Little Conversations (18 page)

Devin flushed with a smile and turned her face to the shore,
into the breeze as the boat sped through the water. 

“Come here, though,” Ronin said quietly, holding out one
hand as he steered with the other.  Devin stood, and he pulled her up against
his side.  She leaned into his solid strength and inhaled the air around him
deeply into her lungs. 

“There, that’s much better,” he whispered against her
forehead, and she melted against him.

Some of the others on shore were gathering firewood and
piling it next to Greg who was making an art out of fire-building.  He had the
appearance of a grown-up boy scout in his boring beige shirt and khaki shorts,
only needing a little tie and a funny hat.  Joanie stood ready with a long
lighter for him to give her the okay to ignite his small pyre.

Ronin went to drop the anchor when Shane hollered at him.

“Getting pretty dark, Ronin.  Let me grab the truck and we’ll
just load ‘er up.”

Shane and Joe kicked their feet to propel their inner tubes
to the beach.  The light was fading fast as Devin stepped to the back of the
boat to untie the ropes that were tied to the tubes.  In the shadows, she could
barely see the knots. 

“Here, honey,” Ronin smiled and handed her his hat.  In the
brim were a few little LED lights, and, with a push of a button, she was able
to see. 

“Wow, that… that is some hat,” Devin giggled softly with a
teasing smile.

“That is a wonder of modern engineering.  Best fishing hat
ever
. 
Don’t you be making fun of my hat,” Ronin chided playfully.

She set the hat on her head, and the light was helpful.  She
made short work of the knots, going back to stand by Ronin when she was done
and setting the hat, lights off, back on his head.  Shane backed the pickup and
boat trailer down the ramp, and Ronin guided the boat onto the trailer.  Joe
stood by until it was close, then winched the boat into place.  Ronin sat in
the seat behind the wheel and pulled Devin down on his lap as Shane began to
pull the boat from the water. 

Holding onto the boat with one hand to brace them, Ronin’s
other hand slid along Devin’s side, softly teasing her ribs.  Her breath caught
slightly and she turned more fully towards him, wrapping her arms around his
neck.  Her eyes drifted shut at the combined smell of fresh mountain air and
sunshine on his skin, at the feel of his arms holding her tightly.  Her lips
caressed the soft lobe of his ear, eliciting a soft groan from Ronin, whose hand
slowly slipped down the slope of her back to the soft curve below.  Every
millimeter of Devin’s skin burned for him to touch her. 

“Come on, you crazy kids,” Shane joked.  “Out of the boat so
I can get it closed up before it gets too dark.”

Ronin climbed down, reaching up for Devin.  She slid into
his arms, and he lowered her to the ground.  He grabbed a zippered hoodie from
his truck and clasped her hand in his as he led her over where the firelight
danced in the pit.  Settling down on a fallen tree, he tugged her down to curl up
on his lap, laying the sweatshirt over her like a blanket as he wrapped her in
his strong arms. 

Darkness was quickly falling around them, and the glow of
the fire warmed her skin in the cool night air.  It danced in Ronin’s eyes, his
pupils large in the dim light.  Devin traced the line of his jaw, feeling the
rasp of stubble.  She grazed her fingertips across his lips, and he gave them a
soft kiss.  She smiled gently up at him, memorizing the tender look he held her
with. 

The sounds of night began to fill the air.  The chirping of
crickets, the light wash of water against the sand, and the crackling fire. 
The moon began to climb across the dark expanse, so very big as it sat low on
the horizon, and the stars began to light the sky.  The rippling reflection in
the water was breathtaking. 

Ronin’s lips brushed along the outer edge of her ear.  “So,
got any other stories about all those pictures in the sky?” he softly asked.

Devin scanned the twinkling stars that were emerging from
the thick, velvety blanket of night.  “Hmmm…  Well, everyone knows that’s the
Big Dipper,” she said as she pointed to the well-known constellation, “and the
two stars at the end of it point to the Polaris—the North Star—which is part of
the Little Dipper.  Curved around the Little Dipper is Draco the Dragon.  He’s
got a long, skinny body that’s all twisted up.”  She leaned her face up against
Ronin’s and pointed out the stars.  “That star, right there, is Draco’s head.  Back
when the Egyptian pyramids were built, it was actually the North Star.  All the
pyramids were built to line up with it.  There are quite a few stories about
Draco.  One says he was one of the giant titans who fought with the Olympian
gods.”

“Is that the one you like?” Ronin asked.

Devin smiled as she shook her head.  “Nope, that one’s kind
of boring.  But, you see, right above Draco is Hercules.  My guess is that you’ve
heard of him,” she whispered, pulling back a little to see his face. 

Ronin nodded and Devin melted back into him to tell her
story. 

“I like the Hercules story.  I mean, why else would he be
standing there on Draco’s head if he wasn’t part of it all, right?  Hercules had
these twelve jobs to do—his labours.  One of his jobs was to go get all these
golden apples from a tree that was a wedding present to Juno when she married
Zeus.”

“Zeus…?  Wasn’t he married to that other lady?  From the
Taurus story?” Ronin interrupted.

“I don’t know that he ever married Europa.  But, Zeus was
kind of a man-ho,” Devin grinned softly.  “He had a whole bunch of wives, and
hundreds of women on top of that.  I mean, he was Zeus for cryin’ out loud. 
Who’s gonna say no to that?  Anyway, Juno had this giant dragon guarding the
tree.  Sometimes you’ll hear that it had like a hundred heads or some shit. 
But Hercules just shot the damn thing with an arrow.  Juno was all sad, so she
put Draco up in the sky.”

“Poor dragon,” Ronin mumbled softly, and he kissed the sweetly
tender spot at her temple, teasing the stray tendrils as they danced in the
night breeze.  The sensation brought goosebumps to Devin’s flesh, and she
shivered slightly. 

“Cold?” he whispered.

She looked back at him and shook her head.  “Not here, in
your arms.  Not a bit,” she whispered back, relaxing into him once again to
look up at the diamond-encrusted sky.

It was very dark when Ronin turned into her driveway. 

“Oh, fuck,” she whispered as her eyes lit upon Jake’s pickup
parked behind her Jetta.  Devin glanced at Ronin to see his jaw clench as he
pulled up beside it.  

She jumped out of Ronin’s truck and strode up to Jake in an
attempt to mitigate the drama.

“Jake?  What are you doing here?” Devin asked sharply, with
a feisty bite in her voice.

Jake seemed a touch surprised by her venomous tone, clearly
expecting her to be pleased at his unannounced arrival.

“Mel… she had to go back a couple days early, and I missed
you.”

“Jake—” Devin started. 

But Ronin interrupted, stepping up to Jake, his hat around
backwards.  “Listen, fucker!  This is a really shitty thing you’re doing.
 Do you even fuckin’ care what you’re putting her through, and probably
Melanie too!?  What the fuck!?  You need get your shit figured out. 
Now!”

“What, she got you fighting her battles now, Ronin?” Jake
sputtered.  “This doesn’t have anything to do with you.  This isn’t a
fuckin’ party at your house.  You can’t kick me out!”

Ronin took another step forward, his bulk forcing Jake back
a half-step.  “Sorry, buddy, but this started having something to do with me
when she started sleeping in my bed.”

“Yeah, sleeping.  You’re like a cock-suckin’ teddy bear.
 Her ‘friend.’  She told me all about that after the bar.  Right before
she told me how much she loved me.  Right before I fucked her.  Back the hell
up, Ronin.  You don’t have the right to be a part of this.”

Ronin’s eyes blazed and his voice became dangerously quiet.  “Things
have changed, you stupid fuckin’ son of a bitch.  She’s been doing a lot
more with me than cuddling!”

Jake’s eyes went wide and his gaze swung to Devin.  “You
fuckin’ slut!  You bangin’ Ronin, now?”

“Jake—” Devin started again as she began to step forward,
unsure what to even say in this situation.  But before she could really even take
a step, Ronin’s fist met up with Jake’s jaw, throwing him backwards on the
ground, flat on his back.  

“Get in your lame-ass little pickup and get the fuck outa
here, Jake,” Ronin roared.  “And don’t you ever say that shit about Devin again. 
Ever
!”  He stood over Jake furiously.  Devin was rooted to the ground, petrified
by the events occurring right in front of her.  Her words stuck in her throat
and her body was completely immobile, unable to intercede.  “You have no fuckin’
idea what you’ve got here,” Ronin continued, pointing back at Devin’s
statuesque form.  “You have no clue how lucky you are to breathe the same air
as her.  You sure as hell don’t deserve her!  She should be treasured, and you
keep pushing her away, toying with her when you’re bored.”

Ronin turned back towards Devin, his whole body heaving with
anger.  Devin could barely breathe.  Focused so intently on him, the fierce
tension radiating off of him, she almost didn’t see Jake stand and rush at
Ronin from behind. 

“Jake, no!” she cried.

Ronin whirled around to see the smaller man barreling down
on him with his head lowered, fists flying.  One fist connected with Ronin’s
left temple, but it didn’t seem to have much effect as Ronin simply grabbed the
front of Jake’s shirt and picked him up, throwing him backwards.  Jake was far
from a short and scrawny guy, but he was no match for Ronin’s six feet and two
inches of solid muscle mass.  Once more, Jake tried to come at Ronin, swiping
with his feet to knock him off kilter, only to have Ronin’s fist crack him on
the nose.  Blood poured down Jake’s face as he backed away furiously.

“You broke my fuckin’ nose, you asshole!  Fuck this bullshit. 
This is assault!  I’m going to the fuckin’ cops!”  Jake staggered to his
feet and stormed to his truck.  

Devin could only stand there, overcome completely by shock
as Jake backed out of her driveway and romped on the gas, the rumble of his
engine echoing through the quiet of the night.  A single tear trailed down
her cheek as she looked at Ronin who stood there rubbing his knuckles.  He
glanced at her, his body pounding from adrenaline. 

Devin’s own body was tense, her own breathing shaky.  “Come on
in.  I’ll get you some ice…” she mumbled after a moment.  Ronin followed her
inside.   

Getting ice was easier said than done.  Devin’s hands trembled
so bad she could scarcely remove the ice from the tray.   Grabbing a damp
kitchen towel, she wrapped up a few cubes and pressed them gently against Ronin’s
clenched fist, then turned to grab more for his temple.  The tension slowly
began to ebb from Ronin’s shoulders and he sighed with a defeated groan.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he said.  “I shouldn’t have hit him.  He’s
about half my size, and I could have really hurt him.”

“Ronin,” Devin murmured as she touched his left eyebrow with
the ice.  Ronin flinched at the contact, taking in a stilted breath.  “Shit,” Devin
whispered.  “I’m sorry.  That looks like it hurts.”

“Yeah, but I think I broke his fuckin’ nose.  I may have
just fucked up any hope that you’d ever work things out.  You should be mad as
hell at me.”  Ronin closed his eyes and shook his head.  “But I couldn’t let
him say that fuckin’ shit about you.”

Devin looked up at him, visibly shaken, her eyes wet with tears.
 “Ronin, you think I’m worried about Jake being mad?  Fuck him!  Let him be as
pissed as he wants.”  Her eyes traced his features, her breathing steady.  Her
voice dropped to a whisper.  “Right now, I’m worried about you.”  

Her empty hand curved up around his cheek as she gently
touched his temple again with the ice.  Ronin’s eyes were closed as he struggled
to calm his agitation.  Devin kept the ice pressed against his forehead, her
breathing choppy.  She sniffed back a tear, and Ronin’s eyes flashed open to focus
intently on her.  She began to tremble more forcefully, and she dropped the
ice, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips to hers.

Ronin didn’t hesitate for a second before he draped himself
around her, his tongue meeting hers as she moaned into his mouth.  His
hands left a steady burn in their wake as they slid down her back and followed the
curve of her ass.  Gripping her soundly, he lifted her and wrapped her legs
around his waist, pressing her up against her kitchen wall roughly and
eliciting a deep and breathless moan.  Devin’s heart raced and her pulse
pounded with the weight of his hips grinding against hers, his painfully hard shaft
almost bruising her with an erotic promise.  His teeth nibbled their way down
her neck, and this sent a tingling shiver through her as he turned and walked
them down the hallway towards her bedroom.  Devin pulled at his shirt in a
frenzy, feverishly trying to get to his bare skin.  They left a trail of
clothing behind them as they entered her room—his shirt, her shoes, his hat, her
shirt, her bikini top.