Haunted (45 page)

He shook his head at me. “Jaylene, there’s nothing scandalous about your work and to be honest, Claudine was telling me how glad she was to see me finally happy. She also said you were beautiful and wondered when the wedding would be.”

My eyes flew open wide and I turned to him to find him chuckling.

“What? Would that be a bad thing?”

“She did not just ask you that!”  

He was laughing soundlessly at my reaction. I could feel my cheeks flushing. “She did too. Chère, we Boudreauxs don’t mess around when it comes to love. When we find someone we want, we usually snatch them up quick. My daddy asked Mama to marry him just two weeks after their first date, so you better be ready.” He was teasing me but part of me felt like he was testing me.

“Well, what did you tell her?”  

He stopped laughing and he turned serious. “I told her as soon as I could convince you, I would marry you.” He smiled sheepishly and I just sat there in shock.

I had no comeback for that.

“Does that scare you,” he asked quietly.

I took a drink and just stared back at him. “Probably not as much as it should. It’s crazy though, isn’t it crazy?”  

He shook his head. “It’s not crazy. I’d ask you right now if I didn’t think you’d run screaming from me.”

I laughed nervously. “I don’t know if I’d run screaming, but I…”

He kissed me firmly on the lips, taking away what was left of my thoughts, and then shook his head. “Don’t answer me now. I’m not asking, yet. But that’s where my head’s at.” He smiled and kissed me again.

We finished our lunch and Devon walked up to the counter to pay. Claudine kissed him on the cheek and tried to wave away his money. I stood next to him and heard her say, “You don’t have to do that, Devon.”

“I know, but I want to. You ladies take care and thanks for lunch.”

Jeanette gave him a hug and the others waved.

“Thank you so much, it was nice to meet you.”

They all hugged me again.

Claudine lingered and whispered to me, “Take care of him, darlin’.”

She kissed me on the cheek and I whispered back, “I will.”

We waved goodbye and walked out to the Chevelle. Devon opened my door for me.

As we pulled away he said, “I’m glad it’s still in family hands, but I’m more glad Mama’s not killing herself there anymore.”

“I bet,” I said. “I would think running a restaurant is very hard work.”  

“Especially after Daddy passed. And now she can do whatever she likes, she’s near Uncle Daryl and soon I’ll be back too.” He took my hand and kissed it as we turned onto the highway.

Devon was smiling to himself and humming on the way back to New Orleans. I couldn’t help but watch him. He had his left arm rested on the window ledge, and his long legs took up so much of the room under the dash. His hair was pushed back and he’d left the beanie at home. I loved his hair however he wore it. His lips were a darker red today than usual, which drew my attention. He held my hand in between shifting and absently stroked my wrist with his thumb. I must have sighed louder than I thought because he looked over at me.

“You still with me, chère?”  

I smiled, loving the term of endearment he used with me. For the most part his accent was very slight but today it was back, perhaps thanks to the visit home.

“I’m with you. Just admiring the view. If I didn’t think I’d get car sick I’d have my sketchbook out right now.”

He smirked. “Thanks for coming with me today. I wanted to take you out somewhere today to forget about everything, but since I’m probably leaving after next week, I needed to do this today.”

“I understand. I’m glad you took me with you. Just being outside for a while made it perfect. Well, that and being with you.”

He squeezed my hand and brought it up to his lips to press gentle kisses against my knuckles.

“So what’s next?” I increasingly believed that getting back to my flat would be the perfect way to end the day, but I didn’t want to ruin any plans he had.

He glanced over at me. “Well, I had thought about taking you to a movie or something, but I kind of just want to take you to bed. Is that presumptuous of me?”  

I laughed and scooted closer to him so I could whisper in his ear. “I like presumptuous. I was just thinking the same thing.”

I kissed his ear, tugging lightly on his hoop and he let go of my hand to steady the wheel. His voice came out gravelly. He was too damn sexy when his voice got like that.

“You’re going to have to stop that if you want us to make it back to your place.”

I laughed softly and kissed his neck before resting my head on his shoulder. “Sorry, couldn’t be helped. And I really like this bench seat up here. Way to go Chevrolet.”

He laughed and put his hand on my thigh, stroking it gently. “I like it, too, if it means you’re sitting close to me.”

I smiled. I loved that he had his hands on me as much as possible. I wanted to tell him as much since I really had no idea what I was doing with this whole boyfriend thing.

“Devon I really love it that you are affectionate with me when we’re alone and when we’re with others. It’s new for me, but I like it. It’s just one of the many things you do that makes me feel loved.”

His hand stopped moving for a moment and I heard him take in a breath. “My daddy and mama were always touching when they were together. It was like their bodies were connected even if they weren’t physically touching. After he died, I think that was one of the hardest things for Mama to get used to. Maggie said to me once that physical expressions of love were often more important than words because you can’t fake a touch. Your intentions are clear. Even if you’re having sex with someone, it’s clear whether it’s fucking or making love. It’s the truest way you can express yourself.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Man, Maggie was a smart lady. I knew that, but the more you tell me about her the more I think she was one of those people that you maybe come across once in a lifetime. I’m glad I met her. I really wish she was still here.”

He nodded soberly. “I do, too. I feel like she is. I know what you said in the cemetery, about hoping they aren’t in pain anymore, but I don’t think Maggie would be in pain watching us. She might get pissed if we screw up, but I feel like every action I take I can still hear her words to me from growing up, guiding me. I don’t know how she got so damn smart. She was always wise beyond her years. But I’ll take it. If that’s all I have left of her I’m not forgetting her wisdom.”

We drove in silence the rest of the way back to my flat. I thought a lot about what he said and it was so right. I was a failure with words in so many ways, but my drawings expressed my feelings clearly and I could never hide how I was feeling about something in a drawing. Words could certainly be false. What worried me was that when Devon left in a week or so, all we’d have would be each other’s words, whether it would be phone calls, texts, etc. That's all we’d have of each other for a while. Maybe that was what I was afraid of. With him here, touching me, smiling at me, I knew where I stood.

When we got back to my flat we could hear loud music and banging next door. Mackenzie’s door was open so I peeked inside.

“Hello? Are you decent?” I shouted a couple of times before opening the door all the way.

When I did, I found Mackenzie in a sheer bra and underwear set, her hair piled up high on her head. She was pummeling a piece of meat on the counter. Star was beside her in his boxer briefs mashing potatoes. The music was blaring so loud they couldn’t hear us come in so we stood there watching them for a moment before Mackenzie looked up and saw me. The mallet she was using flew out of her hand, hit Star in the eye, and caused him to fling potato all over Mackenzie and the cabinets.

“Ow, what the hell is it with you women in the kitchen!” He was holding his eye.

Mackenzie grabbed the steak she was tenderizing and slapped it against his face. ”Oh, baby, are you alright?” She was kissing the non-steak covered side of his face.

He was smiling broadly and he cupped her ass with his hands and lifted her onto the counter. Devon cleared his throat and they only sort of looked over.

“We’re back but, ah, we’ll just be going. Didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said and Mackenzie wrapped her legs around Star’s waist.

“No problem. You guys want to join us for steak?”  

Devon laughed. “Not anymore.”

Star whispered something to Mackenzie and she sighed loudly, his mouth moving down her neck.

I called out, “Thanks, but I think we’ll just let you guys continue whatever it is you are doing.”

Star was starting to pull Mackenzie’s bra straps down as Devon turned and I followed him out the door.

"I guess we know what they were up to today.” He laughed, pulling at his soul patch.

I grinned up at him. “Yes and I think I like that plan myself.”

He closed my door behind us and pulled me in for a kiss that quickly got serious. We moved together to the bedroom, our lips never leaving each other’s, and in our wake, a trail of clothes landed on several surfaces.

But just as we fell on the bed together he stilled. We lay like that for a long time just looking into each other’s eyes.

“Today was a great day, Devon. Thank you for taking me to meet your family.

He smiled and kissed my shoulder. “Today was great because you were with me, beautiful girl. I feel like I could spend all day, every day with you and still not ever get enough of you.”

I giggled. “I wouldn’t go that far. You have seen many sides of me, Devon, and not cringed in sheer horror. You’ve seen me when I wake in the morning, even smelled my morning breath and lived to tell about it. But there are things about me you still don’t know and you might not be able to handle them, pretty boy.”

Devon burst out laughing and pulled me on top of him. “You are too much, chère. What could I possibly not be able to handle about you?”  

I thought long and hard. I needed to do my best to gross him out or at least prepare him. “I don’t shave every day.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Please, Jaylene…”

I held up a hand. “You have to let me finish. I talk in movies, well, at movies actually. I yell and scream and laugh embarrassingly loud.”

He was trying very hard to listen without commentary.

“I have horrible gas in the mornings after eating green vegetables. I am prone to adult acne. I’ve only been so drunk I threw up once, but I did it spectacularly.”

He let a laugh escape. “Aw, chère you gotta tell me that one at least.”

I shook my head, “Will you please let me finish?”  

He pulled his face into the most serious expression he could, which was extremely silly.

“I am afraid of enclosed spaces and zombies and especially a combination of the two.” I figured I’d done a good job of getting the highlights of my neuroses out. ”I think that’s it. You already know I’m afraid of disappointing people, I have to draw all the time, and that I’m a little afraid of you leaving… Not because I don’t trust you or trust how you feel about me.”

He nodded and his serious look was really serious now. “I know. I’m afraid too. Not of your ridiculous list though. Those things just make me love you more.”

I rolled my eyes. “Alright, you have been warned.”

He bit me hard on the shoulder and I gasped at the pleasure of it.

When his eyes found mine, he said, “You didn’t say you were afraid of vampires or werewolves.”

I shook my head. “Not afraid of them at all. Actually, I thought you already knew I was a vampire.”

He chuckled. “You do have really cold hands sometimes and you do like to bite me.”

At that I demonstrated how much I liked to bite him all the way down his torso.

“If you are truly a vampire I’ve died and gone to vampire heaven. Fuck, that feels good.”

I bit him on the insides of his thighs and he jolted under my hands. When I grazed his most sensitive flesh with my teeth, his hands flew into my hair and he moaned loudly. I couldn’t help but smile wickedly at him when his eyes landed on me. I took him as far in as I could. His eyes rolled back in his head and he lost himself to the pleasure.

I tried to touch him, kiss him and lick him everywhere, but soon he started to squirm and his legs were shaking. He gently lifted me off of him and grabbed frantically for a condom.

Once it was on, he lifted me effortlessly by my hips and brought me down hard on him. Crying out in a mixture of pleasure, and a little bit of pain, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. We were so close with me on his lap like this. It quickly became my very favorite way to make love with him. I was just a little above his eye level and he was gazing up at me with such emotion in his deep blue eyes. We moved against each other as his hands gripped my hips. He took one breast and then the other to his lips. His teeth pulled on my piercings lightly and my head fell back in ecstasy. I didn’t think I could take much more until I felt his touch on my clitoris, and then I was quivering uncontrollably. I screamed out his name as I came the hardest yet.

But he wasn’t finished. He was gripping me by my shoulders, bringing me down harder and faster onto him. I leaned back and rested my hands on his thighs and he was so much inside me and all over me that I was overwhelmed. Tears started falling from my eyes and he jerked me up to face him.

“Jaylene?”

The question in his gaze made the tears come faster. His eyes were so intense on me. Soon tears were falling from his eyes as well. We clung together as our bodies ignited. We exploded together and cried out, “I love you,” kissing each other passionately.

Sweating, shaking and still crying softly we held each other like that for what seemed like days. I never wanted his body to not be connected to mine like that.

“I keep thinking about what you told me Maggie said about not trusting words like you can trust touch.”

He opened his eyes and looked up at me. “Yeah,” was all he could say.

“Yeah,” I answered him. “I agree with her. And I wish we could be like this always.”

He smiled and kissed me deeply. When we came up for air, he chuckled. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think being like this forever would definitely interfere with both of our careers. I don’t think I could fit a guitar between us and I know you couldn’t tattoo anyone naked with my cock inside you.”