All Your Perfect Imperfections

Chapter Eight

-Avery-

I felt a hand slowly running up and down my arm, gently pulling me from sleep. When I opened my eyes, Devin was sitting up beside me in bed, looking down at me and smiling.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

I pushed myself into a sitting position, expecting the room to start spinning, but fortunately nothing happened. "Better," I replied. "I wasn't that drunk."

Devin chuckled. "You fell asleep on the drive home and I had to drag you up to our condo. I'd say that's more than tipsy."

I remembered Devin's arm around me, helping to support me as we walked through the parking garage to the elevator. I hadn't thrown up, but I hadn't felt great. I thought back to Carter's party and the treehouse, and then I froze. Devin and I had hooked up, and I'd been rough with him. I felt my face heating up as I remembered what I'd done. When I looked over at Devin, he was smirking, and I knew he could tell exactly what I was thinking about.

"So, am I going to have to get you drunk the next time I want to repeat what you did in the treehouse? Where did that come from?" he asked.

I knew I shouldn't feel embarrassed, but what I'd done to him was out of character for me. It seemed like a good idea at the time, when I was feeling insecure about not having money like the rest of the men at the party. I'd wanted to show Devin that I could be what he desired, at least when it came to sex.

I forced myself to meet his eyes. A bruise on his lip drew my attention, and I reached out to brush my fingers over it. "I didn't mean to bite you that hard."

He laughed. "I think you did. And I loved it, so don't worry."

Sighing, I leaned back against my pillow. "I'm not sure I can do it again. It's not my style."

"I disagree. A drunk man's actions are a sober man's thoughts, right?"

"It wasn't that. It was..." I trailed off, not really wanting to explain this to him.

Devin waited patiently, tilting his head to the side as he studied me.

"I'm not rich," I said. "And I know I'm not good enough for you. Carter was nice to me, but I don't think the rest of your family would approve of me being with you. The men at that party were all wealthy and attractive and I couldn't help but picture them with you, so I tried to give you something I know you like. It's the only thing I can give you, but now I'm not even sure about that."

The smirk faded from Devin's face. "You did that to try to keep my attention?

I nodded. "I'm sorry." I knew he was going to be disappointed, and I regretted the entire thing.

"Avery." He reached over and put a hand on my cheek. "You don't have to do anything to keep my attention. You already have it, every single moment of every single day. I don't care about money or status. The guys at Carter's party don't have anything to offer me compared to you. You're the man I want."

I felt tears spring to my eyes. Devin's words were exactly what I needed to hear, but I hadn't expected to hear them. I thought this conversation was going to go a lot differently.

"I love you," he said, leaning in and kissing me. "I'm sorry you felt that way at Carter's house and felt like you had something to prove. Have I said or done anything to make you feel like that?"

"No. Not directly, at least. It's just everything. Your dad owning an entire firm. Seeing the house you grew up in and living in this luxury condo with you. Watching how you spend money like it's nothing, when it's more money than I could dream of having. It's so different from my life and how I grew up, so it's all been kind of a shock to me."