Chapter Six
Devin
Having the whole town rooting for romance is kind of nice.
I go to order flowers to be sent to Debi and the florist puts together their best bouquet, hoping to wow her. It has the prettiest red and pink carnations I have ever seen, arranged in a huge bouquet that will take her breath away. The florist tells me they hope it does the trick because our little romance is the cutest thing in town right now.
When I go to the small chocolates store to get her some caramels, the candy maker is just as excited to help me woo my girl. He gives me a huge box of his best chocolates and caramels, telling me she will love them. I am so pleased everyone seems to be pulling for us because we need all the support we can get.
Debi is the best thing to ever happen to me—but I don’t know if she believes that yet. I have been following her around as promised, behaving like a lovesick fool. I am not ashamed of it. I love seeing her face when I pop up at her job at the music shop when I just can’t wait to see her. Or when she looks at the crowd at the bar they play a few times a week and sees me at my usual table, cheering for her and watching her create magic onstage.
Showing up where she works, where she plays, where she hangs with her best friend Jenna has endeared me to her, sure. I told her I want her, and I do. Having the town support my courting—she called it stalking—as they whisper how crazy I am about her is all well and good. It is when I get her alone, when it is just the two of us at her place when she doubts that I am doing it all for a reason.
“ No, no one has ever tried romance with me ,” Debi told me just last night as we lay in bed, skin to skin though we’ve yet to make love.
“ Good, they left it to me, ” I answered, my fingers trailing over her skin, tracing her freckles. “ Wouldn’t want me having to complete with someone. ”
But I am competing with someone for her trust. Not some bygone lover or even her rockstar lifestyle. Someone hurt her. They left her scarred, a bit broken, and wounded. Debi doubts her worth, doubts it even when she has crowds hanging on her every word, even now that she has me wrapped around her pretty finger, doing all I can to court her the way she deserves.
Lying in bed with her last night, I spread her out, pushing the sheets from her body. I spent the entire night touching, kissing, adoring her soft skin, her perfect tits, her round ass, her beautiful face and her pretty pussy. I could have been selfish and taken her once I had her trembling and pleading. Could have taken what she was offering, what she has been offering since our night at the fair.
At first, I might have just wanted a hot summer fling while I’m here in Pine Grove. I was not looking for that when I found Debi. I have never felt so attracted to anyone before her. What she does to me the minute she kisses me or even just presses her soft body against mine is not something I ever knew you could feel.
We talked about the summer. About being together every minute we could. What we haven’t talked about is what comes next. I had my life figured out before I went to that fair. Now, what is important, what I want and need has changed. Because I do not want a summer fling, I do not want just a few months with this beautiful, bold, brave woman.
I want all the seasons with her, I want an entire life with her.
“Morning beautiful,” I call as she stumbles into the kitchen wearing my shirt and nothing else. Adjusting my glasses, I watch her glare at me before her tough act fades and she smiles, her pretty gray eyes lighting up.
“Morning teach,” she shoots back, letting me kiss her as she sits at the breakfast bar. I slide a plate of bacon and eggs her way, watching her eyes light up at the crisp bacon she loves.
“What should we do today?” I start, plating some food for me before I go to join her, tugging her stool close so she is tucked between my legs.
“This. We should eat and kiss and do nothing else,” she proposes, leaning over to pepper kisses down my throat and across my bare chest.
Tangling my hands in her mussed hair, I tug her head back. Fitting my mouth to hers, I let my hand cradle her head as my tongue pushes past her lips. She tastes smoky like the bacon, and she hums as my other hand drops to her thigh, sliding beneath the shirt that barely covers her.
We’ve not made love because I want it to count. I do not want her to give that to me because she thinks it is all I want. I do want it. Of course I want her. I want her like I have never wanted anything before. That is why I won’t just hook up with her in the darkness of a bar or a back alley.
“How about...I take you out for a date night on the town?”
We have had several dates since we went to the arcade with her friends. We’ve gone to a movie that I don’t remember since we made out like horny teenagers for most of it. I took her to dinner just the two of us which was romantic and sweet. When we got to the car, she climbed on top of me and again, we made out for the rest of the night.
I love that we’re passionate, that we seem so hungry for each other. I just do not want her to think that is all I want. I want to talk to her. To find out what she wants for her life, who she wants to be, and who she wants by her side while she figures it all out.
“Why do I suspect this is your way of keeping us out of the bedroom?”
Blinking at her, I curse as I burn my tongue on a sip of hot coffee. I am trying to do just that. Because I want her to know she’s more than a hot body that I want to devour. Still, I do want to devour her, so holding back has been no simple task.
“What if I am? What if I want you to understand that I want you outside of our bedroom, baby?” I wonder, yanking her even closer, my hands coming to frame her beautiful face. “That night on the Ferris wheel we talked about being afraid to grow up. Thinking about growing up, about settling down, since I met you, it does not scare me the same. Having you in my bed, at my side, here for me to make your favorite bacon, it does not scare me. I am about to scare you, I think,” I tell her gently, watching her eyes.
“What will scare me, Devin?”
Staring down at her, I lower my head to touch my brow to hers. “The idea of growing up with you, of getting older, coming home to you in the kitchen trying and failing to cook, or going to see you play, that sounds like the best fucking thing about being an adult. Do I want you, fuck yes, I do. But, baby, I want you,” I put weight in those words, watching her gray eyes grow wide as what I mean hits her at last.
“F... f-for the summer, you want me?”
Going back to my earlier thoughts, I shake my head. “Not just summer. Summer, winter, fall, I want all of it, Debi. I want you. I want your body, I want your heart, I want all of it, rockstar,” I whisper, brushing my mouth over hers as fear hits me, making my heart gallop in my chest.
Debi sits there for a moment without moving, without even blinking. Then her gray eyes shimmer with tears and my heart cracks. I sense these are good tears, but I still hate to see her cry. Because it still means someone hurt her so badly, she doesn’t think she’s worthy of being more than a fling.
“Do...Devin, do you mean it?”
“Oh, baby,” I hum as my heart cracks even more. Pulling her in my lap, I cradle her close. “I do mean it. I want you, Debi. All of you, all of the time. Let me show you what you’re worth, baby. Will you let me do that?”
“Y-yes, yes. I will. Let’s have a date night. What would we do?”
“Whatever you want to do. Ladies’ choice, baby.”
“Could we go to Skateland? We have the best time behaving as if we’re still kids. It makes me feel as if...as if I am getting back the years I screwed up,” she admits, her chin dropping as her gaze flitters away.
“Yeah, we can do anything you want baby. It sounds fun.”
There is more there I need to unpack. More I need to understand about the years she thinks she lost. We will get there. I give her another kiss and tell her to be ready for me in a few hours. Heading out, I smile when I see her flowers being delivered along with the candy. It is just the start of her being spoiled with gifts, attention, and total devotion.
Two hours later, I am unprepared for what awaits me. Debi looks good no matter how wild her hair is, no matter the neon shades or the tattered rockstar gear she has on. Tonight is different. Debi is stunning in a white eyelet top with ruffled straps and a pink striped skirt. It is softer and more feminine than I have ever seen her, and I love it.
“You look...wow. I mean you always look wow, honestly,” I backtrack. Debi is not attractive because she is a hot rockstar—she is just beautiful period. Doesn’t matter how she dresses up the package, the package itself is flawless.
“Very nice, teach,” she teases me, winking at me as she steps down, throwing an arm around my neck. “The flowers, the candy, also very nice. I get the distinct impression you mean what you said about romancing me.”
Grinning, I take her hand to lead her down the sidewalk. “I sure intend to do my best, baby. You do look amazing. I almost do not want to share you,” I tease as we walk towards downtown, where the skating rink is.
It is a beautiful night with crisp, clean air that ruffles our hair and blows up her skirt a little. I much rather take our time getting there, enjoying the night together so I didn’t bother driving. Our laced hands swing between us as she turns to smile at me before gazing up at the stars.
“No sharing, teach. I am all yours,” her voice is clear, sharp, her eyes darting to mine once the weight of her words hit me.
Stopping there on the sidewalk, I pull her close. “Good. I am all yours. The moment I saw you standing there at the fair, there was nothing else for me. I came to Pine Grove to have a good time. We’ve had a good time together, yes. This is much more than a good time, baby. I meant what I said earlier, Debi. I want it all. A thousand more date nights. You’re all mine now and nothing is changing that.”
Smiling up at me as we stand in the moonlight, she nods. “I tried to run because...well, because I think I knew that from the start too. I am still trying to figure my life out, so I was afraid of making a bad choice. Doing another reckless act, I would regret once you were gone. Even if you left tomorrow, I want to be as reckless as we can be because there is nothing safe about falling in love, is there?”
My entire world slows down to this moment. This second. It is the second time it has happened since we met. No, there is nothing safe about falling in love. That is what we’re doing here, even if neither of us has had the nerve to admit it.
“Nothing safe about it, baby. Besides knowing we’re in it together.”
Those stunning gray eyes of hers sparkle in the darkness as my words hit their mark. Nodding her head, she moves closer, letting me circle my arms around her. Her nose nuzzles against mine and we share the moment for a little while.
“Come on, take your girl out skating.”
“You got it. Anything my girl wants, my girl gets.”