“That’s so good,” I groan, steadying myself against the wall.
“It gets so, so much better,” he breathes, his voice rasping in my ear.
Like a flash, he brings an able hand to my sex. His fingers find my clit as he thrusts into me, the doubled sensation sending me into a tailspin. I scream out my pleasure as his cock parts my silky flesh, colliding with tender places I never knew existed. He bears down on that hard little button, and I swear my legs are going to give out any second. I whip my face toward him and catch his lips in a searing kiss. Our mouths meet as he thrusts into me, as hard and as deep as he can.
And at once, we’re both goners.
We come together, pressed flat against the shower wall. Our bodies writhe as pleasure spills through us, leaving us warm and happy in its wake. As the sensation fades, we’re left in a buzzing afterglow. Our heaving chests move as one as we stand, speechless, beneath the spray of the shower. In twenty four hours, I’ve had more incredible sex than I thought someone could expect in a month. Something tells me that Declan is going to prove a lot of my preconceived notions wrong this summer.
Slowly, I spin around to face him. He looks down at me, his curls wet, water streaming over his every muscle. My hands rake lightly along his smooth pecs, his chiseled abs. But as ever, it’s his eyes that capture me. We lock gazes, and I feel my stomach flip. He always looks at me like a good friend, with warmth and humor. Only this time, I could swear that there’s something new behind that gaze of his. Something that looks a lot like affection? Dare I say...love? But that can’t be.
“Let’s actually get ourselves cleaned up,” he laughs, breaking away from my look, “I thought we could spend the day at the pool, before we head over to the Forty-Five.”
“Right,” I reply, shrugging off the intense moment, “Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
I’m probably just mistaken about his rather intense gaze. After all, Declan and I are just lovers. Just two consenting adults sleeping with each other. Hell, it’s contractually stated that there’s to be no talk of love between us, ever. We’ll be fond of each other, and good to each other for as long as the summer lasts. But I know without asking that it’s best to leave love out of this.
The question is, why? Why the insistence that I don’t fall in love with him? Why does he now know everything about my past, but I don’t have a clue about his? And for God’s sake, what’s with the guns, and the biker club, and who knows what else?
But I suppose those questions are for another time. Right now, all I can do is enjoy every second of this wild ride I’m on with him. I snap my attention back to the present, back to the beautiful man before me. We lather each other up, goofing off like a couple of carefree kids. But I get the feeling that Declan hasn’t been carefree in a very long time. I only wish I could know the things that weigh on his heart. Maybe I could be some kind of help?
One thing is certain: I’m not going to be able to stand being kept in the dark much longer. I don’t need there to be some deep, abiding love between us, but I do need there to be trust. And trust, in this case, is going to require a lot of answers on his part.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
After weeks of restraining ourselves, Declan and I have a lot of catching up to do. We spend an entire week reveling in orgasmic bliss, exploring each other’s bodies. I thought there’d be more of a learning curve for me, but with a teacher like Declan Tiberi, I make up for lost time when it comes to making love. Now that I’ve let him in, I can’t imagine having lived without sex for so long. But part of me still knows that, had anyone else been my first, it would be an entirely different matter. All told, I’m glad that I waited for Declan to come along before losing my virginity. But now that he’s here? The game is on.
By the time July is underway, Declan and I have given up on all pretenses about being merely business partners to one another. Between us, there’s no more playing at not being attracted to each other. But when it comes to the rest of the world, our relationship is a bit more hazy. When we meet with Declan’s business partners, I play the eager intern. In the casinos, we let ourselves flirt outright. At the Forty-Five Club, we don’t hide our feelings, but I can sense that Declan is still shy about being too overt. I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to spare the feelings of Dani, his former fling.
The only person who knows exactly how I feel about Declan, save the man himself, is Kelly. As suspected, she absolutely loses her shit when I tell her that my “v card” has finally been punched. Her elated cries are so loud that Declan overhears the call from the next room.
“What was that all about?” he asks, as I step out of my bedroom.
He’s lounging on the sofa of my suite, computer on his lap. We’re working into the night, testing the CrowdedNest.com layout that our web designer has whipped up. In his dark jeans and white tee shirt, Declan is the picture of effortless cool. I feel a tug just behind my navel the second I see him, drawing me toward him.
“I hope you don’t mind, I told Kelly about us,” I say, joining him on the couch.
“It’s fine by me,” he says, moving the computer out of the way to make room for me on his lap. I settle myself between his legs, pressing my back against his firm chest. He wraps his arms around me as we look out over the strip together.
“I won’t mention anything about us to anyone else,” I assure him, “Kelly’s really the only person I’m close to in my life. Except for you, of course.”
“I know, Kassie,” he says, “Really, it’s OK.”
“It just seems like you’d rather keep things between us on the DL,” I say, broaching the subject for the first time, “I get it. It wouldn’t make sense to tell anyone else. Or show them, rather. I mean, what would your brothers think?”
“My brothers would lose their shit,” he smiles, “You know the club loves you.”
“Most of the club,” I reply.
“They’re not all going to show it is all,” Declan tells me, “Ollie, Sam, Kip, they’re big softies. I’m convinced that Teddy and Frank only know about a hundred words between them. Chuck is always gonna be a mean sonofabitch. And John? You’d know if he didn’t want you around, I’ll just say that.”
“I believe you, if you say they’re fine with me hanging out,” I go on, “But it’s already been a month and change since I started showing up. At some point, won’t enough be enough for them? It doesn’t seem like the Forty-Five Club has many casual outsiders.”