For Auld Lang Syne (Navy Book 1)

Chapter 3

Josh had been away at college for two years by the time Devon was set to graduate, and many of the girls who had claimed to be her friends had fallen by the wayside in his absence. The few girls who had remained her friends had to have compared her to her beautiful and popular sister, so when Josh had come to her party that night looking handsome and dangerous it had made her year. He had remembered her and he had claimed that he had come just for her, but Devon knew, realistically, that there had to be another reason that he had come home and it was just a coincidence.

She had been dating a young man who was about Josh's age, and he had been at the party, but every time Devon had caught a glance of him that night he had been with Bree. Knowing how the evening was going to end, she had slunk off to the old treehouse at the back of their property and climbed up to the solitude above all of the action.

Devon was watching Bree flirt with the young man, whose name she couldn't remember now, and she cried. She cried, not because of the loss of the young man, but because her sister couldn't even let her have one night.

Josh, who knew her well, had found her and pulled her close like he always did. Devon cried on his shoulder. She cried for all of the other times she hadn't, she cried for the lack of attention, she cried because she couldn't be Bree.

Josh just held her and let her cry it out, remaining silent until her tears had subsided. As she calmed down she did what she usually did and made a joke of it all to hide her hurt, but he had stopped her. 

He had released her hair from its clip and watched as it fell around her face and shoulders. "You're beautiful Firefly. You, Devon Tatum, are gorgeous. Go figure out who you are and what you want, and then your sister will wish she was you if she doesn't already."

"Why would Bree wish she was me?" Devon had scoffed.

"Why would she keep stealing your boyfriends?" Josh countered.

"Because she likes to have what she thinks she can't" Devon shook her head at the thought that it could be more.

"Maybe," Josh had said, looking down at the party.

"Thank you for coming, I know you didn't come for just this." She motioned to the party below. "But it's nice that you said so."

"Your right, I didn't just come for your party, Firefly." He pushed her hair behind one of her ears before tracing her jaw and letting his finger trail over her lip.

Devon's heart was about to beat out of her chest. She had loved Josh forever, but he was off-limits, a family friend, like a brother, two years older than her, there were so many reasons.

She was mesmerized as he leaned in and took her lips with his.

He tasted divine, and Devon gave a little whimper as he deepened the kiss. She reached up and pushed her hands into his hair pulling him close, but it wasn't close enough. Josh pulled her down so that she was straddling him, and his hands were busy roaming her body as if memorizing her every curve. Devon had never been so far with a guy before, normally she would hesitate at this point, but all her foggy brain seemed to tell her to do was to follow his lead.

Devon was pushing into him, her body reacting before her brain could, and he picked her up and threw her onto her back, his hand sneaking up under her blouse. She had wrapped her legs tight around his waist still trying to pull him as close as she could.

"Devon!" Her mother's voice interrupted them.

They both froze, holding still until she had gone back inside.

Josh's gaze met hers, the spell was broken. He sat back on his heels his shirt open and his hair mussed. His eyes took in her appearance as she lay before him breathing heavily and flushed. "You're beyond lovely, Firefly. Go have fun, get away from here, live your life, not theirs." He adjusted his shirt then gave her a sweet smile before he turned and left.