At the very least Devlin had brought real happiness back into their lives. For a long time both of them had simply been going through the motions. What the hell have I gotten myself into? This time he waited until he heard two sets of footfalls cross the hallway and the door close behind them before he ventured back into the shower. Another run-in like that and he wouldn’t be able to say no.
****
“Are you sure he’s okay?” Devlin asked.
“Not completely but he’ll come around. Tristan always needs time to wrap his head around a situation before he dives in.” He gave her a slow once-over. “Pun not intended.”
“I hope you’re right. I felt awful when he stormed off.” She smoothed a hand down the lightweight, cap-sleeved, pink shirt she paired with a white skirt that had a baby pink ribbon and blue flower design across it.
“I did too. He doesn’t think a woman can want him after everything Rachel did.” Jace shook his head, fists clenched. “I’d never hit a woman but that broad made me want to strangle her with my bare hands. She did a real number on him, bailing the minute she learned he’d never play again, telling him he was worthless now that he couldn’t provide her with the type of life she was accustomed too. It took a long time to dig him out of that hole and even then he wasn’t really the same.”
“You love him, don’t you?”
“I do. He’s like the brother I never had, you know?”
“I do.” Devlin stepped into her pale blue pumps and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Jace wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she studied their reflection in the mirror. We look good together. He was dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans he’d cuffed at the bottom with a white T-shirt and black boots. It was how she’d remembered him, except for the hair. No longer under his father’s rule, he’d grown it out and wore it in a small pomp that did delicious things to her tummy. If they didn’t have plans, they’d be in the bed right now for round seven.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” she asked, her voice low and husky like she’d been in a room full of smoke.
“Like you want me to fuck your brains out.”
“But I do,” she purred. He delivered a delicious smack to her ass. “Oh. If that was to get me moving out of here faster, you failed.” The sting made her nectar flow as her core hummed and she rubbed her ass against the hand that held her offended cheek.
“We need to get out of here now,” he said, taking her hand and guiding her from the bedroom like they were being chased.
A wicked laugh spilled free from her throat as she followed behind him. The control games work both ways lover. The warmth from his body seeped into her as they journeyed down the stairs into the living room. Perfection. Then she saw Tristan and her hormones raged like a teenager in their prime. Clad in a pair of navy blue slacks with a white and gray striped shirt, he looked very posh. The gray Converse that topped off the ensemble made her grin.
“You look great.”
“So do you, love.” Devlin smiled. I always was a sucker for Brit speak. He came over, offered up his arm, and together the three of them made their way out of the house and into the restored cherry red Ford pickup. As they drove to the shop, she couldn’t help but enjoy the close proximity the cab required. I like being the meat in this sandwich.
Twenty minutes later they had the car pushed into the garage with the hood popped. She sat out front with Tristan while Jace looked things over, a ploy that wasn’t lost on either of them. Not that she minded. She sat beside him on the black leather couch. “Have you always been into cars?” she asked to break the ice.
“Yes, it was a passion I shared with my father. Since we didn’t have much else in common, it was a big deal. I helped him rebuild my first car at about nine.”
“That’s awesome. It was sort of the same thing with my dad, only we have too much in common according to my mom.” Tristan laughed.
“Your family sounds funny.”
“Oh they are, until they’re not.”
“I know what you mean,” he said.
“How do you like living in the States?”
“It’s great. I have a successful business doing what I love with my best mate, and no one bothers me here.”
She raised a curious eyebrow.
“About the accident. I was hounded over there but here I’m just another person.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I go back to visit a couple of times a year as well.”
“I’d love to see England. You’d think as a military brat I’d have been around the world but no. We were always stateside. When Dad did go out of the country, he was always solo.”
“Was that hard growing up?”
“Not really because it was all we ever knew.”