There wasn’t a chance in hell he could be patient about it for much longer.
It wasn’t entirely about the sex, but he knew there would never be a greater experience than fusing his body with theirs at the same time. The connection would be so deep, so intense.
Shiloh and Valarie had never given him a chance to show them that – they hadn’t even given each other a chance.
But Devin and Kelly were different. They were both lost, albeit in different ways, and they were searching for something more, something that would fill the void in their hearts.
Nick wanted to be that something.
It was only a matter of time, right? Things were finally falling into place and it wouldn’t be long before they let him in, all the way, no distractions and no uncertainty.
He just had to be patient.
“Are there scratches on the back of my neck?”
Gazing at Devin through the bathroom mirror, he grinned a little. “Turn around and let me see.”
Devin complied.
“Oh, shit,” he said, chuckling. “She got you good, huh?”
“Is that even the word for it?” Devin turned his head to stare at him, gently touching the claw marks on his neck. “This shit hurts.”
“Stop being a baby. Those are badges of honor, Dev-o. You made her come twice last night – that’s a big deal.”
“But what if my mother sees them?”
“Then she’ll know you know how to please a woman. What time are you meeting up with her today?”
“Around four. She said it’s important.”
“It’s always important when it’s your mom.” He turned the faucet off and leaned against the sink, gazing at him. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“I’ll be all right. She wants to have dinner with me.”
“That’s good, Devin. I’m glad she’s making an effort to be in your life...unlike your dad.”
“Screw my dad,” Devin muttered, averting his gaze to the wall. “He’s...never mind.”
“A piece of shit? A worthless asshole? I agree.” Stepping towards him, he wrapped him up in a hug and kissed his jaw. “We’ll get your mom away from him, kid. I promise.”
Sometimes late at night, after giving each other the best orgasms of all time, they would talk about whatever was on their minds. Nick liked conversations. He liked learning new things, but one thing he didn’t enjoy very much was the pain in Devin’s voice when he talked about his mom.
It was bad enough that Devin insinuated he’d been abused as a kid. Regardless of if he could remember or not, there was definitely a darkness marring his soul because of his dad. And to know his mother still lived with that asshole? It was infuriating.
Plus, he’d seen the bruise on her face the night she had supper with them. Mrs. Rose didn’t deserve that.
No woman ever deserved it.
And maybe there was a small part of him that still got angry about his own past, about what had happened with Shiloh and Valerie, but he’d be damned if he stood idly by while it happened to someone else.
“How can I stand up to him?” Devin asked quietly. “I feel like I’m going to throw up when I’m around him. It makes me afraid.”
“I’d be afraid, too, babe.” He cupped his cheek and slid his thumb over his lips, and smiled when Devin kissed his palm. “But I’m right here, you know? I’ll do whatever I can to help. You don’t have to be scared of him.”
“It’s not just him.”
“Your brothers?”
“No. Jebson McIntosh. Do you know how much that guy hates me? He gives me dirty looks every time I see him out. I guess I’m just waiting for him to jump me again. It’s inevitable.”
“Again?” Anger flashed in his eyes as he tightened his arm around him.
“Yeah. Remember the first day I was here? That was his handiwork.”
“Oh, yeah. Now I remember.” He touched his fingertips beneath one of Devin’s beautiful eyes and sighed, furrowing his brows. “Are you
sure
you don’t want me to come with you? I’m not above whooping some ass if I have to.”
“No. No,” he replied quickly. “That would just cause more trouble. Lydia and Laney have been so nice to me. There’s no reason to make them resent me again, and hurting Jebson would definitely get me on their bad side quick, fast, and in a hurry.”
“Bad side, schmad side. Devin,”—he cupped his face and locked gazes with him—“They’re obviously overlooking the fact their brother is intimidating you and making your life miserable. I think Lydia and Laney are both very nice people, but are those the kinds of friends you really want?”
“You don’t understand, Nick,” he whispered, swallowing hard. “The way you’re describing Jebson? That used to be me. I intimidated people. I made them miserable. I was a—”
Covering Devin’s mouth with his palm, he rolled his eyes. “If you say ‘I was a bad person’ one more time, Devin, I swear.”
Sighing against his palm, Devin’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“That’s what I thought.” Slowly removing his hand, he leaned in and replaced it with his mouth, kissing him tenderly. “You’re not that guy anymore,” he murmured. “And
everyone
needs to realize that.”
“But they don’t, Nick. At least Jebson doesn’t. He—”
He silenced him with another kiss, taking pleasure in the soft groan Devin released as his hand slid down his chest and snaked around his body to pull him close. It wasn’t long before Devin surrendered, returning his embrace.
“I don’t know the guy, but I don’t like him,” he whispered, nipping at Devin’s bottom lip. “And he needs to leave you alone. If you think his temper is bad, you’ve never witnessed the rage of a Laveau, Baby Boy; it’s not pretty.”
“I believe you,” Devin said, biting back a moan as he began kissing his neck. “God, stop. I’ve got things to do. Places to be.”
“And I’ve got people to do,” Nick chuckled, kissing up to his ear. “You do realize you’re like a drug to me, right?”
“You’ve mentioned that a few times.” He squirmed free from his grasp and smiled.
There’s my boy,
he thought, quickly reaching for his hand and lifting it to his lips.
“Just be careful out there today, all right? Call me if you need me?”
“I will. Promise.”
“Good. And when you’re done having lunch with your mama, hurry back. Kelly’s coming over to watch a movie with us.”
“A movie, huh?” Devin waggled his eyebrows. “Are you sure about that?”
“Well, there will be one playing in the background, I’m sure.” He smirked. “So don’t be late.”
—————
D
evin
He had been looking forward to seeing his mom ever since the night she left. She had called a few times, but this was their first time seeing each other since they’d shared a delicious meal with Nick, and though it had been an intense visit, he honestly couldn’t wait to do it again.
He figured that no matter how much he’d forgotten, or how screwed up his past may have been, it wasn’t anything that spending time with his mother couldn’t fix. He felt close to her. He felt safe, and their bond still seemed to be intact.
They decided to meet up at a small diner in town. It wasn’t much—in every sense of the term—but the food was good and the atmosphere was relaxing, comforting. He knew he needed as much of that in his life as possible.
Mrs. Rose was in better spirits as they ate their cheeseburgers and shared an order of fries. She talked about the weather and how much she dreaded hurricane season. She warned him about making sure he had a safe place to go to if it got really bad, and it took everything in him not to turn it around and make it about
her
safety.
Do you have a safe place to go when it gets too bad with Dad?
He wanted to ask. But he knew it wasn’t true. If she did, she wouldn’t have had a black eye the last time they saw one another.
Thankfully, it had almost healed, but he knew it was something he’d never forget.
How many times had he seen bruises like that before? How many times had his mother walked into a room with evidence of his father’s anger upon her skin?
It deeply bothered him, but he didn’t know how to approach the situation. It seemed like every fiber of his being screamed for him to protect her. But he wasn’t sure how to do that. She’d already rebuffed his offer once – maybe even more times than that in the past. How could he convince her to leave the sick fuck?
“I have some good news for you, Devvy,” she said, smiling. “Remember how you mentioned needing a vehicle the first night you were home?”
“How can I forget?” He asked, rolling his eyes.
His father—such a great guy, really—decided to sell his car while he was in the institute. It was a nice car, according to his mother – a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am, just like the one in the movie
Smokey and the Bandit
.
He couldn’t even begin to fathom why he’d wanted a car like that. Was he a big fan of the movie? Did he like hot rods?
Who knew?
It sucked not being able to remember small things like that. He still only knew he enjoyed cheesecake the most.
Maybe everything else would come back in due time.
Maybe it wouldn’t.
“Sweetie, I don’t agree with what your father did. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
“And I asked him not to sell it because you really loved that car...”
“I don’t remember what I loved before the accident.” He glanced at her. “Aside from you, obviously.”
That earned him another smile and the tension threatening to envelop them dissipated.
“If I was the kind of guy who valued materialist things over what really matters, I’m sorry.”
“Devin, no. You weren’t that kind of person.” She reached across the table and rested her hand over his, squeezing gently. “You were a sweet boy in a difficult situation. Don’t you ever think otherwise, okay?”
Though he didn’t really believe her, he nodded anyway.
“I just thought you would be happy to know I finally got you another car.”
“Mother.” He stared at her in surprise. “You didn’t have to do that. I don’t mind walking. It’s not like Prairie Town is a big place.”
“No, I know. I just want you to have a vehicle for when you find a job. You are still looking for one, aren’t you?”
“Of course, I am. The issue is people aren’t in a hurry to hire someone with a record like mine.”
“Oh, Devin.”
“Please don’t, Mother. Don’t give me that look.” He pulled his hand from hers and lifted it to run his fingers through his hair, glancing around nervously. “Let’s not talk about that, all right? I just want the past to stay in the past now. Tell me about the car.”
He hoped to change the subject and fast. Having lunch with her was supposed to be a happy occasion, not depressing. And
nothing
made him more depressed than thinking about the horrible things he’d done, and somehow, knowing she knew about it all made it ten times worse.
How can she love me after everything I’ve done?
“Why don’t I show you instead?”
“Are you serious?” As much as he wanted to scold her for getting him a car in the first place, he couldn’t help but feel excited about it, too. Having a vehicle meant more independence, and more independence was a good thing.
He paid for their food and followed his mom outside, unable to contain his excitement. Though he didn’t feel worthy to have good things happen to him, a lot of good things
had
been happening recently; Nick, Kelly, and now a car, too? Maybe he needed to play the lottery.
It sounded ridiculous in his head.
My life is ridiculous
, he thought.
“So where are we going?” He kept up with her short legs easily. “Is it at a car lot?”
It better be at a car lot. I’m not going back home.
“Nope.” There was a hint of a smile in her voice as she led him across the parking lot and fished her keys from her pocket. “I don’t like car lots.”
“Hm.”
“I think you’ll be pleased, sweetheart. It isn’t much, but it will get you from point A to point B; that’s what’s important.”
“Of course, Mom. I’m sure I’ll appreciate it no matter what.”
And he would. The old Devin may have been a complete asshole, but the new Devin was not – no matter what Jebson McIntosh believed.
“Here we are.” She stopped abruptly and he almost ran into her. “Ta-da!”
Glancing over her head, he frowned. “Mom?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Isn’t that
your
car?”
“Yes.” Turning to face him, Mrs. Rose had tears in her eyes. He couldn’t tell if she was sad or happy. Tears and smiles at the same time were pretty confusing.
“But...it’s
your
car.” He blinked.
“I know it is. Listen, Devin,” she said, grabbing his hand and clutching it tightly. “Your father wouldn’t allow me to take money out to get you a new one. He’s being ridiculous again.” Her eyes dropped to the pavement and her smile faded. He wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but his chest ached anyway. “I don’t ever want you to be without the things you need, and you need a car.”
“Yeah, but not yours. Mom, I can’t—”
“You can and you will,” she said firmly, blinking rapidly. “I want your life to be good, Devin. I want you to be happy. Your happiness is my happiness, as it always has been.”
“Mom, I
am
happy.”
“But you could be happier and we both know it. Just take the car, Devin. I can get another one. Lord knows I don’t use it much anyway.”
Gee, I wonder why.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I love you more than you’ll ever know, Devin. Just promise me you won’t give up on finding a job, okay?”
“I promise.”
“Good. And when I finally figure out where your banking information is, I’ll give it to you as soon as I can. You have my word on that.”
“I’m not worried about the banking stuff, Mom. It’s probably better that I don’t have it anyway.”
Meeting her worried gaze, he gave her a reassuring nod. They both knew the truth about what had happened to his money. Whatever amount he may have had saved up, it was gone.