Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“Do you have many more tour dates between now and then?” I asked, unsure of how to get to know one of Dev’s friends while he was moments away from performing in front of thousands of people. Small talk seemed a bit awkward under the circumstances.
“Oh yeah. We’re heading to Europe next week for a bit, then we’ll be back doing some recording in the studio. The Shaky Knees festival is in October in Atlanta, which I’m excited about because I’m from Georgia and still have family there. Lots of my friends from high school will probably come and say hi.” He turned to Dev with an affectionate smile. “I was hoping the guys would come and join us there, too, to say hi to my Gran, but now that Dev has Lellie, I’m not sure how much travel he’ll want to do.”
“As long as I have a nanny by then to help out, I can probably swing it,” Dev said. He hadn’t let go of me, and I tried not to hyperfocus on the feel of his thumb stroking the back of my hand.
“You should come, too, Tully,” Zane said with bright eyes. “I’ll get Kenji to arrange it. If you can stay a few days, you can come out to my family’s place in the sticks. We’ve got plenty of room.”
Ryan made a disgruntled sound from outside the doorway, but Zane pointedly ignored it. The makeup guy left and was replaced by a younger person who started adding product to Zane’s hair while he seemed not to notice.
“We can go to the Varsity for a frosted orange. Have you ever been to Atlanta?”
I shrugged. “I went once a few years ago for a legal conference, but I didn’t see much other than the scene in Midtown.”
Zane groaned. “Ugh, so good. Piedmont Park and the gym at Ansley Mall. Fuck. Sooo many sexy guys. Our friend Kayzo from Yale lives there. Dev, we should see if he wants to come backstage at Shaky Knees. Or maybe we can plan an after-party like we used to.”
Ryan leaned his head through the door to glare at Zane. “Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to bait me?”
Zane waved his hand in the air. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure the current… situation… will resolve itself by then. Once we’re out of the country a couple months, they’ll drop it. Don’t worry so much.”
I glanced at Dev, who shot me a look that promised to explain it later. Ryan disappeared from the doorway just as Kenji breezed in with Silas and Way.
The following few hours both flew by and seemed to last forever. Zane was amazing onstage, especially from our location in a roped-off section right up front. He charmed the crowd, alternating between high-energy choreographed numbers and heartfelt ballads sung while propped on a stool with his guitar in hand and fingers teasing the frets and strings.
Through it all, Dev’s hands never stopped touching me. He held my hand or stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. He threaded his fingers into my hair or leaned in to press a kiss against my ear while whispering something. It was heaven and hell.
By the time he took me back to the ranch, it was late. The cool night air breezing through the windows chilled my sweat-damp skin as old country classics crooned softly through the speakers.
We didn’t say much on the drive, simply held hands when Dev didn’t need his for the steering wheel and glanced at each other from time to time.
Words remained unspoken as we got out of the SUV and made our way into the barn and up the stairs to Dev’s place.
The hush of his apartment was a welcome change from the noise of the concert and crowd. Dev pulled me into his bedroom and closed the door before pressing me up against it with a kiss. His hands moved quickly to the hem of my shirt and yanked it over my head.
Within moments, we were both naked and writhing against each other, kissing frantically. The warm pressure of his body against mine, the soft rasp of the hair at his chest, groin, and legs… the sound of his hitched breaths, and the beer-tinged taste of his tongue in my mouth all drove me out of my mind with need.
“Dev,” I begged, cupping his ass cheeks and pulling his hips closer so I could feel his cock against mine.
“What do you want, sweetheart?”
The endearment swooped into my gut and twirled, sending goose bumps skating across my skin.
“I want to be inside of you. I have a debt to pay.”
This was a shallow version of the truth. What I truly wanted was to be soul-deep inside of him, permanently etched like an exquisite tattoo of intricate and loving words wrapped around his heart.