Chapter 28 Devon #2
She melted into it, one hand at my jaw, the other curled into my shirt, kissing me back as if she too could convey a message.
Love. Longing. Promises unspoken.
And I felt them all.
Neither of us was in a hurry, so we broke apart slowly, the tension of the last several hours ebbing into a calm so complete it felt like the first breath either of us had truly taken all night.
It took a few seconds for her lids to flutter open, as if she’d been lost for a century rather than minutes.
But I was right there, waiting for her.
My thumb traced her cheekbone. “I love you more than you will ever know.”
“Then it’s already too late. You have two choices. You can spend the next fifty years bracing for the end. Or we can spend every single one of those years, loving each other in a way time can never erase.”
I stared at her for a long second.
Fifty years of bracing.
Fifty years of waiting for the ground to give out beneath something good.
Or fifty years of this?
When she put it like that, it wasn’t a choice at all.
I swallowed hard. “I guess we’re doing it your way for the next fifty years.”
Her mouth broke into a breathtaking smile. “If you ever decide to get a tattoo. That quote gets my vote.”
I shot her another bored glare. “I’m being serious.”
“I’m sure you are. But only one of us is allowed to be a wreck, remember?”
I swayed my head from side to side. “I was due a turn.”
She pressed her mouth to mine for an all too brief kiss. “You really were. It’s nice to know you aren’t a robot.”
“Do I still get to be the steady?” I tickled her sides.
Laughing, she squirmed in my lap. “Absolutely not. You got fired tonight.”
I buzzed my lips and dropped my head back. “I forgot how fast news travels in the ladies’ group chat.”
She turned towards me, swinging her leg over my hips to straddle me. “Sarah said Leo’s a softie for love so he probably won’t actually fire you.”
“He is a softie. Though he will absolutely still fire me.”
Stifling a giggle, she bit her lip. “You can work for me?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, come on! Dollton isn’t exactly rich territory for private security jobs. But I’m always going to need someone.” She batted her lashes.
I huffed out a quiet breath, letting my hands slide down her sides, settling low on her hips. “You’re right.”
Her brows shot up, like she hadn’t expected that to be so easy. I almost felt guilty for setting her up.
Almost. But not really.
“You need someone permanent,” I stated. “There is a reason I’m getting fired, babe.
Distractions can be lethal in this business.
You need someone whose entire job is watching your back.
Tracking threats. Running point. Not someone who is…
” My hands shifted lower, sliding around to her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. “Literally watching your ass.”
She exaggerated a pout. “I thought you loved me.”
I shook my head. God, life was going to be fun with her. “I do. Which is why I’m still going to be involved. You’re not getting rid of me that easy. But I can’t protect you if I’m always trying to get you naked in the nearest dressing room. That’s a conflict of interest I can’t manage.”
It was supposed to be flirty and sexy, but something pained hit her face.
I eyed her carefully. “You want to share that thought with me, or should I just start guessing?”
She was quiet for a long second, her eyes locked on mine, without actually looking at me.
“I don’t know if I want to go back to that life.
” Her gaze drifted toward the window. “With Daddy getting worse and everything that’s happened in the last few months…
I don’t know. My whole life I’ve been running toward bigger and better, but I kind of just want to stay still for a while.
” She looked back at me. “I think I want to figure out what normal looks like when I actually get to choose it.”
I studied her for a long second, taking in every piece of that. The uncertainty. The quiet resolve. The part of her that looked tired in a way I hadn’t seen before.
“That’s fair,” I said finally. My thumb brushed slow circles against her hip. “You shouldn’t have to sprint through life, babe.”
Her shoulders eased a fraction.
“But don’t confuse standing still with giving up,” I added. “You built something most people only dream about. But dreams change. Hell, a few months ago, mine was just making it through this job without screwing up.” I brushed my lips against hers, speaking against them as I said, “Now, it’s you.”
Her breath caught, tears filling her eyes. “I love you so much.”
I grinned. “I love you too. But just to be clear, I’m included in this standing still thing, right?”
She barked a laugh. “Obviously. I’m not doing any version of forever without you.”
“Okay, just checking because last time we had a conversation about the future, I distinctly remember getting in big trouble for not sending you a check-yes-or-no letter.” I made a show of patting down my pockets, even going so far as to move her legs to dig inside them.
“And I’d like to let the record show that you just proposed to me and I didn’t receive one either. ”
She slapped my shoulder. “Devon Grant. That was not a proposal.”
“What? You said forever. That sounds like—”
“It sounds like I want to figure out our lives, not plan a wedding.” She pointed at me, fighting a smile. “Do not make that into a thing.”
“You proposed. It’s already a thing.”
She laughed, head tipping back, the sound washing over me in waves of hope. Whether it took months, years, decades, or forever, this woman was going to destroy me. And I was going to love every single second of it, grinning like a fool and holding on for dear life.
She beamed at me. “Look at us, laughing after our first fight and two nervous breakdowns.”
I exaggerated a nod. “I know. And now you’re proposing. Big night.”
“Devon!”
I folded my arms around her middle, hugging her tight. “You don’t have to get upset. I’m not saying no. We’ll just keep it on the table for a while.”
She shoved my shoulders without actually trying to get away. “It is not on the table.”
I nipped at her bottom lip. “Top of the table. Smack dab in the center so everyone can see it.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m having second thoughts about us.”
“No, you aren’t.” Turning, I put both feet on the floor and stood up with her in my arms.
“I am,” she argued. Though it was difficult to sound convincing while dangling in someone’s arms, even for a woman as talented as Lofton Beck.
I started toward the bathroom. “Does that mean we don’t get to celebrate our big night with sex in the shower?”
Her legs came up immediately, circling my hips. “I didn’t say all that.”