Page 38 of Devoted

Patience, Brooks. This girl isn’t like the others. Don’t scare her off.

“I told you I’m interested, Jess, and that includes being your date to events. Actually, I was already invited to the bachelor party next weekend, so who knows… maybe one of the guys would have invited me first? Then we’d be in quite the pickle, wouldn’t we?”

Jess giggles across from me and then takes a sip of her wine. “I mean, if you’d rather go with one of the boys, I won’t stand in your way. But that might be hard to explain to their wives.”

I throw my head back in laughter as the waitress comes up and asks us if we need anything else. We’re both stuffed so we decline dessert, finish our drinks, and then I pay the tab before we exit the restaurant and jump back in my car.

Heading down the mountain at night is a completely different sight than the drive up was in daylight. Millions of stars fill the sky as I navigate the twists and turns of the road and Jess controls the radio. We take turns picking songs from our youth, alternating between classics and personal favorites that we loved while growing up.

About an hour later, we arrive back at her place, taking the same journey up the stairs of her apartment complex to her door that we did last week. And I know without a doubt that I’m going to kiss her again because I only feel it’s appropriate given the spectacular date we had today.

But I want this kiss to be different—not loaded with desperation or lust.

No. I want Jess to know that this kiss means more, because after today I can one-hundred percent say that she means more to me that she did just a few days ago. This woman is making her way under my skin, and I don’t even want to stop her. I’m firmly starting to believe that the best things happen unexpectedly.

“Thank you again, Brooks, for everything today,” she says gratefully as we stand in her apartment on the other side of the door. The night air was freezing, so I suggested we go inside. Now I’m thinking that was a terrible idea as I try to control myself from not taking things further.

“You are so welcome, Jess. I’m honored that you shared that first time experience with me.”

Her smile lights up as she stares up at me. “I’m glad it was with you too.”

My hands find her hips as she steps closer to me, eliminating the distance between us and causing our bodies to touch along our torsos. I can feel the hardness of her nipples pressed up against my chest, which may just be from the cold, or from how turned on she is. Either way I’m not complaining.

Our eyes dance back and forth as the sound of our breathing fills the silence. Her sweet scent hits my nose as my line-of-sight dips to her lips, and then I slowly close that gap between us while Jess meets me halfway.

The soft brush of her lips on mine ignites a spark that seems to only grow brighter each time we touch. Our mouths move but our lips stay sealed, nipping and brushing against one another, the softness of her lips intoxicating me with each pass over mine. And then a small swipe of her tongue tells me to deepen the kiss, urging me to meet her tongue with my own.

So I do. I meet her halfway and immerse myself in the feeling of her in my arms, my hands in her hair, our connection growing stronger after experiencing that life-altering rush together today.

There are many moments in my life where I’ve done crazy things, like jumped out of an airplane or kayaked down a roaring river. And even though zip lining was mild compared to those, somehow it was more intense—and I think that’s because I did it with someone next to me that has become a stakeholder in my life.

I crave her, just like I can’t seem to get enough of her taste on my lips and tongue right now.

I think about her constantly, wondering how long I’m going to have to go without seeing her again.

I respect her and understand how extraordinary she is, this woman who is bold and strong on the outside to everyone else, but allows me to see the fragile parts of her when it’s just us.

She’s changing my world as I know it, and it’s scaring the shit out of me, but in the best way—the same way the fear hits you before you know you’re about to experience something that is life-changing—because that’s exactly what’s happening.

Jessalyn Harris is definitely changing my life.

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