. I reach over, wrapping my arm around her waist and tugging her to my side.
I order the same as her and pay before she can. She turns and stomps off with her soda, and I follow her. The place is half empty, and she chooses a table away from a group of high schoolers.
I sit across from her and immediately lean over the table toward her. “Why are you fighting this, baby? Fuck, I thought we were on the same page. I thought you would be happy to see me.”
“I told you goodbye in my letter.”
“That’s bullshit. There is no goodbye for us. This is forever.”
Suri scoffs and shakes her head, looking anywhere but at me.
“Suri, talk to me. What the fuck is going on in that pretty head of yours?”
Her blue eyes darken, and her temper snaps. She glares at me across the table. “I don’t like how this is making me feel. I want to be chased and desired and wanted.”
“You are, trust me,” I interject, reaching down to adjust my straining cock in my jeans.
“It doesn’t feel like that. It feels like I pined for you for years, followed you around in high school, chased you and wrote the first letters, and right when I think I’m ready to move on and put my silly crush behind me, you show up! It feels like some kind of cosmic joke.”
I stare at her, trying to decide what to do. I want to take her home, throw her down on my bed, and prove how much I want her. How much I fucking need her. Doing that won’t win me any points with her, though.
“Fine,” I say after a beat.
“I…okay, good. I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she says hesitantly.
Our food is delivered, and she grabs a fry, stuffing it into her mouth.
“I am too.”
She watches me like she’s not sure if I’m going to pounce on her. I smile easily, passing her burger and taking a bite of my own. We eat in silence, and I clear the table when we’re done before leading her back out to my cruiser.
This time, when I open her door, she climbs in willingly and buckles herself up. I want to hold her hand on the drive home, but I restrain myself. She wants me to do this the right way, so that’s what I’ll do.
I park outside her apartment and climb out, rounding the hood to open her door and help her out.
“Thanks for dinner,” she murmurs.
“Anytime, Suri.”
She nods, grabbing her lunch bag and keys before turning toward her place.
I lean back against my car. “You better be ready.”
She pauses and turns to face me. “For what?”
“Starting tomorrow, I’m going to chase you. You’ll have me panting after you like a dog, baby. I’m going to woo the shit out of you.”
She looks stunned. Then she snorts. “Sounds romantic.”
I grin. “It will be.”
She licks her lips, eyeing me carefully.
I straighten and close the distance between us. “Cancel your date, baby. You’ve already found your man.”
She’s panting, her body leaning toward mine. I want to kiss her so damn bad, but I force myself to step back and give her space. That seems to snap her out of her daze. She clears her throat, turns, and walks to her apartment door.
“Sweet dreams, Suri.”
“Goodnight, Devon.”
With that, she disappears inside.
I grin as I move back to my car and slip inside. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.