Football and Fairy Tales

Chapter 20

Devin

"I heard you have good news today."

Her voice makes me pause. One of the mechanics grunts beneath me.

"She can wait, dude. Let's finish this oil change."

Scrambling, I get finished with what I'm doing and reach for the rag I have in my back pocket. Wiping my hands carefully, I close the hood and lock eyes with a dark-haired angel. My dark-haired angel. Shit, now I'm turning into a poet. Tad would love that while Rylan and Thomas would pick on me without restraint.

She holds up a note with a smile. "I got your message. Is this set to be a clandestine affair?"

Confused, I focus my attention on the way her face is flushing. "Okay so maybe that came out a little old fashioned."

Closing the distance between us, I lean down and kiss the tip of her nose. "No, I'm pretty sure I like that word. It sounds naughty."

"Depends on what your agenda holds."

Her cheeks blush further when I continue to stare at her, and I know what she's seeing.

"I'm not sure naughty is a strong enough word."

"We're not turning my garage into a scrabble game, Gibson," Ed yells. "Now get on out of here. It's quitting time for you."

He doesn't have to tell me twice. Usually, I'd use my free time to work on one of the custom cars in the back, but that was before I got distracted. Grabbing her hand, I pull her toward the back of the garage.

"Where are we going?"

"My apartment."

She pauses on the stoop outside when she looks up at the tiny building. Her nose scrunches in a way that makes me want to kiss it again. It's a strange obsession to have, but Dakota has one of the sexiest noses I've ever seen. It's perfect with just the right amount of curve. It's one of the characteristics that give her such a flawless natural look. I hate it when she wears make up, which thankfully isn't very often. It's something she must get from her hippie parents because I rarely see her mother wear it. Not that she needs it either. I can see why Mr. Hall fell in love with her. I understand where Dakota gets her beauty. Her dad is an intimidating figure too, all muscle and looks half his age. Put the two of them together and Dakota's gene pool was well invested.

"I thought you were living at home with your sister."

"I realized it wasn't much of a home."

I feel her eyes watching me when I unlock the door. She's looking for any signs I'm unhappy about it, but she won't find anything. I came to terms with me and my sister's relationship two weeks ago when I left. It's hard to believe I've been dating Dakota and yet we haven't gotten to see much of each other. She made a quick trip with her parents to Tennessee during Thanksgiving week while I stayed here and shared a meal with Mia, her son, Ed and his family. It was nice and for the first time in many holidays, I felt like I was home. Stepping up, I reach out and help her up the few stairs inside. Looking around, she releases a small gasp.

"Wow, Devin, this is beautiful."

"Thanks, but I can't take the credit for this one. Talia hopped in here after Thanksgiving dinner and declared my apartment needed to be christmatized."

A soft smile eases over her lips that cause the blood in my veins to go warm and my thoughts to wonder to other places it shouldn't.

"Christmatized. I like it. She's a smart girl."

Watching her walk around the tiny space makes me nervous. I'm not sure why. I haven't had a chance to put much out. There's a small picture of my parents by the bed and a couple of car magazines, but that's the extent of my interior design. The decorated Christmas tree and lights strung along the ceiling were Talia and Ed's doing.