Devi's Bliss: Bools 1-3 Read online

  “How ’bout a little patience? And some trust.” He glanced at her, reaching for her hand. She tolerated his fingers around hers, but didn’t return the grasp. Nor did she look his way.

  “I get it. You’re giving me the cold shoulder.” His shook his head.

  “How would you feel if I went to your boss to have a private conversation about your social life?”

  She stole a look at him, wearing her best bitch face. Her resolve was withering as she considered his stop-you-in-your tracks square jaw covered in man stubble. A prickling heat spread from her chest to her face. To hide it, she cracked open the window for some cool air.

  “I can see your point,” Dalt said. “And I apologize. I didn’t realize it would upset you. I’m sorry I didn’t consult you first.”

  Might as well make him work for it.

  “That’s bullshit, Dalt.”

  “I made a mistake.”

  She let her ticked-off expression thaw a negligible amount. It was not easy to stay mad at someone so contrite. She intended to make it clear she could handle her own affairs and did not need anybody, including him, butting in.

  After exiting the freeway and climbing past the eucalyptus-lined exits for Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais, the Tesla began its descent down the twisting cliff-hugging road to Stinson Beach. The Pacific Ocean glittered in the last of the day’s sun, and Noelle glimpsed the famed Farallon Islands twenty miles out to sea as well as a small cluster of fishing boats closing up their day’s catch.

  When they arrived at the beach, they slowed to the required twenty miles per hour as they passed a weathered Welcome to Stinson Beach sign. Something about the scruffy little town always seemed so festive to her. Cafes and diners, surf shops, and funky boutiques selling seashells, crystals, handmade soaps, and a variety of marijuana-related paraphernalia dotted the two blocks that made Stinson’s commercial district.

  “This is where I’d like to open my tavern one day.” She stared out the car windows with longing. “I’ve always loved Stinson. It’s charming in such an unpretentious way.” She gestured toward the end of the block. “There are a couple small buildings just up here that I’ve admired forever. They’d be so great.”

  “Yeah? When do you hope to open something? Do you have a timeframe in mind?”

  “If all goes according to plan, I might be able to do something in a couple years. I just need to keep Mikey out of trouble. That kid could bleed me dry.” Hikers, bikers, surfers, and families filled the narrow streets absent any sidewalks, slowing traffic to a crawl. Noelle’s spirits lightened, easing away some of her earlier testiness.

  Dalt maneuvered the Tesla through the pedestrians and traffic, progressing no faster than those on foot. He pulled over to the side of the road at the end of the commercial district. He put the car in park and turned to her. “What would you say to opening your place before then? Compress that timeframe a bit?”

  “No, there’s no way I could do that, much as I would like. Why do you ask?”

  “Come with me.” He got out and walked around the car to Noelle’s door.

  Taking her hand, he led her a few yards down the street and stopped. Placing his hands on her shoulders he turned her to face a small, craftsman-style house. It was in fine shape, but given the overgrowth of the landscaping, seemed to have been vacant for a while.

  “Let’s check this place out.” He headed up the front walk.

  “What? Why?” she asked, scrambling to keep up with him on the walkway to a front stoop and porch framed by big blocky pillars and a gabled roof. The place needed some serious green-thumbed elbow grease, but what potential! They ducked under wisteria tendrils that seemed planted to ward off trespassers.

  She gasped when he pushed a key in the lock of a massive wood door. Lowering her voice to avoid attention from passersby, she asked, “How’d you get a key to this place?”

  It’s not breaking in if you use a key, right?

  “I’m not sure you should go in there, Dalt,” she continued, her chest tightening.

  But he disappeared inside before she finished expressing her concern. Heading to the doorway, she looked around to see if anyone from the street was watching. She wasn’t about to risk trouble just because some guy thought he could go anywhere he wanted. She stepped inside only when she was convinced no one was paying them any attention.

  And when she did, she gasped.

  With the sun low on the horizon, the last of the day’s light streamed through the house’s windows and open door, cascading through a room that was the width of the house. The wide-planked floor and stone fireplace offered a coziness that would surely take the bite off the chilliest of winter evenings. Beveled glass fronted the built-in bookcases and enormous hutch, and French doors opened to a small, clean, commercial kitchen. From where she stood, the warmth she’d been seeking all her life seemed to be right before her.

  But most breathtaking of all was an assortment of wildflowers stuffed into a variety of vases, jars, and bottles that infused the little house with life. Twinkling string lights crisscrossed the ceiling, and a table in a far corner held a chilling bottle of champagne and two flutes.

  Noelle whirled to face Dalt. “What’s going on here? What is this place?”

  He looked around the room and at a certain angle the sun lit the determined expression on his face.

  “This place, if you like it, is yours.” His lips pressed together and he waited.

  “What?” she repeated, unable to spit out anything more.

  “I rounded up some friends looking for an investment.” He approached her with champagne. “We want to bet our money on you. This is an old historic house turned restaurant. It’s been available for a few weeks, and because I think it could be snapped up quickly, I jumped on it.”

  “Are you kidding? What?” She wordlessly accepted her champagne as her brows knit together.

  Is this a joke?

  He strode through the room, pointing as he explained, “I can picture a comfy sofa and a couple armchairs facing a roaring fire over here. Some round dining tables there. A booth or two in the corner…”

  “Dalt, no. I can’t accept this,” she said, looking around. Her heart softened at his gesture, but it was too much.

  He set his champagne on the mantel and put his hands on either side of her face. “I’ve been trying to tell you I believe in you, and I’d be proud to call you my business partner. Can you see what we could do with this place?” He pressed his forehead to hers.

  Moments passed and she grappled with dizziness. A thousand scenarios fast-forwarded through her head like a screaming freight train, leaving her in a speechless knot of confusion. But just as quickly, the clouds in her mind parted, leaving her with a clarity she’d been too afraid to hope for.

  I am not my mom. Dalt is not my dad.

  Her eyes drifted up to his with a silent thank you and she nodded.

  Rising to her toes to kiss him, the sensation from her dreams returned as their lips touched, the haunting sense of pure happiness and contentment. It ran through her like a jolt of electricity, breaking through the clouds in her head.

  Oh god. It’s back.

  But this time, she wasn’t afraid of it.

  “Wait here.” Dalt released her and disappeared into the kitchen.

  With a moment to look around as the last bit of setting sun flooded the room, she marveled at earthy wildflowers and wondered how he had set it all up.

  When he returned, he grabbed the champagne glass and bottle in one hand and took her hand in the other, leading her through the kitchen up a narrow stairway. He stopped in front of the first door at the landing and nodded for her to go ahead.

  How the hell did he pull this off?

  She entered a room with a steeply pitched ceiling. It was illuminated by a dozen votive candles, and the floor was covered in soft fur throws and rose petals. Hundreds of rose petals. Noelle had never smelled anything so heavenly, and she wanted to roll in them until her skin ab
sorbed their bouquet.

  A smart, kind, good-looking guy who believes in me. Is that lucky or what?

  “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.

  “Say nothing.” Dalt smoothed wisps of hair away from her face and bent to kiss her.

  She pressed her hands to his chest and backed him against the wall. He complied, wearing an amused smile.

  “I know I haven’t made it easy for you. In all honesty, I probably still won’t make it easy for you. But I like how you keep coming around.” She leaned in for a nibble of his neck.

  He laughed. “Well, you were pretty close to chasing me off a couple times. But I thought I might be able to wear you down if I kept at it long enough.”

  “Guess what I’m going to do to you now,” she asked him.

  “I can’t imagine.”

  The tiny crinkles at the corners of his smiling eyes made Noelle ache to her core, and she could no longer hold back. She smoothed her lips over Dalt’s chest where the V of his shirt exposed his skin and took deep breaths of his scent.

  Damn, does he smell good.

  She dipped a finger in her champagne and then put it in her mouth, licking and sucking.

  “Whoa, this is good stuff. She dabbed a droplet of it on the tip of his nose.

  “Hey now, you could get spanked for less than that.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.” She giggled, rubbing champagne over his bottom lip.

  “Okay, okay.” He grinned. “I see where we’re going with this. Miss Soon-to-be-Tavern-Owner is going to show me how much she likes champagne.” He dipped his finger in her glass and held it in front of her face. “See this? I want you to lick it very slowly and very carefully.” He wiggled it against her mouth.

  She parted her lips just enough to admit his finger. At first, she played with only the tip, swirling her tongue around it, enjoying the taste, and relishing Dalt’s eyes on her sexy show.

  Then she surpassed the tip and took the entire finger into her mouth. She wanted every bit of it and closed her eyes as she swallowed.

  “Mmmmm,” she said with a full mouth.

  He extracted his finger and returned with more champagne.

  “Yum. Gimme that,” she said, opening her mouth just enough to let her tongue rest between her teeth. Dalt dribbled some of the champagne onto her bottom lip, letting it run down her chin and to the front of her dress. She licked her lips with greed, savoring the tang.

  “Say please,” he demanded.

  “All right. Please.”

  His finger entered her mouth again in a subtle thrusting motion, and she closed her eyes again to taste him. While rhythmically sucking, she felt a cool breeze as the hem of her shirt lifted over her ass and up to her waist.

  “Keep sucking,” he said, the air vibrating with his energy.

  Her blouse spilled off her shoulders and she reached back to flick her bra clasp open, freeing her breasts. Dalt bent to run his tongue over her warm skin and gently pulled a hypersensitive nipple between his teeth. She gasped as he went back and forth between her nipples, taking all he could in his mouth and then releasing everything but her rigid point, electrifying her with hard-soft, pleasure-pain sensations.

  Despite her distraction, she found his fly and his engorged but compressed cock. She undid his belt and paused to caress him through his still-zipped jeans. She looked into his eyes, rubbing his long shaft with her palm. As she touched her lips to his, she found he still tasted like champagne but somehow finer.

  She leaned toward his ear. “I have something for you, baby.”

  In a flash, his fly was down and she sank to her knees, freeing his cock from his jeans. She admired it as if seeing it for the first time and alternated between stroking his length and smoothing her hand over the sensitive head. As she worked him, he grew still harder, and his breath developed into something course and raspy.

  She looked up and met his gaze. Her hunger for him had her pussy throbbing, and now it was beyond intense. Without touching it, she knew her clit was hard and swollen and every brush of her panties over it caused her to shudder. A wet stickiness seeped through the fabric and down the inside of her thighs.

  She lowered her mouth, taking all but the last couple inches of his rigid cock. With a deep breath, she did her best to swallow and then released him to catch her breath. He reached back against the wall for balance.

  With her mouth full, she put one hand on his ass to pull him closer. The other searched underneath his shaft to stroke his balls. As she freed them completely from the tangle of blue jeans and boxers, he groaned.

  She glanced up at his half-closed eyes. Pulling him out of her mouth, she kissed her way down his shaft, lowering her focus to his sac, taking him in her mouth.

  “Oh god, baby,” he murmured, “You’re fucking beautiful. Did you know that?”

  She smiled up at him and turned back to his tightening balls. She ran her tongue over and around them, gradually pulling as much as she could fit into her mouth. She sucked, giving them a hard tug.

  “Fuck, baby!” he growled, his breath coming faster. His mumblings were incoherent to them both.

  She reached between her own legs with her free hand, rubbing herself through her silky thong. Sliding the crotch aside, she ran her fingers over her swollen pussy—first the outer lips and then within. She went to the source of her wetness, dipped a finger inside it, and dragged the moisture up to her clit.

  As his breath quickened, his moans became huskier. Noelle felt him at his edge as he stiffened.

  “That’s it, play with your pussy, baby.”

  She sucked him harder, moving from his balls, to his cock, and back again.

  He began to roar. “Fuck, baby, fuck, you’re making me come.”

  She felt the pulse of an orgasm along his shaft and directed his cock to her chest as she watched his sweet explosion. Her breasts were left slick with cum, and she pumped him until he stopped. When his was done, but still shuddering, Noelle placed her mouth back over him to taste his last few drops, licking him as clean as she had his finger earlier.

  Dalt’s knees nearly buckled as he lowered himself to the floor to embrace her. They spread out on the fur throws, shaking as they held each other. The last of the flickering candle flames danced across the room, and as they dozed, the candles slowly burnt out.

  Chapter 6

  Daylight streamed through the room’s east-facing windows, smacking Noelle across her sleeping face. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around the room.

  Whoa. What time is it?

  She found herself wrapped in Dalt’s limbs, her hair splayed across them both. Her slight movement stirred him, and he reached to kiss her neck. The fur throw-covered floor did not make for the best sleeping arrangement, but given the events of the evening, they’d slept hard. As Dalt shifted, rose petals clung to his bare skin, and Noelle reached to peel off the ones she could reach. She initially recalled only small snippets of the evening, not because she’d had too much to drink or had forgotten anything, but because their connection had been so intoxicating.

  Noelle turned toward him, snuggling into his shoulder.

  He pressed his lips against her forehead as his eyes remained closed. “I’m not ready to wake up yet,” he murmured.

  A phone rang in the distance, and she realized it hadn’t been only the sunshine that had awoken her. Where had she left her phone?

  She wriggled out of Dalt’s arm and sat up, rose petals clinging to her skin, too.

  “I need to get my cell.” Her phone continued to ring as she leaned against the wall for balance after standing up too fast. “Whoa. I have a little headache.”

  “I bet you do.” Dalt smiled as his eyes ran over her naked body. “Too much champagne?”

  “Something like that.” She sighed as she gingerly descended the narrow staircase to locate her phone.

  She passed through the kitchen to the front room. In the filtered morning light, the colors were more muted and the wildflo
wers a little droopy, but the room was just as enchanting as it had been the evening before.

  “Hello?” she said, after she’d found her phone where she’d dropped her things hours earlier.

  “Noelle? Where are you?”

  It was her boss Devi, and her speech was strange—fast and breathless.

  “I’m in Stinson Beach. Why? Is something wrong?” Noelle said, struck by her boss’s tone. Devi never lost her cool. In fact, she was infamous for her grouchy and unflappable demeanor.

  Had something happened to Mikey? Oh god…

  “Noelle. We need you. Can you come right away?”

  “Of course, Devi, but please tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’ll tell you when you get here. Please hurry.”

  “I’m not moving until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

  Silence.

  “Devi, what happened? Please tell me,” Noelle said, her voice rising as her heart battered her insides.

  “It’s Dakini.”

  Noelle’s stomach dropped and she thought she might get sick.

  “She’s missing.”

  Standing naked in the middle of the room, Noelle clutched her bag and jacket to her chest. Her voice wobbled as she spoke. “What? I just saw her yesterday when I left the spa. She was going to clean up and head home.”

  “She cleaned up and left, but she didn’t come in this morning. I called her but got no answer. That’s when we noticed her car parked out back. I thought maybe she’d gotten a ride somewhere, so I called her again. Still no answer.”

  “Oh my god.” Noelle felt faint.

  My Daki. My best friend.

  “Please hurry.”

  Noelle forced herself to focus. “Okay. I’m on my way. I should be there in forty-five.”

  She dashed back up the stairs to find Dalt pulling on his jeans. She ran around the room gathering her clothes, her hands shaking as she hastily dressed.

  “What’s going on?” Dalt asked, his brows knit. “I heard you talking to your boss.”

  “Dakini is missing.” Noelle’s voice cracked as she struggled to jam a foot into the wrong shoe. “No one knows where she is.”