When Paul drew back at last, he rested his forehead against Devin’s and stroked Devin’s cheeks gently with his thumbs. “I don’t care where you’re from or how much money you have,” he said. “You’re smart, you’re a talented chef, and you’re a good person. You taught me to feel safe being vulnerable, and you made me feel desirable again. Your ‘just you’ is good enough for me, and I love you for who you are.”
Paul’s words made Devin draw in a breath, and he tightened his arms, afraid he was dreaming. “You love me?” he asked softly.
“I do,” Paul said, offering a lopsided smile. “Why else would I risk getting my ass kicked from here to the city limits by your protective clan?”
Devin kissed Paul gently, his own smile rueful. “That’s definitely proof. Thank you—not just for loving me, but for doing that. For tracking down my dumb ass all the way to Nowhere, Texas, as Beau pointed out. I think he likes you.”
“I’m not entirely convinced of that, but he did give me a barbecue plate, so maybe he’s giving me the benefit of the doubt. As for tracking you down….” Paul shrugged slightly. “I couldn’t leave things hanging on a misunderstanding. Even if you didn’t want anything to do with me afterward, I didn’t want you to be upset, thinking I’d ditched you.”
With a breathy laugh, Devin hugged Paul tightly. “This is one of the reasons I love you. I’m the one who ghosted on you, and you’re the one not wanting me to be upset! You’re a wonderful man, Paul, no matter what last name you go by. I knew it in my heart, and I should have listened to it instead of to my fears. I’m never going to do that again.”
“Good,” Paul said fervently. “If something scares you, talk to me before running again. I can’t handle that being the default response to conflict.”
“Knowing that you love me makes all the difference. I’ll always talk to you first about everything,” Devin said. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” Paul slid his arms around Devin’s waist and pulled him close, holding him almost too tight, and rested his head on Devin’s shoulder.
Running his hands over Paul’s back in a soothing caress, Devin closed his eyes. “I’ve missed you so much,” he said. “I felt like I had a hole in my heart that nothing could fill.”
“I’ve missed you too.” Paul brushed his lips against a sensitive spot beneath Devin’s ear, then released his death grip on Devin enough that he could stroke Devin’s back in return, as if to assure himself this was real.
Devin shivered at the touch of Paul’s lips, closing his eyes and releasing his breath on a sigh. Having Paul in his arms again felt wonderful, helping to ease the ache of loneliness he’d thought would never go away. “I want to show you how much I love you, Paul. I want to take you home to meet my parents, and the rest of the family too.”
Paul lifted his head and fixed Devin with a sardonic look. “How much damage control will I have to do? Your cousin Beau seemed ready to turn me into barbecue earlier.”
Grimacing, Devin shook his head. “I told my mother I’d fallen in love with someone who turned out to be someone other than I’d thought he was, and she told my father, who told his brother, who told… well, I’m sure you get the picture. But if we’re together, there won’t be a problem. They’ll see you for who you really are, and since you’re a wonderful person, that’s all that will matter.” He paused. “Don’t worry about Beau. If he didn’t think you were worth the effort, he never would have agreed to be your go-between. He would have invited you to leave town before he got all the cousins together and kicked your ass halfway back to Charleston.”
“That’s a relief.” Paul leaned his head on Devin’s shoulder again and slid his hands down to rest on Devin’s ass. “But we don’t have to go meet them now, do we?”
“Not if you have something you’d rather do,” Devin replied. He wriggled against Paul’s hands, feeling the slow burn of arousal as he imagined what Paul might have in mind. “We have plenty of time.”
“Yes, we do, and conveniently enough, there’s a bed nearby,” Paul said, nuzzling his nose against the side of Devin’s throat.
Devin’s breath caught, and he tilted his head to the side to offer better access. “That’s good,” he murmured. “I want to show you that I’m all yours. You had me from the first time we kissed.”
“Show me, then.” Paul lifted his head and drew back, but only so he could clasp Devin’s hand. “I need to know.”
Devin nodded, wanting to give Paul the reassurance he needed. Now that they’d worked things out, he felt remorse for the way Paul had also suffered over being ghosted, and he wanted to show Paul he could be trusted again.
They went into the bedroom, and Devin took his time undressing Paul while Paul undressed Devin in return. Once they were stretched out on the bed, Devin explored Paul’s body much as he had the first time they’d made love, taking his time to show Paul how much he was loved and desired. He lingered over every spot where he knew Paul was most sensitive, drawing out the pleasure, and as he did, he realized just how much he needed the reassurance that Paul trusted him as well as desired him.
Paul allowed the exploration, but then he took over and rolled Devin beneath him so he could map Devin’s body with his lips and hands, as if seeking to reacquaint himself after days of deprivation. Devin arched into the caresses, his desire flaring higher and hotter as Paul teased and tormented.
“Please!” Devin hardly recognized his own voice as he begged Paul for more. “Please, I need you!”
Paul prepared Devin at a leisurely pace, seeming to enjoy watching Devin squirm and beg with pleasure, and when he rolled on a condom and claimed Devin at last, he set a slow pace, rocking like the rhythmic waves on the island beaches.
Wrapping his legs around Paul’s hips, Devin surrendered completely, moving with Paul as pleasure coiled within him like a spring. He held Paul’s gaze and let Paul see his love and his need, holding nothing back. Paul braced himself and slid one hand between their bodies so he could stroke Devin’s cock, watching Devin’s face intently as he did.
Devin found himself hurtling toward the edge. He hovered for an eternal moment, and then he cried out Paul’s name as ecstasy washed over him in irresistible waves. Moments later, Paul followed, burying himself deep one last time as he shuddered with release.
Devin’s body was languid with satiation as he caressed the warm, damp skin of Paul’s back, feeling a sense of peace that had eluded him since their last morning together. Paul moved away long enough to dispose of the condom and retrieve some tissues. Then he stretched out beside Devin and pillowed his head on Devin’s shoulder, seeming content to remain in Devin’s embrace.
After drifting for a time, Devin pressed a tender kiss to Paul’s lips. “Do you know what made me realize I was in love with you? You’ll laugh. I know you will.”
Paul draped his arm across Devin’s waist. “I have no idea. What was it?”
“The shorts.” Devin ran his hands along Paul’s back. “When you came back from the gift shop and laid those shorts on the bed, and I realized you were going to wear a pair of them yourself, it hit me. How could I not be in love with someone who could find strength after adversity and who was willing to trust me with it? I fell right then and there. So now every time I see a pair of board shorts, it will remind me how much I love you.”
