Page 55 of Waiting for Devon
“Yes, Mr. Barrington. Where may I reach you?”
“If I’m not at the stable, you can reach me on my cell phone.”
Reed let out a heavy breath as he saddled Sun Rise who had arrived at the ranch a week ago. He still believed it would be easier for Devon to face Shane if he spoke to his brother first.
Receiving the call from Shane’s secretary around one o’clock, Reed hopped into his truck and headed toward Dallas. Sunlight reflected off the glass tower housing Barrington Industries. He grimaced. The business never interested him, much to Jasper’s disappointment. Being trapped indoors all day in a three-piece suit and tie gave him claustrophobia. Besides, he preferred working with horses as opposed to people.
As Reed headed toward a bank of elevators, busy employees scurrying to and fro greeted him only because his last name happened to be Barrington. He held his scorn at bay and stepped into the first available elevator.
Shane’s secretary wasn’t at her desk, so Reed started to enter his brother’s office unannounced. The double doors stood partially open, and when he crossed the threshold, he didn’t know whether to be angry or grateful.
Alana Turner and Shane kissed with frantic intensity. Locked in a heated embrace, their bodies strained against each other.
“I love you,” Shane murmured. His lips nuzzled Alana’s neck. “I can’t bear to be separated from you any longer. I’m going to end the situation with Devon tonight, and afterward I’m laying all my cards on the table with Dad. I don’t care about being CEO anymore. All I want is to marry you.”
“Shane.” Alana pulled his head down to meet her upturned mouth. “I can’t believe this nightmare is finally going to be over. I love you so much. You know I would have waited forever for you. But I have to be sure. Will you be happy in a subordinate position to your dad?”
“I’ll always be in a subordinate position to Dad no matter what. Do you really think he’d give total control of BI to me? It took me awhile to accept it. I’m so sorry I put you through hell.”
“What about Devon? Will she be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. Devon will probably return to San Francisco. Trust me, you don’t have to worry about her.”
Reed backed out of Shane’s office. With a light heart and a grin on his face, he left Barrington Industries and headed toward the clinic. He greeted his sister with a boisterous wave, and before Blair could guess his intent, Reed went from one examining room to another, searching for Devon. When he found her taking an older patient’s blood pressure, he picked her up and spun her around.
“Reed!” she protested in acute embarrassment. “Put me down.”
“We’re going to dinner tonight, Doc. Wear your sexiest dress.” He kissed her fully on the mouth. “I’ll see you at the house tonight. Be ready by seven o’clock.”
The patient chuckled while Devon shook her head and shooed Reed out of the examining room.
Several hours later,when Devon came downstairs wearing a slinky red dress that clung to every curve of her body, Reed’s eyes glowed with an intensity that could only be described as purely sexual and mesmerizing.
“You’re sexy as hell.”
“What’s going on?” she asked in a soft voice.
“You’ll find out.”
His cryptic answer heightened her awareness of him. Reed treated her to a three-course meal at his favorite restaurant in Dallas. During dinner he kept her in a constant state of arousal by caressing her bare arm and neck and sliding his hand up her thigh beneath the table. In the candlelight, his sapphire eyes glittered with undisguised desire. He took advantage of their private booth by often kissing her. By the time they left the restaurant, Devon was ready for Reed to rip her clothes off and take her to bed.
After dinner, Reed took her to a crowded nightclub where he teased her even more. The timbre of his voice, the expression on his face when he looked at her, and the hardness of his body pressed against hers increased the excitement between them as they swayed together on the dance floor.
During a third round of sensual dancing, Reed lost his self-control. “Let’s go to my cabin,” he muttered, his tone husky with physical need.
Stepping inside the cool interior of Reed’s cabin after they returned to the Barrington estate, he locked the door and pressed Devon against it. His lips covered hers in a hot, bruising kiss while his hands traveled over her body. Flames of unquenched desire burst between them as Reed unzipped Devon’s dress and allowed it to fall to the floor before he swung her into his muscular arms and carried her to his bedroom. His tongue hungrily sought and sparred with hers.
When Reed lifted his head, he murmured, “We’re going to make love, Devon. Tonight.”
Devon’s body burned where he’d touched her and she drew in her breath. “Why? Why tonight?”
“I saw Shane with Alana Turner earlier this afternoon in his office. He told her that he loved her, and he planned to end his relationship with you. He never loved you. He’s always been in love with Alana and wants to marry her. The son of a bitch finally decided to choose love over business. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“I see.” Devon’s heart plummeted. “So, tonight is really about Shane and Alana. It’s about you taking what you want regardless of my feelings.”
“No.” Reed shook his head. “This has never been about Shane. It’s about you and me and what’s been building between us since the first day we met. Christ, Devon,” he swore. “Don’t you get it? I’m in love with you.”
Without waiting for a response, Reed crushed Devon against him and kissed her hard. She allowed herself to be swept away by the overwhelming joy filling her soul when she heard his long-awaited confession of love and stopped resisting. Reed felt her complete surrender as he lowered her to the bed. He removed the rest of her clothing and his own before he began to worship her body with his lips and hands.
