“No,” Dev answered honestly, shaking his head. The clothes were fine, but Cash was never going to shake the good off. “No, you’re not gonna fit. You’ll see. Change and buy your shit.” Dev patted the stack of clothes on the counter. “It’s probably about twenty-five bucks. Could you hurry? I gotta go get my sled.”
Something close to a crestfallen look crossed Cash’s face. Those strong shoulders dropped a degree or two. He had no idea what the disappointment meant. What did the pretty boy even have to be disappointed about? He’d fucking won in every way. Even now, Dev had to fight the urge to drop to his knees and blow the guy with as sexy as he looked in those tight-fitting jeans.
That pissed Dev off too. He dismissed Cash, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. “Take off the tags before you change, I’ll pay.”
“No, I’ll pay,” Cash said as haughty as the King of England, then pivoted around, taking long strides back to the dressing room.
Fuck it, if it wasn’t just as nice to watch Cash leave as it was to watch him come. Come. Coming. Dev shook his head, trying to clear the image of Cash’s orgasm painting his belly as he unloaded in Cash’s ass. His cock hardened so fast it physically hurt.
Dev rolled his eyes then his shoulders, deciding to give this one to Cash. He left the store, going out to the sidewalk and pacing the length of the parking lot while he waited. He had to snuff out these feelings. Unload them.
He reached for his phone and palmed the device. Only then did he remember it was the new cell, the one given to him by the feds. Hate and anger seeped out of every pore in his body. He wanted to do nothing more than lash out in some violent way. His hand squeezed around the cell phone. He couldn’t even check on his kids without the entire federal government knowing what he was saying.
Fuck it. He had to get used to it. He missed Abi and Mae.
Desolation replaced the anger as he pulled his mother’s contact number up and pushedcall.
Chapter 27
Still reeling from the sweet, tender kiss, Cash tucked his wallet back into his slacks pocket and grabbed the large sack of new-to-him clothes. He reached for the supposedly used Doc Martens that he swore looked brand new. Dev hadn’t been far off on the price of all these clothes. After wearing nothing but thrift store goods for his young life, Cash had sworn he’d never buy another piece of used clothing. What a bad decision that had been.
He’d spent forty dollars and some change and had a week’s worth of outfits. Even better, this bag had caused Dev to kiss him as if he were the most irresistible man alive. He might not ever wear anything else again.
His heart searched for Dev before his gaze did. Between the overhead fluorescent lighting in the store and the darkness of night, Cash couldn’t see out the windows. He pushed through the front door and scanned the parking lot. He didn’t see Dev there either.
With a jiggle of the wrist, he turned his wristwatch so that he could see the time. It was half-past eight which meant they’d spent many hours inside the store, finding and trying on his new wardrobe.
His forward stride slowed as he spotted the outline of Dev’s body in the distance, just beyond his car. He paced back and forth, away from prying ears and eyes. He spoke quietly into the phone, seemingly unaware of Cash’s approach. Though Cash doubted that Dev was truly unaware, which meant they were back to Dev’s disdain and distance. Great.
It didn’t stop Cash from staring.Dev. Devilman. The handsome biker had worn his cut for the entirety of their day. He gave off the air of his well-chosen nickname. Nothing had changed in the man’s beauty except Cash might add the wordsmoothto the many adjectives used to describe Dev.
He wasn’t sure how a man who barked the wordfuckin every conceivable way could be considered effortlessly charming, but Dev pulled it off.
At the trunk, Cash put the boots down on the pavement and fished out his key fob. His gaze locked on Dev’s as he walked. Just that small stare caused him to fumble with the buttons on the fob.
Dev, with his long gait, took maybe ten steps one direction before he turned and returned on the same course. His natural strut, so full of fire, oozed swagger. Dev was comfortable in his own skin. What a fascinating trait.
And he voluntarily kissed me again.
Whether or not Dev wanted to believe it, that tender kiss was more than show for an irritable old lady’s comment. Their connection was undeniable.
How had they come together again? What space-time continuum mishap kept putting the two of them together?
He knew that answer before he spoke the question. Dev had saved his life. Now it was his turn to save Dev’s.
Why hadn’t Cash left college and come to Dallas to find Dev then? He always wanted to know more about the guy. Dev had stayed in his heart since he lay injured on the street, looking up into those compelling blue eyes, Dev begging him to hold on.
Fear, pain, and uncertainty had kept him away. Dev’s bigger than life persona was just as shiny back then as it was today.
Fate had tied them together. That was the only viable explanation to describe him being right there, right then.
He mashed the open-hatch button, drawing Dev’s gaze in his direction. His footsteps halted. They stared at one another. More than anything else, he found he wanted to bare both his head and his heart to this man. Make Dev understand why Cash was doing what he was doing.
If they worked this case carefully, Cash had the ability to save the entire family from the hurt headed their way.
If he and Dev could find a way to forge this path together...
If Dev stopped fighting and took a chance at trusting Cash, they could end this swiftly and go on with their lives.
