Reasonably, Cash was sure they wouldn’t be interrupted. Any other rational thought fled as he turned his head, opening his mouth wider, letting Dev fully inside for the kiss. Instant pleasure-inducing tingles raced along his spine. He was home.
The word punishment bounced around his head, the only dark spot in the ravishing kiss that melted his heart and weakened his knees. Then those words were gone too. He wrapped Dev in his arms, taking everything offered and wanting to give the same in return.
His Devin.
Dev’s fingertips skimmed underneath the hem of his T-shirt, bringing it up his body. The trace of those fingers suggested a familiarity and intimacy, a path Dev had taken many times over. Cash better angled his head, only moving his lips from Dev’s seconds before the T-shirt tugged over his head.
With less finesse, Cash brought Dev’s long-sleeve shirt up, needing the skin on skin contact he craved the most. Dev didn’t help matters. He was on him, driving his tongue forward, deep inside Cash’s mouth. His heart eased as his arousal ramped up a notch. He needed them together this way. The raw chemistry they shared and the decadent way Dev handled him righted everything inside his world.
Cash continued his quest, lifting the shirt over Dev’s head, but the small buttons at the top of the Henley had no give. “Hold on. Don’t tear it. You don’t have that many warm clothes that you can destroy one.”
“Ha. Ha,” Dev said as Cash worked the buttons free with Dev’s arms stuck in the air. His biker’s pouty lips were exposed. They were perfectly formed, making him helpless to do anything more than bend in for a quick kiss. Dev followed his retreat blindly, searching for more, causing Cash to chuckle.
Oh man, his heart was happy again.
“I like the sound of your laugh. Even if it’s at my expense.” Patience wasn’t Dev’s virtue. He stretched the opening of the shirt and drew it over his head, tossing it away. “But I wanna play.”
“I like everything about you,” Cash whispered.
“Do you still?” Dev asked, serious.
“You know I do.” Cash dipped his head to continue the kiss, but this time Dev pulled away. Not by much but enough to keep him from his goal.
Dev’s arm locked around his waist as if Cash had dared to be the one to put distance between them. “Then stop bein’ mad at me for wantin’ to protect you.”
Reason was hard to navigate in the lust-filled haze clogging his thoughts. Especially when Dev’s hand slid into the waistband of Cash’s joggers, gripping his ass.
But the sincerity of Dev’s words and actions had Cash lifting both his palms to Dev’s cheeks, keeping eye contact as he tenderly swept the pads of his thumbs lightly over each cheekbone. “I’m not mad…We just continue to wind up in the same place. You disappearing. Me left behind, out of the loop. Each day that passes, these feelings I have for you grow… it all still feels very one-sided.”
“No, it’s not one-sided,” Dev argued. The fingers running along Cash’s crease paused.
“You sure about that?” Cash asked, too much doubt kept him from believing anything else.
“Yes,” Dev replied, his face growing angry. “Of course, I’m into you.”
“So, I ask again. No more secrets?”
“As long as it goes both ways, and you’re not gonna promise me that,” Dev said. “Even if you do say it, you aren’t gonna live by it.”
Cash’s head dropped between his shoulder blades. A heavy sigh released from deep inside his chest. His hands fell away from Dev’s face. The arm locked tighter around him, holding him flush against Dev’s hard body.
“Stop bein’ so fuckin’ dramatic. I’m gonna do what I have to do to keep us safe. Don’t fuckin’ ask me not to. You’ll be forcin’ me to lie.”
Seconds passed before Cash brought his head forward again and stared at Dev. He got lost in Dev’s blue gaze. A sweep of sandy blond hair fell onto Dev’s forehead. Regardless of the menacing skull and crossbones inked over Dev’s chest and neck, the man looked like a forbidden angel. Cash’s sweet guardian angel. He had dreamed of those eyes his entire life. Dev was beautiful. The most gorgeous man in the world and the thief of Cash’s heart.
Wasn’t that exactly how the devil worked? His beauty and charm were warned against for how effectively he drew people in and claimed their souls? His Devilman.
“I’m not punishing you. I needed time to process what you did…” Cash said. Dev’s strong fingers pressed against Cash’s mouth, stopping him from saying anything more.
“But you are punishin’ me,” Dev said. “You’re always patient and thoughtful with me. You care about me. You always care about me first. My voice matters to you…”
“None of that’s changed.” Cash’s arms betrayed his frustration, circling around Dev, holding him close. “But you can’t sneak off without me…”
“Like you, I’m gonna do what it takes to protect you. The government takes too long. My brothers act based on a simple assumption. I know that for fact. All they needed was my voice to plot against Cummings. You aren’t safe.” Dev restated the same argument he’d given several times now, for longer than only today. “If we’re in this together, then you need to hear me. Like, take the words into your hard head and understand them. If my brothers grab you, the government can’t get to you in time. I won’t be able to get to you in time. They may be a band of idiots, but they know mayhem.”
Cash didn’t want to continue this discussion. Potentially tomorrow, he’d have help, freeing him to do his job. No more wasting time.
“Kiss me,” Cash whispered huskily and brought his lips to Dev’s. The discussion ended, only raw emotion dictated his every move.
