Page 24 of Devlin

It had been almost twenty years ago, and the memory still had the power to twist his heart.

A soft snort escaped him, and he quickly turned his head, glancing at his bunkmates. Cole, sprawled out, was snoring loud enough to rattle the walls, while Todd lay flat on his back, mouth agape, dead to the world. Devlin sighed in relief. They hadn’t noticed him.

But the snort had been earned. He couldn’t help but smile at himself as another memory surfaced. The way he and Mia had contorted their bodies to fit on her tiny dorm bed, limbs tangled as they searched for closeness. It didn’t matter how cramped or uncomfortable it got, they’d always made it work, driven by the simple need to be together.

Sex with Mia had been nothing short of extraordinary, even from the beginning. They’d been each other’s firsts, fumblingat times but always fueled by an intensity that made the awkwardness irrelevant. He’d heard enough from his teammates and friends to know that what they had was rare. Mia had looked at him like he hung the moon, her gaze full of trust, admiration, and love. It had filled him with a pride he couldn’t quite explain. Not because he thought he deserved it but because it was her. She’d always been the better half of their story.

In the years without her, Devlin had learned that nothing compared to what they’d shared. No matter how many women had crossed his path, no relationship had lasted longer than a weekend. The hollow flings only reminded him of what he’d lost and what he’d foolishly let slip away.

His thoughts shifted to the years after their breakup. His career as a SEAL had given him purpose, even after the injury that ended it. During his recovery, he’d befriended an attorney who worked with tribal councils, and the work had drawn him in. Helping others, fixing what was broken—it had felt like something Mia would do. Maybe, deep down, some part of him had been trying to mirror her unwavering dedication.

When Logan approached him about joining Lighthouse Security Investigations, he hadn’t hesitated. And when he’d learned Sisco was part of the team, it had sealed the deal. Once again, he’d found a purpose, a place where he belonged. But no matter how much satisfaction his work gave him, there was still a void he couldn’t fill. He’d had the great love of his life, and he’d let her go.

He exhaled slowly, his chest tightening as he thought about Mia. He’d resisted looking her up over the years, afraid of what he might find. The idea of seeing her married, smiling in family photos, or holding the hands of children who weren’t his had always been too much to bear. While he wanted her to have everything she deserved, he couldn’t risk shattering what little peace he’d managed to carve out for himself.

This morning, though, everything had shifted. Seeing her again had shaken him to his core. He’d stared at her ring finger, holding his breath as he noticed it was bare. No pale indentation, no shadow of a ring long worn and recently removed. It didn’t necessarily mean she was unattached, but it had ignited a flicker of hope he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years.

If even the slightest chance to reconnect existed, he wanted it. Needed it. But the weight of his mistakes hung heavy on him. His jaw tightened as the words he’d have to say ran through his mind.I was such a fucking idiot.It wasn’t enough to capture the depth of his regret, but it was a start.

With a last glance at the sleeping forms of his fellow Keepers, Devlin rolled onto his side. His body ached with exhaustion, but his mind wouldn’t let go of her. When sleep finally came, it wasn’t restful. Dreams of Mia filled his restless slumber.

In his dream, she walked toward him with a seductive smile. He was lying in bed with the TV on, watching a game he had little interest in, just to kill time until she came out of the bathroom. Her thick, glossy hair floated around her shoulders, and her beautiful smile aimed his way with a twinkle in her eyes.

His mouth dropped open as his heart pounded, all the blood running to his cock as she sauntered toward him in a silky nightie that left little to the imagination. It didn't matter that he'd seen her body and worshipped every inch. Each time, it was like unwrapping a new present at Christmas.

She stripped off the nightie and, with no panties, continued toward him completely naked. He clicked off the TV and tossed the remote to the nightstand, not caring when it skidded across the surface and landed on the floor.

Just as she reached the bed, he shucked his boxers down and kicked them to the side, freeing his cock. It bobbed up, and her gaze dropped to his erection. Her smile widened, and she leanedforward, placed her hands on the mattress, then crawled up the bed until she straddled his legs.

With her hands on his hips, her breasts dangled, teasing the hair on his thighs as she licked her lips. Fisting his cock, she opened her mouth and took him in. With the first swipe, his eyes rolled back in his head.

With the ease and practice that came from being together for years, she knew exactly how to drive him wild. He reached down and fondled her breasts, tugging on her nipples until she moaned, the sound reverberating through his cock, making him swell even more.

Just when he was ready to come, he slipped his hands under her armpits and dragged her upward. She shimmied up his thighs and then lifted, placing the tip of his cock directly at her entrance. She slowly lowered her body down until he was fully sheathed, and once again, he felt his eyes roll back in his head.

With his hands on her hips, he guided her as she lifted and plunged, taking them both to the edge of the cliff. He pressed his thumb on the bundle of nerves, and she shattered, her fingertips digging into his shoulders. With her head thrown back, she cried out his name as he groaned, "My Mia.”

Devlin gasped, his eyes flying open, and he realized he’d just had the most erotic dream he'd ever had in his life. His cock was rock hard, and if he just fisted himself, he would come. Jerking his head to the side, he ascertained Cole and Todd were still sound asleep. Thank God! No way would he give in to his dream and rub one out with them in the room.

Crawling out of bed as quietly as possible, he pulled on a T-shirt, slid on a pair of sweatpants, and shoved his feet into his shoes. He slipped out of the room and jogged to the guest bathroom, where he went straight into one of the private shower stalls.

With the warm water coursing over him, he grabbed his cock, and with one hand on the side of the shower and the other pumping his erection, he clamped his jaws tightly shut so he wouldn't cry out her name. It only took a moment of still thinking of her, and he jerked off, finally coming as he sprayed his release down the drain.

For the past decade, when he'd jerked off to thoughts of Mia, it had always been to a past memory. This time, he had her firmly in his mind as she was now. Everything about her still called to him.

Rinsing off, he dried, redressed, and returned to the guest quarters. When he stepped into the room, Cole and Todd were just waking.

"You took a shower already?" Cole asked, looking at Devlin's wet hair.

"Yeah, I figure it would be good to go ahead and get in before it gets busy."

"That makes sense. I should do the same."

While Cole and Todd headed to the showers, he dressed for the day, then sat on the side of his bed, his forearms on his knees. He let out a deep sigh, wondering if he was destined to just rub one out to thoughts of Mia for the rest of his life.

11

Devlin sat on the edge of his bunk with maps and spreadsheets spread haphazardly across the bed. His fingertips traced invisible lines over the paper, mapping out possible routes, trying to visualize where the thefts were happening and how the stolen supplies were transported. But no matter how much he focused on the logistics, his mind drifted to Mia—back to the past and forward to the conversation he needed to have with her. She was here, in this camp, working tirelessly to help people who had lost everything. And despite all his training and all the years he’d spent shutting down distractions, she was the one thing he couldn’t push from his mind.

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