Chapter 4
Devlin had been unable to sleep, spending most of Thursday night tossing and turning. His skin still smelled like Jenni. A sweet and wild scent that reminded him of jasmine and thunderstorms. He’d hated leaving the park and had lingered as long as he could to spend time with the irresistible woman. He’d never been so thoroughly enchanted with anyone before, but he was bespelled by Jenni.
Which had its own problems, chief among them that he didn’t live in New Jersey. He had three days with her and then he was back to Rhode Island and his promotion. Oddly enough, the job that had meant everything to him now paled in comparison to how he felt about her, even after just a few hours together. It was crazy to think about walking away from his job and moving to New Jersey for a woman he’d met less than twenty-four hours ago, but that was exactly what his heart was telling him to do.
The last time he’d been in a serious relationship, things had fallen apart because he’d been busy with school and work and had neglected his girlfriend. He couldn’t even think about treating Jenni like that. He’d hate to work nights and weekends, letting his job – which had at one time been everything to him – ruin things with Jenni.
After he’d been in bed for a couple hours last night without being able to sleep, he’d gone down to the twenty-four-hour gym and lifted weights, hoping to tire himself out, but it hadn’t put a dent in the insomnia that not having Jenni with him caused.
Sitting up with a groan, Devlin rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and mentally smacked himself. He was running head first into a future that he wasn’t sure Jenni even wanted. If she’d wanted to start something serious with him, he would have thought she’d come back to the hotel with him so they could spend the night together, but she’d been adamant that she couldn’t. Their time in the apartment building had been hot as hell. She made the sweetest sound when she fell apart, and her body had positively glowed after her climax. He was even certain that her eyes had changed from blue to gold, but after their time together they were blue again and he wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined the change.
His phone chirped and he saw a text from his mom asking if he was joining them in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. He wasn’t in the mood to eat. All he wanted to do was go to the park and find Jenni, but she was working and he knew that wasn’t appropriate.
Answering that he’d be down shortly, he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Images of the time with Jenni in his arms flashed through his mind and his body sprang to life. It was going to be a damn long day if he walked around with a hard-on the whole time. He showered and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and headed down to the restaurant where his parents were already at the buffet loading their plates with breakfast items.
He checked in with the hostess and picked up a plate and filled it with scrambled eggs and toasted a whole wheat bagel, before joining his parents at their table. A waitress came over and filled his coffee mug, and he added a spoon of sugar and then took a sip.
“How did you sleep?” his mom asked.
He grunted.
“That good, huh?” his dad asked with a chuckle.
“Oh, I bet you wished you’d had more time with your little friend.”
“Mom, geez,” he chided.
She grinned. “Just teasing, sweetheart. She was quite the smitten kitten.”
His brows lifted. “Do you think so?”
“Of course. She couldn’t keep her eyes off you all night. Did you meet her family?” his mom said.
He shook his head. “Her mom lives somewhere else, and she doesn’t know her dad. She said she lives in a development with her friends, and Caesar took her in after her mom left. She thinks of him like a dad and his sons like brothers. Her and her friends run the security for the park, except that she started working for Lexy a little while ago.”
“That’s so sad she doesn’t know her father,” his mom said. “You and Trina were very lucky to have such a great dad.”
“I think so, too,” his dad said.
“You’re a great dad,” Devlin said.
“So, you like her,” his dad said.
“Yeah. I really do. It’s complicated, though.”
“Love always is,” his mom said.
“Especially,” his dad said, “if you’re already thinking about the future, which I think you might be.”
Devlin nodded. “I never thought I’d meet a woman and immediately be able to picture the house and white picket fence and kids. It’s crazy fast, but it feels right.”
His mom smiled. “What’s complicated about it, then?”
“She lives in New Jersey and I don’t.”
She shrugged. “So, fix that.”
“What, ask her to move to Rhode Island the day after meeting me?” Even though it seemed impossible, he wanted that. Wanted her to be with him so they could be together. “But she likes her life here.”
“It’s early, though. She might change her mind – or you might,” his dad said as he picked up a piece of bacon from his plate.
“Change my mind about what?”
“Living in Rhode Island.”
He settled back in his chair and hooked his arm over the chair next to him. His parents were eating their meals as if they hadn’t just suggested he chuck his whole career in the toilet because he happened to meet the woman of his dreams in a zoo on a random Thursday night.
“Seriously?” he asked.
His dad looked up at him, his forkful of hashbrowns halfway to his mouth. “I know all about your five-year-plan, son. I’m just saying that you could chase your career dreams anywhere. And you work a helluva lot. It would be hard on a new relationship to be in the demanding job you’re in right now.”
His mom jumped in. “We’re not saying walk away, we’re just saying maybe be open to the idea of your life going in a different direction. It worked for us.”
His dad had been an architect in New York when they were married. The hours had been terrible and she’d been lonely. He took a job in Rhode Island with a small architecture company. The pay had been less, but he’d had more time for their marriage and family.
“I never regretted that step down,” he said. “I was on track to become partner. It would have meant a boatload of money for the family and success for me, but I hated coming home late at night and seeing dinner on the table, your mom asleep because she couldn’t stay up long enough to greet me.”
Devlin shook his head. “I don’t think I can walk away from my job. I’ve worked so hard to get to this place.”
“I’m sure she’d be willing to move. You’ve only just met, anyway. Give it some time and see where your future takes you,” his mom said.
He wanted his future to take him directly to Jenni, and he couldn’t bring himself to care whether it was Rhode Island or New Jersey, or somewhere else entirely. After only a few hours together, he already wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and part of him was really scared by those feelings.
* * *
Devlin opened the delivery containers and began to separate the meals onto the paper plates that the restaurant had included in the bags. He wasn’t much of a cook, unless you counted protein shakes which he made for himself every morning. And he didn’t think that Jenni would be impressed with his blender skills. So, he’d ordered dinner from a local place and also picked up a good bottle of wine and candles to make the hotel room more intimate feeling.
He texted Jenni after breakfast and hadn’t expected to hear from her until her break, but she’d responded right away. It had kind of floored him how much he enjoyed getting the text from her, and when she said she would be at his hotel at seven, he’d been over the moon with excitement for their date. His original plan had been to take her to dinner, but when he’d called to make reservations at the local hot spots, everything was booked, so he’d done the next best thing – made a restaurant just for them. It was far more intimate, and he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t crossed his mind that the bed was just a few feet from where they’d be eating. He’d had a taste of her and it hadn’t been enough by a long shot.
There was a knock at the door as he finished lighting the candles. He blew out the match and set the book aside, brushed his suddenly sweating hands on his trousers, and walked to the door. Pulling it open, he knew his jaw hit the floor because of the gorgeous woman in front of him. Jenni wore a short black dress and heels. The dress hugged her curves and made him want to slaughter every guy who laid eyes on her.
He grabbed her around the waist and drew her into the room, kissing her as he let the door slam. She pressed her body against him, her hands linking at the back of his neck as their tongues touched and teased, and every inch of him was ready to take her right there in the middle of the room.
Putting the brakes on his libido, he pulled from the drugging kiss.
“Hi,” he said.
She smiled, her lips swollen from their kiss and her eyes glittering with humor. “Hi yourself.”
“I wanted to take you somewhere nice for dinner, but everywhere was booked, so I brought dinner here. If that’s okay.”
Her gaze flitted to the bed and then the coffee table.
“It’s wonderful. I’ve never had anyone do this kind of thing for me.”
“I’m happy to be the first one to treat you right.”
He led her to the couch and sat next to her.
“I have bottled water if you don’t like wine, but this is a favorite of mine and it goes great with Italian food.”
“I don’t know anything about wine, but I’d love to have a glass.”
He poured a glass for her. “I don’t know much. I go by what I like, and not what the label says.”
He filled his glass and set the wine on the table.
“Should we toast?” she asked. “Or is that only for champagne?”
“I think people can toast with whatever they’d like. What should we toast to?”
She chewed on her bottom lip in thought and then said, “The park.”
“The park? Why?”
“Because it brought you to me.”
Immediately, he thought of his job. And then he thought of Jenni, and how much he’d missed her all damn day. The hours dragged as if someone had attached weights to them. Without the park, he’d never have met her. But he had met her. And she clearly liked him if she was suggesting that he was ‘brought’ to her. If he believed in fate, he’d think that they were made for each other.
And maybe they were.
“To the park,” he said, pushing away all thoughts of his job and concentrating on the beautiful woman before him. She deserved every ounce of his attention. He’d think about the future tomorrow.
Their glasses clinked, and they both took drinks and set their glasses on the table. He picked up the plate he’d arranged for her, of chicken marsala with egg noodles and roasted carrots. She took it and set it on her lap with a smile, lifting the knife and fork from the table.
“It looks delicious.”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like and I didn’t want to ruin the fact that I hadn’t been able to get a reservation anywhere.”
“I don’t mind. It’s nice to just have the two of us. And I love chicken marsala.”
He put his plate on his lap and cut into the chicken, taking a bite of the tender, slightly tangy meat and noodles. His gaze flew to her face when she groaned happily, the sound traveling straight to his cock, which had gone shamelessly hard the moment he’d seen her.
“Wow, this is really good.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
While they ate, he asked about working at the park and discovered that she’d been working there since she was a teenager and had always worked security.
“Why security?” he asked.
She shrugged. “It’s what my… family does.”
The pause had been significant, and he wondered if she had struggled to find a word to describe her friends. He had friends, but none close enough that he’d call them family. He thought it was great that she’d found such a supportive group after having been abandoned by her mother.
“Are you happy now that you’re at the sweets shop?”
“I really love it.”
“How was the first day?”
“So cool. We had lots of patrons come in, and there were people who remembered when the shop was open years ago before the couple retired.”
“Lexy always dreamed of opening her own place. She and Trina planned to work together since they were kids. It’s awesome to see them both happy, and I’m glad you had a great first day.”
“What did you do today?”
“Missed you.”
“Really?”
“Hell yes.” He paused and then asked, “Did you miss me?”
Not for the first time, a bolt of uncertainty spiked through him. What if he was the only one feeling the strong attraction between them?
“Of course, I did.” Her brow drew down and she said, “I hardly slept at all last night.”
“Me, too.”
She put her empty plate on the coffee table and he set his down next to it. He reached for her hand and linked their fingers. He wanted to say a hundred things, but all thought fled when she moved to him and kissed him. She was on her knees on the couch, her fingers tunneling into his hair as she licked the seam of his mouth. He opened immediately, his hands going to her waist and pulling her closer. He lifted her against him and stood, walking to the bed and slowly lowering her. She gave him a wicked smile and rolled away, rising onto her knees in the center of the bed.
“You have on too many clothes to get on this bed,” she said, reaching for the zipper at the back of her dress. The sound of it lowering made his brain fog over as he watched her slowly strip, lifting the dress up her thighs, revealing the black satin panties that covered his most favorite place, and the sweet indentation of her navel. The bra matched the panties, and he grinned as she tossed the dress from the bed.
He undid his tie, fighting the desire to growl. He’d never felt so primal, but there was something about his sexy sweetheart that brought out that feeling in him. Stripping from his shirt, he kicked off his shoes and dropped his trousers. He pushed them off his legs and tugged his socks off, before he rested his fingertips on the waistband of his boxer briefs.
“These, too, sweetheart?”
She licked her lips and nodded.
“Take off your bra first.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip as she reached behind her back to undo the clasp of her bra. It loosened and she drew it slowly down her arms, tossing it in the same direction as her dress.
“Let me see you,” she said, her voice taking on a sexy, low tone.
He took his time lowering his boxers, until he could drop them down his legs. He straightened and wrapped his hand around his cock, giving it a pump. “Been hard all day for you, sweetheart.”
“Come up here,” she said.
He climbed onto the bed on his knees and joined her. He cupped her breasts, loving the warm softness of her skin. Her nipples were hard and begging to be sucked. She wrapped her hand around his cock and gazed up at him as she began to stroke him from root to tip.
“You were on my mind all day. Your muscles, your sexy smile, your beautiful eyes. Every inch of you.”
He groaned as she pumped him faster, and knew it wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge. He’d been dancing on it since they’d parted the night before.
He kissed her and grasped her wrist, stopping her motions. She made a mewling sound of protest and then she moaned as he pushed her panties down her hips and slid his middle finger between her pussy lips. She was so hot and wet that his brain threatened to stall out at just how sexy she was. Instead, he curled a finger into her pussy and slowly began to stroke into her depths. She grasped his shoulders, kissing him more fervently, as he settled his thumb on her clit and began to play with it. He added a second finger, rubbing them along her inner walls as his thumb worked fast circles around her clit.
She broke the kiss, panting heavily and leaning against him as he worked her to climax. She spread her thighs further apart as her pussy began to clutch his fingers.
“Devlin, Devlin,” she chanted his name breathlessly.
He felt her pussy contract hard just before she cried out in pleasure. He lifted his fingers from her and sucked them into his mouth, groaning at the sweet taste of her pleasure. Pushing her to her back, he tugged her panties from her legs and spread her thighs, lowering his head and licking her cream. She moaned loudly and fisted his hair, lifting her hips and holding him against her as he devoured her, lapping at her liquid heat.
He kissed her clit and flicked it with his tongue until she gasped and writhed under him. Planting kisses up the center of her body, he grinned when he rose over her, his cock probing her entrance. Her legs went around his waist and she crossed her ankles at his lower back.
He locked his gaze with hers as he pushed into her wet heat slowly. She was the hottest, tightest heaven he’d ever had the pleasure of touching. In that moment, when their bodies were connected in the most primal of ways, he was hers. Entirely.
Sliding from her channel, he pushed back in with a groan. He clenched his teeth, knowing that she felt too good and he was too on-edge to last long. She laid her hand on his cheek and lifted her head to kiss him. Dropping her head to the bed, she moaned and began to meet his thrusts with her own, her heels digging into his ass as she urged him on.
They moved together, bodies slick with sweat. He felt his orgasm tingling at the base of his spine and he knew he was done for. She just felt too good. Gripping her shoulders, he drove himself into her, pulling her hard against him and fucking her soundly until he came, her name on his lips. She sighed sweetly and he rested his head on her shoulder as he caught his breath. He shuddered, his cock softening and slipping from her depths. Easing to the side, he hugged her close and kissed her shoulder, her neck and her cheek.
“You’re wonderful,” he murmured.
“You are, too.”
“Stay with me tonight, Jenni.”
“I can’t. But I can stay a while. I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”
He wanted to beg her to stay, but he didn’t want to push her. Deciding he’d take what he could get, he kissed her throat. “I’m not ready, either.”