Page 81 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

Hope.

“Jameson?”

He held his breath and wondered what she’d ask. If he’d tell her everything. “Yes?”

“Is a rose your favorite flower? Or your worst?”

God, he was crazy about her. Loved how she probed on her own terms, yet allowed him plenty of time to breathe in between the intensity. He felt as if his soul’s outer layers were being peeled back one by one. “It’s still my favorite.”

Devon didn’t answer. She just reached for him. Their mouths brushed, and he nibbled on her lower lip, touched with his tongue. Savored her essence, drowning in her musky scent and satiny, damp skin. He pulled her hair over her breasts, watching how her hard nipples poked through, cherry red and edible. He licked the tips, admiring his handiwork.

Her breath came faster. Sucking firmly, his hand drifted down between her legs, sliding easily into her hot wetness. His fingers played. “God, you’re so ready for me. What are you doing to me, flower girl?”

She opened her thighs and arched. “I’m blooming for you, Jameson. Take me.”

He muttered a curse. Quickly donning a condom, he pushed inside her swollen heat but this time, he went slow. Every thrust was measured. He drank in every flicker of her expression, adjusting his movements and speed based on her features, until he had her at the edge.

Then he kept her there. Her pleas were prayers to his ears. Her body was his to worship. And when he was about to break apart himself, Jameson dug his fingers into her hips and pulled her up, taking her hard and deep until she screamed his name and came all over his dick, her body jerking in his arms, giving herself up and over to him.

He took his own release with the last jarring thought screaming through his mind.

He was never letting this go.

He was never letting her go.

Chapter Eleven

“Can you meet me at the shop in an hour?” she asked excitedly. Her nose was already pressed to the chilly window pane. “I want to take a walk with you.”

His chuckle was like rough gravel over the phone. “Why? It’s freezing and we’re getting snow.”

“Exactly! It’s going to snow, Jameson, and I don’t want to miss a moment.”

The pause held weight. “Sweetheart, this is Jersey, not the South. You see snow all the time. In New York, we all dread it.”

“We’re by the ocean so it usually doesn’t stick here. We get rain and mud and sleet, but rarely snow. This is going to be an old-fashioned storm. Will you walk in the snow with me?”

“Yes, flower girl. I will. Dress warm. Be there soon with Bear.”

She laughed with glee and rushed upstairs to change. The morning had been nonstop with a Sunday event, and new client bookings, but it was 4pm and she was done for the day. Brunch was over at Vintage so Jameson had the time and Devon was going to make the most of it.

She donned fur lined leggings, a sweater, and boots. Pulling on a red knit hat and scarf, she finished up and waited outside. The sky looked like a cranky toddler ready to shed tears. The ocean roared in grey, moody fury. She glanced up and down the empty streets where everything was locked up tight, lights were off, and most of the residents and businesses had closed up and gone home.

Perfect.

He arrived a few minutes later with Bear clipped to a leash. Her gaze appreciated the expensive black ski jacket, tight woolpants, and Timberland boots. A charcoal knit hat that matched his eyes was pulled low on his brow. She touched the square of leather imprinted on the side that was stitched with a pattern of dots. “What’s that?”

“Braille. I got this from a company called Two Blind Brothers. They both have a disease where they lost their central vision and opened up their own store. I like the stuff there, and all proceeds go to research. A close friend of mine’s son has Starguard disease and lost his sight at only sixteen. It was a lot for the family to handle.”

Her fingers caressed his smooth cheek and coasted over his soft lips. “I’m sorry, that’s terrible.”

His eyes flickered with pain. “Sometimes, you wake up one day and go to bed a different person. You never know what’s coming.” She allowed him the silence, but then he shook his head with a smile. “Sorry, I got distracted. Let’s go and walk in this amazing snowstorm. If it ever starts.”

He tucked her arm in his and they headed to the boardwalk. They passed the empty, winding beach paths and listened to the roar of the waves as they crashed over the sand. The salt air whipped in warning, and she snuggled into his warmth, enjoying the wild open sky above and the deserted space around them. Bear trotted happily, his thick fur the perfect protection, snapping at the slowly drifting snowflakes that were beginning to fall.

They walked and chatted for a while. Jameson paused in front of an empty storefront near the arcade and peered in. Old signs and construction equipment filled the raw space. “Another ice cream place?” he asked. “Can anyone manage more ice cream in Cape May?”

She laughed. “Hey, we take our ice cream seriously here. Actually, this used to be a clothes shop, then a sandwich place, but it closed during Covid. The deal with the soft serve placefell through so I heard Davis is trying to fill it. He’s the one who rents out this strip of businesses.”

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