Devin’s Undoing Stephanie Adkins What‟s the best form of revenge? After her husband of nineteen years leaves her for a woman half her age, Devin Malone is left with half his fortune, but also a huge chip on her shoulder. Determined to make him suffer, she goes after his best friend. Yet after a month, she realizes that although revenge may be sweet, there‟s got to be a better way than mind-numbing conversation and even worse sex. When she hears that David has proposed to the tramp he left her for, Devin retreats into her misery. But intervention comes from an unexpected source—the muscular form of Sam Braxton, her much younger friend and chauffeur. Sam proves to Devin that life—and great sex— does go on after David Malone. Devin just hadn‟t looked in the right place or at the right man.
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Devin‟s Undoing ISBN 9781419936579 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Devin‟s Undoing Copyright © 2011 Stephanie Adkins Edited by Raelene Gorlinsky Cover design by Syneca Model: Jordan Photography: Willo Electronic book publication October 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora‟s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora‟s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher‟s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author‟s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author‟s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
DEVIN’S UNDOING
Stephanie Adkins
Stephanie Adkins
Chapter One It wasn‟t the way her moans resounded through the empty hallway on the second floor, or even the fact that she had carelessly left her bedroom door open for all to see. No, it was much more than that. Devin Malone seemed hell-bent on revenge. Since David, her husband of nineteen years, had left her for his twenty-something secretary five months prior, she had done everything possible to feed her anger, including going after his best friend Calvin Sutton. From the moment she‟d brought Calvin home, it was apparent to Sam Braxton, and probably every other employee in the Malone household, that she did it out of spite and not because she liked the man. There were no flowery words between them—no gentle touches that you would normally associate with a budding relationship. There were barely any words between them at all before she took him to her bed. Not that he probably cared anyway. From what Sam had observed, Calvin Sutton seemed happy just to be getting laid—and frequently at that. Now, from his secluded spot outside her doorway, Sam watched as Devin writhed on the bed beneath Calvin, who knelt between her legs. He hadn‟t intended on spying, but he couldn‟t help but overhear the loud couple while walking through the house to his apartment over the garage. Now, from his short distance away, he was in the perfect position to witness every stroke as Calvin fucked her slow and easy. Sam couldn‟t tear himself away. Devin said something to Calvin that made the man smile, but Sam couldn‟t make out the muffled whisper. Damn it. With one hand grasping the footboard, she slid her other hand provocatively over her hardened nipples and downward toward her pussy.
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Then, with her fingers pressed flat against her clit, she moved them in a circular motion while Calvin lowered his head and watched. “That feels so good,” she crooned. Calvin continued his steady thrusting while she played with herself and dug her high heels into the bed, lifting her hips with every thrust. After several minutes, she removed her hand from between her legs and brushed her wet fingertips along his parted lips. Hungrily, he took her fingers inside his mouth and sucked feverishly while she looked on and smiled coyly. Sam inhaled deeply and struggled to remain perfectly still. He‟d always wondered what Devin Malone must taste like. Now this lucky bastard was living Sam‟s dream. “Turn over,” Calvin demanded. She complied without a second‟s hesitation. Eagerly flipping onto her knees, she grabbed hold of the footboard and spread her legs wide. When Calvin gripped her hips and shoved his cock inside her, she threw her head back and moaned so loudly it practically rattled Sam‟s ears. His already stiff cock throbbed painfully inside his dress slacks. This time around there were no soft and easy strokes. Calvin rammed his cock in her roughly time and time again while her long, wavy brown hair swept from side to side and she gnashed her teeth together. The faster he moved, the more excited she became. With an animalistic growl, she pushed her body back against his cock with such force that the whole bed shook precariously. “Yes!” she yelled. “Fuck me! Harder!” Sam felt the burning sensation in his chest move upward toward his mouth. Apart from her high heels and the string of pearls around her neck, she was completely naked, and her golden skin glistened in the light streaming from the lamp on the nightstand. A stranger would never guess Devin was in her forties. No, she wasn‟t a lollipopheaded stick figure like most of the southern socialites he had been unfortunate to keep company with. She had curves that would put any twenty-year-old to shame, and it was apparent she knew damn well how to use them too. 6
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Sam smirked while he watched Calvin Sutton trying to keep up. The beads of perspiration were clearly visible on his face and chest. He had to give the poor man credit where credit was due, though. The oil tycoon fucked like a champion, but even he couldn‟t help the fact that Devin had a chip on her shoulder. “Oh…oh…fuck!” She was getting close to climaxing, but unfortunately not as close as Calvin. He could tell by the way the man‟s chest started to heave and the way his breath came in short gasps that he was close to finishing. Or passing out, whichever came first. Devin glanced back at Calvin. She must have noticed it too. “Wait! I‟m coming… I‟m…” But then, with one last push, it was over. With a loud roar that reverberated heavily off the bedroom walls, Calvin Sutton was done. When he pulled out and collapsed onto the enormous four-poster bed, Devin sat up on her knees and looked at him with a resentful glare that even Sam could feel from his stance in the hallway. After sliding from the bed, she threw on her robe and stormed off to the adjoining bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind her. Whether she went in there to get herself off, to sulk or to cry was anyone‟s guess, but Calvin never attempted to go after her. Within minutes, Sam could hear his steady breathing, and then not long after, his snoring. Part of him wanted to force his way into the bathroom and finish what the aging millionaire couldn‟t…or didn‟t care to. Instead, he let his shoulders slump and retreated to his small apartment over the garage. Hopefully, another time and place would grant him the opportunity he wished for. Sam shook his head in disdain. No, it wasn‟t bad enough that her husband had left her, but now she couldn‟t even get fucked properly. No wonder Devin Malone was so pissed.
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It should have been an easy walk to make. Get out of the car, move four steps to the right, followed by roughly fifty steps forward to the front door. No problem. Yet as Devin looked out the car window toward Deanna Leary‟s sprawling three-story plantation home, she couldn‟t seem to make her feet move. “Mrs. Malone?” She cringed. Five months after the divorce, and still she felt like vomiting every time someone referred to her by that name. “Sam, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?” she asked, glancing toward the front seat at her chauffeur. He turned slightly in his seat, and their eyes met briefly. “Call me Miss Devin or Devin. Hell, I‟ll even take a „Hey you‟. Just don‟t call me by that name anymore.” He looked down at his lap and it appeared as though he was stifling a laugh. Yes, the request was probably a ridiculous one to make, but at least he understood, if no one else did. Day after day, people who did everything in their power to kiss her ass surrounded her, but with Sam there was never any pretense. He spoke his mind and gave little concern whether it made her angry or not. It was one of the things that sealed their close friendship. She could be frank with him just as he could be open and honest with her. Her ex-husband David had never cared for Sam very much. Sam was barely twenty years old when they‟d first met. David had only hired him out of pity at the insistence of their neighbor, Beverly Means. From what Devin understood, Sam‟s parents had died in an automobile accident during his freshman year of college, leaving him and his younger sister alone in Atlanta, with the closest family members being thousands of miles away on the West Coast. Since neither of them wanted to move, Sam dropped out of college and began working to support them both while his sister finished her senior year of high school. Beverly had been looking for a chauffeur, which was how the two of them met. Not
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long after she hired him her husband‟s job had them relocating to Florida, which led her to speak to the Malones. After hearing his story, David hired him as a chauffeur. Now, five years later, Sam was living in the small apartment above their garage and a large portion of his paycheck went to his younger sister to help pay her way through college in Alabama. It was admirable watching the way he took care of her, and chivalry was definitely something Devin had missed out on in the past several years. David didn‟t have a virtuous bone in his body. Just the thought of him made her blood boil even hotter. “Maybe the ladies won‟t be so long-winded today,” Sam stated with a hint of encouragement in his voice. “You might even be lucky enough to escape after one cup of tea.” Devin shook her head before giving the mansion another spiteful glare. “I just don‟t see the point in sitting around some fancy living room, sipping tea with a bunch of snobs who will more than likely stab me in the back as soon as I turn around,” she protested. “Who the hell still sits around in frilly dresses drinking tea all day long anyway? Didn‟t stuff like that end over a century ago…along with the war?” Sam laughed. He knew as well as anyone that she hated these types of gatherings. For five years he‟d taken her kicking and screaming to every one of them. It didn‟t make sense to Devin. There were much more important things to do than try to keep up appearances, and these were probably the same women who had gossiped about her the moment David left. The only reason she had socialized with them in the first place was because David had prodded her from the very beginning of their relationship to “be friendly and play nice”, and she still felt obligated to do so. Now that he was out of her life for good, maybe it was time to stop. “Do you want me to take you home?” Devin looked at Sam and sighed in defeat. “No,” she said softly. “It‟s better to put on a happy face and play the part than to give the sharks something else to feed on if I don‟t show up.” 9
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With that, Sam quickly exited the car. Within seconds he had her door open and was holding out his hand. Regretfully, she took it and stepped out of the vehicle. When he closed the door behind her, she stood up straight and squared her shoulders before looking at him. “I won‟t be long,” she said, trying to force a smile. “Keep the car running.”
***** Thirty-seven minutes later, Devin walked through the foyer of the large home again and gathered her purse from the butler, who stood by the front doorway. Thirty-seven minutes of mind-numbing conversation and tea sweet enough to make her mouth pucker was long enough. “You are one lucky woman, Devin.” Turning toward the soft-spoken voice, she spied Anne Marie Thompson standing at one of the narrow windows in the foyer, squinting so she could get a better view of something outside. When Devin came up behind her, she looked over Anne Marie‟s shoulder out the window and saw Sam standing beside the shiny black Rolls Royce. He had taken off his suit jacket and the once starched sleeves of his dress shirt were now rolled up to his elbows. Not that she could blame the man for shedding what clothing he could. With the scorching summer sun glaring down upon them, it was hot enough to fry eggs on the Learys‟ perfectly manicured walkway. “That‟s Sam, and he‟s young enough to be your grandson, so don‟t even think about it.” Devin laughed. If it were any other person besides Anne Marie, she wouldn‟t have joked so freely, but being that Anne Marie was her only true friend in this godforsaken city, she knew she could let her guard down. Plus, Atlanta‟s premier divas were at the other end of the house in the formal living room, so there wasn‟t anyone around to overhear. The giggling that emanated through the hallway raked against Devin‟s already raw nerves. It was past time to leave. “I wasn‟t thinking of me. I was thinking about you,” Anne Marie remarked.
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Devin felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Sam? What an insane idea! “I think my ex-husband has done enough cradle-robbing for the both of us,” she replied warily. Anne Marie turned around and gave her a reprimanding look. “There‟s a difference. You‟re single. David wasn‟t.” Devin slipped her purse strap over her shoulder and looked once more out the window. She had never thought of Sam in that way and for some strange reason, it unsettled her. It wasn‟t that she didn‟t admire his rugged good looks. Raised in the country, he always stayed true to who he was, from his tousled black hair straight down to his scuffed boots. Even wearing his chauffeur‟s uniform made him highly uncomfortable. Sam was Sam, and he didn‟t waste time with those who couldn‟t accept that fact. If you did accept him, then you were his friend for life. “Regardless, I prefer men my own age, and Sam is sixteen years younger than me,” Devin noted. A mischievous smile played across Anne Marie‟s face as she leaned forward and placed her hand on Devin‟s arm. “Well, my dear, maybe that‟s just what you need right now. Don‟t knock it until you‟ve tried it.” Devin couldn‟t help but laugh out loud. Anne Marie was never one to mince words, and she knew without a doubt that her friend was speaking from experience. The aging heiress had never married and never wanted to. She preferred to spend her money on whatever she desired, which included men half her age and younger. Maybe that was what kept her looking so young. Devin shook her head defiantly. An intimate relationship with Sam, or any other man his age, would never work. Too many years separated them, and she certainly didn‟t need anything else to keep the socialites‟ tongues wagging.
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Before she could reply, the sound of footsteps through the large foyer caught their attention. She could smell the Chanel long before she turned around, and instantly her eyes began to water. What was it with these southern belles and their perfume? “Devin, I‟m so glad I caught you before you left,” came Deanna Leary‟s voice. Before she could make a hasty retreat, Devin was caught in the woman‟s suffocating embrace for several agonizing seconds. The scent of Aqua Net and Chanel mingled sickeningly together and caused her head to hurt. “I didn‟t want to say anything with the other women around, but I am so sorry,” Deanna said. “If there‟s anything I can do for you, please don‟t hesitate to let me know.” Confused, Devin took a step away from her hostess and looked back and forth between her and Anne Marie, who appeared just as clueless. Surely she wasn‟t talking about the divorce. That was old news. “I was so stunned when Henry told me that David proposed to that woman, and so soon after the divorce too. It‟s just…uncalled for. I can only imagine how you must feel about it.” The moment the words left Deanna‟s mouth, Devin felt the breath rush from her body. David was engaged? She looked at Anne Marie, but in an instant the room became deathly still. Deanna‟s lips moved as she babbled on, but all Devin could clearly distinguish was the furious pounding of her heart in her ears. “Devin…” Anne Marie gripped her arms, and she could faintly hear the sound of her name, but everything just…stopped. She had always assumed David would eventually grow bored with the little twit once the newness wore off. Like the dozens of motorcycles and vintage cars he had purchased over the years, and just as soon discarded after the thrill subsided. She thought he would treat his secretary the same way. Realizing that he might actually love the woman and even go so far as to marry her was a bitter pill to swallow.
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Without a word, she broke free of Anne Marie‟s grasp and charged out the front door, almost knocking the elderly butler out of the way in her haste to leave. The two women made no move to stop her, which was a wise decision. At the moment, she was so angry she couldn‟t think straight. She fought the urge to run down the brick pathway to the car. If no one else had been watching, she would have taken off running as soon as she stepped outside, but she could feel the women‟s eyes piercing her back. She glanced at Sam, who gave her a questioning look. “Devin, what‟s—” Before he could open the back door, she had a firm grip on the handle. “Take me home,” she demanded before opening the car door and sliding into the backseat. As soon as he closed the door behind her, the tears broke free in one forceful surge that rocked her whole body. When Sam took his place in the driver‟s seat, he glanced at her quickly before putting the car in drive and making his way down the long, winding driveway toward home.
***** Sam leaned against the kitchen counter and watched while Devin paced back and forth. As soon as she‟d burst through the front door, the maid and chef had scattered, but Sam remained faithfully by her side. The ride home had been an unbearable one while he listened to her sobbing in the backseat. It was enough to rip his heart clear out of his chest. Sure, he had seen her cry several times over the years, but this time was different. This sounded as though it came from deep inside her soul and tore its way out of her body. It was gut wrenching in its sadness. She never spoke a word on the long drive home, and he never asked any questions. Now that her tears had subsided, he waited patiently while she tried to calm down.
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Gripping the counter behind him, he wrestled with the urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. It was obvious something was very wrong. Devin didn‟t act this way unless it was warranted. When she stopped pacing and came to stand beside him, the soft, feminine scent of her perfume invaded his senses, causing him to clutch the counter tighter. “He proposed to her,” she said quietly. Sam remained silent. The news didn‟t surprise him at all. From the first moment Beverly had introduced him to David Malone, he could tell that the man was a snake in sheep‟s clothing. Right now he was just stunned that David wanted to keep his girlfriend around for something other than his toy. “Not long after we married, he told me that he didn‟t want any children. He explained to me that his business kept him away so much he felt he wouldn‟t be a proper father. In the beginning I was upset about it, but in the end I just accepted his decision and moved forward with building our life together. We stayed so busy that I rarely thought about it anymore.” Sam listened intently while Devin gazed out the window behind him. In the distance, he could faintly hear the rumble of thunder from an approaching storm. “Now I‟m at the point in my life where it‟s too much of a risk to bear children of my own, and he‟s going to marry this…woman…who‟s half my age, who will more than likely talk him into having babies.” She continued in a whisper, “It‟s not fair, Sam. It‟s just not fair.” Sam looked down at the floor and tried with all his might to keep his anger in check. The sorrow that resonated from her made his chest burn with fury at the useless excuse of a man who caused her such misery. If David Malone had been standing nearby, he would have taken great pleasure in beating the hell out of him. “I‟m sorry, Devin.” She moved to the tall butcher-block table in the middle of the room and leaned back against it. They faced each other now, and when he looked up and noticed the dark 14
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circles under her eyes, he balled his fists to keep from reaching out and running his fingers over them. “Nineteen years of my life I‟ve wasted on a man who, to this day, probably couldn‟t even tell you what my favorite movie or color is. He never wanted to know those things. If it wasn‟t about him, he didn‟t care.” She sighed. “I‟m tired of being here. I don‟t want this anymore. I don‟t want this house or anything that holds memories of our time together. This way of life isn‟t me. It never was.” Sam nodded enthusiastically. Finally she was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Then do it. If you‟re not happy, then don‟t settle. Move away. Do whatever it takes to make you happy for once.” The actual thought of her moving away made his stomach twist into a painful knot. Maybe he should have mulled it over first before speaking his mind. Now there was no way he could take it back. “But what would you do if I left?” she questioned. “That would mean the end of your job, and I know you need the money to help your sister.” Shrugging, he averted his gaze so she wouldn‟t see his uneasiness. What would he do? He‟d never considered that either. “I would find something else. What matters most right now is your happiness.” She looked over his shoulder and out the window at the rain lightly pelting the glass. Her stare took on another distant expression, but he could tell that whatever thoughts crossed her mind weren‟t happy ones by the way her eyes welled with fresh tears. Unable to hold back any longer, he stepped toward her and placed his fingertips lightly against the vein that throbbed on the side of her neck. The move caught her by surprise and made her body stiffen. “W-what are you doing?” she stammered.
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Instead of having a calming effect, his touch caused her heartbeat to escalate. Feeling her pulse race against his fingertips made him smile. “I can always tell when you‟re upset or angry by the way this vein pulses in your neck,” he said softly. “I don‟t like seeing you this way, Devin. He‟s not worth it. He never has been.” She stood up straight and braced her hands behind her on the table, as if to keep from falling. He took another cautious step forward, but she made no move to stop him. They were so close now he could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin, and the longer they stood that way, the faster her heart beat. “All I want is for you to be happy,” he murmured. “If you were mine, I would do whatever it takes to make sure you stayed that way.” She parted her lips as if to say something, but nothing came out. For the first time he could ever recall, Devin Malone was speechless. Moving several long tendrils away from her throat, he leaned forward ever so slightly and rested his mouth against her pulse. She inhaled sharply. Her reaction spurred him onward. There was no turning back now. He didn‟t want to. Wrapping a hand around her hair, he pulled her head back gently and slid his parted lips down her neck and over her collarbone. Within seconds, her breathing became labored. Her skin was soft, smooth and hot to the touch. The top two buttons of her thin blouse were open and he smiled when he noticed the way her breasts heaved with every raspy breath she took. “Sam…no,” she whispered. “We can‟t do this.” Still he didn‟t waver. When he placed his other hand against her throat and slid his fingertips downward toward her breasts, she gasped. “Why?” he asked.
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For a moment she didn‟t answer, and when she swayed slightly in his arms and moaned, he smiled at her reaction. “B-because I‟m so much older than you,” she stammered. “It wouldn‟t be right.” When Sam grazed his fingers seductively between her breasts, she grasped the countertop with such force her knuckles turned white. “Age is just a number, Devin,” he murmured tenderly. “Tell me it doesn‟t feel right.” Before she could respond, the kitchen door swung open and the servants returned. Stepping away from her quickly, Sam moved to the other side of the room when Devin‟s chef approached her and began talking rapidly in his thick Cajun accent. As he stole one last glance in her direction, their gazes locked briefly. She seemed unsteady on her feet and completely dazed. With a hand pressed flat against her stomach, she took a couple of deep breaths while using her other hand to brace herself against the table. She gripped it hard, as if letting go would leave her crumbling to the floor. Unfortunately, the moment had been a brief one, but after noticing the way her body responded to his touch, Sam knew he had made a lasting impression. He turned and, grinning broadly, opened the door to the garage and bounded up the stairway to his apartment.
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Chapter Two Devin stood by her bedroom window and watched as Sam hand-washed the Rolls Royce. He wore nothing but a pair of faded jeans and sneakers that had seen better days. It was hard not to admire the way his muscles flexed and the way his tanned skin glimmered in the sunlight. She felt guilty for staring, but she couldn‟t seem to stop, either. It had been three days since their encounter in the kitchen. It had also been three days since she‟d spoken to him. It wasn‟t that she was afraid to be around him, but…this was Sam. This was her twenty-five-year-old employee whom she had never thought of as more than a close friend. Now, with just one touch, everything seemed…different. Her heart and mind were in a constant swirl of conflicting emotions. Since hearing the news of David‟s engagement, she‟d angrily cowered inside her home, refusing to talk to anyone on the phone except for Anne Marie. She didn‟t want to speak to anyone, see anyone, or have anything to do with anyone outside her home. Even Sam had kept his distance. The maids looked at her curiously each time the phone went unanswered, but she didn‟t care. She just wanted to be left alone. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she gazed out the window again, but Sam had disappeared. The car was still in the driveway, along with the bucket of water and cleaning supplies, but he was nowhere to be seen. Leaning forward, she placed her forehead against the cool glass and looked anxiously over the large estate just as someone knocked on her bedroom door. “Devin?” Her heart thumped erratically. Sam. After tying the sash on her robe, she walked toward his voice as if pulled by invisible strings. It was unnerving the effect he had on
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her, but just as she reached for the handle, she managed to stop herself from turning the lock and opening her door. There was no point in confronting this right now. Nothing would change between them. She couldn‟t allow it. “Devin?” he repeated. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was getting irritated. “Devin, open this door or I’ll break it down!” Startled, she frantically unlocked the door and flung it open before he made good on his promise. She had no doubt in her mind he would do it, and the last thing she needed right now was to have her other employees spreading rumors about her and Sam. He stood there with both hands braced on the doorframe for mere seconds before bursting into her bedroom. She closed the door behind him, but not before glancing out into the hallway and making sure no one overheard. “What are you doing?” she exclaimed. Spinning around to face her, he put his hands on his hips and shot her a scathing look. He had on a T-shirt now, but even through the thin fabric she could see his muscles tensing. He looked absolutely furious and she couldn‟t even begin to fathom what she had done to make him so mad. “Is this what you want?” he asked. “To hide in this house forever?” Caught off guard, she fumbled for the right words to say. Clearly he was upset that she had avoided him since their incident in the kitchen, but how could she explain something she was still trying to come to terms with herself? “If you stay locked behind this door, then he wins. You understand that, don‟t you?” Oh. He wanted to talk about David. Not the two of them. For some reason, that fact bothered her more than it should have.
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“You don‟t understand, Sam,” she replied wryly, turning away from him. “Besides, this has nothing to do with you.” When she attempted to walk past him, he reached out and caught her arm. The heat that radiated from his touch made her breath catch, and his brown eyes were no longer the molten pools of desire she had gazed upon the last time they‟d spoken. Now they were dark. Angry. “It might have nothing to do with me, but I‟m still your friend, and as your friend I‟m telling you that you‟re making a big mistake by pining away in this damn house.” Jerking free of his grasp, she took several steps away and glared at him. Yes, over the years she and Sam had certainly had their fair share of disagreements, but this time he was out of line, not only as her employee, but also as her friend. “And what do you expect me to do, Sam?” Flexing his fists by his side, he looked at her with such intensity that she took another step to separate them. “I expect you to fight,” he remarked. “Don‟t let him get the upper hand, Devin. I know you‟re upset, but he isn‟t worth it. Get out there and show him you don‟t give a fuck what he does with his life, and stop acting this way. This isn‟t you.” Rolling her eyes at him, she walked back to the window. They‟d had this conversation many times in the past five months since David left, though never with such conviction. What did Sam know anyway? He was young, inexperienced. He knew nothing about the real trials of adulthood like marriage and divorce. “You have no idea what this is like, Sam.” Within a matter of seconds he crossed the room and stood beside her. She had no choice but to look at him. He made it impossible not to and the look of resentment was clearly written all over his face. “Don‟t treat me like a child because I‟m not a child.” He seethed.
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His face was so close to her own now that she could feel each heated breath as he bellowed in front of her. Her gaze fell to his lips, and she shivered involuntarily when she recalled the way they had felt when he‟d placed his mouth against her neck in the kitchen. Tearing her gaze away, she forced herself to look up at him just as he wheeled around, strode over to her closet, and flung the doors open wide. “What are you doing now?” she asked, confused. Ignoring her, Sam began rummaging through her endless racks of clothes and stopped only when he came to the section of evening gowns located toward the back of her closet. “The Governor‟s Ball is tonight, and you‟re going to be there,” he stated calmly. “If I have to drag you there, I will.” Her mouth agape, she flung her hands in the air in protest. “Are you insane?” she exclaimed. “David will be there with her, and I‟m not about to put myself in the same room with them. Not right now.” Pulling a strapless midnight blue evening gown from her closet, he brought it over and thrust it at her. “I overheard one of the gardeners say they were in Italy this week, so you don‟t have to worry about them being there,” he replied. “You should wear this. It…brings out the blue in your eyes.” When he avoided her gaze, she yanked the dress from his hands and looked out the window in defeat. It was useless to argue with him. He could be stubborn as a mule, much like herself, and she knew from experience that he never backed down from an argument. “I don‟t see the point in this. Besides, a storm front is headed this way and they‟ll probably end up canceling the ball anyway. No one in their right mind would shoot fireworks during bad weather, not even the governor, and I don‟t care how many asses
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he needs to kiss for the upcoming election,” she said. The fury that burned in her lungs slowly ebbed away to resignation. “Even if they don‟t cancel it, I don‟t want to get dressed up only to be caught in a downpour.” Sam turned and walked toward the bedroom door, never once looking back. “I‟ll get you there before it rains,” he said flatly. “Meet me out front in two hours.” When he left the room, Devin looked down at the dress in her hands and sighed. There would be no way of getting out of it unless she wanted Sam to haul her to the Governor‟s Ball kicking and screaming. She contemplated calling Calvin to see if he would escort her, but she knew how much he detested such events. Truth be known, she had grown tired of his company anyway. All he talked about was money, and she had heard enough talk of money over the past nineteen years to last her a lifetime. Frankly, if she never talked to Calvin again, it wouldn‟t bother her. She had barely spoken to him in a week, and it hadn‟t fazed her at all. The wind blowing outside her window broke her reverie. There was definitely a storm on the way. She could feel it in the chill that raced up her spine. Hopefully Sam would get her there before the floodgates opened, as he‟d said he would.
***** The dark clouds that slowly rolled in from the distance caught Sam‟s attention while he paced in front of the Rolls Royce and adjusted his necktie for the hundredth time. There was nothing he hated worse than dressing up in a monkey suit, but if it meant getting Devin out of the house, then he would gladly put up with the aggravation. In the five years he‟d known her, he could never recall a time when she willingly avoided communication from the outside world. She was one of the most bullheaded people he‟d ever met, and very rarely did she let anyone or anything get her down. It
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was one of the many qualities he admired about her. Seeing her so upset was disturbing. For three days he had put off confronting her, but that had been long enough to let her sulk inside her bedroom. He would take her to the Governor‟s Ball if he had to tie her to the hood of the car to get her there. Hopefully, in the end, she would finally come to realize that David wasn‟t worth the time she spent crying over him. Looking toward the sky, he watched the long line of ominous black clouds on the horizon and grimaced. He stole a glance at his wristwatch. What was taking her so long anyway? Just as he started for the front door, Devin opened it and stepped out. Sam abruptly halted in his tracks and his breath caught and held for several painful seconds while he tried to keep from falling over his own feet. My God, she is so beautiful. The strapless evening gown he‟d chosen clung to her curves in a way that made his mouth water and his knees shake. Her hair hung in soft waves around her shoulders, and she just…glowed. “Ready to go?” she asked, brushing by him quickly. Her perfume wafted on the breeze, making him light-headed. Not trusting himself to speak, he followed her to the car and opened the back door. When she slid agilely in and crossed her legs, he tried not to focus on how shapely her legs were or on the stiletto heels she wore, but knowing what was underneath the gown made his cock throb. He probably would have been better off not spying on her and Calvin Sutton. At least then he wouldn‟t know what he was missing. Now it was all he could think about, and touching her had made it a thousand times worse. Clearing his throat, he closed the door and walked around the car to take his place in the driver‟s seat. Just as he veered the car out of the driveway, her cell phone rang. After muttering something under her breath, she answered it. “Hello, Calvin,” she said. “I told you I would call you tomorrow… No, nothing is wrong… I don‟t have time to talk right now…”
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Glancing in his rearview mirror, he caught her rolling her eyes before she looked out the window. He could faintly hear the muffled sound of Sutton‟s voice on the other end of line. Whatever he was saying, she wasn‟t impressed. “Fine. I‟ll talk to you tomorrow.” Without even a goodbye, she ended the conversation, and after pressing several buttons, she put the phone back in her purse. “Are you okay?” Sam questioned. She met his gaze in the rearview mirror and smiled warily. Even upset, she was stunningly beautiful. “That was Calvin,” she replied, contempt clear in her voice. “He‟s called me three times in the past hour wanting to talk about going on a cruise to the Cayman Islands. As if I would ever seriously consider going on a vacation with him. I‟d rather go to the park and watch grass die.” Sam laughed. He could understand the man‟s excitement, though. The thought of having Devin alone on a cruise would make him excited too. Still, a part of him was happy that she wasn‟t enthusiastic about the idea. Maybe her ill-fated time with Sutton was nearing its inevitable demise. He‟d had a feeling it wouldn‟t take long. Devin Malone was entirely too much woman for Sutton to handle. “I turned my phone off, so he shouldn‟t be bothering me anymore the rest of the evening,” she said. “I hope he doesn‟t show up at the ball. I didn‟t tell him I was going.” She turned her head and looked longingly out the window again. It was a pitiful gaze that made him feel even guiltier for demanding that she go, but he would not apologize for pushing her to live her life. She needed to get out and show the world that she wasn‟t going to let David‟s infidelity ruin her. She was too good a woman to stop fighting, and the bastard sure wasn‟t worth her suffering. During the long drive to the governor‟s mansion, Sam caught several glimpses of fireworks illuminating the sky from the various homes they passed along the way. Looking in the rearview mirror, he spied Devin smiling. When she leaned closer to the 24
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window and pressed her face against it to get a better view, he grinned at her enthusiasm. Like a kid on Christmas morning, her eyes glowed in the dim light of the car as she watched the myriad colors stream across the skyline time and time again. It appeared as if everyone was out celebrating in some way or another. Apparently nothing, not even the threat of bad weather, could dampen the festivities. “David never cared much for holidays.” She said it so softly he almost missed it. The underlying ache and disappointment in her voice was undeniable. Glancing in the rearview mirror once again, Sam swallowed hard when he noticed the way her once excited gaze had become suddenly dull and lifeless. Damn David Malone to hell and back! It was true. He could never remember a time during his employment when David had thrown a birthday party, a New Year‟s Eve party, or shot fireworks on the Fourth of July. Any holiday associated with fireworks usually found Devin sitting alone on her back porch watching the neighbors shoot them. Even Christmas had been a somber event with David spending most of his time at the office or on business trips. Servants delivered her gifts to her Christmas morning during his absence. He honestly couldn‟t recall a time when he‟d noticed him give her anything in person. There was never any excitement or joy, nothing that most people look forward to. And Sam could only imagine how the emptiness felt for Devin around the holidays given that David had never wanted any children. Gritting his teeth, he looked forward at the road and clutched the steering wheel so tightly that his fingers throbbed from the exertion. “Now you can celebrate the holidays the way you want to,” he replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. She smiled warily and looked out the window as another colorful explosion of lights dotted the horizon. “I suppose.” 25
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Before Sam could respond, they rounded a curve and the tall lampposts that adorned the driveway at the governor‟s mansion came into view. Thankfully the throng of limousines and luxury cars seemed to be filing in and out rather quickly. When Sam parked the Rolls Royce by the front stairway and stepped out of the car, the first drops of rain began to fall. Cursing under his breath, he took an umbrella from the trunk and went to Devin‟s door to open it. “Let me walk you to the door. It‟s starting to rain.” She took the umbrella from his hand and smiled at him as she got out of the car. When her fingers lightly touched his own, he swallowed hard and looked away. “It‟s all right, Sam. I can manage,” she replied. “I don‟t plan on staying long, so don‟t go far.” “I won‟t,” he promised.
***** Nearing an hour later, Sam remained in the car and watched with feigned interest as a host of fireworks jetted from the governor‟s backyard and swirled upward into the nighttime sky. Very faintly, he could hear the sound of applause emanating from the sea of partygoers as each burst of color shattered through the moonlit night and topped the one before it. Sam smirked. Leave it to Atlanta‟s elite to spend a fortune on something as clichéd as fireworks to rally some voters. They‟d wasted no time, once the rain eased up, to put on their show. Still, not long after the last burst brightened the sky, he saw another flash of light in the distance, and within minutes the storm clouds the weathermen had predicted steadily rolled in and overshadowed the stars, leaving the sky black as coal. Preparing for the worst, he‟d parked a few yards away in the nearest space he could find so that he would have a good view of the house when Devin made her exit, but even when the thunder began to rumble overhead, there was still no sign of her.
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Tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, he listened intently as the local radio station put out a tornado watch for the Atlanta area. Sam had never been one to worry over bad weather, but each time the thunder rolled in the distance, his muscles tensed. If nothing else, at least he could find some peace knowing that Devin was safely tucked somewhere inside the looming mansion. While the windshield wipers swept rapidly back and forth across the glass, he kept his eyes focused on the front door. After several minutes, the rain slacked off somewhat, giving him a better view. The fireworks had ceased completely once the rain had started up again, but obviously the partying had continued on, judging from the loud music that flowed from inside the house. Watching the crowd of guests as they strolled by the windows that lined the front of the mansion, he looked for flowing brown hair and midnight blue satin, but there was nothing. Not even a glimpse of Devin. Anxiously, Sam glanced at the clock on the dashboard when a black limousine drove by and swiftly wheeled in front of him. The suited driver stepped out of the car with two large umbrellas and walked toward the back door just as David Malone stepped out of it. Sam held his breath. When David took one of the umbrellas from the driver and followed him around to the other side of the car, a sickening knot formed in Sam‟s stomach even before the driver opened the door and David‟s fiancée climbed out. “Damn it!” What were they doing here? They were supposed to be out of the country! Scrambling for his cell phone, he keyed in Devin‟s number, but only after several rings did he remember she had turned hers off. Throwing the phone down on the passenger seat, he leaned forward and peered anxiously through the rain-spattered window as the couple made their way quickly up the stairs toward the house. Devin was going to lose it. As soon as she saw them, she would bolt. He just knew it. When the butler closed the front door behind them, he waited expectantly for what
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seemed like an eternity. Now he really felt guilty for making her go. More than likely, she would never forgive him. A ray of light from the doorway caught his attention. Squinting, he spotted Devin just as she darted past the butler and headed for the front steps, not even pausing to open her umbrella. As soon as he spotted her, Sam exited the car and ran to meet her while the rain fell in heavy sheets and thunder boomed overhead. He attempted to take the umbrella from her hand to open it, but she jerked away from him and kept walking hastily toward the car. The look on her face made him cringe. Sprinting to catch up with her, he got to the car door seconds before she did. “Devin, I‟m sorry—” Whirling around to face him, she glowered at him. Her makeup had all but washed away, leaving thin streaks of mascara covering her beautiful face, and her soaked hair now stuck to her skin. She never replied, but instead pushed his hand away and opened the door, slamming it behind her once she was seated inside. A flash of lightning darted across the sky as he made his way back to the driver‟s seat. Once inside, he turned to face her, but she was staring out the window and refused to look at him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and the vein in her neck pulsed hard and fast. Gripping the steering wheel, he fought the urge to reach out and run his fingertips over it again, to try to calm her down. He couldn‟t think of anything else to do, and he honestly didn‟t know what to say to make things right. “Devin—” She held a hand up between them and shook her head fiercely. “I don‟t want to hear it, Sam. Don‟t say anything else to me and do not take me straight home. I don‟t want to be anywhere that son of a bitch has walked. I don‟t care if you have to drive around in circles. Just…just get me away from here.” Nodding slowly, he put the car in motion and proceeded down the driveway just as Devin pressed a button that would activate the privacy panel between the front seat and backseat. Before Sam could utter another word, the panel reached the top of the car 28
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and stopped, separating the two of them and leaving him in utter silence. Perhaps it was best that way. She was angry. She was beyond angry this time. Although David had used it frequently, it was the first time he could ever remember Devin using the privacy panel so she wouldn‟t have to speak to him. Better to let her calm down first before he attempted to apologize again. Once he got to the main road, he turned right instead of left, which would have taken them back to her house. If he knew nothing else, he did know his way around the back roads of Atlanta. If she didn‟t want to go home now, then he would drive every one of them until she wanted to. That is, if she ever did. For several miles all was quiet inside the vehicle. It was an uncomfortable silence, but there was nothing he could do except hope she would eventually speak first. The wind blew harder, shaking the car with each forceful gust, and the lightning continued in swift succession. Sam turned up the volume on the radio so he could hear the latest weather report. Growing up in the South, he knew the weather could turn on a dime, and as much as he wanted Devin to forgive him, at the moment he worried more about her safety. The rain began falling in torrents, making it almost impossible to see the road ahead of him. “A tornado warning has been issued for the following counties…” The reception grew worse with each passing second, but as Sam listened closely, he very faintly heard the broadcaster announce a neighboring county among the warning areas. Nervously, he gazed out the window to try to discern where they were. Nothing familiar came into view except a boarded-up farmhouse that had once belonged to an elderly couple his parents had been friends with. Running out of options, he turned the car in the direction of the farmhouse. Within seconds, he heard the hum of the privacy panel as it was being lowered. “What are you doing?” Devin exclaimed from the backseat.
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Ignoring the reprimanding tone of her voice, Sam continued down the driveway, but turned to the right just before reaching the house. “I know you hate me right now, Devin, but I‟ve got to find us shelter somewhere, and I can barely see to drive.” She never said a word, but looked out the window with her arms crossed over her chest and a haughty expression on her face. If she didn‟t like it, she would just have to get over it. When he headed for the barn behind the house, he heard Devin‟s frustrated groan and the sound of her seat belt being unclasped. Within seconds, she had scooted up in her seat until he could feel her right behind him. “Are you crazy?” she ranted close to his ear. Guiding the car slowly through one of the large openings on the sides of the barn, he finally exhaled once they were out of the storm. It probably wasn‟t the safest place to be, but he had run out of choices. They couldn‟t stay on the road. After shutting off the engine, he stepped outside and began looking around the barn for some type of structure they could crouch under if they needed to do so quickly. With the steady flow of lightning illuminating the sky, he could see everything perfectly. As much as he used to hate being dragged to their family‟s storm shelter during bad weather, he would have given anything at the moment to have it nearby. Thanks to his mother‟s fear of tornados and hurricanes, his father had built the concrete shelter behind their house not long after they married. Throughout his childhood, he‟d lost count of the numerous times he‟d been carried from his bed to seek safety there during the dead of night. “What the hell are you doing, Sam? We could get arrested for trespassing!” Devin‟s angry voice echoed over the wind that blew in through the wide openings on the opposite ends of the barn. Turning to face her, he gave her a “go to hell” look, much like the one she was giving him. Why couldn‟t she just appreciate that he was trying to protect her? “The owners are dead, Devin!” he yelled. “I don‟t think they‟ll mind!” 30
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Throwing her hands in the air, she came toward him like a panther getting ready to leap. He couldn‟t remember a time when he‟d ever seen her so enraged. “If you had never talked me into going to the Governor‟s Ball in the first place, we wouldn‟t have to worry about this!” she screamed. “Now we might get blown away by some fucking tornado just because you felt you had the right to force me into doing something I didn‟t want to do!” His jaw tensed as he placed his hands on his hips to keep from shaking her senseless. “I did it for your own good!” he yelled back. “If I hadn‟t, you would still be hiding in your room, crying over that worthless piece of shit you call your ex-husband!” She took another step toward him just as the wind blew a piece of tin off the roof. The rain fell heavily through the gaping hole and saturated the ground close by them, but neither of them wavered. “It‟s none of your business what I do with my life! I never asked for your opinion! If I want to spend the rest of my days locked inside my bedroom, then I will, and there isn‟t a damn thing you can do about it! I don‟t need your help!” For a moment, Sam thought she would jump clear out of her skin, and her glare was just as fierce as any lightning bolt. Still, he never hesitated. Devin Malone was going to be highly disappointed if she expected him to back down first. “Is that what you want?” he asked, moving toward her. “To keep pining away for David while he spends his time happily fucking his new bride? Are you going to keep hoping that he‟ll leave her and come running back to you? Well, he won’t!” Devin looked up at him with wild eyes and shook her head furiously. “Stop it!” she shouted over the wind. Taking another step toward her, he inhaled deeply and tried to calm down before he said something he really regretted, but it didn‟t work. It was the truth, and she knew it. She just didn‟t want to face it.
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“He shares his bed with a twenty-year-old woman every night while you sit at home feeling sorry for yourself! Do you think he even cares about your tears? He doesn’t! When are you going to realize that?” Devin placed her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. “No! Stop it, Sam!” Bridging the short distance that remained between them, he towered over her and just barely stopped himself from grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. It was what she needed, but it was something he couldn‟t bring himself to do no matter how much he wanted to or how badly she pissed him off. Grabbing her wrists, he moved her hands away from her ears, forcing her to open her eyes and look at him. Angrily, she shrugged loose of his grasp. “No, I will not stop! You need to hear this! No one else is going to tell you the truth! Not Calvin! Not Anne Marie! None of those people you call your friends are going to remind you that David left you for another woman because they don‟t want to hurt your feelings!” he bellowed. “You need to be reminded—every day! And I‟ll keep doing that until it finally sinks into your thick skull that he‟s gone! He stopped caring about you the first time he bent that blonde bitch over his desk!” As quickly as the lightning flashed across the sky, Devin pounced and struck his left cheek with the palm of her hand. The sting from it left him reeling, and for a moment he was temporarily blindsided. Before he had time to react, she lunged for him again.
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Chapter Three Her fingers throbbing, Devin reared back and prepared to land another blow to Sam‟s cheek, but he was much quicker. Reaching out, he grabbed both of her wrists in his hands and forced her arms behind her back. It happened so fast she barely had time to comprehend what he was doing until it was too late. She had never been so insulted in her life! Who the hell did he think he was, talking to her in such a way? He had no right! Standing so close to him, she could see the way his chest heaved with each ragged breath he took, and suddenly he appeared larger than life, which startled her. Okay, maybe it wasn‟t the best idea in the world to attack him that way, but damn it, she‟d had enough! The scent of his cologne wafted over her, momentarily distracting her and causing her knees to weaken. Shaking her head fiercely, she struggled against him, but he refused to loosen his grip. The storm continued to rage outside, but they remained locked in place, with neither willing to call a truce. In this position, with their bodies pressed against each other, she could feel each of his hardened muscles while he fought to keep her still. She had never been in such proximity to his body and it was starting to rattle her. He was stronger than she expected him to be, and he was obviously capable of more than she gave him credit for. Devin broke their gaze and looked away. The heat that flowed between them was intoxicating. As if that wasn‟t bad enough, she could also feel the stiffness of his cock through the thin fabric of her evening gown, which made her breath quicken. His body‟s reaction to her was clearly evident, and though it probably shouldn‟t have, it excited her. When she looked up at him again, she could tell their thoughts were in the same
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place by the way his brown eyes glistened. It was the same look she had witnessed from their brief moment in the kitchen. For what seemed like forever, they faced each other like two enraged bulls. During that time, the velocity of the wind blew a couple more pieces of tin from the roof, and the barn creaked and groaned in protest with each gust. Any other time she would have cared more about being taken away by a tornado, but at the moment all she could focus on was Sam. He bent his head ever so slowly, as if waiting for her to jerk away from him, but the sight of his mouth held her mesmerized. She couldn‟t move. Not that she wanted to anymore. He stopped when his lips were a mere fraction of an inch from touching hers, making her groan in anguish. Why was he stopping? The way their breaths intermingled made her dizzy as she closed her eyes and breathed him in. If he hadn‟t been holding her so tightly, she would have surely fallen to the ground by now. Another strong rush of wind blew through the barn, startling her and making her gasp, just as Sam crushed his lips to hers. There was no tenderness to this kiss. It wasn‟t a kiss that would be followed by flowery words or endearing promises. It was anger, passion and lust, and it was just what she wanted. She didn‟t want to be treated like the dainty and fragile southern belles she knew. She wanted to be taken—and by someone who knew damn well how to please a woman. With their tongues lashing against each other‟s, they kissed with the intensity of two people hell-bent on getting the upper hand. After finally freeing her arms, she circled them around his neck and pulled him closer to her. When her teeth grazed his lips, she eagerly sucked his bottom lip inside her mouth and bit down. It wasn‟t hard enough to break the skin, but the fierceness of it made him moan in agony. Or was it pleasure? Then, in one deft movement, he lifted her off her feet and carried her back to the car where he roughly set her down on top of the wet hood. Grabbing hold of the bodice on
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her dress, he forced it down over her breasts in a swift motion that took her completely by surprise. The wind ripped through the barn with such ferocity that she wondered if the structure would hold together until the storm passed. The sound of creaking metal caught their attention, and they both looked toward the roof just as another piece of tin blew away almost directly above them. The torrential rain fell through the opening and landed beside her on the car, splashing them both. It didn‟t matter though. Right now nothing mattered except Sam. He placed a hand against her chest and pushed her back slightly so that he could take a hardened nipple inside his mouth. Propping her hands behind her on the car, she moaned deeply when he started sucking with a tenacity that shocked her. Without warning, he clamped down hard on her nipple, making her scream. It was a mindbending mixture of pleasure and pain that left her craving more. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she pulled him closer, forcing him to suck and bite even harder. The shocking sensation rocked her body, causing her to cry out repeatedly. It was exquisite. After ravishing her other breast the same way, he pushed her all the way back onto the car and yanked her dress up around her hips. By this time, she was past feeling disoriented. She didn‟t care if a tornado did come and carry them away. She would gladly go with a smile on her face. Sam removed her panties swiftly and tossed them to the ground before leaning between her legs. Placing his hands behind her knees, he spread her legs wide and dipped his mouth to her pussy. When he latched onto her clit, the sheer strength of his touch made the breath leave her body. Ardently he stroked her clit with his tongue while she arched her back and called out his name. His mouth was so hot, making it nearly impossible to keep still. When she attempted to move away from the scorching heat, he grabbed her roughly and put her back in her place. No one had ever taken her this way. Not even David. The excitement from it left her overwhelmed and wanting more—much more.
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“Oh…yes!” she screamed. The rain continued to fall through the gaping holes in the roof, and she saw another flash of lightning just as Sam pushed her legs farther back, lifting her hips off the car. With her ass in the air, she watched eagerly as he extended his tongue and shoved it inside her pussy. Bracing her arms on the car, she lifted her hips higher with each push of his tongue until they moved in one fast motion that brought her closer and closer to climaxing. “Oh…oh…” she cried. “Sam!” He was unmerciful in his claiming. On and on he fucked her fervently with his tongue, stopping every so often to suck her clit inside his mouth. It was amazing. Expertly he licked and stroked while she thrashed her head from side to side. She was so close. Her breath came out in short gasps when her muscles began to contract. On the one hand, she wanted the release, but on the other hand, the sensations were so strong—stronger than any she could recall. But then, as Sam locked onto her clit firmly, it finally took over, leaving her convulsing violently underneath him. It was hard to breathe. Every nerve became centered in one spot as he sucked harder, making her ride out every intense wave until her climax passed and she was left weakened to the point of exhaustion. Barely giving her time to catch her breath, he grabbed her arms and sat her up. She caught a glimpse of her juices glistening on his lips just as he captured her mouth with his own and kissed her. Eagerly, she sucked every last drop from his lips while he closed his eyes and groaned. Reaching for his pants, she hurriedly unzipped them. She needed to feel him. She had to feel him. The wind began to die down along with the rain, and she could hear everything more clearly, from his ragged breaths to the moans that rumbled in his chest. Tugging his pants and briefs down over his hips, her eyes grew wide when his cock sprang free from its confines. Her mouth began to water from the sheer size of
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him. Running her fingernails over and under the crown, she smiled wickedly when his muscles tensed and he grabbed her shoulders and squeezed. “Tell me what you want,” he whispered. Her eyelids half-closed, she reveled in the feel of his cock in her hand and the way the veins protruded along the length of it. There was absolutely nothing she wanted more at the moment than to be his and to willingly give him anything he wished for. “I want you,” she replied. After the amount of screaming and yelling she had done, her voice was raspy and hoarse. Taking her head in his hands, he stepped back so he could look into her eyes. She could barely keep them open. She was so overcome with desire and lust for this man that she felt powerless with need. “Tell me what you want,” he urged again. Squeezing his cock, she smiled at him when he stood up straight and groaned. Just knowing she was having the same effect on him made her feel an empowering emotion she‟d never experienced before. “I don‟t want you to be gentle,” she admitted. “I just want you to take me, Sam. Is— is that wrong?” Shaking his head, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. “Devin, if it‟s what you want then it‟s never wrong,” he whispered. “Whatever you want—I‟ll give it.” Without a pause, Sam picked her up and carried her over to one of the stalls that lined the side of the barn. After setting her down on her feet, he grabbed her arms and turned her around. With a hand pressed to her upper back, he pushed her forward, giving her no other option but to bend over and grasp one of the wooden planks. Looking over her shoulder, she saw him reach into one of the back pockets of his pants. Devin heard the condom wrapper being ripped open and she watched, mesmerized, as he agilely rolled it over his cock.
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Seconds later, after jerking her dress up around her waist and forcing her legs apart, he gripped her hips and drove his cock deep inside her pussy with one forceful shove. The enormity of him instantly took her breath away. Devin drove her fingernails into the railing and held on tightly as they began moving together. “Oh fuck!” With every moan, he pummeled her harder and faster, lifting her almost completely off her feet several times. It was hard and fast and felt so damn good. She didn‟t want it to end. This was the way a woman needed to be taken. This was the way she needed to be taken…and frequently. “Yes. Yes!” she screamed. Trailing his hands along her spine, he twined his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back. The storm had dwindled considerably until all that remained was the steady trickle of rain and the distant sound of thunder. The lightning had all but stopped, leaving them in almost total darkness. It didn‟t matter though. They could hear. They could touch. They could feel. At the moment, seeing wasn‟t that important. As she held on fast to the stall, he took her with such abandon he left her constantly begging for more. “Oh…that‟s it…that’s it!” she yelled. After several minutes, she could tell he was close to climaxing by the shallowness of his breaths and the way he moved faster. Letting go of her hair, he ground his fingers into her hips with an eagerness that bordered on pain. It was wonderful. Moving heatedly against him, she moaned until she heard his breath catch. Then, burying his cock deeply inside her, Sam groaned so loudly it echoed throughout the entire barn. Her heart pounded at such a frenzied pace she could barely catch her breath, and her body was weak, making it nearly impossible to stand. When Sam pulled out of her, she dropped to her knees and rested her cheek against the cool wood. The storm hadn‟t taken them away, but every bit of her strength had been wrung from her body. It was the best she had felt in a very long time.
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“What would you like now, Miss Devin?” Sam murmured seductively as he knelt down behind her and attempted, like her, to breathe normally. Resting a hand on her back, he moved his fingertips languidly along her spine, making her quiver. Sighing contentedly, she sat up on her heels and turned her head slightly to look at him. Now that the storm clouds had moved away from the moon, she could just make out the smile that crossed his lips. Placing a hand behind his head, she pulled him close and lightly pressed her lips to his. “Now I want you to take me home and make love to me.” Resting his fingertips on her chin, Sam moved them along her jaw and smiled broadly. “What the lady wants, the lady gets.”
***** Sliding off the front seat, Devin exited the car and tried to stand up with Sam‟s assistance. Her body felt as though a slow, latent ember had coursed through her muscles and left her weakened. It was late and the neighborhood was peaceful and quiet. She grabbed her high heels from the floorboard of the car before shutting the door and tiptoeing across the driveway to the narrow stairway beside the house that led to Sam‟s apartment over the garage. Excitedly she began the ascent as Sam followed. Just the thought of being in his arms again thrilled her so much she thought she might jump clear out of her skin. “Your favorite color is red,” he said softly. Stopping halfway up the stairs, Devin turned around and looked at Sam as he took each step slowly to meet her. Now that the stars were out and shining brightly overhead, she could see the expression on his face, and it was a hard one to fathom. Confusion, maybe? Sadness? “I know because every year for your birthday you buy a brand-new red dress, and you have the store deliver it in a big, shiny box as if it was a gift from David,” he
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explained. “Every Christmas you decorate the tree with red bows of every size and shape, and you always wear your favorite red sweater when you bake sugar cookies Christmas morning.” Devin‟s heart throbbed painfully at the despondent way he uttered each word. With his hand holding on to the railing, he continued to climb each step slowly until he was one step below her. “Your mother used to bake sugar cookies every Christmas morning for you and your brother, and that‟s why you do it—even though David was never around to enjoy them.” Reaching out, Sam placed his hands on her hips and looked up at her. His touch was cautious, yet his eyes overflowed with tenderness. “Your favorite movie is An Affair To Remember,” he continued. “I know because I watched it with you every Christmas Eve when David was away. Your favorite scene is in the end where Cary Grant goes to Deborah Kerr‟s apartment, and he finds out about the accident and why she wasn‟t able to meet him at the top of the Empire State Building. You cry every time you watch that scene. And I always come prepared with tissues because I know to expect it.” Sam‟s gaze took on a faraway expression as he gripped her hips firmly. “I know because I listen, Devin. I‟ve been there with you and I pay attention because it matters to me.” Devin tried to take a step backward, but he held her still. “What…what are you saying, Sam?” When he moved a hand up and over her breasts, she inhaled sharply and grabbed the stairway railing to keep from swooning. “What I‟m saying is I don‟t want this to be the end. If you‟re feeling vengeful toward David, I don‟t want to be a part of that,” he replied calmly. “You have every right to want revenge after what he did to you, but…I‟m not Calvin.”
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His words stung, but she couldn‟t blame him for feeling the way he did. Apparently her relationship with Calvin had been more transparent than she‟d realized. Trying to deny that she‟d slept with David‟s best friend out of spite would be a lie, and she was tired of lies. She had nineteen years packed full of them and a lifetime of false promises. She wouldn‟t do that to anyone else, and certainly not to Sam. Sitting down on the stairs, Devin wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them close to her chest while Sam followed suit and sat down on the step beside her. “You‟re right. I did use Calvin to get back at David. It was stupid and I hate myself for it. I usually don„t do things like that, Sam. Especially after watching the way my husband has used and mistreated people over the years,” she said quietly. “But—with you—that wasn‟t revenge. I promise.” Before he had the chance to reply, a loud boom overhead startled them both, and suddenly the peaceful nighttime sky became alight with different hues of red and blue. The crackling of the fireworks caught Devin by surprise as she watched their sparkling remnants float lazily on the breeze. Two houses down, she could very faintly hear the sound of a child‟s laughter. “Atlanta never sleeps,” she remarked. While another triad of fireworks darted upward, she turned to face Sam again when he rested a hand against her back. The warmth of his touch made her shiver, and the myriad colors that burst above them radiated in his eyes as he leaned forward slightly and caressed her forehead with his lips. “I know how much David hurt you, but all I ask is that you give this—give us—a chance.” Nuzzling against him, Devin pressed her lips to his skin and languidly glided them over his chin and along the side of his throat. When her mouth grazed over the vein that rapidly pulsed there, she smiled. “Earlier when you said „what the lady wants, the lady gets‟, what exactly did you mean by that?” 41
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Twining his fingers in her hair, Sam gripped it firmly and pulled her head back so he could look into her eyes. The passion that smoldered behind his gaze was undeniable and did far more to excite her than the fireworks that continued to explode in rapid succession above them. With their lips mere inches apart, she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin, which all at once made her dazed and disoriented. “That means I‟ll do whatever you ask of me,” he said. His voice was low and deep and resonated through her body, leaving her weak. “If you want to be taken hard and fast, like before, then all you have to do is tell me. If you need to be loved soft and easy, then I‟ll gladly slow things down and make love to you all night long. Just show me what you want and I promise to do everything within my power to make sure you get what you need.” Devin tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. The way his voice shook with conviction, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he meant what he said, and that realization made her shudder with excitement. “Make love to me, Sam” she murmured. Pulling away from her briefly, Sam glanced around at their surroundings before giving her a questioning look. “Here?” he asked. Devin nodded excitedly before closing the distance between them and very lightly brushing her lips against his for a fraction of a second before gazing longingly into his eyes. “The neighbors can‟t see us and the servants sleep on the other side of the house,” she reminded him. “I need to feel you again, Sam. Please.” Placing a hand behind his head, Devin pulled him close and kissed him more urgently. Just the thought of him pulsing inside her again was enough to make her heart pound like mad. Parting his lips with the tip of her tongue, she slid closer to him on the step and pressed her body against him until there was barely enough room left 42
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for them to breathe. Returning the fervor, Sam hungrily sucked her tongue inside his mouth, but before she could get completely lost in the moment, he suddenly broke the kiss, leaving her gasping for air. “Get on your knees,” he said huskily. As the steady stream of fireworks continued to light up the night sky, Devin complied without question. Pulling her dress up around her waist, she turned around and knelt on a step while Sam moved behind her and began removing her panties. When the warmth of his fingertips brushed against her skin, she shivered and moaned softly. She assumed he would take her right away, but once he had her bottom bare, he began a tantalizing trail with his tongue that started at her thighs and moved upward. With his hands, he spread her knees wide, and Devin inhaled sharply when she felt the heat from his tongue as he glided it between the cheeks of her ass. When he stopped and pressed the tip of his tongue to her hole, her legs threatened to buckle beneath her and she gripped the step above her to keep her balance. “Oh…Sam…” It was the first time a man had caressed her there and in such a way and it felt so good. With exquisite tenderness, he moved his tongue up and down, stopping every so often to tease her hole, leaving her panting and moving heatedly against him. It was maddening but wonderful at the same time. And just when she felt she couldn‟t take much more excitement, he dropped his head lower and slipped his tongue inside her pussy, catching her off guard and making her jump. Holding firmly to her thighs, Sam slid his tongue over her heated flesh, alternating between sucking her clit and plunging his tongue deep inside her pussy when she least expected it. When he did bury his tongue inside her body, she held on to the step above her and rocked against him in a mesmerizing dance that had them both moaning. “Sam…” she panted. “Sam…”
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Within minutes, Devin felt her muscles begin to stiffen. As Sam rolled the tip of his tongue over her clit repeatedly, the first wave of her release took hold of her body. Convulsing wildly, Devin bit down on her lower lip to keep from yelling out loud while Sam held tightly to her legs to keep her from collapsing on the stairway. When the last spasm coursed through her body, she shuddered violently one final time before releasing her lip and resting her forehead against the step above her to catch her breath. Shaken and dazed, Devin turned around slowly when Sam clutched her hips and helped her into a sitting position. By the glow of fireworks that illuminated the sky, she saw the faint glimmer of a condom wrapper as he retrieved it from his back pocket and opened it. Nestling between her parted legs, Sam slid the condom on before pressing his cock against her clit, causing her to tremble from the sensitivity of it. “Look at me, Devin,” he whispered as he positioned himself. Gazing deeply into his smoldering brown eyes, Devin arched her back as she felt the engorged crown of his cock spread her open. They moaned in unison. Bracing his hands on the step behind her back, Sam began his slow and easy thrusting, while Devin wrapped her arms around his waist and held on. When he lowered his head to kiss her, she gently traced his lips with the tip of her tongue, causing him to groan deeply in response. It was a long and passionate yet gentle kiss—the kind that lingers long after it‟s been broken. “Sam,” she murmured against his lips. “Oh…” Propping her upper body up on her forearms, Devin pressed her feet against a step below her and lifted her lower body with each of his thrusts. They moved fluently together—never rushing. Inch by inch he would fill her completely before withdrawing just as slowly. It was an intoxicating mixture of sensations that left them both reeling. Every so often a loud boom would fill the night air, followed by an explosion of color above them as the neighbors continued casting fireworks into the sky. Moments later, when Sam put his arms around her waist and pulled her close against his body, she could tell from his rapid breathing that he was near a release.
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Through the thin fabric of her evening gown, she could feel his stomach muscles constrict with each stroke as they became more and more urgent. “Devin,” he groaned loudly. “Devin.” Crushing her mouth to his, she kissed him fervently as he began thrusting with such ferocity, she worried he might yell out loud and wake the servants. When his climax ensued, he growled low and deep inside her mouth while she held him securely until each quiver subsided and they fell, exhausted, into each other‟s arms.
***** Devin stood alone in her kitchen the following afternoon, sipping a cup of coffee and peering out the window into the backyard where the landscapers were busy picking up broken branches and debris from last night‟s storm. She had unwillingly let Sam out of his apartment long enough to run some errands. If it had been up to them, they would have stayed in bed all day long and let the world revolve around them. Devin closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She was tired, sore—and totally satiated. She couldn‟t remember the last time, if ever, she had felt that way. Remaining true to his word, the moment they‟d closed the bedroom door behind them, Sam had made sure all of her needs had been met until, in the end, she was left thoroughly spent. The kitchen door swung open and her maid, Corrine, stepped inside. Oddly enough, she wouldn‟t look at her. “Miss Devin, there‟s…someone here to see you.” Furrowing her eyebrows, she followed Corrine to the front foyer. She knew it couldn‟t be Anne Marie, who was on vacation with one of her boy toys, and she hoped with all her might that it wasn‟t Calvin. That was over. He would just have to find a way to forgive her and move on.
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Smoothing her dress over her hips, she stood up straight and put on a smile, which wasn‟t hard to do, but as she rounded the corner of the foyer, her smile instantly plummeted. David. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the ceiling, but when she entered the room, he looked at her and grinned broadly. She was momentarily stunned, and she had no idea what could have brought him back to their house, but she was in no mood to talk to him. He was another chapter of her life that was over. Finished. Done. As soon as Corrine left them alone, she glared at him spitefully, causing him to take a cautious step backward. “What are you doing here, David?” His smile faded. Removing his hands from his pockets, he wrung them nervously while she waited for an answer. For the first time she could remember, he looked timid. “I wanted to talk to you last night at the Governor‟s Ball, but you left so quickly I didn‟t get the chance,” he explained. “I tried calling here and your cell phone, but you wouldn‟t answer. I didn‟t know what else to do, so…here I am.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at him warily. He took a couple of steps toward her and stopped, as if unsure what to do next. “You looked so beautiful last night, Devin…” Her eyes wide, she held a hand up between them and stopped him before he could go any further. This conversation was about to end before it even got started. Surely he wasn‟t serious. “I don‟t want to hear this, David. We‟re divorced. That‟s what you wanted,” she reminded him. “You need to go back home to your fiancée.”
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Two days ago she would never have imagined standing face-to-face with him again, demanding that he leave her alone, and not batting an eye over it. No tears. No begging him to stay. Nothing. “I‟m not marrying her. I can‟t,” he said. “The only reason I proposed was because she kept whining about it. All she ever does is cry and complain when I don‟t give her what she wants.” David rolled his eyes when he spoke about her, and Devin had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at him. Oh how suddenly the tables had turned. He looked at her anxiously and started talking faster, as if he wanted to get everything out before she came unglued at the seams, which she had no intention of doing. Not anymore. “I was wondering if we could start over—” She held up her hand once more to stop him. “David, the last thing I want is you back in my life,” she stated firmly. “Very soon I‟ll be selling this house and the rest of your belongings with it. If you would like to buy it, then you‟re more than welcome to, but it won‟t be cheap.” He started to object, but she interrupted him again. “I‟m moving away, and I‟m taking Corrine, Chef Paul and everyone else here with me. I‟ve already discussed it with them this morning, and they‟re just as ready to leave this godforsaken house as I am.” She took a step toward him. “No, I won‟t be leaving Atlanta, but you best not ever darken my doorstep again or I‟ll have you hauled away like the piece of shit you are.” His mouth agape, he stared at her in shock. When she took several more steps toward him, he backed away. “I‟m done with you. I don‟t want to talk to you and I damn sure don‟t want to look at you anymore. You made your choice when you left me for that woman and now I‟m making my choice.” Devin walked over to the front door, opened it wide and motioned for him to leave. When he passed by her, he looked at her despairingly and she saw something in his 47
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gaze she had never witnessed in the nineteen years she had wasted on him. Were those actual tears? “But how can you just leave, Devin? What can I do to convince you to give me another chance?” Placing a hand flat against his chest, she pushed him backward and out the door. “You can go to hell,” she replied. With that, she slammed the door in his face and locked it. Good riddance. Spinning on her heels, she headed for the kitchen, but Sam stepped from around the corner, smiling. “Now that’s what I‟ve been waiting to hear,” he remarked. Returning his smile, she walked over and embraced him, not caring anymore if the servants—or anyone—saw them. “If you hadn‟t gotten so mad at me, I probably never would have opened my eyes,” she said softly. Sam grinned. “I‟d like to think I did a lot more than just open your eyes.” When he rested his lips against her forehead, she inhaled deeply and sighed. “Oh yes,” she replied. “You did so much more.” When he slid his mouth along the side of her face and neck, she shivered as a chill coursed up her spine. “Tell me what you want,” he whispered. Devin smiled. “I want you in my bed. Right now.” Taking her hand, Sam led her quickly toward the staircase. “What the lady wants, the lady gets.”
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About the Author Growing up in a household that consisted of four brothers and no sisters, Stephanie Adkins spent most of her childhood locked in her bedroom, escaping the testosterone by filling page after page of her diaries with short stories and poetry. Now, surrounded by more men in her life—her husband of fifteen years and two sons—she still enjoys the “great escape” by turning her childhood dreams into reality one story at a time.
Stephanie welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Stephanie Adkins Fool Me Twice More Than Neighborly Seducing Reagan
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