A Lover's Lament

“I love you

too, baby.”

“Now,” I say, taking a deep breath. “Want to tell me about your ex-girlfriends? There has to be a few.”

Devin pulls back with a classic are-you-smokin’-crack look on his face.

“Okay,” I drawl out. “I’ll take that as a no.” I shift to move off of his lap, because, well … it’s not fair for me to bare it all and him not do the same. One large hand settles low on my back, holding me to him, the other wraps around my neck.

“First of all, you’re not going anywhere, Miss Devora,” he says, nuzzling the side of my neck. “Second, there isn’t much to tell.” Pushing at his chest, I separate myself from him just enough so that I can look in his eyes, which are dancing with equal parts amusement and adoration.

My legs go all gooey and I relax against him. “Tell me anyway.”

“Well, we moved to Pennsylvania and I was beyond pissed. At myself, at my mom, at your dad”—he shakes his head as though he’s ashamed—“and my life sorta spun out of control after that. I’m embarrassed to admit that my drinking got worse, I experimented with drugs, and somewhere in there, I made the decision to try to go to a community college. Well, that was a terrible mistake because my head wasn’t in it. I was still mad, even after a couple of years, and then I got into that accident and I decided it was time to clean up my act.”

“So you joined the Army. I know that. But what about girlfriends?” My heart has been pounding, waiting for him to tell me that he fell in love with the nameless woman I saw in the photo, and each second that passes drives me a little more insane. “Tell me about them.”

“There was only one. She was no one. Just a girl I met in college. We got along great and she loved to party … it was a win-win for everyone.”

“Did you love her?”

“No,” he says, kissing me softly on the mouth. “I’ve only ever loved one girl in my life. I’ve only ever said those three little words to one person, and that’s you. It’s always been you, and it’ll always be you, Katie.”

“You promise?” I ask, hating how vulnerable I sound, but damn it, I’m vulnerable. He owns every single part of me, heart and soul, and if he leaves me again, I know that I won’t survive the heartache.

“Katie,” Devin’s voice softens, his hands making their way up my body until they’re wrapped around my cheeks. “I swear to you that I’m not going anywhere. I am yours, whether you want me or not. I’ve given you my heart, and even if you don’t want it, you can’t give it back because it belongs to you. I know what I have—what we have. It’s special. It’s once in a lifetime. It’s a happily-ever-after sort of love. And I may be a dumbass, but I learn from my mistakes and I don’t make the same ones twice. Letting you go was one of those mistakes.”

His words seep into my skin and wrap around my soul. I close my eyes, savoring the moment. “Can we go home?” I ask, hating that by ‘home’ I mean the hotel, because right now I’d rather have him in my bed. “I just want to be with you. I want to make love to you over and over again.”

“We have a lot of years to make up for, that’s for sure,” he says, smiling as he manages to push to his feet with me still cradled in his arms.

“Ten, to be exact.” I giggle when he smacks my ass playfully. “Roughly thirty seven hundred days … give or take a few.” Devin growls, a low rumble causing his chest to vibrate, and the sound causes shivers to run down my spine. “That’s a ton of sex. Are you up for the challenge, Sergeant Clay?”

“Oh, sweet Katie. You have no idea what sort of challenges I’m up for.”

“Hmmm,” I purr, kissing the side of his neck as he walks through the house and out the front door. “This could get interesting.”

With a speed I didn’t know he was capable of, Devin opens the door of our rental, dumps me in and then runs to his side of the car. In a matter of seconds, we’re flying down the road. His hands are gripped tightly around the steering wheel, and I watch the muscles of his thighs twitch under his jeans as he shifts gears. It’s fucking sexy as hell, and I suddenly can’t wait for the hotel—I need to touch him now.

Turning in my seat, I reach across the gear stick. Devin gives me a curious glance. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” I shrug, slipping my hand in his jeans. I find his erection rock solid and throbbing, and when I wrap my fingers around him, his cock jumps in my hand.

“Katie.” His voice is low, raw and holds a massive amount of warning. “We’re almost to the hotel, baby. Give me a couple more minutes.”

“I’ve given you enough time, Dev.” He glares at me and I can’t help but smirk. He’s just so damn gorgeous it isn’t even fair. That strong jaw, that fucking dimple … those eyes. It’s too much. He should be arrested for being too damn good-looking.

“Well then, you better drive fast,” I say, dropping my eyes from his as I lower myself in the seat. “Because in approximately ten seconds, you’ll be buried deep in my throat.” He moans, his stomach muscles twitching under the weight of my lips against his belly button. “And once I start, I won’t stop.”

“Hold on.” His voice is deep and husky, and it sounds like he’s doing everything he can to keep himself together. It’s a damn good thing I went without underwear this morning or they’d be soaking wet.

His legs move under me as he shifts gears, and my body jerks as we propel forward. “I am.” Popping the button on his jeans, I slide the zipper down and tug his cock from the confines of his boxers. “I suggest you take your own advice, soldier.” Wrapping my mouth around the head of his cock, I take him deep into my mouth, surrounding him as far as my mouth will allow.

“Son of a bitch.” Devin fists his hand in my hair, and I think it’s safe to say that he’s not doing a good job of keeping it together now. Because when I slide my tongue along the underside of his shaft and suck hard, a string of curse words fly from his mouth.

“Katie. Fuck. I’m not gonna …” His words trail off as I suck even harder, pumping him over and over. His hips buck and I feel the exact moment that I’ve driven him to the edge. His body trembles, jerks, and then goes completely rigid. I swallow, riding out his orgasm, before releasing him with a wet pop.

I peek up at Devin while tucking him in his jeans. He looks sated and happy. He must sense me watching him, because he looks down. My head is cradled in his lap and he gives me a devilish smile.