lucky.
He takes my hand and squeezes it, and I’m sure he’s reading my thoughts.
“Come on. Let’s take her out for a spin.”
I’m so giddy at the idea that I actually clap my hands. He parks the Tesla in one side of the two-car garage, and while he runs inside the house to grab something, I slide behind Shelby’s wheel and sigh, then bend over and kiss her steering wheel. I brush my hand over her dashboard, then I get out of the car because I just have to walk all the way around her. She’s in perfect condition. Her blue paint sparkling. Her tires brand new. Her headlights shining.
The moment he returns, I throw my arms around Devlin again. “You are amazing. You are getting as much sex as you want tonight, just so you know.”
He laughs, then pulls me close. “If I’d known that would be your reaction, I would’ve had her fixed even sooner.”
“Just don’t go crashing her so you can fix her again. I’ll tell you a secret. You can pretty much always get sex anytime you want. But don’t let it go to your head.”
“Believe me. I’m very glad to hear that.”
I get behind the wheel again, and this time I fire her engine. She practically purrs, and I know she’s as happy to see me as I am to see her.
“Where to?” I ask.
“Just drive,” Devlin says. “Maybe see how she handles on the curves, then end up at the tidal pools.”
I glance at him. “I like that idea.”
She handles as well as she always has, and I take the roads at what most people would consider an unreasonably fast speed, but to me it’s freedom and glory. I love the control, the responsiveness. It’s a thrill. A rush. Hell, it’s a little like sex, and I glance over at Devlin, my smile so broad my cheeks ache.
I calm it down once we hit the Pacific Coast Highway, then turn left so that I can continue back south to Laguna Cortez’s official border. The Devlin Saint Foundation isn’t that far away, and as soon as I’ve passed Pacific Avenue, I pull into the parking lot.
I’m breathing hard and feel incredible. I know my hair is a mess since I didn’t put on the ball cap that’s usually in my glove box, but I don’t care. “That was the best present ever.” I’m so happy, I’m probably glowing.
“I thought you took those curves a little bit slower than I expected.”
I shrug. The truth is I did. A tiny bit. Maybe. I take his hand and squeeze “I guess I’m not as reckless as I used to be.”
He nods, and I know he understands what I mean. I’ve come too close to losing him before. I won’t lose him again.
We get out of the car and start walking toward the foundation, but we don’t go inside. He mentions that before we leave to go back home, he needs to pop in and get a box that he’s had Tamra put together for him with certain papers that he needs to review.
But right now this is only about us. The tidal pools are behind the foundation, and that’s where we head. They’re the site of our first kiss, and we both always seem drawn back to them, almost like a magnet.
As we walk hand-in-hand, it strikes me that I’m feeling light and free for the first time in days. “I love feeling like this,” I tell him. “But at the same time I can’t help but think of Lamar and Brandy. They both lost somebody, and I know it’s going to be a long time before they feel as light as I do right now.”
“Don’t,” he says. “Don’t feel guilty that you’re doing okay. You have to take your pleasure where you can find it, and they would tell you the same. It’s not as if you haven’t earned it. You’ve had your share of hell. More than your share. We both have. And while I mourn for what they’ve lost, too, right now what I feel most is the joy of being with you.”
I nod slowly, soaking up his words. ”You’re right. And I know that Lamar and Brandy would feel the same way, too.” I squeeze his hand in silent acknowledgement as we reach the pools. I’m about to say more, but he presses a finger to my lips, shushing me, and then to my complete shock, he drops to one knee. My hand flies to