Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,28
me there. Not when the type of women he was usually with were a far cry from me. And although I hadn’t googled him, I was also certain he’d been with a lot of women, one more perfect than the next.
“Thank you. That’s kind of you to say while I’m sitting here in my flannel with my unbrushed hair on top of my head and not a stitch of makeup on.”
He cocked his head, his eyes roaming my face. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you wearing makeup.”
“I wear it, but not often. The boys at the station would never let me live it down if I showed up in mascara and lip gloss.”
His slow approach had finally landed him standing at my side, an elbow resting on the porch rail. Feeling at a disadvantage, I hopped up, much to Leroy’s annoyance. While I brushed off my backside, he went inside the house, head hanging like a sullen teenager.
“How does one dog have so much personality?” Devon mused. He shook his head, then refocused his attention on me. “I wouldn’t mind you wearing a little lip gloss, so I could kiss it right off you.”
“Devon.” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “I know it’s probably not common for you to be turned down, but this is me, turning you down. Kissing you was nice—”
His brows lifted. “Nice? Really? Our kiss was fucking fire, and you know it. And we barely got started.”
“I guess I didn’t feel the same thing.” I turned to walk up the porch steps, but Devon caught the back of my shirt and gave it a swift tug, spinning me so we were chest to chest. His hand came up, cupping the back of my neck and giving it a squeeze. My knees were instantly jelly.
His eyes glinted with something raw and dangerous, losing all his normal playfulness.
“Kat,” he murmured, running his nose along mine. “Let me kiss you again.”
My eyes fluttered, wanting to shut as I sunk into the feel of his rough hand on my skin. He smelled like an endless summer night around a bonfire. Smoky and fresh. And the beat of his heart under my palm lulled me into acquiescence. But the thing that most made me want to kiss him again, despite all my better judgment, was that he’d asked. He could have taken, and I would have given in without hesitation, but he didn’t. He asked and waited for my answer.
“Kiss me.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, a rumbling split the still in the air and my head jerked back. I knew that rumbling all too well.
Quickly, but gently, I pushed Devon away and took a step back. “That’s Veego and Ells.”
It took him a second to react. When I chanced a look, I saw him adjusting the front of his jeans, his eyes slightly glazed, and oh, if that didn’t turn me on.
Veego’s old beater of a Jeep came into view a second later. Thank god he hadn’t gotten the muffler replaced or my kid would have gotten an eyeful of me making out with our renter in the front yard of our house.
I walked over to the driveway where Veego parked, and to my surprise, Devon followed. When Ellie climbed out of the passenger seat, she completely bypassed me to high-five Devon.
“Hey, little sister,” he drawled.
“What’s up, Devon? Did you know I was coming home?” she asked.
“Nope, just got lucky. Leroy escaped to my yard. I was returning him to your mom.” He put his hands on his hips and gave her a once-over. “Your belt’s looking pretty sick, kid.”
She tucked her thumbs under it, preening. “Thanks. I was talking to my friend, Molly, and she thinks it’ll look good even with dresses.”
I gasped. “You’ve never worn a dress in your life.”
Veego leaned against his truck, smiling at Ellie. “Tell Mom what we bought yesterday.”
Ellie cupped her mouth and mock-whispered, “A dress. We bought a dress for the first day of school.”
“Holy cow.” I laughed. “How did that happen?”
Veego rubbed the top of her head, and she squirmed away. “The girl wanted to shop, so we shopped.”
“I’ve decided seventh grade is going to be about dresses,” Ellie said, very seriously. “Especially now that I have my new belt. It goes with everything.”
Veego held his hand out to Devon. “I gotta thank you for getting that for her. You should send me the bill, man.”
Devon shook Veego’s hand. “Nah, we’re square. A friend of mine hooked me up,