Page 47 of Devanté
“And I should believe you…why?”
“Because you know me and you know I’d never hurt you because I love you too much.”
“Stop saying that,” I begged, massaging my temples.
“Why? Does it scare you?” He quieted for a beat then his eyes lit up like he had an epiphany. “That’s exactly what happened back in college, isn’t it? You got fucking scared.”
“No…” I stammered, shaking my head.
“You remembered how it felt when I pinned you against the wall and tickled you.” His dark eyes swept the patio before he leaned in and continued. “You remember how fucking hard I was. We pretended it didn’t happen after that but you remembered because I remembered too. Never forgot.”
The thought of that moment seared through me. Feeling him pressed against me that way.Me. Of all fucking people.
Devanté could have any woman he wanted but that day, he was pressed against me. His dick was so hard it was almost painful and I was the one who pulled that reaction from him. It was overwhelming. It turned me to mush and I didn’t know what to do about it. I was split down the middle. Two vastly different continents of emotions.
I remembered wanting to push further. I wanted to kiss him and wrap my fingers around his dick while we tasted each other’s lips. I also remember wanting to put as much space between us as possible in case his body made an error in judgment.
You can’t fake a reaction like that, Blake.
Maybe he was right. Maybe that’s what scared me and made it so easy for me to believe Devanté would set me up to get hurt. My mind reeled with the revelation.
I was more than grateful when the server arrived with our orders. After a few stolen glances at Devanté, she disappeared and left us alone again. I didn’t even know if I could swallow my food. My throat was too narrow to allow anything other than words to pass through.
“Were you afraid, Blake?” Devanté asked, not touching his plate. The buttery smell of his croissant made my stomach growl. Okay, so my appetite was still there.
“Maybe,” I blinked. “I don’t know. I do know I spent eight goddamn years thinking you were the worst person in the world and healing through that. Now you’re putting a different story on the table and it’s tough to process, Devanté.”
“I get that. I just need to know if you believe me.” I looked into those eyes. They were exactly like the galaxy. Vast. Dark. Constantly unfolding and giving me life.
I still loved him.
Time and space apart didn’t matter as much as my heart did. My heart knew no time. It only knew it had a piece missing from it.
“I think…I do,” I said quietly, letting the words settle in my heart. He smiled at me and again and I saw the light of truth illuminate his entire face. My gut told me he was being honest and I was being stubborn and maybe even scared.
“I think you do too. Those eyes never lie.” He didn’t smile when he looked at me. Instead, he saw me for who I was at my core and it sent something tingly and warm zipping through my body in a way I hadn’t felt in years.
“So, I’m gonna eat now because this is awkward as fuck.” I gave a self-deprecating laugh before digging into my eggs.
“There’s nothing awkward about this,” he chuckled. “Just you know…you taking eight years to admit you were wrong as hell.”
“Wow…okay. I deserved that,” I said.
“Oh, you definitely deserved it.”
I laughed at his never wavering confidence and the way some things never changed.
“You know what you deserve, Jodeci?” I asked, using his nickname to soften myself and draw on all the good times we had.
“What’s that?” He asked, genuine curiosity in his tone.
“An apology from the deepest parts of me. I am so sorry I let fear make me believe you’d have a hand in something like that. I’m sorry I robbed us of so much time together and I’m sorry for being cold toward you when you came in for a meeting that first time.”
“Wow,” he said, turning the corners of his mouth down. “The great Blake Remington, apologizing.”
“It’s from the heart,” I told him, not letting my eyes waver from his.
“I accept. It’s all I’ve wanted for years. Well…not all.” He bit into the buttery croissant and swept his heated gaze over my face.
