The Marriage Contract (20 page)

Devin lips
lifted to a smile as he dangled a room key from his fingers.  “I got the last
room.” 

Too relieved to
care about the details, she wasted no time following Devin upstairs to the
privacy of their room. 
Their one room.

* * *

Devin slumped
back on the goose down pillow to ease his throbbing head.  This wasn’t exactly
how he had envisioned spending this night alone with Cara.  In his dreams, he’d
pictured them deciding that being together was what they both wanted and Cara
tossing all this nonsense about just remaining friends aside.  He’d imagined a
moonlit night where they would sit on the balcony and sip champagne.  He’d lead
Cara to the four poster bed and carefully strip every stitch of clothing from
her body.  And they’d make love over and over again until the sun rose over the
bay.

Instead, he lay
on the bed as if he’d been bowled over by a bulldozer.  Cara sat in a wing
chair by the fireplace with her legs draped over the armrest.  There was no
romantic fire lit and no champagne chilling in an ice filled urn.  She stared
into oblivion as if she were deep in thought, her expression clouded and
unreadable. 

If she were
truly happy with her relationship with Roger, Devin would never attempt to come
between them.  Except, deep down he knew in his gut that she wasn't.   

More than a few
times he’d looked at her during the day, only to find that she’d been gazing at
him.  He'd wondered what she thinking.  Wondered if the memory of their kiss on
the beach still haunted her the way it did him.  Is that what she was thinking
about now?

Lord, he hoped
so.  He couldn’t stand to think of being in this alone.

His mission was
clear.  This was his last chance to make Cara see that he was the man to be
holding her each night and nuzzling her each morning.  Labor Day was only a few
days away.  After that, Cara was sure to go back to her life in Boston. 
Without him.  He couldn’t let that happen without her knowing exactly how he
felt.  

There was still
so much to tell Cara.  Not the least of which was his plan to move back to
Westport for good.  But there was still time to talk about all of that.  First,
he needed to know if she’d have him at all. 

Cara forced
herself from the wing chair she'd been slumped in and padded to the French
doors leading to the balcony.  It was raining, she realized, when she heard the
rhythmic cadence of drops on the window panes.  Neither the heavy rain nor the
ceiling fan could assuage the humidity.  There was no thunder or lightning
anywhere, except deep in her heart.

She thought
about telling Devin about Roger's marriage proposal.  She hadn’t thought about
it all day, and she didn’t want to.  Today she'd been too happy being with
Devin today to allow any of the uncertainty plaguing her to intrude. 

It was easy
during their day together.  Being with Devin was easy.  Of course, that was
when she thought they were going home to their own separate beds, not nestled
in a quaint island Inn on a stormy night with only one bed.  The unbidden
feelings for Devin she’d tried to push aside all day had found a welcome home
in this cozy room.  She couldn’t push past them any longer.

The sound of
the rain dancing on the window pane was surreal, almost whispering to her to
reach out to Devin.  You love Devin.  Turn around and tell him you love him.  I
love you, Devin.

The creak of
the mattress caused her to angle back and look at him.  God, he looked so good
leaning up in bed, propped up on his elbow.  The crisp white pillow case glowed
against his tanned skin, golden bronze from their day in the sun.  She could
almost feel the hard lines of his chest beneath her palm, the swirls of his
chest hairs tickling her fingers.

Devin swung his
long legs over the side until they hit the floor.  His smoldering gaze captured
her eyes and waged a war of emotions inside her. 

“Does your head
still hurt as bad?” she asked softly.

“The aspirin
finally kicked in.” 

She noticed the
tension lines on his face had smoothed.  She'd been so frightened seeing him
lying on the ground... “What you said back at the hospital, about being my next
of kin.  Why did you say that?”

She took a
quick breath and thought a minute.  She hadn't given it any thought at all at
the hospital.  “I don't know.  The nurse asked and I just said it.”

He swallowed
visibly.  “After all these years, you think of me as your family.” 

She frowned. 
“Of course.  It's impossible for me to think of you any other way.”

“Me, too.  I
think I’ve always thought of you and Westport as my real home.”  He inhaled a
deep breath, expanding his chest.  “I've decided not to go back to Manhattan,
Cara.”

Her eyes
widened in disbelief.  “Law, too?”

He shook his
head.  “The firm, yes.  But not Law completely.  I still don’t know what I’ll
do.  Maybe I’ll teach some classes.  Maybe just take on the cases I believe in
when it feels right.  I’ve got time to decide.”

She puffed her
cheeks, trying to comprehend this new revelation, this new Devin.  

He absorbed the
space between them, but didn’t touch her.  For that she was glad.  She didn’t
know how much control she had left.

Planting his
hands deep in his pockets, he asked, “Do you remember my father?”

Regret tugged
at her heart.  “Not much.”

“Unfortunately,
neither do I.  Except for that last summer before he died, I never really saw
him.  He was always working on some project.  Something that always kept his
from coming away with us for the summer or being there for anything that was
important in my childhood.”

He sighed
heavily, seeing the pattern he learned early on had paved the way for him to
follow.

“I don’t want
that, Cara.  When I have children, I want to be there to watch them grow and
help them achieve all they can.  Or be there to brush off their knee when they
stumble and fall.  I want them to know me.  That’ll never happen if I stay on
the track I’ve been running.  My father was a good man, but I never knew him. 
We never shared much of anything.  I don’t want to wake up some day and realize
the best part of my life was lived without me.”

Cara didn’t say
a word.  She turned toward the sparkled drops of water running down the window.

 “This time
away has done me a lot of good.  I don’t want to play the game by their rules
anymore.  I want to live by mine.”

Her knees went
weak with his touch as he gently tugged at the hair band holding her ponytail
in place.  With long lingering strokes, he combed his fingers through her hair,
sending shivers down her spine.  She leaned with her back against his chest and
felt the energy sizzle between them.  She didn’t have to look at Devin to know
what she’d see.  She could feel it.  Inside she was dying, thinking about what
could be.  And wanting it just as much.

“Mia, Cara.” 
He breathed her name in a voice that was mysterious, seductive, calling out to
her in words that weren’t spoken.

 She couldn’t
breathe.  She couldn’t think.  Cara had foolishly thought that this time with
Devin would help make all the craziness of her life seem clearer.  What a
joke!  After that night on the beach, she didn’t think anything could rattle
her.  But she was wrong.  Just being with Devin was enough to make her entire
body shudder like ice in a crystal glass.

“It would be so
easy for us to make love, Devin,” she said, pressing her forehead against the
glass, the cold pane sending a chill through her hot skin.  “But what then?”

His deep
rumbling chuckle enveloped her from behind as he hooked his arms around her. 
“We’d be a real family.  A house, kids, the whole deal.  We’d make an awesome
team, don’t you think?”

Devin’s words
echoed in her head.  We’d make an awesome team.  We’d be a real family.  God,
how she loved the idea of being with Devin.  Making babies with him.  Making love
with him.

This change
that had come over him was so drastic.  Could he really be happy not driving
himself in his career?  Could she?    

It all sounded
so wonder now.  It always did in the beginning.  But after a time, Devin would
put his career before hers and expect her to choose between family and her
career.  Just like her Louise.  Just like her mother.  

It would be
easy, so easy to fall into bed with him and give in to the passion that was
consuming her.  And making love with Devin would be great.  No doubt about it. 
But it would change everything.  And what would be the cost?

Their
friendship, her mind told her.  They’d lost it once because of ambition and
drive.  If they took this step forward, there’d be no going back.  They’d be
lovers, not just friends.  If it didn’t work out, they could never go back to
the friendship they'd had.

Devin's face
was drawn when she pulled out of his embrace.  Her own arms felt as if she’d
ripped them from her body.   

“Is that what
you really want?  I mean really?”

“Yes.”

“How can you be
so sure?  So much has changed for us in these last few days.”

He inhaled and
pushed his fingers through his hair.  “I know it sounds crazy.  Two or three
months ago I’d have laughed in your face if you suggested my leaving the firm,
wanting to have a family.” 

He reached out
and placed both of his hands on her cheeks and kissed her softly on the lips. 
The room spun around them.  “When I’m with you, I feel more like myself than I
ever felt in Manhattan.  Every friend I had in the city held a knife to my
back, waiting for me to make one mistake so they could move in for the kill.  I
don’t have to watch my back when I’m with you.  I don’t want to play that game
anymore.  I want what’s good and real.  I want you, Cara.”

The knot in her
chest slipped free.  She trembled beneath his touch.  “The way you say it, it
all makes sense.” 

A tide of
emotion rolled over her.  Devin pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth
with his.  She devoured his kiss, grazing her tongue against his lip until he
opened up to her.  If she’d ever wanted to fight this passion that had been
building in them, she suddenly couldn’t remember why.  In her mind, all she
could think of was how every moment before was meant to lead up to this one
moment when she and Devin would finally give their love to each other fully.

Her hands had a
mind of their own.  She pulled and yanked at his shirt, until it was off him
and she was free to bury her fingers in the dark matte of his chest hair.  His
muscles grew taut beneath her touch and she reveled in his response, wanting
more of it. 

She’d dreamed
of being in Devin’s arms, of how hot and strong he'd feel, making love until
he’d possessed every ounce of her soul.  And there she was, with Devin,
plunging into the fire he’d ignited, burning with each stroke of his hands.

He stepped back
and dropped to the bed, bringing her with him.  Cara straddled him, kissing,
tasting him as if she couldn’t get enough.  With one quick motion, she pulled
her T-shirt over her head.  Her bra followed just as quickly, and then her
upper body was bare.  As much as she longed to reach forward and feel Devin’s
burning skin against her breast, she forced herself to hold back, allowing him
to take pleasure in seeing her. 

His chest
heaved as his eyes raked over breasts, inflaming her senses.  Lord, she would
never forget the hunger in his eyes, or the pure love she found there.

“I want you,
too, Devin,” she whispered, choking back a sob filled with emotion.  “I want to
make lo-”

 He rolled over
her, kissing her like a starved man who'd finally found repast, searching,
withdrawing over and over until a soft moan crept up her throat.  He kissed her
there, where the sweet sounds of her desire cried out.  He made a trail of
moist kisses down her neck, her shoulders, until he reached her heaving
breast.  He lingered there, taking pleasure with his mouth, driving her insane
in the process.      

The barrier
made by the remainder of their clothes did nothing to hide his hard arousal
pressing against her thigh.  She swore she heard him curse as he pulled his
mouth away and began grappling with the belt on his denim shorts.  She took
that moment to free herself of the rest of her clothes, kicking them to the
floor. 

And then they
were gloriously naked, stripped of clothes and naked with raw emotion.  With
each lingering gaze, and cry of building passion, their feelings were crystal
clear.  It was as if a sheet had been pulled over their heads for seventeen
years and only now, as they found fulfillment in each other’s arms, was it
lifted.

Devin ran his
hand down the outside of her leg and worked his way back up the inside of her
thigh.  His fingers gently worked the soft moist spot at the apex of her legs
with chilling expertise.  Tossing her head back, she lifted her hips higher
into his hand until his urgent massage made her cry out in delight. 

She opened up
to him, unable to bear the aching need building inside her.  Wrapping her legs
around him, she stroked him with the same urgency he’d created in her until his
breathing became rough.  Still, he held himself back from entering her, as if
to leave no doubt in her mind he cherished every inch of her being.  And so,
the give and take of pleasure ensued in an erotic dance of touching, stroking,
tasting of flesh until both were on the brink of losing control.

He entered her,
slowly first, as if hanging on to the tiniest thread of control.  As she gazed
into Devin’s dark eyes, a hint of a smile played on his lips.  She was his and
he loved that fact.  Trembling in his arms, she gave herself up to him and he
drove himself inside her as deep as her body would allow.  His chest heaved
with every thrust and stroke.  Digging her fingers into his hard shoulders, she
held on and they rode the flame of passion bringing them higher and higher.