A Family Affair (24 page)

She
could
feel
Devlin
watching
her,
trying
to
discern
what
was
wrong.
When
they
parted
last
night,
she
had
been
exhilarated
and
had
almost
jumped
up
and
down
with
excitement. But today she
was
standing
in front of him
no more th
an
an
empty
shell
of
a
human
being.

“Your
father
gave
us
his
blessing,
and
now
it’s
up
to
you,
if
you
will
have
me?”
Devlin
broke
the
awkward
silence.

She
closed
her
eyes
and
took
a
deep
breath
before
she
turned
and
looked
at
him.
For
the
first
time,
she
really
looked
at
him,
n
ot
falling into her normal
spellbound
stare
at
the
wonder
of
him.

He
was
a
tall
man,
muscular
and
fit.
His
hair
was
dark
brown,
almost
black,
and
his
eyes
golden
.
His
skin
was
smooth
and
unblemished,
his
nose
straight
and
aristocratic,
his
lips
firm
and
yet
unbelievably
soft.

She
knew
he
was
a
graceful
man
who
moved
easily
anywhere,
and
his
hands
were
large
and
strong
but
yet
tender. I
f
she
closed
her
eyes,
she
could
still
feel
them
caressing
her
breasts
and
gently
stroking
her
neck.

“Do
you?”
he
asked
again,
not
managing
to
wait
for
her
answer.

“I
don’t
know,”
she
whispered,
before
she
started
to
cry.
She
sat
down
on
the
sofa,
and
hid
her
face
in
her
hands.
“I’m
so
sorry.”

She
heard
him
move
and
felt
the
sofa
shift
as
he
sat
beside
her.
He
grabbed
her
hands
and
forced
them
gently
away
from
her
face
before
he
bent
and
kissed
her
softly
on
her
cheeks,
wiping
the
tears
away
with
his
mouth.

The
tenderness
he
showed
her
made
her
cry
even
harder,
and
in
one
swift
movement
he
lifted
her
up
and
placed
her
on
his
lap.
He
put
his
hand
on
her
head,
and
forced
her
gently
to
rest
her
cheek
against
his
heart.
S
ilently
he
waited
for
her
to
finish
crying,
while
he
hugged
her
closely.

When
the
last
tear
had
dried,
she
took
a
deep
shaky
breath
and
managed
to
give
him
another
wobbly
smile.
He
smiled
tenderly
back,
stroking
a
loose
strand
of
hair
away
from
her
face.

“You
know,
even
with
your
eyes
puffy
from
all
the
crying,
and
your
nose
as
red
as
ripe
strawberries,
you
still
are
the
most
beautiful
woman
I
have ever seen.”

His
loving
words
went
straight
into
her
heart,
and
she
felt
a
few
of
her
worries
easing
away.

He
placed
a
soft kiss on the
tip
of
her
red
nose,
and
when
she
didn’t
object,
he
put
another
on
her
cheek.
She
gave
him
a
small
teary-eyed
smile,
and
was
rewarded
with
a
soft kiss on the
other
cheek.

She
leaned
closer
to
him,
and
slowly
and
as
lightly
as
he
possibly
could
he
placed
a
chaste
kiss
on
her
soft
lips.
She
looked
into
his
golden
eyes,
enjoying
the
warmth
they
showered
upon
her,
and
before
she
could
stop
herself,
she
kissed him, deeply.

Her
tongue
thrust
into
his
mouth,
ravishing
it,
and
his
moan
made
her
feel
dizzy
with
the
need
of
becoming
one
with
him.

When
he
moved
his
arms
to
pull
her
closer,
she
grabbed
them
and
forced
them
back
toward
the
back
of
the
sofa.
She
turned
around
in
his
lap,
and
straddled
him,
not
once
stopping
the
sultry
kiss.

Not
until
he
was
panting
with
the
need of her
did
she
lift
her
head. S
he
looked
down
at
him,
and
all
the
marvelous
feelings
that
made
her
feel
hotter
than
fire
must
have
shown
in
her
face,
or
her
eyes,
because
his
eyes
turned
darker,
mimicking
the
fire
inside
of
her.

“I’m burning,”
he
whispered
hoarsely,
as
his
hands
hardened
their
grip
of
her
arms.

“Really?” She gave a little smile, hoping it looked just as sultry as she felt, and his breathing became deeper and shakier.

“You are so beautiful,” he breathed again, looking at her with awe, and she knew she was silly for being so pleased with his exclamation, but she was.

Extremely so.

She wet her lips with her tongue, and the moan escaping him told her how much he liked her innocent action.

“Not as beautiful as you,” she whispered, as she leaned closer to him again and kissed him.

His response was immediate and honest, as he growled with pleasure over her brazen behavior. The kiss lasted for the longest time, and when they finally broke apart, she could hardly breathe. Strands of her hair had escaped her coiffure, and she tossed her head to clear them from her face.

“God,” he groaned, as the movement made her shift in his lap. “You have to sit still, or I won’t be able to hold back anymore.”

She looked inquisitively at him, with her head to one side, and he groaned again.

“If you don’t stop looking at me like that, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

“You can’t?”

This was becoming more than interesting, she thought. He almost growled at her as his eyes fell to her heaving breasts. She had not a clue what was about to happen, but she realized she didn’t care.

She trusted him.

A stone fell from her heart, as the truth settled in her mind and eased her worries.