Chapter 26
Caydence
“It itches,” I complain. Devon just smiles at me and shakes his head.
“It’s going to itch worse when you get the tattoo.”
“What are you talking about?”
“My name, baby. I didn’t cut you deep enough to scar.”
“Did you want to?”
“You have no idea how much so. But I didn’t, so you’re getting a tattoo.”
“What about you?” I ask him.
“Mine is deep enough to scar, but I’m still getting it tattooed,” he admits.
“What if I don’t want a tattoo?” I ask him.
“Didn’t ask you that. You’re getting one,” he retorts as he pops some food into his mouth.
I sit back and watch him as I grab my own fork and take a bite of fruit.
Devon made us breakfast, and we now sit and eat out on the patio.
The cool air blows gently, but I enjoy it, and I think he knows that.
In fact, I know he does. There isn’t anything about me that he doesn’t know.
And to a point, I find that strange and yet comforting at the same time. At least with him, I don’t have to pretend or worry. I can be me.
“What do you want to do today?”
“Whatever you want,” I tell him.
“Fuck in the basement?”
“We did that last night,” I remind him.
“I could live down there with you screaming my name,” he adds. I smile, almost embarrassed, I do that, but he drags it out of me.
“Don’t you have anything you want to do?” I ask him. We’re either at work, school, or here. We don’t go out much, and to a point that doesn’t bother me.
“You want me to take you out? Maybe chase you through the woods?” he teases, but I have flashbacks to the man in the mask doing just that. My insides tighten as I think about what he did to me after that.
“We could go out,” I blurt, trying to change the subject.
“Where do you want to go?”
“The movies? I don’t know. I’m not used to this stuff,” I admit to him. He nods, already knowing that too.
“Fine. A date night. I’ll feed you, take you to the movies, and then bring you home and fuck you properly,” he declares with a devilish grin on his face.
“That sounds like a good plan,” I tell him.
He nods his head and finishes his breakfast before cleaning up our mess.
Being here with Devon has been nice. I can’t lie and say it hasn’t, but the things he does still linger in my mind.
I know I should have left a long time ago, but there’s something about him that keeps me here, which makes no sense.
None of it does. He killed someone. Who would want to stay with someone capable of doing that?
I shouldn’t want to be here, but I do. I should run, but I don’t.
Devon has so many sides to him, and I can’t help but love them all. Even the dangerous side that can still haunt me at times.
He comes back out, and his hands land on my shoulders, slowly massaging them.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m wondering if I’m crazy,” I tell him.
“Why would you think that?”
“I stay here with you. Even after what you did,” I admit to him.
“I don’t think that makes you crazy. It means that you love me.”
“But love isn’t enough for everyone, especially after what you did,” I tell him. He keeps massaging my shoulders, and I melt into him.
“I did what I did for you, because of you. He could have killed you, and where would that have left me?”
“You know we have laws for things like that. The police could have handled him,” I remind him.
“The police don’t do shit. If they did, I wouldn’t be standing here today.” Maybe he’s right. He should have been arrested for what he did. In fact, I thought he would be. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“What you want for Christmas,” he suggests.
“I don’t need anything.”
“I didn’t ask that. I said what you want, not what you need.”
“I’m happy, Devon. That isn’t something I’ve had a lot of. So with that being said, that’s all I need.”
“I make you happy?” he asks, coming to stand next to me. I look up at him and nod my head.
“You do, and that scares me.”
“Why?”
“You could get tired of me. You could find someone new. I don’t know, I’m not good at relationships,” I tell him.
“I’m not going anywhere, Caydence. I’m here, and I’ll always be here. You have nothing to worry about where I’m concerned.”
“What if someone, you know, finds the body?” I can’t help the worry that lingers in my mind.
Devon chuckles and shakes his head.
“Trust me. No one is going to find it,” he assures calmly.
“How do you know that?”
“Because I know, and there’s literally nothing left for them to find.”
“I don’t even want to know.” I raise my hand to stop him from going further. He grabs my hand and pulls me out of my seat so I’m standing in front of him.
“Everything is fine. When I say you have nothing to worry about, I mean it.” Then he leans down and presses a kiss to my lips. I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his chest, just listening to his heartbeat.
I don’t think I’ll ever understand why I can’t pull myself away from him, even after what I’ve seen him do.
“Stop,” he orders, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
“Stop what?”
“Overthinking it. You’re tense,” he adds.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’re happy, right? That’s what’s important.”
“Are we going to your dad’s for Christmas?” I ask, changing the subject.
“No. He won’t be in town, and I know you weren’t that comfortable there to begin with.”
“That’s your family, though,” I tell him.
“You’re my family now, Caydence.”