I saw your parents on TV this morning for some award ceremony in New York. Are you in the States?
FUCK! She couldn’t believe he had seen the ceremony.
Devon? I’ve missed you since you’ve been gone. If you are in the States, hurry home. I have a bed waiting for you.
Devon shook her head. This could not be happening.
Why aren’t you answering me? Are you avoiding me? Answer your phone. Let me know if you’re here. I’ll fly out to get you.
To. Get. Her. She knew what that meant.
Answer your goddamn phone. Since when do you not answer my texts right away? Are you in New York with someone else? Is that what this is about? You better text me back right away. Better yet, call me. I need to talk to you.
No. No. No. No. No.
I don’t know what the f**k you are doing, but if you don’t call me, this isn’t going to be good. I’m giving you fair warning. Don’t be a bitch. Call. Me. Back.
Devon’s palms were sweating by the time she finished reading the last text message. Not good. This was so not good. How the f**k had she not thought of this? Of course, he would happen across her parents’ award ceremony, the one she had skipped with good reason.
Her hands were trembling, and she was barely keeping it together. What would he do now that he knew she hadn’t been in France? Okay, she was getting ahead of herself. He didn’t know that. He just knew that her parents were in New York. They could have come back from Paris for it unexpectedly. She could have stayed in Paris…right?
She shook her head. He was too smart. She couldn’t fool him into believing her. Not that she could text him back if he was flipping out anyway, not that she had responded to anything he had sent her in weeks.
How did he do this to her? How did he make her feel so guilty for what she had done when he was the one who had hit her? She needed to keep repeating that to herself or else she would end up texting him back. She already felt bad for lying to him. They had been together for so long. Not letting him know that she was alright felt weird. But if he found out, he would make sure that she wasn’t.
A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts, and then the phone started ringing again. Reid. Fuck.
“Hey, Devon? Can I come in?”
Devon silenced the phone and tried to stay calm. “What’s up?” she called out to Garrett.
All she wanted to do was lie down and pretend she was back on the boat with Brennan.
The door cracked open, and Garrett cautiously walked into the room. “Do you think we could talk?” he asked.
“I’d really rather not,” she said, not wanting to deal with this and Reid.
“Don’t you think we should discuss what happened?”
“I prefer to just forget about it,” she said. She really wanted to forget everything at the moment.
“Right,” he said, shaking his head. “You would rather run off with Brennan and avoid everything that’s happening in your life. Does he even know about the things that went on with you and your boyfriend?”
Devon glared. “It’s none of your business what I’m doing and who I’m with.”
“I’m just trying to look out for you,” he said, taking a step toward her.
“I really don’t want to talk about all of this right now, Garrett,” Devon said, crossing her arms.
“I’m trying to apologize,” he insisted.
“I know. I get it. I just can’t even think about it. Reid has been calling and texting me nonstop all morning. He won’t leave me alone. I don’t know what he’s thinking or what he’s doing, but I’m just sick and tired of it. So, please just drop it for now!” She turned away from him.
“He’s been contacting you?” Garrett asked.
“Yes! All morning. I have to go to work, and I’m going to be late. So, please just drop it Garrett.”
“Dev,” he said consolingly.
“Please, Garrett,” she pleaded, hoping he would actually listen.
“Fine. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I don’t want you. I want Hadley. And I should have never let any of this happen.” He threw his hands out wide and walked back toward the door.
“No, you probably shouldn’t have,” she said. Her emotions were too high right now for her to have this conversation. She just wanted him to leave, so she could wallow in peace.
“But it was just a drunken mistake.”
“Garrett, please just leave. I can’t handle anything more right now,” she pleaded.
Garrett shook his head and walked through the doorway. Turning around to face her, he said, “I’m trying to do the right thing here, Devon.” Then, he walked out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
Devon gritted her teeth upon his exit. It wasn’t that she intentionally wanted to be angry with Garrett, but she was just too mentally exhausted. Between her growing feelings for Brennan, Reid’s persistence, and Garrett’s continual reminder of that night, she was too drained to deal with anything.
Devon quickly changed into her uniform and pulled out her phone to let Brennan know she would be a few minutes late. She clicked out of the new missed call from Reid and sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t likely stop anytime soon.
Another message flashed on the screen as she was deleting Reid’s call.
I’m going to be a few minutes late to work. Can’t wait to see you.
Brennan. Devon smiled.
She exited the screen and sighed. She missed him.
Staring down at her phone, she was full of frustration, doubt, and regret, and then she remembered that Reid didn’t know she was in Chicago. As long as he didn’t know, then she was safe from him. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him. She would deal with him in August when she was on more solid ground.
Chapter Twenty-Three - Natural and Easy
DEVON SHUFFLED INTO Jenn’s Restaurant a full fifteen minutes late. After her conversation with Garrett and those texts from Reid, she hadn’t been able to get herself together. The only way she had guaranteed she wouldn’t respond to Reid’s messages was to leave her phone at home. She had backtracked her steps and picked up her phone at least three times before tossing it back on her bed and leaving it there. The last thing she wanted to do was thumb through her messages at work while Brennan was around. They had too much to talk about tonight after work, and she didn’t want him to find out about Reid early.
She stood there as Jenn laid into her for being late. Devon wasn’t sure how many more times she could apologize before Jenn would give up and send her out on the floor.
“Alright, I will be more aware of the time from now on,” Devon said.
“That’s right, you will,” Jenn grumbled. “I need a drink.”
You’re not the only one, Devon thought.
“Brennan,” Jenn called, finally turning away from Devon, “I’m heading out and leaving you in charge. The morning rush has died down, so I think it should be smooth sailing for the rest of the day. If you need anything, call me.”
“Thanks, Jenn,” he said as she stormed out of the restaurant.
Brennan turned to Devon with a serious look on his face. “You were late.”
“So were you,” she said.
“But I didn’t get caught. So, don’t get caught next time,” he said, reaching out for her hand.
“Alright, boss. Is that all?” Her response was cheeky, but she couldn’t help it.
“I think Amy has the front covered for a bit.” He tilted his head toward the break room.
Devon smiled, feeling the weight of the morning drama lift off her shoulders. “I think she definitely has it taken care of,” she said, walking through the door.
Brennan looked around to make sure no one else was inside the room, not that it was a big restaurant with many employees or anything, and then he closed the door behind her.
His hands pushed up into her hair. Tilting her face up to his, he planted his lips down on hers. She gripped his shirt between her hands and pulled him closer to her. He tasted slightly of alcohol, and she became dizzy with his touch as if she had been the one drinking. He smelled good, fresh from a shower and she was glad that his scent wasn’t tainted with the smell of pot. Actually, she couldn’t remember the last time that smell had been on him.
Never breaking contact, Brennan walked her backward into one of the lockers, and their bodies melded together. It was all Devon could do to keep her mind focused on what they were doing instead of jumping a million steps ahead of where they were. She wasn’t succeeding.
Devon clawed at his shirt, untucking it, as she pressed her hands against his flat, toned stomach. The heat from his skin sent electricity coursing through her body, and the room suddenly felt stifling. Her mind couldn’t register a time she had ever wanted something this much. Maybe it was the knowledge that they were in a public place and could easily get caught, but mostly, she thought it was just Brennan.
He located the bottom of her skirt and hiked it up. Grasping her thigh in his hand, he pulled it up to wrap around his hip. Between kisses, her breath came out in short spurts as her hands roamed down to the hem of his jeans. Devon felt so rushed, so clumsy that she snapped the waistline of his boxers. Brennan grunted and pressed more firmly against her, like he had enjoyed it. She continued running her fingers lightly along the inside of his boxers, just enough to tease him.
“Belle,” he whispered, not pulling back but not moving forward.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice strained.
“We have to work,” he said, like it pained him.
“Yeah.” She would wait for him to make the first move.
“I can’t go out there like this,” he said, gesturing down.
Devon took the moment to look down, and when she saw what she did to him, her smile grew. “Maybe…I should go first.”
He swallowed. “Probably. I’m going to need time to calm down or else we’re going to need to finish.”
She preferred the second option, and it must have been clearly written all over her face because he groaned and pressed his forehead against hers.
“Belle, you can’t look at me like that.”
“I’ll, uh…just go,” she said, easing away from him.
Brennan grabbed her one last time, pulling her in for a slow kiss before releasing her. “You’re still coming to my place tonight, right?”
She smiled brightly. “Yeah, definitely.”
“Good.”
His eyes roamed her body as she backed away from him.
DEVON EXITED THE break room and made sure her clothes were in good enough condition before she went out onto the floor. Jenn was right; it was a pretty light crowd. Amy was having no trouble with the few people in the restaurant. Devon just figured it was slow because it was the weekend after the Fourth of July. Most people wouldn’t be able to travel two weekends in a row. Plus, the traffic from the sailboat race was concentrated in the morning and the evening. She would probably get a rush tonight.
“About f**king time,” Amy grumbled when Devon walked up. “Think you could be any later?”