Free Transitions (A Thousand Words Book 1) by Tori Brooks

that?
    Because it would freak him out, Dev smiled. Telling him that he loved her was a puzzle, and Lindsay knew it was a puzzle he couldn’t pass up. She knew he’d sit down and figure it out and realize she loved him, and what she’d been doing about it for – wow, a year now.
    The question was: did he love her? Dev looked back to the closed door he suspected Lindsay was waiting behind. She might even be watching him through the peephole. There was something about her, something indefinable he’d known all along that made him see himself as marrying her. If he wanted to marry her, that probably counted as loving her. That was when she still looked like she was dressed for Halloween. Now there was definitely a physical attraction. He wanted to kiss her and hold her. Dev pushed those thoughts aside.
    He knew what Lindsay was, what she wanted, and that would be a challenge for another time. First, he couldn’t leave her waiting.
    Standing up, Dev strode up the walk with confidence. He reached for the doorbell, then hesitated. It was late and Lindsay was probably just on the other side of the door anyway. There was no reason to disturb the whole house. He knocked on the door instead.
    The door opened immediately. It wasn’t even locked, Dev noticed with satisfaction. Lindsay smiled at him and leaned against the frame. She’d touched up her makeup and her face was perfect.
    Dev motioned for her to step outside, she did.
    “You wanted to talk to me?” Lindsay asked.
    Dev nodded. “You love me too,” he said and leaned forward, pressing his lips carefully to hers. He slid his hands around her waist, surprised at how small and fragile she seemed in his hands. Lindsay’s arms rested on his shoulders, her fingers finding their way into his hair again, this time Dev didn’t mind. His lips parted, as did hers, and he tentatively let his tongue explore her mouth, beginning the intricate dance he didn’t really know the moves to. As it turned out, it didn’t matter. Lindsay was delicate and strong at the same time. She guided and tempted him, drawing him deeper, pulling him closer. Dev felt her body mold to his. He wanted to know all of her secrets and knew that she would show him, but in her own time and in her own way. Heat rose in him, in his stomach and lower. He needed to pull away, but didn’t want to as well. If he let this continue . . . Dev broke off the kiss, turning away and gasping for the cool night air.
    Lindsay’s fingers gently stroked his cheek, leaving a burning trail in their wake. Dev closed his eyes, he couldn’t look at her. He had to calm down and just the thought of her wasn’t helping.
    Tiny kisses on his neck made him flinch and Lindsay stopped. She held him instead, letting her head rest on his chest. They stood like that, entwined together, for what Dev felt was a long time. Finally he felt calm and steady enough to move and opened his eyes.
    It wasn’t as bad as he imagined, he was simply holding her. There wasn’t anything racy to be seen. Kissing the top of Lindsay’s head, Dev relaxed his hold on her. Lindsay took a step back and smiled up at him.
    “That was a bit more than I expected,” she said. “Quicker too. I underestimated you.”
    Dev felt the color fill his cheeks and glanced back toward her front door, imagining Jack watching through the peephole.
    “Relax, we’re alone,” Lindsay said. “Now that we’ve managed that hurdle, get some sleep.”
    “Sleep? You know I get to run the gauntlet as soon as I get home, right?”
    “They still ambush you?”
    “I bailed on tour planning in favor of spending time with my girlfriend. Yeah, they’ll ambush me,” Dev told her.
    “Dev, in the grand scheme of things, nothing’s really changed. A little bit, sure: I let the dye grow out of my hair, changed my wardrobe, and you kissed me. Not that even that much is their business, but I know Jess is really hung up on the kissing issue. Trust me, ignore Jess. Kenny isn’t