forgotten. Her face was pressed against his now, and she found herself doing something she never normally did: looking right into his eyes while he made love to her.
Before long, despite his best efforts at restraint, Devon felt his orgasm building.
“Oh, God,” he moaned, looking almost in pain as he bit into her shoulder and came deep inside her. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold it. I…shit, Honor, what’s wrong?”
Opening his eyes, he saw tears streaming down her face. Still inside her, he sat up and wrapped both arms around her.
“Shhhh,” he whispered, gently stroking her hair as her sobs became stronger and more violent. “What is it, my darling? What’s the matter? Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, wiping the tears away almost angrily with the back of her hand.
“No,” she said. “You were fine. You were lovely. You are lovely. I didn’t…” She was still struggling to get her breath, she’dbeen crying so hard, and was obviously having trouble getting the words out. “I didn’t want you to see it.”
“See what?” he said gently.
“How much I love you.” Biting down on her trembling lower lip, she looked like a lost and frightened little girl. Devon felt a surge of love and protectiveness flood over him, tinged with the slightly less noble feeling of triumph. “How much I don’t want you to go away from me. Ever.”
It all came out then: the feelings she’d tried so hard to hide from him yesterday, Tina’s phone call, her deep, profound unhappiness about her father and his continued refusal to see her.
“It’s OK, baby.” Holding her, he listened patiently while all the stress of the past months came pouring out.
“No,” Honor shook her head again. “It’s not. It’s not OK, Devon. Palmers is a mess. I thought I could just come in here and fix everything, but I can’t. It’s going to take years, and the whole town’s against me. They all think I ripped Dad off.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” said Devon, who knew that it was but didn’t want to hurt her. If anything, the East Hampton gossips were even more small-minded and belligerent than their Boston counterparts.
“It is true!” Honor wailed. “And now you’re leaving me, and I need you, and I don’t want to need you; I don’t want to need anyone.”
“Shhh.” He stopped her with a kiss. “I need you too. I do. And I’m not leaving you. I have to go back home, but I’m gonna get out here to see you. Regularly.”
“But how?” Try as she might she couldn’t seem to stop her bottom lip from wobbling again. What was she, six? “You have a job. You have a wife, a family, a whole life in Boston. And I have Palmers. I can’t leave.”
“I know,” he said. “I know all that. But you just have to trust me. We’ll find a way. I know your old man let you down and you’ve had to learn to deal with everything, with Palmers andyour sister and all this shit on your own. But those days are gone now, Honor. You have me. You’ll always have me, I promise.”
He sounded so strong and so reassuring she longed to believe him.
“Now get dressed, and get on the phone,” he said, pulling her up to her feet. “Whatever you have on your schedule today, cancel it.”
Honor was about to protest, but he held up his hand for silence, and for some reason she found herself complying.
“Tell people you have the flu. Tell them whatever you want,” he said. “But for the next six hours, you’re mine and mine alone.”
“OK.” She smiled. “But we can’t spend the whole time…you know.”
“Fucking?” Devon laughed.
“I mean it,” said Honor. “I really need your advice about Palmers. Legal advice. The surveyors handed in their structural report last night, and it’s pretty grim reading.”
“You want to spend our last hours together going over a surveyors’ report?” He looked at her incredulously, then shook his head. “You love me, but you love Palmers more, right?”
Honor
Before long, despite his best efforts at restraint, Devon felt his orgasm building.
“Oh, God,” he moaned, looking almost in pain as he bit into her shoulder and came deep inside her. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold it. I…shit, Honor, what’s wrong?”
Opening his eyes, he saw tears streaming down her face. Still inside her, he sat up and wrapped both arms around her.
“Shhhh,” he whispered, gently stroking her hair as her sobs became stronger and more violent. “What is it, my darling? What’s the matter? Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, wiping the tears away almost angrily with the back of her hand.
“No,” she said. “You were fine. You were lovely. You are lovely. I didn’t…” She was still struggling to get her breath, she’dbeen crying so hard, and was obviously having trouble getting the words out. “I didn’t want you to see it.”
“See what?” he said gently.
“How much I love you.” Biting down on her trembling lower lip, she looked like a lost and frightened little girl. Devon felt a surge of love and protectiveness flood over him, tinged with the slightly less noble feeling of triumph. “How much I don’t want you to go away from me. Ever.”
It all came out then: the feelings she’d tried so hard to hide from him yesterday, Tina’s phone call, her deep, profound unhappiness about her father and his continued refusal to see her.
“It’s OK, baby.” Holding her, he listened patiently while all the stress of the past months came pouring out.
“No,” Honor shook her head again. “It’s not. It’s not OK, Devon. Palmers is a mess. I thought I could just come in here and fix everything, but I can’t. It’s going to take years, and the whole town’s against me. They all think I ripped Dad off.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” said Devon, who knew that it was but didn’t want to hurt her. If anything, the East Hampton gossips were even more small-minded and belligerent than their Boston counterparts.
“It is true!” Honor wailed. “And now you’re leaving me, and I need you, and I don’t want to need you; I don’t want to need anyone.”
“Shhh.” He stopped her with a kiss. “I need you too. I do. And I’m not leaving you. I have to go back home, but I’m gonna get out here to see you. Regularly.”
“But how?” Try as she might she couldn’t seem to stop her bottom lip from wobbling again. What was she, six? “You have a job. You have a wife, a family, a whole life in Boston. And I have Palmers. I can’t leave.”
“I know,” he said. “I know all that. But you just have to trust me. We’ll find a way. I know your old man let you down and you’ve had to learn to deal with everything, with Palmers andyour sister and all this shit on your own. But those days are gone now, Honor. You have me. You’ll always have me, I promise.”
He sounded so strong and so reassuring she longed to believe him.
“Now get dressed, and get on the phone,” he said, pulling her up to her feet. “Whatever you have on your schedule today, cancel it.”
Honor was about to protest, but he held up his hand for silence, and for some reason she found herself complying.
“Tell people you have the flu. Tell them whatever you want,” he said. “But for the next six hours, you’re mine and mine alone.”
“OK.” She smiled. “But we can’t spend the whole time…you know.”
“Fucking?” Devon laughed.
“I mean it,” said Honor. “I really need your advice about Palmers. Legal advice. The surveyors handed in their structural report last night, and it’s pretty grim reading.”
“You want to spend our last hours together going over a surveyors’ report?” He looked at her incredulously, then shook his head. “You love me, but you love Palmers more, right?”
Honor
Similar Books
