Dev grinned. “Yeah. It really fucking would be. And you can get a place in the city—it doesn’t even have to be near mine. But we’d be with each other, all the damn time.” He kissed me. “I want that so much.”
Freshman year, if anyone had told me that the gorgeous quarterback with the wicked smile and the devil in his eyes would be my lover, I would’ve asked them what they were smoking. But here we were, almost eight years later, and he was the love of my life. I’d do anything to be with him.
“I want it too. Let’s do it.”
Dev reached for me. “We can call him later.”
I met his hungry lips in a burning kiss. “Yeah, later.”
**
Much later, I set up the grill while Dev swam in the lake. It was near dusk, and we’d spent the whole afternoon in bed, rediscovering each other as if we’d been separated for months instead of days. I’d thought it would be hard and fast, but Dev took his time, leaving not a single inch of my body untouched by his lips and tongue. I returned the favor, loving his shouts of passion and how he held me tight as he came. I ached all over, but I couldn’t stop grinning.
“I love seeing you like this.” Wrapped in a towel, Dev walked up the steps to the deck and joined me. “It makes me happy.”
“You’re the one who makes me happy.” I flipped the burgers and set the spatula on the table. “The only one.”
“Same.” Dev kissed me. “Have I told you how fucking sexy you are with the longer hair?” He twirled his fingers in the waves. It was past my ears now, and I’d taken to holding it back in a short bun when I exercised.
“Yeah, every chance you get. I figure I’ll keep it until the season starts. It’ll be too much of a pain to keep up with under the helmet.” I laughed at Dev’s pout. “Don’t get grumpy. I’ll grow it out next year.”
“Good. I’m gonna run and take a shower before we eat. Then go to the Kitty Kat? We can talk to Janie about the fund raiser.”
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”
Hearing the water running and getting the table on the deck set up for dinner, I thought about how nice it would be to be able to do this all the time. Football was great and had already given me so much, but damn, there was somethin’ to be said about the simple life of being with the person you loved and sharing the quiet moments.
“You have a very serious look on your face.” Dev slipped his arms around me, and I leaned into his broad chest. Droplets from his wet hair slid down my cheek.
“I was thinking about us. And the future.”
“Me too. If you can get this trade and we can be together, it’ll change everything.”
I turned to face him. “Yeah, but there’s somethin’ I didn’t consider.”
“What is it?” He searched my face, and his breath caught. “Your mother. You don’t wanna leave her here.”
I hung my head. “I know it’s silly, but—”
“No. It’s one of the things I love about you. How much your mother means to you. Why not wait until the offer is made? Maybe she’ll want to live in New York.”
I made a face. “No way she’s gonna leave. She’s spent her whole life here. She loves the country.”
Dev grinned. “You know, we have grass and trees there too. She can live on Long Island or Westchester. Or farther north, where it’s as rural as it is here.”
“Yeah, sure.”
He patted my cheek. “Oh, ye of little faith. One day I’ll take you there, and you’ll have to eat your words.”
“Right now I want my burger. I’m hungry.”
We ate and headed to the Kitty Kat. Janie gave me a hug and kissed Dev.
“I was worried you was gonna leave and not come back.”
“Who, me? Nah. You’re stuck with me,” Dev told her. “I like it here so much, I’m thinking of getting a little place so I don’t have to camp out at Blink’s all the time and cramp his style.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. Go on with yourself.”
