Night Break Read online

  Instead of going to her, I asked, “Something to drink? There’s water, unless you want something stronger, in which case it would be a Bud Light or JD.”

  Her answer of “Both,” shocked me into simply nodding and heading to the kitchen cabinet, then the fridge, and my hutch to fetch our refreshments, all the while worried about my guest’s extreme discomfort.

  When I entered the living room, Devolin looked a bit more at ease, even though her skin remained pale and her movements were a little abrupt, with the way she grabbed the beer I handed her. As soon as I set the two tumblers and the bottle of Jack down on the coffee table, I straightened with the intention of doing as I’d told her I would earlier and head for the other end of the room. She put a stop to that by grabbing onto my wrist.

  “Sit,” she whispered, “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I can’t tell you all about me with you being at the other end of the room.” Her nose scrunched up. “It would be weird.”

  With that, my ass found the next cushion over and settled in for everything Devolin was willing to share. If I knew now what I’d know afterward, she’d say that the alcohol was more for me than for her. She’d barely touched her beer.

  I was dying.

  I had to be.

  My body was running at a fever pitch; my mind was scrambled. And all I had to blame it on was a one hundred and ten pound, auburn-haired, bright-eyed angel straddling my lap, her shaking hands, questing over my shirt covered chest.

  A fucking virgin!

  I was in hell.

  I was in heaven.

  How the fuck could I figure out where I was when I couldn’t make out up from down with Devolin’s little gasps and the awestruck look strewn upon her face.

  All because I’d won her trust.

  All because she’d asked something so little of me, in such an innocent fashion, that I would have given her anything.

  I was so busy trying to keep my hands off Devolin that the touch of her tongue, where my shirt collar started, had my body jumping as if she’d hit me with a live wire.

  At my groan, Devolin jumped back to the point I had no choice but to brace my arms around her to prevent her from toppling off my lap.

  Embarrassment rolled off her in droves. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I croaked, moving my hands so I could feel the skin of her bare arms, rubbing soothingly. “Sweetheart, I can’t even begin to tell you what you’re doing to me.” With that, I arched my pelvis into her, causing her skin to flush with the most adorable blush and her emerald eyes to widen.

  Her mouth opened, then closed. “Well…” Her eyes were trained to the side of my neck.

  “Come here,” I whispered, pulling her toward me, as a hand went up to sift into her hair, coming away with the clip that had secured the twist that was in it all day. Her arms rounded my shoulders and held onto the back of the couch as she came willingly, collapsing against my chest, her head laying in the crook of my neck, her breath fanning over my Adam’s apple. I gave her a squeeze. She fit so fucking perfectly in my arms, I’d be happy if she stayed there for the rest of my life. “I don’t want to let you go.”

  Devolin’s body tensed, but as soon as it had, she relaxed against me. “Then don’t,” she whispered. After a moment of silence, she added, “Will you…will you let me know if I do something you don’t like?”

  This had me chuckling, which proved not be the best of reactions.

  As Devolin fought to get off me, I pulled her in, locking my arms behind her back once again. “Stay.”

  “I’m not a dog, Dalton!”

  I pecked her scrunched up nose, watching as her annoyance melted away before my eyes and she settled. “I want to kiss you.”

  “I’m not sure I want your kisses if you’re going to laugh at me,” she snipped.

  Okay, so she was still annoyed.

  “Baby…” That got her attention. “I can guaran-damn-tee that there’s nothing you could do that I won’t like.”

  Her forehead dropped to my shoulder. “But what if there is?”

  I turned my head to kiss her temple, whispering, “There isn’t.” Unlocking my hands so I could reach into her hair and fist it, I pulled her head back gently, eliciting a gasp from her. As soon as her shocked gaze met mine, her irises turned a dark green, her pupils dilated. She was turned on. This was my chance.

  And I took it.

  Crashing my mouth down to hers, I took what she was willing to give me. For a split-second there, I was worried about my forwardness. When that pleasured mewl of hers came out, I took the opportunity to get a more thorough taste of her. Fuck she was sweet, all bubble-mint with a hint of something darker. Chocolate. The pure decadence that was Devolin had me wondering if the rest of her would taste as sinful if I drizzled the creamy treat all over her.

  Devolin wriggled over my lap, one hand holding my head to her, the other sifting its fingers through my hair, her nails scoring my scalp. I wanted those nails embedded in my ass as I fucked her. I wanted them buried in my shoulders and back while I made love to her, showed her the varying degrees of pleasure that could exist when two people get as close as possible.

  My mouth trailed from her lips, down to her chin, her neck, her collarbone, where I stopped to nibble.

  Devolin was completely gone. In her place was some sort of siren. She arched back, holding onto the sides of my neck as I mumbled, “Christ you’re hot,” right above the swell of her breasts, bared where her blouse buttons parted. This necessitated her grinding down on my swollen cock, which felt like it was being strangled in my jeans. “Fuck,” I groaned, then buried my face in her neck. She smelled of perfume, shampoo, sweat, and a little bit of what made Devolin her own unique blend of aphrodisiac, specifically tailored with me in mind. “We need to slow this down,” I mumbled against the skin of her jaw, nipping it before pulling back.

  Devolin’s eyes were on fire at this point. She dropped her forehead to mine, her breath fanning against my face.

  I couldn’t help myself, I lifted my chin to peck her lips lightly.

  “Oh, God! Oh, damn! Oh, shit! Shit! Shit!” came from the entrance before the front door slammed shut.

  My head fell to rest on the back of the couch on a sighed, “Fuck,” while Devolin’s body began to shake. Within seconds, she burst out laughing.

  “That…” she huffed through her giggles, “that was...” another bout of hilarity, “payback.” She dissolved in another fit of laughter before finally finding her wits. “That was for the times she’s—”

  “Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” I cut her off. “I don’t need to know who and what my sister’s business with guys is. I don’t even want the vaguest of idea. Get me?” My eyes narrowed on hers to prove how much I didn’t want her to finish that sentence of hers.

  The smile she gave me lit up her entire face and I was mesmerized. “I got you, Kip,” she whispered onto my lips before giving the lower one a nip, then licking away the sting.

  “Are you sure you’ve never done this?” I groaned, as she shimmied back and started to get off me. “You’re killing me here.”

  Her short laugh did nothing to conceal her humor. “Want me to kiss it and make it better?” As soon as her words were out, her eyes went wide, she blanched, then blushed, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread on my face.

  If I were to take things beyond simple pecks here and there and make out sessions, I’d have to find out how much Devolin had experienced in her limited freedom over the years.

  Getting to my feet, I shifted myself in my jeans, in hopes to restore some circulation in my cock, then wrapped a hand around the back of Devolin’s neck, pulling her into my chest.

  “I-I…”

  “Sweetheart, when the time is right, and when you’re ready, I’ll give you free reign to do just that, but not before we discuss things first,” I said, then kissed her stupid before rel
easing her and heading for the front door. Skylar was waiting after all.

  Chapter 18

  Devolin

  As soon as Skylar came back in, I gave her a hug in greeting then excused myself to the washroom.

  What the hell had I just gone and done?

  Staring at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but notice the rosy tint to my cheeks, the glimmer in my eyes, my swollen lips, or the sex-kitten tussle going on with my hair. My inventory caused me to smile like a loon.

  That had been one hell of a clinch I’d found myself in. One, if I didn’t allow my worries to take over, I’d admit that I wanted to partake in again and again.

  I liked the way Dalton was hard one moment, then soft with me the next. I adored how conscientious he was about my experience—or lack thereof. I especially loved just how attuned he was with my feelings, willing to push when he read that I was ready, and pulling back when it was the right thing to do.

  Safe.

  For what felt like the hundredth time today, I embraced the warmth inside me that I hadn’t experienced a lot of in my twenty-five years.

  Contemplating if I should fix my hair, then realizing that I didn’t have my clip with me, I decided that maybe it was high time that I embraced that dormant inner vixen of mine and made my way back to Dalton and Skylar.

  “She’s not like the rest of them, D!” Skylar whisper-shouted.

  “You think I don’t know that?” Dalton growled.

  Here I thought I’d be able to get back to the two half-siblings when I heard their not-so-quiet discussion. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t move away from the conversation nor move into their line of vision for them to see that their chat was no longer a private one.

  “Please be careful.”

  “Sky, this isn’t some sick conquest thing,” Dalton said, making the building panic ebb a little. “Devolin means something to me.”

  Silence.

  “Don’t mess it up, D.” Butterfly flutters started up in my stomach. “You might be my brother, but you hurt her, you’ve got me to answer to, bucko.” Fuck, I had the greatest best friend. “I’m going to go check on her. Lord knows she’s probably mortified and looking for a way to escape.”

  Shit! Fuck!

  I looked around to try and figure out what I should do. If I stayed put, I’d be found out. If I headed back where I’d come from, odds were that Skylar would catch me before I had the chance to turn around and make my way back to them.

  Forward. I had to move forward.

  I smirked internally at that thought. It seemed to be the motto to my life as of late: moving forward.

  “Oh, hey! You okay?” Skylar asked as I rounded the corner into the kitchen.

  Meeting my friend’s gaze briefly, I was more concerned about what I’d read in Dalton’s when I looked at him. When I did turn to him, the man held himself steadfast and with an air of confidence. The moment his gaze met mine, after he’d given me a discreet perusal, taking notice of my hair, his eyes dilated, and his lips arched up in a cocky grin before he threw a wink my way.

  Returning his smile with a shy one of my own, I shifted my attention back to Skylar and answered her earlier question. “I’m fine.”

  “I’m so sorry—”

  “Sky…really. It’s okay.”

  She made quick study of my face, and once satisfied, nodded and turned to her brother. “So what’s for dinner?”

  Chapter 19

  Dalton

  I must be turning into a girl. Fuck, I should just hand my man card to the closest fucker around with how jealous I’ve been feeling over the last hour.

  A call came in from Shane that I had to take, so I left my sister and my…well, my Devolin.

  My Devolin?

  My mind froze as it stuck to those two words, my body feeling a calm I hadn’t felt in far too long.

  Yes. My Devolin.

  Fuck it sounded good.

  See?

  Man card.

  Gone.

  What was odd about that was the fact that I didn’t give two shits about that single factoid. So I left the women on my back deck for a visit, while I took my cell to my office to see what Detective Peters had to say.

  By the time I made it back to the women, Skylar and Devolin were up on their feet, their arms wrapped around each other giggling. I hadn’t realized, until then, how long it had been since I’d heard my sister laugh. Of course she had laughed, but there always seemed to lack genuine happiness, or more like there was an underlying melancholy to her bouts of humor, over the last little while. To hear her laugh like she means it filled me with warmth.

  Grinning at the sight before me, I asked. “What’s going on?”

  The women turned toward me, their smiles intact, both sets of eyes twinkling.

  “Ask your woman,” Skylar said cryptically.

  “Sky, I’m not—” The moment Devolin’s eyes met mine, she found herself unable to finish her sentence.

  She’s getting it.

  Truth be told, whether we wanted it to happen or not, despite the time in our lives where it took root, no matter all external circumstances, she was mine. To even contemplate another man laying his hands on her, to be kissing on her, made me see red. Even if a relationship was the furthest thing from my mind; the way she gave me bits of herself since we met, putting her trust in me, something she rarely did with anyone, meant the world to me. Let’s not forget how electric we were together earlier. As ridiculous as it sounds to me, I have no doubt that Devolin Taylor was going to end up in my arms again. And in my bed. She was already firmly routed in my head, and I couldn’t ignore the fact that she was slowly creeping into my heart, too.

  “D?” This came from Skylar, knocking me out of my thoughts and back to the present. “Did you hear anything I said?”

  “Huh?”

  Skylar’s mischievous smile came out to play. I swear she could read me better than anyone else I knew. “Never mind,” she said, turning to Devolin, who was biting her bottom lip as if trying to prevent herself from laughing. “I’m glad you’re moving on, girl. I’ll see you on Wednesday night.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not cooking,” she smirked.

  Skylar turned to me once more, then approached. “I’m out of here.” Wrapping her arms around my torso, I gave her a squeeze back. “Any chance you’ll be back by Sunday?”

  “Sky…” I groaned. I knew what that meant.

  “You haven’t seen him in a month, D,” she said about our father.

  “So long as she’s not there, then yeah, I’ll be there,” I tell her about her mother.

  “Okay.” Her eyes reflected her relief. “I’ll let him know.”

  “Love you, squirt.” I kissed the top of her head.

  “Love you, too.” She gave me one last squeeze before backing away with her usual warning. “Be safe.”

  I grinned at her words. “It’s just a routine meeting.”

  She studied me for a while longer than felt comfortable. I didn’t give away any of the apprehension I felt about the resulting trip that would come out of visiting our country’s northern neighbor.

  Once Skylar was happy with what she saw, she gave Devolin a quick finger wave, saying, “Wednesday, doll,” as she made her way off the patio, to the side of my house, toward the front yard.

  I didn’t waste time. As soon as Skylar was gone, my feet set me toward Devolin, whose gaze resembled that of a deer caught in headlights.

  The moment my arms wrapped around her, her taut body relaxed, and her hands came to rest on my chest.

  “I should go,” she whispered. “You have an early flight tomorrow.”

  “Stay.”

  “But—”

  “I want you to stay.” I pressed my lips to hers. “Just for a bit longer.” I pulled back to find that her eyes had changed to that dark forest green again. Smirking, I flicked the tip of her nose. “And not for that, sweetheart. I’d be ha
ppy if we just talked.”

  “Talked?” she squeaked.

  My nod was curt. “Talked,” I repeated, as I pulled her toward the patio door, leading the way toward the living room couch.

  Instead of taking a seat beside me like I thought she would, she surprised me by hitching her skirt up to straddle my thighs, a self-assured smirk on her face.

  My eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What are you doing?”

  “Do we really have to talk?” She leaned forward, nipping my jaw.

  I groaned. “Dev.”

  “I’d rather keep going where we left off earlier.” Her fingers reached into my hair, pulling at the strands, thus keeping my head hostage.

  “Sweetheart,” I tried again.

  She nuzzled just below my ear before whispering, “Don’t you?” as she settled her crotch nice and tight against mine.

  “Baby,” I hissed out. “We really,” she nipped at my lips and I let her, “need,” her tongue snuck out, “to,” I pecked her mouth, because I couldn’t help myself, “talk,” I finished on another peck.

  Releasing the hold she had on my hair, she pulled back to cup the sides of my neck, avoiding my gaze.

  By this point, my hands were fisted at my sides. This was reason one why we needed to talk. By now, had she been any other woman, I would have been all over her. But because of her tendency to freeze up, even though she had been fine earlier, I really needed to find out where my boundaries lay.

  “Dev—”

  “What are we doing here, Dalton?”

  “We’re trying to feel things out for an us, sweetheart.” I slowly wrapped my arms around Devolin’s torso, letting my hand settle on the small of her back, my fingers itching to reach into the back of her skirt and grab a handful of her ass. “I—”

  Her irritated expression softened and her eyes met mine as she surmised, “You’re scared you’re going to push me too far.”

  “Yeah.” I swallowed. “I’m not exactly what they call a gentleman,” I confessed. “I know what I want, how I want it, and I’m not above taking it.” My eyes searched hers. “Baby, I don’t know what I’ll do that’ll set you off,” I explained further. “I guess, what I’m saying is that I need to know where your head is at with this. It’s new to you, sweet—”