“Did you make them do that?” I asked.
“Nope,” I said convincingly. “I told you. They’re good guys, they just believe in due process, and now that you’ve had yours, they can be nicer.”
“Yeah, that and the fact that I’m leaving.”
Seth smiled. “Don’t be a stranger, Devlin; keep in touch.”
“I will,” I said. “Definitely.”
I didn’t let myself think about what he would say if the next time he saw me I was hand in hand with his sister. I just raced out of the station and headed to the nearest florists in the area. I picked the most beautiful bouquet I could find and then I raced to the campus and tried to find the Jefferson building where Zoey would be playing her composition for her professors.
It took me fifteen minutes to find the damn building and then another five minutes to find the theatre she was playing in. By the time I got there, Zoey was already on stage, and I realized she was almost done with her set. I stood at the back and watched her with awe. She cut such a beautiful figure sitting at the piano with her back upright and slightly arched. If I’d had a pad with me, I could have just sat there and sketched her.
The song finished and I started clapping instinctively, only to realize that no one else was. My claps resonated around the large room and bounced off the walls. I saw Zoey’s face snap towards me, and even from a distance I saw her eyes light up. I walked down as she came off the stage and she ran into my arms.
“You came,” she sighed. “I can’t believe you came.”
“Of course I came,” I said. “I love you.”
She looked at me in surprise, and I realized that this was the first time I’d ever said that to her.
“Do you… mean that?” she asked.
I smiled at her. “I mean it,” I nodded. “I mean it more than you realize.”
Laughing, Zoey jumped into my arms and kissed me hard on the lips. It felt like my life was finally taking a turn for the better. I was done with community service, I had finally got a job, and most important of all, I had Zoey… and she really was the one thing I never knew I needed.
24
Zoey
“How are you liking your bubble bath?” Devlin asked as he walked into the bathroom.
I was still riding the high of my last final, but more exciting, I was on a high from the declaration that Devlin had just made back at the campus. He loved me! I felt light as a feather; it was the most amazing feeling in the world. It was even better than sex.
“I love it,” I said. “I’d love it better if you joined me though.”
Smiling, Devlin began stripping off his clothes and then he jumped in, sloshing water all over the floor. I screamed and laughed and threw a couple of bubbles his way. He pulled me onto his lap so that I was straddling him and he kissed me passionately with his hands on my hips.
I had been receiving quite the education where sex was concerned in the last few days. Devlin and I had sex every night, and sometimes two or three times a day. We were always busy, so sometimes they were just quickies squeezed in between small moments during the day. During weekends, when we had a little more free time, however, our lovemaking was slow and long and experimental. Devlin was a generous lover, and it was not unusual for me to have two and three orgasms in one day.
I was glad I had waited to have sex, however. I felt as though I had waited for Devlin all this time and the worth had been completely worth it. He had introduced me to my own body, and I finally felt confident and in control. Devlin made me feel more like a woman and less like the shy and uncertain girl I had been.
I could feel Devlin’s hand snaking up my back, and then I felt his fingers squeeze my tight nipple. It was just the right amount of pressure that turned me on and made me tingle.
“Thank you for coming today,” I said again, as he wiped away the soap on my chest and kissed my breasts.
“Don’t worry about it,” Devlin replied. “I liked it. I always wanted to see you in your element.”
“Funny you should say that,” I replied. “Because I’ve always wanted to see you in your element.”
Devlin frowned. “You see me in my element all the time when I paint,” he replied.
I smiled. “Ok, so maybe that’s not what I was talking about,” I admitted. “I guess I kind of wanted to see you in your fireman uniform. I’ve never actually seen you in action. I know it’s not your main passion but it is a noble profession and I have to admit I’ve had a few fireman dreams about you lately.”
Devlin looked a little embarrassed all of a sudden. He looked down, and for some reason, he kept avoiding my eyes.
“Devlin?” I asked.