Page 44 of The Air You Breathe

DARCY

Two days had passed since I arrived at the cabin. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, especially with all the updated amenities this cabin had to offer. Yesterday I took a bath in that amazing soaker tub in my bathroom, almost falling asleep because it had fucking jets that worked out some kinks in my back, leaving me a big pile of useless limbs.

The nap after that was epic. If I wasn't so stubborn, I would thank Evan for bringing me out here, because I needed to relax for a moment. If I didn’t feel a little uneasy about what might be happening in Mountain View, I would definitely feel like I was at some cabin getaway.

It was the afternoon, and I was outside enjoying the fresh air, attempting to read a book. Dev had left this morning to take care of some things and he looked like he was getting twitchy about not seeing Ava. Now that he told me he was Lucio’s son, I saw why he was so protective of his sister. Just hearing him admit he was his son led me to believe he wasn’t a big fan of his.

It almost seemed like he was ready for me to stop talking to him or see him differently, but I think it made me like him more for some reason. Being Lucio’s son seemed to leave a heavy burden on his shoulders that made me want to ease his pain. So, I kissed him. I wasn’t prepared for the toe-curling kiss he gave me or the nibbles and sucks he left on my neck. Just thinking about our kiss again made me flush with desire. If Jane hadn’t called, I’m sure I would have asked him to fuck me on the counter making me scream with that talented mouth of his.

I was so grateful for the disturbance especially since I had been thinking so much about Jane. She said she was doing fine, catching me up on everything that had happened since she left. My heart broke for her, since she had been through more than enough and now, she had to deal with more. We ended the call with promises to speak again soon.

I expected the morning after to be awkward with Dev, but it was far from it. He made me delicious pancakes and we watched some trashy TV while we ate and before I took my amazing bath and nap.

Throughout dinner I was hoping for a repeat of the night before, but he seemed content with just making conversation about my book recommendations. Surprisingly we had very similar tastes when it came to books, making our conversation flow easily. After dinner he took a few calls in his bedroom, and I knew one of them was Evan, who I surely thought would have visited us by now. When I finished cleaning the kitchen, I put on a movie and prepared to relax with a glass of wine.

I woke up, tucked in my bed, when I saw a note that said he had to head into town. It felt like he might be avoiding me, but if that was the case, wouldn’t he have gone into town yesterday? I rubbed my face as I mulled over everything that was going on between us. Not that there was an us, but I just didn’t know what to make of it. Him being so close for a few days sent my body on overdrive, even more so when I learned a little more about him.

I wrapped the blanket I had a little tighter around myself. The fall was quickly turning into winter weather, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until we had our first snow. Opening my book again, I was desperate to get lost in someone else's drama as my eyes grew heavy.

“Jesus Christ, Darcy, it's getting chilly out here.” I opened my eyes to see Dev walking over to me. I blinked a few times to wake up when I noticed the sun was starting to set.

Shit I must have fallen asleep for a few hours.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I said, looking up at him as he gathered me into his arms, enveloping me in his warmth and I realized just how cold I was.

“You scared me when you didn’t answer your phone,” he said, opening the door and walking me to the sofa. “The only reason I didn’t lose my shit was because none of the alarms had been tripped.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling a little guilty as I looked up at him. He had been tense these last two days, constantly checking the alarm system and making sure everything was locked when we came in for the evening.

“It's ok, halfway here I figured you had taken another nap and it quelled my fear that something had happened to you.” He leaned down, giving me a kiss on the forehead before he leaned back to look at me. His electrifying gaze brought me comfort and eased my guilt but also gave me butterflies.

“Are you hungry?” His raspy voice added to those butterflies in my stomach.

“I could eat,” I said, keeping my voice even without the desperate whine I really wanted to release and ask if he would just eat me instead.

“Good, I bought stuff to make pesto,” he said, lingering for a moment until he leaned back, walking out of the cabin.

I took a deep breath, getting up to make myself some tea to warm up. Filling up the kettle to warm some water, I went in search of some tea when Dev walked in with some grocery bags.

“I also brought you some pastries from the coffee shop,” he said, leaving a brown bag on the counter. “I figured I would go check on them for you and make sure they were okay.”

I melted. Did he always think of everything?

“The new girl seems to be doing just fine and Mary came out to say hello. She told me to go check on you with a really big wink.” He looked up and smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes. “That woman needs to stop meddling but if you're curious, she told me to save gas and ride a mechanic,” I said with a chuckle, finding tea bags and grabbing a mug.

Dev barked a laugh. “That sounds like something she would say.”

His laugh was amazing, it lit up his whole face making him look young and carefree. There was also a slight blush to his cheeks that was adorable.

“Dev, how old are you?” I asked, sitting on a barstool watching him put his groceries away except for what he needed.

“Old enough that I know riding a mechanic does indeed save gas,” he said, with a mischievous grin.

I hid my growing blush with a bite into a blueberry scone, thinking about how I would test that theory out. Lost in my thoughts, Dev set my tea in front of me with a sugar bowl and some honey next to it.

“I’m twenty-four, Darcy,” he said, grabbing a pastry and biting into it, then licking just a little bit of jelly that had escaped the corner of his mouth. “Damn! Mary makes some really good stuff.”

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