Deviation (Deviate Series) (14 page)

Sleeping in separate rooms is a little comical considering we just had sex, but I refused to share a room with Angel. It just seemed totally inappropriate under his mother’s roof. Although she did laugh when I asked for a separate room
, she understood I was trying to respect her.

My body was
so alive after our sexcapade down by the lake. It was absolutely perfect. It was the way it should have been the first time, and every time after that. I can feel this link tying us together. It’s like I could pick him out anywhere. I know he’s a few rooms down from me, but it’s like I’m being pulled in his direction.

I look over at the clock and see
its only 8 o’clock. We ate take out with his mom for dinner, but when she retired to her room, Angel and I followed suit. I look around the room to see if there’s something I could occupy myself with but see nothing.

The room is much smaller than the one I have at Angel’s house. It’s almost an exact replica of the white room, except
, instead of all white furniture, it’s more rustic. It’s just as gorgeous, though, and the bed has an old quilt giving it a country feel. There’s also a wrought iron star within a circle hanging on the wall over the bed. The decorations in the rest of the room are pretty sparse. Deciding I might as well get ready for bed, I open the door and see the bathroom free. I grab my overnight bag and a pair of pajamas. I walk down the hall with my head down and run into someone.

“Oh my gosh
, I’m so sorry,” I rush out and look up into Angel’s smiling face.

“We really need to stop running into each other
, Nevaeh,” he laughs.

My face heats up and my body ignites into a million tiny sparks. I bite my lip to stop myself from saying or doing anything stupid. His eyes darken slightly as his hand reaches up to
my face, pulling my lip free from the torture my teeth were inflicting upon it.

“Would you like to take a walk with me
, beautiful?” his voice is low.

“Sure. Let me just put my stuff back real quick.”

He follows me back to the room, watches me place my stuff on the bed, and when I reach him, he takes my hand. The butterflies start taking flight in my abdomen with his simple touch. We make it outside and I’m speechless. The ranch was beautiful during the day in the sun but it holds nothing compared to the way it looks at night.

The moon is illuminating everything with this ethereal glow
, making it all appear stunning. We walk around the house toward the back, the piece of the grounds I haven’t seen yet. This morning when we had breakfast only part of the backyard was visible. There’s a swing set, a pool, and a gazebo. As we pass the gazebo, Angel grabs a blanket. I’m so mesmerized by the breathtaking beauty that when he tugs my hand down, I fall on top of him.

Laughing
, we both sit up to catch our breath. He moves me to sit in between his legs so I can lean against his chest. Angel shows me the different constellations in the sky until he can’t find anymore. I never realized how smart he actually is until this moment.

We lapse into this comfortable silence, bathed in the moonlight, and wrapped in each other’s arms. I couldn’t be happier than I am in this moment.

Angel shifts me so he can lie down and I curl into his side. My head rests over his heart and my heart matches the steady rhythm. All the different sounds of nature play a lullaby for us. I can see myself living on a ranch like this, kept away from all the temptations of the city.

It’s something to think
about…way later, down the line. I can tell he loves it here, too, his whole body feels at ease. I close my eyes, allowing my other senses to experience everything. Angel’s asleep. I can feel it in the steady rhythm of his heart beat and the way he’s breathing.

I turn slightly, to get more comfortable, and his arm
tightens around me, pulling me back into him. With a slight giggle, I relax back into him. I guess I’m sleeping outside.
I hope no bugs crawl all over us.
It’s the last thought I have before I feel the musical sound of Mother Nature lulling me to sleep.

I feel warmth on my face one moment and the next I’m being hit with water. Curling my face into Angel’s neck, the water hits my back and I let out a little scream. Damn
, that water is cold. Hearing my scream, Angel’s eyes pop open and survey the area.

When the sprinkler make
s its way back over to us, it hits him in the face this time. The look on his face is so priceless and it makes me double over in laughter. When I’m finally able to control myself, the incredulous look on his face causes a new set of giggles to begin.

I see his face change and a challenge is shining in his eyes. I narrow mine at him when I see him shift his weight like he’s about to take off running. I take off right into one of the sprinklers
and it soaks me even though I just passed through it quickly. I can hear his laughter getting closer, but since I’m already soaked, I make sure I hit every sprinkler around the yard.

It’s so tempting to turn around and see how soaked he is
, but I know if I do that I’ll fall down. I’m not the steadiest on my feet and throwing water into the mix is begging for disaster. I’m about to round the corner to head to the front of the house when arms circle me. I let out a little scream, surprised at being caught, and then I’m being lifted. He’s dragging me back to the center of the sprinklers as I’m wiggling, trying to break free of his grasp.

When he has me in the center and the water is hitting us from every possible direction, he sets my feet back on the ground, and turns me to face him. I look up at him and he has the biggest smile on his face. As hard as I try, I can’t fight my own smile. I bring my arms up and lock them together behind his head
and he locks his around my waist.

Staring into each other’s eyes has become second nature. It’s an automatic response when we are close to each other
. As I stretch to meet his lips, he bends down, and our lips touch. I will never get tired of kissing him. Each kiss is a different experience, eliciting different emotions consuming me entirely.

Before it can go
any further, I break away, leaving a very stunned Angel rooted in place. As I tip toe to my room, making sure I don’t leave puddles behind me, I hear Stacy giggling, and I freeze.

“I’ll clean up the wet spots as soon as I get some dry clothes on
, Stacy,” I say through an embarrassed smile.

“Oh
, don’t worry about that, dear. I would however get to your room before Angel makes it in here or you might not ever get dry,” she laughs.

I turn around to see him
almost making it to the door, and I take off toward my room. Wood floors and water don’t mix. I know this; I mean its common knowledge right? Well, in my haste, my brain forgot I was still dripping wet so when I tried to stop in front of my door, I continued down the hallway landing on my ass in front of Angel’s door.

I hear him laugh so I turn to glare at him. He’s walking toward me and when he reaches me, he picks me up. I figure he would just put me back on my feet, nope, I get thrown over his shoulder. He
opens the door and kicks it closed once we are in his room.

His room looks like
it belongs to a teenager. His mom must have kept it the same after he left. The only thing out of place is the bed. It’s still made of the same type of wood as the rest of the furniture, but it’s slightly different. The color is just a shade off. The walls are a navy blue and pinned with band posters.

It’s what you would assume a boy’s room would look like growing up, minus the clean
liness. I can see him as a kid in here. The thought makes me smile. His hands find the hem of my shirt and he pulls it over my head. The slight chill in the air causes me to shiver and goose pimples break out on my skin. He removes his shirt and then his pants. My eyes caress each and every piece of uncovered skin until they settle on his face. He steps closer to me and then unbuttons my shorts. They drop to my ankles and I step out of them.

Angel goes to his closet and tosses me one of his old t-shirts. I put it on and notice it’s from the team he played on in high school
, Friendship Tigers. I knew his body resulted from some sort of sport. He pulls on some dry boxers and then pulls me underneath the comforter on his bed.

Being this close to him with practically nothing on has my body reacting
in a way I’m still not used to. Our breathing is labored, but we won’t have sex. We both respect his mother, even though she probably thinks that’s what we’re doing right now.

“What do you want to do today?” he asks me.

“Umm, I’m not sure. Can we go see the horses today?” I ask a little too excited.

He chuckles at my enthusiasm,” Of course
, we can do whatever you want, beautiful.”

“Ok
ay, maybe a nap first because I’m enjoying this,” I laugh.

He kisses my forehead and pulls me
in tighter. I snuggle into him, entwining our legs, and sigh into his neck. His hand draws patterns on my hip, relaxing me.

A conversation I had with my mom once
, surfaces. We were talking about love. I don’t remember why, but I know I asked about how her and my dad loved each other, and if I’ll find that one day. She told me,
“Nevaeh, you’ll know when you found a love like me and your father when you’re lying in the guy’s arms and it feels like home. You can be anywhere, but when you’re wrapped in his arms you’ll feel safe and secure. It’s like nothing can go wrong as long as his arms are around you. That’s when you’ll know you found the guy for you.”

“Hey
, Angel?” I ask cautiously.

“Hmm?” he replies

“I know I’ve never talked about my family to you but I just remembered something my mom told me. I didn’t believe her then, but she was right,” I say on the verge of tears.

“Care to elaborate?” his voice is curious.

“Well, short version, I asked her if I’ll ever find love like her and my dad. She told me when I felt like I was home in someone’s arms, that’s when I found it, “I say.

“Okay?” his voice is cautious.

“I feel like I’m home when I’m with you, silly,” I laugh.

He lets out the breath he was holding
,” You had me worried there, beautiful. I thought you were going to tell me something else.”

I laugh. “Oh
, Angel, I love you and only you. Don’t you know that already?”

I kiss his neck and
snuggle back into my spot, closing my eyes tight. For the first time since I was 13, I found my home. It’s not going to be easy; it’s going to be damn hard. We’re going to fight, make up, fight some more, because we’re not perfect. But maybe, just maybe, we’re perfect for each other.

We all have paths we belong on. Some say
it’s written in the stars of our destiny. Are those people right…who knows? But I know this, whatever path was laid before me, I tripped, fell and deviated from it. I could have been lost forever if it wasn’t for Angel pulling me back. Like it says in that blue book on paths, maybe we are the echoes the book referred to and we are meant to save each other. I’m not sure I believe that one hundred percent, but if it means Angel and I stay together forever, bring on the Devine Destiny.

Angel

It’s Nevaeh’s 23
rd
birthday and we’re getting ready to head to the cemetery to visit her family. I’m anxious when I shouldn’t be, but the velvet box that’s tucked inside my jacket feels like a hundred pounds.

She’s absolutely beautiful as she stands in the kitchen
, rearranging the bouquet of flowers for the tenth time since we bought them last night. She’s standing there in a pink sundress, her blonde hair curling down her back, and her converse. Where any other girl would have heels or flip flops on, my girl sports converse or cowboy boots.

I s
mile at her when she looks my way, “You ready, beautiful?”

“Definitely. Let’s go.”
She hands one vase to me it while she grabs the other two.

On the drive to the cemetery we’re both silent. I know
it’s because we are remembering the last time we were here. I lost her that day, and by some miracle she was given back to me. She has this illusion that I’m the angel saving her, but she’s wrong. She saved me and she doesn’t even know it.

“Hey
, Neveah, do you think you can wait in the car for a minute when we get there? I want to say something to your family,” I ask, hoping my nervousness doesn’t show through my voice.

“Sure
, babe,” she says through a smile.

She pr
obably thinks I’m insane, but part of me thinks she might know what I’m up to. I can’t hide anything from her. Not since that week we spent up at mom’s house. We were together from then on, no going back.

We pull up by her family’s plots. I get out and take the vase for her dad while she waits in the car.

“Hey Mr. Rogers, I know this might seem crazy but Nevaeh is important to me. Important enough for me to talk to your headstone in hopes that you can hear me. Wow, I sound like a crazy person,” I say as I rub my face.

“I plan on asking her to marry me right here. I knew I loved her the moment I
saw her, and though I don’t deserve her, she makes me happy like no one ever has before and I hope I do the same for her. So with your blessing I would like to ask you for her hand in marriage,” I smile up to the sky.

I motion for Nevaeh to join me. She takes a moment to talk to each one of her family members. When she’s done she comes to stand by me. The cloudy day, though it’s still warm out, is b
roken by a beam of sunlight shi
ning down on us.

I look up and take this as my sign of acceptance. I get down on one knee and
turn Nevaeh to face me. Her eyes go wide when she sees my stance.

“Nevaeh, I love you more today than I did yesterday
, and I’ll love you more tomorrow than I do today. It’s been you since the first time we laid eyes on each other and I want it to be you until the day I take my last breath. Will you do me the greatest honor of being my wife and marry me?” Apprehension sneaks into my voice.

Her hand
covers her mouth and tears stream down her face. I pull out the velvet box and show her the ring that’s been passed down through my family. Its white gold with three princess cut diamonds.

“Yes! Oh my god
, yes!” she manages to say between sobs.

I place the ring on her finger
and kiss it. Then stand up and pick her up, spinning her around.

It’s not going to be easy for us
; we argue like crazy, make up passionately, and love even crazier. She’s everything I never knew I needed and everything I can’t live without. And now I won’t have to because she said yes.